De School

The dance floor was born under the asphalt

Going down to the old bicycle garage of an LTS in Amsterdam-West was like entering a dark, low-ceilinged concrete basement, with the DJ booth at dance level. On January 3, 2016, De School turned on the Funktion-One sound system that had played in the main room of Trouw. The Post CS team—the same one that closed Trouw and, before that, Club 11—did not copy a lineup: they occupied a technical school designed by architect J. B. Ingwersen and turned it into a labyrinth where the night could never end.

A school that functioned as an inner city

On Dr. Jan van Breemenstraat, the venue was a club, concert hall, restaurant, café, gym, cinema, and gallery, with a 24-hour license granted by the City Council. The venue's own archive distinguishes nine spaces: De Club, De Aula, De Meetkamer, Het Muzieklokaal, De Cinema, COTL, De Binnentuin, De Lasserij, and Het Terras. The inner garden and the terrace were not an extra: they were part of the ritual, even during the day. The basement dance floor was officially capped at 701 people; the Muzieklokaal, a former workshop, held about 400. The booth was among the crowd, and the visuals by Children of the Light worked with the darkness. There were no photos on the dance floor: cameras were covered at the door.

Long sets for a scene that became home

The programming, initially with Luc Mastenbroek, focused on local DJs in multi-hour sets and international guests, without handing over the nights to external promoters. Tom Trago, Sandrien, Job Jobse, Interstellar Funk, Young Marco, Carista, or Tammo Hesselink shaped the home; Shanti Celeste, Objekt, Call Super, Hunee, Speedy J, DJ Sprinkles, or Theo Parrish passed through the basement. Het Weekend stretched the pulse beyond a single night. In 2020, DJ Mag ranked it 39th in its Top 100 worldwide.

The pandemic closed the building in March 2020. After an internal process marked by criticism regarding diversity and communication, the dance floor reopened on September 9, 2022, with a new team, a 21-year-old age requirement, groups of no more than four, and a reconfigured room.

Sixty-six hours and an archive not to be forgotten

On January 15, 2024, it closed forever: the permit was temporary, and the site was destined for housing. The farewell, Het Einde, lasted 66 hours, from January 12 to 15. Months later, Het Archief was born: more than 800 sessions from over 500 artists, hosted on Mixcloud alongside the Amsterdam City Archives and Podiumkunst.net. De School, as a club, remained in that basement, in the garden, and in those recordings.