Nine years since its foundation in Ibiza, International Music Summit has become a global institution. While the homegrown conference continues to be the landmark event, its spread its wings around the world, setting up shop in Singapore, Los Angeles and now one of electronic music’s new homes: Malta.
Taking a slightly different slant, IMS College Malta focussed on education, and who better to head up the programming than pointblank? We were invited to host panels, workshops and networking sessions with the next generation of music industry elite.
Sound Advice lawyer and industry veteran Robert Horsfall gave the opening speech to a
packed room at IMS College Malta
Music lawyer and industry veteran Robert Hosfall was first to take the podium, quoting his peers with some excellent advice around the Five Pieces of the Jigsaw to success. Next up was PB’s Declan McGlynn interviewing dance music legend Pete Tong for the keynote opener. He talked the early days of his career, what radio means to him, what he looks for in a demo and where he sees the future of the industry. Stay tuned to the PB YouTube channel for the full interview coming soon, and for those looking to get into the music industry check out our full range of courses.
Pete Tong MBE talked about his long career, the early days of radio, A&Ring hit records, discovering Frankie Knuckles, signing Goldie and much more
Eli & Fur joined us on stage for the second of our keynote interviews. They spoke about their time working with Brian Higgins and the pop powerhouse Xenomania before breaking away and starting their own production duo. They also passed on their advice for anyone starting their own label and how to recover from a bad gig.
Production and DJ duo Eli & Fur took to the stage for an interview with pointblank’s Declan McGlynn
Later pointblank lead course developer and instructor Ski Oakenfull deconstructed Duke Dumont’s summer anthem Ocean Drive using Ableton Live and Push 2 before an industry panel featuring Pete Tong, Eli & Fur, CAA Talent’s Laura Newton and PR company Listen Up!’s Lucy Allen. In it we talked about highs and lows on the music industry, artist development and the importance and power of team work. It was an inspiring talk – subscribe to the PB YouTube channel to watch the video in full.
PB’s very own Ski Oakenfull took his world-famous deconstructions to IMS College Malta, taking apart Duke Dumont’s summertime smash Ocean Drive in Ableton Live
L-R: Laura Newton (CAA), Lucy Allen (Listen Up!), Pete Tong (BBC Radio 1), Eli & Fur
To wrap up the busy day, we invited DJ, producer and PB instructor Stefano Ritteri to give a masterclass on Creative Workflow. We spent the previous day exploring the island collecting various samples to then create a groove from using the Teenage Engineering OP-1 and Ableton Live. Watch the video below to see what we got up to and make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch the full masterclass.
What would a dance music event be without a party? Once the day had wrapped up at the Dragonara Westin, it was time to head to Uno Village for a very special b2b set from Diynamic don Solomun and Pete Tong himself. It was a brilliant party, highlighting both DJ’s eclectic tastes and the growth of Malta’s dance music scene.
Behind the booth for a special b2b set from Pete Tong and Solomun at Uno Village, Malta
The first IMS College Malta proved that you never stop learning, with attendees young and old coming together for an inspiring day. With graduates and current students from all over the globe making their way to St Julian Bay, it was great to see so many familiar faces and an honour to curate the event. See you next year, and for those looking to find their own way into the music industry, check out our full range of courses.
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