Carl Cox as the first keynote speaker, Asia-Pacific’s leading electronic music industry event, EMC 2015 – The Electronic Music Conference, has announced radio broadcaster, label boss and legendary DJ Gilles Peterson, Australian producer Ta-ku, Beatport’s VP of Artist Relations Liz Miller and 19 more speakers for the December 1& 2 conference. DJ, broadcaster, producer, curator, label boss and the man with one of the world’s most sought-after record collections, Gilles Peterson has done it all. Regarded as one of the most influential players in electronic music, Peterson started out on pirate radio before rising to prominence during his residency at London club and one of the homes of acid house, Dingwalls in the late 1980’s. It was during this time he also co-founded Acid Jazz Records (Brand New Heavies, Jamiroquai and Corduroy) before moving onto his own label Talkin’ Loud (MJ Cole, The Roots). Gilles later went on to host his hugely successful Worldwide program at BBC Radio 1 before moving over to a new flagship program for BBC Radio 6 in 2012. In between his BBC Radio 6 duties, Peterson, who has over three million followers on Soundcloud, runs Brownswood Recordings (Ghostpoet, Four Tet, Simbad, Mala), curates his own festival, DJ’s across the globe and hosts a second radio program, which is syndicated to an audience of millions across France, Austria, Germany, Japan and Australia. Gilles Peterson is in Australia exclusively for EMC. Gilles will be joined in conversation Ta-ku, the Perth-based beatmaker who Peterson featured on his second esteemed Brownswood Electr*c Compilation in 2011. A prolific, self-taught producer, Ta-ku’s time in the sun dates back to his invitation to attend the 2008 Red Bull Music Academy in Barcelona, but it was the star’s 2013 remix of Flume and Chet Faker’s Left Alone, with eight million Soundcloud plays to date, that started to put him on the map. The past few years have seen Ta-ku release an overwhelming catalogue of music including a number of EPs and remixes for the likes of AlunaGeorge, Flume, BANKS and The Presets to his acclaimed 2015 EP Songs To Make Up To. He’s collaborated with Jaden Smith, ruled the Boiler Room stage and signed to local powerhouse Future Classic all while co-running a barber shop in his Western Australia hometown. This conversation between two of electronic music’s most respected artists is not to be missed. Other speakers include Australian artist Tigerlily, Purple Sneakers Founder Martin Novosel, one of Asia’s most successful exports Blink of Goldfish & Blink fame and more. Also announced today, is this year’s theme with the conference to be focused around the topic of ‘Connectivity’. Discussing the ‘Connectivity’ theme for 2015, EMC Founder Neil Ackland said, “More than any other genre of music, electronic music relies on connections both to be created and to be shared. Producers based on opposite sides of the globe collaborate via the Internet and fans use social media and other platforms to discover and share the music they love.” EMC will again host its Incoming Visitors Program in partnership with Australia Council for the Arts. Last year’s program saw EMC host ten leading international bookings agents, promoters and A&Rs in electronic music for the purpose of connecting them with local artists and managers, resulting in a number of signings, export and touring opportunities for many Australian artists in the markets of North America and Asia. This year, EMC will host a new group of talent buyers from various developed and fast emerging markets in Asia as well as North America, Europe and the United Kingdom. Leading the Incoming Visitor’s Program this year is AM Only Senior Agent Denise Melanson. Considered one of the most powerful women in North America in electronic dance music, Denise books some of the world’s biggest acts including Kill The Noise, Knife Party, Chase and Status, 12th Planet, Jack Beats and Shockone. She’ll be joined by Spin Artist Agency’s Rob Woo, also from the USA, who’s roster includes the Australian duo riding a mighty wave of success internationally this year, Peking Duk. This year’s conference will be held on Tuesday December 1 and Wednesday December 2 throughout the Ivy complex, one of Sydney’s premier entertainment venues and the new home for EMC. Once again, EMC will also host a schedule of nighttime showcases at EMCPlay with line-up details to be announced in the coming weeks. To ensure EMC is accessible to aspiring as well as established industry professionals and artists, this year EMC is offering tiered delegate pass options with EMC Pro and EMC Academy passes.
- EMC Pro gives delegates full access to all EMC keynotes, masterclasses, panels, networking events and parties.
- EMC Academy passes have been created for aspiring artists, managers, promoters and others wanting to access the EMC Masterclass program only. In addition to artist-led masterclass production sessions, this year’s EMC Masterclass program will also include tailored interviews and panel discussions focusing on the needs and interests of emerging artists and industry members.
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