Snapped: Amsterdam's Oranjebloesem festival

No one in the world seems to have taken to throwing mid-sized day festivals like the Dutch. From Dekmantel in August to DGTL in April, hardly a weekend goes by in Amsterdam during spring and summer without a few thousand people taking over a park, beach or discarded dockland for a proper party.

And Oranjebloesem is a key player in the Dutch festival scene. Now in its third year, Oranjebloesem takes place on Kings Day, the Dutch national holiday when hundreds of thousands of people flood the streets of Amsterdam in a sea of orange to celebrate their monarchs birthday. The festival is an initiative by Dutch promotors NGHTDVSN and Next Monday’s Hangover and began in 2014 as an alternative to the more mainstream offerings available in the centre of town.

Taking place in Blijiburg, a beach location 20 minutes outside of the city centre, Oranjebloesem sprawls across four stages, with many of them nestled in among the sand dunes, making for perfect mini amphitheatres. When we arrive, things are already in full flow on the windswept beach with Belfast boys Bicep whipping up the crowd with some expertly selected vintage house and techno on the Aan het Strand stage. After catching the tail end of their set we head to the covered Op De Heuvelrug arena where Ata Kak is holding sway. The Ghanian musician has been the recipient of a lucky twist of fate in the the past few years with Awesome Tapes in Africa’s Brian Shimkowitz finding his ‘Obaa Sima’ tape in a street market in Ghana and spending years trying to track him down. Since the two finally touched base, the ‘Obaa Sima’ tape has become one of Awesome Tapes in Africa’s most successful reissues and Ata Aka has put a band together and started to tour the European festival circuit. And he couldn’t be happier to have caught a second wind. Playing his irresistibly upbeat blend of Ghanian highlife, soul and hip hop to the mid-afternoon crowd, a beaming smile never leaves the performers face. And it’s infectious. The music he makes is effortlessly joyous and sounds quite unlike anything else you’ve heard before, setting the tone for a day that’s all about fun.

Over at the Tussen De Duinen stage Âme’s Frank Wiedemann is at the helm with a live set of delicately emotive yet driving Âme originals that has attracted one of the biggest crowds of the day, before Kompakt boss Michael Mayer steps in with some expert selections that reemphasise the fact the man has been at the helm of one of electronic music’s most respected and reliable record labels for almost 20 years.

With an 8pm finish, time is of the essence at Oranjebloesem and after a quick pitstop, it’s back to the Aan Het Strand stage to see out the rest of the day. Dekmantel Soundsystem are in control, making a relatively rare appearance outside one of their own events. With their mini empire of parties, festivals and a record label, Dekmantel has become a real barometer of quality in the last few years and deliver nothing but house and techno of the highest order, bringing a real peak time feel to their 5pm set time. Then it’s over the Optimo to see things out. The Scottish DJs are known for having one of the most diverse record collections out there and they see things out seamlessly blending primitive 80s electro with acid cuts and disco oddities. And then it’s done. Oranjebloesem 2017 combined a brilliant setting with a real high calibre line-up but, unfortunately, due to restrictions by the local authorities on Kings Day it had to end really early. if only it could have gone on for longer!

Sean Griffiths is Mixmag's Deputy Editor. Follow him on Twitter