Upclose returned to Spaarnwoude-Park near Amsterdam for its third edition on 16 and 17 May, with a stacked lineup of both established and up and coming electronic music talent.
The festival acts as something of a precursor to the three-day Awakenings Festival in Hilvarenbeek on 10 and 12 July (more information on that here) but is undoubtedly a must-attend in its own right, fostering a more intimate connection between the dancefloor and the artists performing.
Saturday’s programme (16 May) commenced under grey skies, which made way for warm sunshine as the afternoon progressed. Attendance appeared to be higher than in previous years, with several stages reaching capacity throughout the day – Alarico x Ben Klock, one of the festival‘s much-anticipated back-to-back sets, was absolutely packed.
It was great to have the chance to chat to Blasha & Allatt – always one of the highlights of previous editions of Upclose – ahead of their closing house set in Area 22, which veered into tougher territory as the night drew to a close. Also, backstage, we had a quick catchup with Steve Rachmad, following his Detroit techno-focused back-to-back session with ROD in Area 97.
Other Saturday highlights included Joris Voorn and Len Faki x Quest, while Planetary Assault Systems (Live) was at a different level altogether, with Luke Slater weaving a tapestry of techno that had everyone enraptured. The day concluded with Collabs 3000, helmed by Chris Liebing and Speedy J – a masterclass in upfront beats.
On Sunday (17 May), heavy rain in the early afternoon didn’t dampen the spirits, as an eclectic lineup of artists took to the stage. The 909originals crew started its day with Rene Wise‘s tough house set at Area 22, followed by the twisted acid funk of Paranoid London – their Hardfloor-meets-The-Fall vibe setting the tone for the day ahead.
A schedule clash meant that we unfortunately missed The Tunegirl in Area 07 – we heard nothing but good things – while following a quickfire blast of Anetha x Pegassi at Area 97, attention turned to our second helping of Luke Slater for the weekend, this time alongside Steve Bicknell and Function as LSD.
The energy was such that we might start a petition to rename Upclose the ‘Luke Slater Festival’, although it probably doesn’t have the same ring to it…. 🙂
After dropping by a seriously warped back-to-back from Ben UFO and Four Tet in Area 97 – yes, it was as good as it sounds! – the closing stretch of the weekend remained centred around Area 01, where Ignez x Rødhåd were followed by Freddy K x Marrøn, bringing the festival to a suitably storming close. Roll on Upclose 2026!
Check out some photos from over the weekend below.
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