When it comes to redefining what electronic music events can be, few names resonate as loudly today as Audio Obscura. The Amsterdam‑based event brand has made a name for itself by transforming unconventional spaces into immersive electronic music experiences, from industrial factories and historic churches to under‑the‑radar public locations that defy the usual club formula.
At the heart of this is Jeroen Fontein, a visionary entrepreneur who has spent years building Audio Obscura into a brand that not only champions house and techno but also expands the cultural possibilities of nightlife and immersive art.
In this NIGHTMAG interview, recorded during the last Amsterdam Dance Event, Jeroen reflects on the challenges of 2026 event production, the rapid scaling of big events, the importance of creative collaboration, and how his many roles in the industry have shaped his approach. Read on!
First off, how does it feel to be back at ADE, a place that has been pretty present in Audio Obscura’s evolution? What has been the biggest challenge for this edition?
ADE is always a very, very important moment of the year. We work towards it throughout the whole year. So, all the teams, from bookers to production, brand partnerships, and the local government, everybody has to work together to make this week happen. For us, it’s about 12 events next to everything else happening. So yeah, we’re always very, very excited about this week.
Anyone in the industry who reads the name Audio Obscura knows it’s going to be a good event. What would you say was the key to arriving at this point?
As we’ve always been working with new venues and one-offs and not doing every time or every year the same, I think we keep it challenging for everyone. Next to that, both the artist and the venues and the type of content that comes out of our events travel beyond Amsterdam, travel beyond the people that attend our events. So in a way, I think people always see artists they like, they see content they like. The experience that we try to make for people who buy a ticket, we also try to express this in our content.
The clubs are having a little bit more of a difficult time. If you look at the Netherlands, the festivals as well. The last couple of years, a lot of festivals disappeared.
Jeroen Fontein (Audio Obscura Founder) for NIGHTMAG (2026)
What does it actually take to run events in 2025 in terms of organisation, marketing, economy…?
Oh, it’s very challenging nowadays. I think both the club and festival market, and all the prices that went up, reflect on how you organise your business and your events. For us, it’s very important to attract brand partnerships to make our budgets work better, but also to work closely with artists, know what they want, what the next steps are in their career, and to see if we can match that in our events or in the venues that we run. You have to be very, very hands-on on marketing, on production, on working with artists. It’s a challenging time, but also challenging times give opportunities. You have to have a good team. You don’t do this by yourself. Work with people you trust.
On this whole new era where we see big events booming, do you think that the scene is scaling too fast for its own good? Who do you think is actually benefiting from all of this and who might be left behind?
Good question. I think the clubs are having a little bit more of a difficult time. If you look at the Netherlands, the festivals as well. The last couple of years, a lot of festivals disappeared. Also for us, we were not able to do a festival this year due to many reasons: rising costs, a calendar that’s too busy.
I think in the end you have your own strategy and calendar. You have to look ahead. But the artists are changing and their popularity is changing so fast nowadays. Also the input of your booking team and the creative side has to be on point for the year ahead to look who you want to work with, who has a good following. It’s very challenging.
Besides Audio Obscura, you are also a manager and you also have Unfold.art. How do you manage to combine all of these roles and what do you learn from this dynamic of having different roles in the industry?
I think in the end I am where I am because I have had those many hats and been on all those spots. It gave me the experience to be able to sit on everyone else’s chair and understand people. I think that’s very much how I am and how I work with people.
The second part to become where I am now is also because of the people you work with. For instance, with managing Eelke Kleijn and our label, we work together with Armada, so we have a team there. We have a very good agency, an advancing agency. A lot of people are working for him. For me more connecting the dots nowadays than being full hands-on day-to-day business. And the same for Audio Obscura. We work on teams to develop all the projects. And Unfold.art is the same. In the end it starts with ideas, then it starts with the right people, then building your teams and managing your teams. I think that’s the most important part.
Finally, what kind of venue still gives you the chills right now? Or are you already not impressed by anything?
We are always in the search for new venues. This year we did an event on a highway here for Amsterdam’s 750th birthday, which was a totally new experience to do something in such a public space. We’re very much looking for to do that as well in the next coming years. The last couple of years we’ve been mostly focused on the Netherlands, but we’re really… the next step is that we want to bring the brand abroad. We’re already looking and discussing for multiple cities in Europe and even further to see if Audio Obscura can touch base in other markets.
Any advice you would give to yourself 10 years ago?
Good question. Any advice I could give myself 10 years ago… Stay focused. Even though there are many hats, but stay focused. When there’s a project, take care and stay focused.
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