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Student Success: January 2016 – Basheba (BBC Radio 1) & Madoc (Peak Hour Music)

Once again it’s that time of the month where we share with you some of the success stories that have recently been enjoyed by some of our students, giving you an insight into how careers in the music industry are established and nurtured right here at pointblank. In January 2016, we look at how Basheba (BBC Radio 1/1Xtra), Madoc (Peak Hour Music) and Pablo del Monte (East Recordings) have been doing since studying with us.

Basheba (BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra) – Music Composition (part of the Complete Master Diploma)

Since studying Music Composition (which forms part of the Complete Master Diploma), north-west London’s Basheba has grabbed the attention of both the music and fashion press alike. Already, she’s received online backing from SBTV, the MOBO Awards, Vevo and many more. She’s also had radio support from BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Kiss FM and Capital Xtra and BBC London. This comes in addition to being featured on MTV US and UK, along with a sync on Sky Sports, and her track ‘High ‘n’ Dry’ was made Record Of The Week on 1Xtra. As you can see, Basheba has a bright future ahead of her and is one to watch!

After the success of her two EPs ‘Bad Friends, Good Enemies’ and ‘Sessions’, Basheba has spent the last eight months working on her new project ‘AXIOM’, a three-part EP to be released over the course of six months. The idea behind the project is to share her musical evolution with her listeners. Each EP is a progression, with the last EP giving listeners the introduction to her evolved sound and the foundation of her official first album.

When asked about her pointblank studies, Basheba said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my time at pointblank. It helped me to develop my production skills which I now use in my day-to-day working life. I am now part of a production group as well as being a solo artist. pointblank definitely helped me broaden my horizons.”

Madoc (Peak Hour Music) – Logic Pro (part of the Complete Master Diploma)

Indian producer Madoc studied Logic Pro at pointblank London (part of the Complete Master Diploma), and has since gone on to have several impressive Beatport chart hits via his powerful productions. His dyanmic new ‘Loading/Fight Club’ release reached a lofty #2 on Beatport’s Electro-House chart, #5 on Progressive House chart and #12 on the overall Beatport release chart. This is a superb result for the young producer, and there’s plenty more to come. Madoc was also lucky enough to have his track ‘Flip Out’ included in official podcast of R3HAB, one of EDM’s leading lights. You can listen to that below.

Out of the handful of mainstream house music producers emerging from India, Madoc is certainly among the frontrunners of south Asia’s rapidly growing house music scene. With a number of releases on the way, Madoc is continuing to learn and work and improve, and making his mark in the world of electronic dance music.

Madoc’s ‘Loading/Fight Club’ release on Bang It reached #12 in the overall Beatport release chart

Former pointblank student Madoc is pictured with Dutch EDM superstar Hardwell at the Li Bai cocktail bar in Mumbai, India

On his time at pointblank London, Madoc said: Coming from a technical electronics and telecom background with only DJing experience and a keen interest in music, pointblank was my first real connection with music. From music theory to mastering a track, I got a fresh new perspective from some of the best in the industry. Access to the main studios on a daily basis (along with the mandatory practice studio sessions for visa students) was one of the main plus points that helped me grow as an artist. Another factor that makes it an excellent experience, something the faculty also heavily encourages, is collaborating with students from all over the world that come to pointblank. Great staff, great instructors, great students – it was an amazing year.

Pablo del Monte (East Recordings) – Electronic Music Composition (part of the online Music Production Logic Pro Diploma)

After studying Electronic Music Composition online with us as part of the Music Production Logic Pro Diploma, Pablo del Monte has been very busy and set up his own east London-based underground house label East Recordings as well as internet radio station and blog Brick Lane Radio. East Recordings is currently doing very well, and has recently had remixes in from the likes of Julius Papp, Inxec and Nils Hess (Get F***ked). The imprint regularly releases cutting edge productions from DJ-Vox, Foolboyz, Glen Brady (DJ Wool), Restless and Pablo del Monte himself.

Pablo’s plans for the future include developing his label, which is on course to hit twelve releases in its first year. East Recordings is always looking for demos, so if you’re making house music that you think fits in with the aesthetic of the label, send private SoundCloud links to info@eastrecordings.com.

When we asked him about his studies at pointblank, Pablo said: “Studying Electronic Music Composition at pointblank gave me the confidence to produce, armed with a knowledge of music theory and the ability to break the ‘rules’ without worrying I was doing something wrong. Ski Oakenfull was an excellent tutor, and I met a number of other students, some of who helped me set up Brick Lane Radio.”

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