Brighton Music Conference (BMC) wraps up another successful edition, with Brighton’s best-loved seafront venues becoming a vibrant hub for the electronic music community.
For two days and four nights, delegates basked under the sunshine on Brighton Beach, enjoying a packed programme of talks, workshops and networking events bringing together more than 240 speakers across 80 sessions and events in 12 different venues, including an exclusive, intimate party at The Upside Down House featuring The Shapeshifters alongside three-time DMC World Champion JFB.
Throughout the event, participants were able to keep up to date with the latest industry trends and best practices, build and grow their networks, make new connections, and immerse themselves in all things related to the electronic music scene and culture with plenty of practical tips and takeaways.
“This year we took over 4 seafront venues for the conference programme and a variety of different venues for the mixers and club events to offer even more to delegates attending .” says BMC founder Billy Mauseth. “We love making everyone feel welcome and creating a space where everyone can come together to learn, be inspired, make connections and enjoy amazing music.”
Insightful talks and workshops with practical tips and takeaways. Electronic music icons ORBITAL gave a Keynote interview with DJ magazine editor Carl Loben, with Phil Hartnoll also joining the conversation on ‘Mixing Music With Kids’. Other keynote conversations included ‘50 years of Greg Wilson’ and ‘Selador with Dave Seaman’, who shared insights into their careers and shared their thoughts on today’s music industry.
The new and improved workshop theatre presented by pointblank presented in-depth educational workshops covered practical topics such as Track Production, Vocal Production, DJ Tips & Tricks, Immersive Audio with Dolby Atmos, Virtual Reality and more with interactive sessions were led by Beardyman, Huxley, Saytek, Ski Oakenfull, AlphaTheta, Kiffix, Loopmaters and Technics to name a few.
The expanded well-being programme supported by Anderson Acoustics, provided a dedicated space to discuss important topics such as ‘Navigating Nightlife Sober’ which featured Brandon Block and Denis Sulta sharing their personal experiences, ‘Hearing Hazard vs Human Human’ with Anne Savage and Tom Middleton, ‘The Cycle of Burnout’ with vocal legend Angie Brown joining the conversation and top local dj duo Wildblood and Queenie hosting the LGBTQ+ session. Yoga and Soundbaths were also on offer to start each day.
Elsewhere in the programme, 30 years of Hospital Records was celebrated, Radio 1 DJ, Arielle Free led the discussion of ‘Representation’ shesaid.so hosted the session on ‘Breaking the Glass Ceiling’ and Ellie Talebian (Gaydio) Jess Bays (Select Radio) and Micky Jukes (1BTN) joined the lively conversation on the ‘Radio’ panel.
Popular sessions included the ‘Producer Q&A’ and ‘Label Q&A’ led by Seamus Haji and Armada Music, respectively plus the ‘A&R – Get Signed’ session, which featured representatives from Armada, Big Love, Overview, Critical and Ninja Tune.
There were also many practical educational sessions which proved popular, including the DIY panel giving attendees real strategies to build, promote, and sustain their own music careers, ‘PR Deep Dive’, ‘Label Contracts’ and ‘Sync’ Sessions. Concluding the 2 day conference programme was the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) session discussing their groundbreaking electronic music report findings with key players in the industry, Alan Fitzpatrick, Emilie Birks (Beatport) and Sam Spencer (Broadwick Live).
Growing your network. In addition to all the talks and workshops, networking is a big part of the BMC ethos and there are plenty of opportunities to meet industry colleagues and connect with like-minded people at the numerous mixers, beachside soirées and club takeovers which took place at some of Brighton’s best-loved venues.
Showcasing Brighton’s Diverse and Vibrant Nightlife. This year, BMC partnered with an outstanding selection of Brighton’s most iconic venues to celebrate and showcase the city’s vibrant nightlife. Delegates and music lovers were truly spoilt for choice, with highlights including beachfront DJ sets at The Tempest featuring an impressive lineup of global and local talent – among them Alan Fitzpatrick, Chad Jackson, Jess Bays, Jon Carter, Just Her, Saytek, Steve Mac, Tom Middleton and many more.
Thursday brought a stunning sunset session at Ohso with Huxley and friends, while Grant Nelson took to the decks at The Oculist and an exclusive, intimate gathering at The Upside Down House featured The Shapeshifters alongside three-time DMC World Champion JFB.
Friday saw BMC raise the bar further, with house music legend Kenny Dope selling out Quarters, Anna Schneider taking the stage at Tide, Jumpin’ Jack Frost headlining the landmark 30 Years of The Volks celebration, and beloved local promoters Stompa Phunk bringing their signature energy to the Spiegeltent. Rounding out the weekend in style, renowned label Selador presented Seladoria at Alphabet, with the incomparable Dave Seaman headlining.
