Le groupe Q-dance (document en anglais)

Q-dance is a Dutch company that organizes events and festivals that focuses on the harder styles of dance music like Hardcore, Hardstyle, Dubstyle, Techno and Hardhouse. Popular events and festivals organized by Q-dance are Defqon.1 Festival, Q-BASE, Qlimax and X-Qlusive The events of Q-dance are easily identified by the letter “Q” on the event names.The logo of Q-dance is inspired by the power button, which if turned 120degrees to the right creates the letter “Q”.

Table of content :

1 History

1.1 Foundation

1.2 Q-dance abroad

2 Concepts

2.1 Current concepts

2.2 Defqon.1 Festival

2.3 Qlimax

2.4 Q-BASE

2.5 Former concepts

3 Q-dance hostings

4 Other activities

5. More about big events.

1.History

1.1.Foundation

Q-dance was founded in 1999 as Qlass Elite by a couple of friends in the northern suburbs of Amsterdam (Landsmeer, the Netherlands). The first event created by Qlass Elite was Houseqlassics, an event that played old school house music. After two editions of Houseqlassics, in the year 2000 a few more events were scheduled for the year: 91-92 and Qlimax. A year later, in 2001, the name of the company was changed into Q-dance and a new concept was introduced: Qlubtempo.

With this concept Q-dance introduced a whole new music genre: Hardstyle. This new genre of dance music grew in a few years as one of the most popular dance genres and is still the main type of music played at Q-dance events. In 2002 Q-dance decided to expand the Qlimax event by moving to a bigger venue, Thialf stadion in Hereveen, the Netherlands. Qlimax grew fast and soon it was clear that the venue at Hereveen was too small to hold the event. Qlimax was soon held in a bigger venue in the GelreDome in Arnhem, the Netherlands. Until this day the Qlimax events take place each November in the GelreDome.

In 2003 on Bloemendaal beach, the Netherlands, Q-dance built a beach club named Q-beach. In the weekends small parties and talent shows were organized at Q-beach. After two summers Q-dance decided to pull the plug on Q-beach. In 2003 three new concepts were introduced: Defqon.1 Festival, X-Qlusive and the techno concept Teqnology.

1.2.Q-dance abroad

In 2004 Q-dance decided to cross borders for the first time. In the German Weeze, on the abandoned RAF-airbase, the first edition of Q-BASE took place. With Q-BASE placed as the international dance event, Q-dance organized an event where visitors from all over Europe came to party. The year 2004 was ended with the first edition of QrimeTime, an event in which visitors were dressed like gangsters and Mafiosi to conclude the year.

In 2005 Belgium became an important country for Q-dance. It was in this year that Q-dance had a permanent venue at Tomorrowland. In 2006 the first Belgian Qlimax was held in Hasselt, Belgium. In 2007 the first Belgian X-Qlusive was organized and a year later the very first Belgian only Q-dance festival was organized: The Qontinent. The events in Belgium are organized by the Q-dance office in Antwerp.

In 2008 it was the turn of Australia to experience Q-dance. Q-dance organized a tour on three big cities in Australia: Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Later that year Q-dance organized two editions of X-Qlusive Showtek in Sydney and Melbourne. In that same year QrimeTime was replaced by Qountdown, a newer concept to end (and begin) the year at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

In September 2009 the first edition of Defqon.1 Festival took place in Sydney, Australia. The festival was in the first year sold out. Also other countries were able to experience the events of Q-dance, in the form of small club tours, countries like: Poland, Brazil, Sweden, France, Italy, Great Britain and Northern Ireland experienced Q-dance.

In 2010 Q-dance celebrated its 10th year of existence in the Amsterdam ArenA, the Netherlands. In its decade anniversary Q-dance recycled materials from past events to relive the Q-dance experience. The Ferris wheel of Defqon.1 2008, the “Flower of Life” of Qlimax 2008 and “The Mask” of Qlimax 2006, among others, were used as decoration. In 2011 Defqon.1 Festival moved from Almere strand to the festival terrain of Biddinghuizen, the Netherlands. With that transition Defqon.1 became an extended festival, where visitors could stay for multiple days in the camping next to the festival terrain. For the weekend visitors there was a preparty and afterparty. In 2012 Defqon.1 was extended even further. In 2013 Q-dance expanded their concept to South America and the USA. Organizing the first standalone events in the form of “The Sound of Q-dance” at Santiago, Chile, and Los Angeles, U.S.A. Also in November 2nd by informations of HardNewsNL will be a new Hardcore event called Nirvana of Noise.

2.Concepts

2.1Current concepts

Concept Location First year Number of visitors

Defqon.1 Festival

Event area Biddinghuizen 2003 55.000

Defqon.1 Festival Australia

Sydney International Regatta Centre 2009 25.000

Q-BASE Airport Weeze (DE) 2004 25.000

Qlimax

GelreDome Arnhem 2000 27.500

The Qontinent Recr. area Puyenbroeck Wachtebeke (BE) 2004 30.000 (in 2 days)

Dominator

E3 Strand Eersel 2007 20.000

X-Qlusive Heineken Music Hall Amsterdam 2003 5.500

Q-dance presents Heineken Music Hall Amsterdam 2004 5.500

QORE 3.0 Heineken Music Hall Amsterdam 2011 4.500

Freaqshow Ziggo Dome Amsterdam 2012

IQON Sydney International Dragway 2013 20.000

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