On 11/11/11 I was invited to dj at the 11th anniversary of Staat, one of Holland’s top creative agencies run by the one and only Jochem Leegstra. Set in a car park converted for the occasion in exhibition hall and club, complete with booming system, disco lights, the obligatory free bar and cloak room, the event attracted half of Amsterdam, a crowd well up for losing it as if there was no tomorrow. Only too happy to oblige I showered them with a rockin’ 3h party set.

And still managed to hook up with my good friends Dig and Jordi, the driving forces behind Amsterdam’s UltraSexi and F***in’ Pop Queers parties, the Dutch answers to BoomBox if there ever was one (or two), a creative mixed/gay gang that attracts the most colourful individuals in the canal city.

Now I must tell you about the unique Lloyd Hotel in the Eastern Docklands area (not that they bribed me I can insure you). Once a young offenders er… prison, this imposing, lovely 30s-looking building has been intelligently turned into a fascinating hotel straight out of a Tintin adventure; and not surprisingly for Holland it also acts as Cultural Embassy with much stuff going on its restaurant and foyer-library. The great thing is that the rooms range from 1 to 5 stars, so all purses can experience this unusual hotel – highly recommended if you’re into stylish places with a design streak. On the way back to the airport I passed by the ING House, Holland’s main bank got itself a building designed by architects Meyer and Van Schooten. It looks like a metal boat ready to take off (it was built without concrete) and has won many awards for its ecological design and approach to a self-sustaining ecology.

The next day I landed in Warsaw to dj at my friends Bert & Igor’s new party Capitol Disco. The two – who also have their own individual dance shows on national and FM radio – have long been organising parties inviting international djs to perform in the Polish capital. From French house to breaks, electro to nu-disco, the pair’s been through it all and is still pushing the latest sounds. Refreshing to come across djs into the music rather than… big bucks and the likes. The next day they, yet again, took me around town, explaining the stories behind the main spots of this history-charged city which has endured much suffering along the centuries.

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