For decades, Amsterdam’s nightlife has been vital for cultural innovation, growing communities, and explorations of identity. How does the next generation of clubgoers, ravers, artists and others working in the scene experience nightlife today? What is needed for this generation to (re)claim their place within night culture? And how can we preserve night culture for new and future generations? We encourage both nightlife visitors and (aspiring) night makers of the next generation to join in and participate in a meaningful conversation on their ideas, needs and concerns. The outcomes of this evening will be shared with the city administration of Amsterdam.
Are you between 18 and 27 years old? If so, we strongly encourage you to join us—this conversation is all about you!
Youssef Mahmoud (they/them) is a Cairo-born and Amsterdam-based multidisciplinary artist, researcher and door host at Club Raum & Radion. With their study and research being focused on political social issues, they aim at empowering and including underrepresented sub-groups of the community in nightlife and through the topics they research.
Arjun Naresh Samadhan (he/him) is co-organizing sex-positive electronic music events with PAX-ROMANA. These events are community-based and created in collaboration with many friends. Additionally, Arjun works as a booker at The Platform Records, focusing on emerging (niche) talents within Amsterdam’s electronic music scene.
Bianca Klebert is a 29-year-old professional from Buenos Aires with a Bachelor’s degree in Media and Entertainment Management. With a passion for music, she has dedicated her career to the music and entertainment industry, gaining experience in events, corporate roles, and creative projects. In 2022, Bianca founded Pyxls, a hyperpop party in Amsterdam that celebrates bold sounds and vibrant energy.
David Smeulders is a founder of BODY, a queer club event and collective in Amsterdam. BODY aims to reimagine nightlife with the diversity of all bodies in mind. In addition to this role, he works as the Head of Cultural Education, Culture Makers, and Literature at the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts (AFK).
Emma van Elburg (she/they) is the vice-chair of ASVA. This is the Amsterdam student union which supports students to fight for their rights within multiple important areas of life, such as housing and education. With student wellbeing as one of her portfolios, Emma has extensive experience with students’ experiences of student life and how it has changed in recent years.
Freek Wallagh is a poet, event organiser and political scientist specialised in the power dynamics of nightlife, art and culture. Freek currently serves as the Night Mayor of Amsterdam.
Max Molducci, based in Amsterdam for the past four years, works as a Production, Marketing, and Event Manager at Kraft und Licht. He specializes in bringing structure and focus to his team’s creative ideas, turning them into reality. Additionally, he collaborates with various collectives across Amsterdam as a production company, offering expertise in sound and lighting.
Pam Hermelink is AFK’s cultuurverkenner, where she enjoys connecting makers, creative initiatives, and other cultural stakeholders in the city. She provides advice on what the fund has to offer. As a co-founder of Hyphae Collective, a female-led expo-club collective focused on eco-feminism, she curates club events herself. In her own artistic development, sustainability plays an important role.
Victoria Mazzone (she/her) is the Art Director of Orphic Amsterdam and a member of Minimal Collective, where she aims to actively reimagine nightlife in its multiple forms and ramifications through decolonial frameworks. A Brazilian political scientist who specialized in political theory and cultural and cognitive musicology, she now continues her independent, ongoing research into speculative psychoacoustics and the political possibilities of sound. Victoria’s work bridges theory and practice, using sound, space, and collective expression to challenge conventional narratives and inspire transformative experiences within the night.
