We’re delighted to bring you a little preview and Q &A; for a really exciting project taking place in London from May 17th – May 19th. It’s called Music Tech Fest and it celebrates its second birthday this year. The festival acts as a centre for creative minds in music to share and to learn all music and technology. It will feature a host of industry professionals from huge companies such as Spotify, BBC, Shazam, EMI and Last.FM. The festival will take place in the impressive Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication.
To find out more about what to expect from this years festival we chatted
with Damien Joyce, check it out below!
For those unaware, what is Music Tech Fest all about and how did it get started?
The Music Tech Fest was launched in May 2012 by the Stromatolites – a group of highly driven creatives who are completely immersed in innovation and music – as part of their EU-funded ‘MIRES’ project focusing on the roadmap for the future of music tech. The event started out as small, but quickly grew bringing together the entire music technology ecosystem under one roof, with demos, performances, installations and hacks, making it the very first “Festival Of Music Ideas”.
Can you tell us a little about how you got involved and your role in the festival?
I’m pitching in and helping out with the organisation and the community management through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc as I got to know the folks from Stromatolite, when they actually came over to Ireland to present for another event I was organising that had a music track. I was so impressed with Michela Magas when she presented on Stromatolite and their spin-off projects including Mires, Sonaris , that when the opportunity to work with her and the guys came up I immediately jumped at it. Michela is one of the most remarkable people that I have met and has some exceptional ideas about what she calls the ‘Internet of music things’ and the ‘democratization of music’.
What sort of events will be taking place over the course of the weekend?
This year we are running again with twin stages for artists, performances and showcases by the best in the music industry, with an exclusive sneak peek into the latest developments in performance and technology.
We also have a MusicTechFest Special: a joining of creative minds where we have teamed up Jamie Callum with the developers of the Seaboard and RiffRaff Films to record the first ever jamming by Jamie on this exciting new instrument. We will host a special screening is at the festival on the 18th. This is only the beginning as we continue to build bridges connecting artists and developers in a new tech musical landscape.
MusicTechFest Music Hacker Challenges
We will also be “making music with anything we can find” and “turning everything around us into an instrument” with our 24-hour 3D Music Hack Camp and Art Hack which have now been snapped up. This year challenges are being set by Spotify, SoundCloud and RCA Records for these talented people to rise to. The festival will culminate with a prize-giving for the best hacks and a wrap party with some live music performances and a few surprises!
Get Involved on Music Tech’s Tumblr
Is there anyone in particular you think Music Tech Fest will strike a chord with? Producers, engineers, music media types maybe?
We think really all of the above. Our audience is made up of makers/hackers , music technology startups, academic researchers, musicians, music industry representatives, creative industries, technology industries, media representatives, policy makers, music rights legal representatives, innovative SMEs, performance artists, installation artists.
Is there any speakers you’re particularly looking forward to?
Ahh ..err .. too many to single out a particular speaker, I keep getting decision fatigue when I look at our event schedule 🙂 .. it’s kind of like when you find yourself in a really good music store and suddenly have a stack of cds , but you can’t remember what you actually came in for or which ones you to choose.
Do you think it would be beneficial for music minded people in Ireland to make the trip?
Absolutely, whether you’re an aspiring musician, engineer or someone generally interested in music and musictech, we think there is something here for you, in the wonderful Ravensbourne builiding. It’s a great space to enjoy a weekend of all things music.
More Info: Musictechfest.org