Dekmantel 2015: "We've only just begun"

The festival seems to run very smoothly, with great sound and production. Do you use a trusted team for those things?

Of course. We couldn't do this with just the three of us. Most of the people who work with us on the festival do it exclusively with us which is kind of a rarity in Holland – we have hundreds of festivals happening in Amsterdam alone in the summer. We have a good crew and it's been a smooth process this year. Hopefully I won't jinx it by saying this!

Festival culture seems to be really ingrained in Holland. Is it relatively simple to put on a festival?

There's some really big players who have been doing large events for a long time. I think those organizations have been quite influential with setting the standard. It's also to do with the Dutch mentality: we always try to do stuff properly and neatly.

In terms of the politics here, the city council has been very welcoming. It may have peaked as there's a lot of festivals happening but that being said, doing a three-day event with electronic music here in Amsterdam, I think we're the only ones doing that.

The mayor of the city seems open to dance music.

Definitely. The politicians see it as something that contributes to the city and the culture in a very positive way. The political environment is key because it makes everything much easier if there's less resistance [from the government].