Page 49 - DemoZone Magazine Issue 003

INTERNATIONAL MUSIC SUMMIT IBIZA - 20-23 MAY
HARD ROCK HOTEL, PLAYA DEN BOSSA, IBIZA. www.internationalmusicsummit.com
International Music Summit is an educational, inspirational and motivational thought leadership platform dedicated to creating awareness of, and appreciation for, electronic music, the artistry related to DJing and all related popular art forms, primarily through the presentation of summits and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of the genre to art and culture.
BRIGHTON MUSIC CONFERENCE
5TH & 6TH JUNE
BRIGHTON DOME & VARIOUS VENUES, BRIGHTON, UK. www.brightonmusicconference.co.uk
Aimed at experienced music industry delegates, those looking to break into the electronic music industry, aspiring DJ’S/Producers and dance music fans. BMC offers an array of opportunities for attendees to form new business relationships, learn their craft, showcase product and talent, expand existing networks and immerse themselves in their chosen music genre.
SONAR FESTIVAL - JUNE 18-20 Barcelona, Spain. www.sonar.es/en
The Sonar Festival started out in 1994 to be something more than just another music festival. Yes, it would feature live performances, all grouped together broadly under the electronica umbrella, but founders Sergi Caballero, Enric Palau, and Ricard Robles wanted to push the boundaries beyond the experience of just being an audience member at a concert. Sonar aims to immerse attendees in every aspect of electronic music, hybridizing a festival experience with elements of trade shows, professional conferences, and the classroom.
EXIT FESTIVAL - JULY 9-12 NOVI SAD, SERBIA. www.exitfest.org/en
Location, location, location. We've heard it before, but how many festivals can legitimately back up this claim? Serbia's EXIT Festival is the one-upper of amazing locales--Novi Sad's 17th century island fortress that mixes up radical politics, a beautiful setting, and unparalleled musical offerings. This heavyweight combo earns EXIT the distinction as
one of the most sought-out summer music festivals in the world. While it may now be divorced from its roots as a base for radical culture, EXIT still represents a way of life and a way of thinking. The EXIT village promotes this way of life; it's the beach home to all patrons of the festival throughout its five days. Besides mainstream acts, EXIT hosts a diverse array of artists, including representatives of underground electronica, metal, punk, and experimental genres. It's as if the above-ground acts subsidize these smaller acts who get a chance to perform for a teeming crowd of young good-time revolutionaries. One of the benefits of a music stage built in a fortress is that the stone walls provide superb acoustics.
TOMORROWLAND - JULY 24 - 26 BOOM, BELGIUM www.tomorrowland.com/global-splash
Electronic Dance Music, or EDM, is taking the festival circuit by storm. For decades, Euro-ravers have worshipped the DJ gods dropping the beats from above. In recent years, electronic music has exploded worldwide with the launch of US-based EDM events such as Miami’s Ultra Music Festival and the multi-city Electric Daisy Carnival. Tomorrowland is arguably the best of the bunch.
CREAMFIELDS - AUGUST 28-30 Daresbury Estate, England. www.creamfields.com
Creamfields is a dance music festival featuring DJs and live acts, held annually on the August Bank Holiday weekend in Daresbury, England. The festival began as an offshoot from Liverpool's Cream nightclub, which headlined the band Crème every year. Today, the success of Creamfields in England has spawned more than a dozen other Creamfields festivals around the world.
With 200 artists set to fill 11 stages over three days, partygoers can expect huge LED screens, VIP lounges, cocktail bars, fairground rides, and silent discos to complete their oversized rave experience.
While Cream nightclub is known for playing house music, the Creamfields festival hosts artists from a wide range of popular genres in dance music including drum 'n' bass, techno, dubstep, electronica and other house styles including hard, deep, tribal, funky and indie.
OUTLOOK FESTIVAL - SEPTEMBER 2 - 6 PULA, CROATIA www.outlookfestival.com
Held annually in a former naval fort in north- western Croatia, as well as on a small, adjacent
beach and aboard several party boats, this celebration of underground electronic music was first held in 2007. Initially organized by a group of British nightclub owners, largely hailing from Leeds and all devoted to sound system pulsation, Outlook has remained a draw mostly for young, affluent and Caucasian Brits looking for a loud, thumping and friendly party.
IBIZA CLOSING PARTIES - SEPT 16-OCT 4 IBIZA, SPAIN
www.ibiza.travel/en
You might be asking yourself the same question we did: Are parties on Ibiza really considered a festival? We believe Ibiza is a festival island of sorts -- where food, fun, beach and endless festivities are never more than a short stroll away. Come summertime, pale northern Europeans, slinky Eastern Euros and the Western “it” crowd hop on a short flight to the balmy Balearic Islands. The clear Mediterranean waters are as inviting as the infinite options of electronic dance music. For many, this is what they have been waiting all year for. Ibiza is a celebration of summer, from sunrise to sunset and back again. At the end of the season, you can experience the biggest parties of all: the closing parties. One last summer kiss goodbye, one last party to welcome winter.
ADE - AMSTERDAM DANCE EVENT OCTOBER 14-18
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS www.amsterdam-dance-event.nl
Amsterdam Dance event is a five-day industry and entertainment extravaganza scattered across 115 reputable venues throughout the iconic Netherlands' capital city. The festival boasts some of the biggest names in the international electronic club scene as well as its fair share of up-and-comers and underground artists. ADE takes place in October, meaning it bookends the tourist travel season and shares September’s usually favourable weather, providing attendees with exciting sights and sounds to feast their senses upon. In its entirety, ADE involves an astronomical 450 conference and music events – including over 2,200 DJs. It’s all business during the day with presentations and networking opportunities at ADE Pro, ADE Tech, HDE, ADE University, ADE Next and ADE Green. Things really take off at night, when the who’s who of club music creators and aficionados take over the town.
Words By John Steel, Paul Newhouse & Mike Mannix