The place to be was De Wasbar in Antwerp’s South district. It’s a coffee bar where you can also do your laundry, so it was the ideal location for a Laundry Date with the two beloved Antwerp DJ’s. The Laundry Day Team had placed black curtains before the large windows. The sun was still shining, so when I went in, it felt like I was in a sauna. It was so extremely hot in there, the fire alarm went off and even firefighters had to come. Well, I don’t actually know if that was the exact reason, but it’s funny to think it was.

Hush Hefner was the first DJ to spoil us with great tunes. He is the resident DJ of Hush Hush, the Antwerp party concept everyone talks about. Every party they organize is a mix of steamy R’nB tunes, hip hop beats and juicy seventies vibes. In the coffee bar, I somehow felt like I was in a scene of Dirty Dancing: people dancing close to each other, cava glasses filled and sweat was dripping of foreheads. I liked the vibe immediately.

After an hour and a half, Netsky, known for his hits like Rio and Higher, showed up. Of course, all the girls had to scream. Me included. This was also my chance to ask Yves Massignani, Hush Hefner that is, what he thought about his session. “A lot of fun and sooo hot!”, he said, while he was drying his face with a towel. “Laundry Day is doing good. They know how to bring quality. These sessions are unique in Antwerp and a very good promo for the festival. I’m very hard looking forward to it, because Hush Hush will have its own stage.”

A few minutes later, Netsky’s session started. His biggest fans stood front row and they had smiles on their faces like they were in heaven. Which I can imagine: you don’t get the chance everyday to stand so close to your idol. One girl that stood front row could sing along to all his songs, even his less known songs. After the session, which went on for an hour longer than was planned, I asked her how it was. “Amazing!” she cried not so unexpectedly. “I’ve seen Netsky for a couple of times already, but this was one of his best performances. The whole session felt personal because we were with so few people. He surpassed all my expectations.” Another fan confirmed: “it was awesome. It had been a while since I danced my legs off. I loved it.”

Though I am more a R’nB fan, I’m with his fans. The atmosphere was right, both DJs brought an excellent mix of music and the people were excited. I would definitely recommend everyone to keep an eye on for the next sessions that are coming up. Just one tip: go barelegged. You will thank me later.