909

909 Festival is an annual techno event organized by Loveland Events in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, since 2011. The event located in the Amsterdams Bos and focuses on the harder side of techno music.

The history behind 909 Festival

The festival got its name from the classic Roland TR-909 drum machine. The Roland Corporation introduced the drum machine in 1983.

However, the product was a commercial failure. The target audience: the musicians, did know how to use the full potential of the drum machine. But there is a silver lining in this story. Less fortunate producers in Chicago and Detroit started to use the TR-909 more and more after the drum machine landed in pawn shops. 

This was the start for the first techno producers, who popularized the machine by using its full potential. Names such as Derrick May, Jeff Mills and Frankie Knuckles.

With this in mind, Loveland wanted to pay homage to this wonderful origin story and celebrate the pioneers of techno. This concluded with a new festival in 2011, following the same rules as Loveland: excellent quality music with a fantastic line-up and intimate setting. 

More information can be found on their Loveland 25 years page to read the fantastic full story of Loveland Events.

Source: Trifec
Photo: 909