Treat yourself with 5 Days Off this March – one of the biggest music events of the year

If you are on a short stay in Amsterdam between

5 -9 March 2014 and you have a soft spot for a good party then you will enjoy

the 5 Days Off music festival which is a yearly event with performances, club

nights, cultural arts events and workshops at Melkweg, Paradiso and De Balie.

It’s your

lucky day on any day during the 5 Days Off music festival as you are spoilt for

choice with the great daily line-up of musicians and special events. Taking

place from

5 to 9 March 2014 this

electronic music-fest has grown from small scale to big time since it began in

2001 and is the first multi-day indoor dance event in the whole of the

Netherlands.

Those who

love music, love to dance and party, and in general have a key interest in electronic

music and other art forms are in for a treat as three key Amsterdam events venues

get involved with special club nights, live shows and performances, all

arranged across

Melkweg,

Paradiso and

De Balie. Many groups of musicians and visitors from all over

Europe and the US make up this successful annual event that draws more than

twenty thousand visitors each year.

Short Stay

Group has many

Amsterdam apartments

located by each of these venues so you could choose one of these during

your leisure or business short stay so that the trek back home is never too far

away. Otherwise even if you are on the other side of the city then don’t fear

as Leidseplein, the square around which you will find those three venues, is a

hub for transport with many regular trams passing through it and going in many

directions.

A

special line-up of local and international

music artists will be performing at the Melkweg and Paradiso night clubs,

including:

Speedy J, who is a Dutch

electronic music producer;

Darkside, which

is a two-man band bringing you something different with their hybrid of

electronic music and psychedelic rock;

Nils

Frahm who bridges classical, ambient and dance music;

Noisia, a Dutch music trio who produce a variety of music such as

drum and base, techstep, neurofunk, dubstep, breakbeat and house music; German

minimalist

Marek Hemmann will be

creating sounds your ear may have never before experience; and

Rustie who is a Scottish producer and

will be playing unique sounds from the wonky music genre he is well-known for.

During the

day you can head to

De Balie, which

is a theatre and cultural centre located near the two clubs, to get involved in

the diversity of the program and share your passions with other like-minded

people during the showcase of other art disciplines such as

film,

photography,

media

art,

graphic

design,

fashion and

lifestyle.

If your interests

lie in the old music collection of vinyl’s, CD’s, magazines, cassettes, books

or even t-shirts then you may enjoy the

‘Long Players Music Market’ which

will take place at the

Melkweg Oude Zaal

on Saturday 8 March 2014 from 12-noon to 6PM. You will find items from an array

of music genres such as House, Techno, Hip-Hop, Soul, Reggae, Oldies, Jazz,

Blues, Electro, Latin, Classical and World Music. The bonus is that this market

is free to entre.

There are

also paid for

workshops during 5

Days Off and one of these is

The Encoded Groove: Free Sound Makers with

PureData, by Peter Kirn. This intensive workshop will show how time and

sounds can be manipulated using the free open source tool called PureData. Those

unfamiliar with this tool will be able to pick up some basic tips and those

with experience will be able to learn new tips and techniques. You will also

learn how to integrate your PureData creations with iOS or Android apps.

For more information about each event and to

buy tickets head to the event website.

Our little ticket

tip: The easiest way to book tickets is by selecting the ‘Tickets’ link which

you can see next to each event description.