Free tattoos and raving: Jen Cardini headlines El Tony Mate's selected sessions in Amsterdam
First condoms in a historic shop, now free tattoos in the middle of the dancefloor. El Tony Mate continues to rewrite the rules of the European underground club circuit with its highly exclusive Selected Sessions. Following the massive success of their October installment at Amsterdam's famous Condomerie, the natural-energy beverage brand returned to the Dutch capital to completely transform the vibrant Antiek Tattoo Studio into a hyper-intimate pop-up club for just 100 lucky community members, seamlessly merging electronic music, body art, and street culture.
The musical crown jewel of the night was delivered by the acclaimed Berlin-based, French-born DJ and producer Jen Cardini. With a legendary career backed by releases on powerhouse imprints like Kompakt, Crosstown Rebels, and Mobilee, alongside regular bookings at Berghain, Sónar Festival, and Paris’ Centre Pompidou, Cardini blessed the room with her signature wave-laced house sound. Local support was top-tier as well, with Amsterdam's own DJ and producer Kyra Khaldi setting the perfect mood with a dark, sensual, gritty, and trippy opening set. The atmosphere was so electric that attendees were treated to free live tattoos throughout the night; in fact, the vibe caught on so heavily that Jen Cardini herself ended up getting inked, while another dedicated raver walked away with Amsterdam's very first El Tony Mate bottle tattoo.
“Selected Sessions is El Tony Mate’s way of connecting music, culture and community through curated, intimate events,” says El Tony Mate’s Culture Specialist, Ellen Fölmli. “It was great to return to Amsterdam after our ADE event with Young Marco last October. The moments of connection, people dancing together and celebrating culture in such an intimate setting were what made the evening truly special.”
This Amsterdam takeover is part of a much broader, continent-wide mission. El Tony Mate has been consistently hijacking unconventional spaces across Europe, placing world-renowned headliners—such as DJ Tennis, Bambounou, Sofia Kourtesis, and Innervisions' EDE—into unique locations including a Basel fondue bar, a Zúrich barber shop and taquería, and a secondhand clothing store in Marseille. Through their Culture Collective wing, the brand successfully champions intimacy over massive scale and genuine creative connection over sterile commercial conventions. Furthermore, they heavily reinvest in the scene by running grassroots DJ and producer academies to uplift fresh, emerging talent. For those who missed out on the intimate live gathering, both Jen Cardini and Kyra Khaldi's full sets are now available worldwide for streaming online.
