PORTAL CONCEPT

New Era – Raving Reimagined

Based in Amsterdam, New Era is more than just an event label or collective!

Born from a deep respect for the roots of raving and free party culture, we create one of a kind experiences that celebrate music, freedom, and connection. Our mission is simple yet powerful: to revive the raw spirit of raving while championing inclusivity, creativity, and emotional expression.

At New Era, we believe that raving is not about trends, black outfits, or uniform dance moves — it’s a ritual of unity, where every person brings their own light to the dancefloor. We aim to create spaces where everyone feels safe, free, and fully themselves. No judgment. No pressure. Just pure, powerful energy.

Our events are carefully curated journeys — from deep, introspective openings inspired by ambient and hypnotic techno, to peak-time sets that lift the crowd with dynamic, driving sounds from our talented residents and guest artists. We finish with darker, groovier closing sets that ground the experience, leaving dancers in a state of clarity, joy, and emotional release.

This isn’t just a party. It’s psychotherapy through sound. A portal. A place where you arrive, get hypnotized, let go, and emerge lighter — refreshed, connected, and whole.

With custom-built sound systems and unique locations, New Era reclaims the essence of rave culture. We honor the past while shaping the future — with love, intention, and high-quality sound at the heart of it all.

Welcome to the New Era.
Rave with purpose. Feel everything. Leave transformed.



Musician Composer and Multi Vocalist from Amsterdam

Musician, producer, visual artist and activist.

Michel Banabila, born 1961, is a sound artist, composer, and producer. Banabila has released music since 1983 and has produced musical scores for numerous films, documentaries, theater plays and choreography. His music varies from minimal loop-based electronica, fourth world, and neoclassical pieces, to drones,  experimental ambient,  and punk-as-fuck tape music. His work has been published by labels like Bureau B (DE), Eilean Rec (FR), Knekelhuis (NL), Pingipung (DE), Requiem Records (PL), Séance Centre (CA) and 12th Isle (UK)

Most DJs play music. Kareem Raïhani creates experiences—deep, powerful and ecstatic, each one profound, electrifying, and never quite the same. No matter how many times you’ve danced to his sound, he’ll always take you somewhere new.
Often hailed as the "Shaman of Dance”, he is one of- if not, the most influential Ecstatic Dance Pioneer, he wasn’t just part of the birth of the Ecstatic Dance movement; he helped shape it. Bringing Ecstatic Dance to countless countries, he has been a key role in spreading this freeform dance experience across the globe. Kareem is widely considered as the founder of the European Ecstatic Dance sound, a signature fusion that has influenced not only Europe but ecstatic dance communities worldwide.
Born with Dutch/Moroccan roots and trained as a professional contemporary dancer in Amsterdam, Kareem first spoke through movement. But when he shifted from being on stage in theatres to leading the dance floor through sound, he found his true calling. For over two decades, Kareem has traveled the world, spreading the essence of Ecstatic Dance, being a driving force in the global conscious dance scene and setting dance floors ablaze with music that is unmistakably his. Many of his remixes have become essential Ecstatic Dance anthems, played by nearly every Ecstatic Dance DJ on the planet. Many dj’s have been inspired and influenced by his groundbreaking way of mixing diverse genres into one seamless, hypnotic flow. With his exceptional talent for mixing sounds, rhythms, and moods, Kareem has established himself as a true master of Ecstatic Dance embodying the movement in every cell.
And if you ask anyone who has danced for the first time to his sets, they’ll tell you most of the time the same thing: “We’ve done many Ecstatic Dances, but this... this was something else... beyond anything we’ve ever experienced.” His music isn’t just played—it’s felt. It’s a full-body, heart- opening, soul-shaking journey where deep tribal beats, futuristic rhythms, electrifying grooves and hypnotic melodies that feel like they were made just for you, merge into something truly authentic and often mentioned as transformational.
Kareem continues his mission: to dissolve boundaries, ignite transformation, and guide music and dance lovers to that sacred place where music, movement, and spirit become one. Always reaching for the moment the trance kicks in and the dancer becomes the dance. So if you ever find yourself dancing like never before, dissolving in the music yet more present than ever, you just might have been locked into the magic of Kareem Raïhani.

Chela Chen is following