SXSW Conference and Festivals a Music, Film and Technological Showcase of The Worlds Best.

SXSW(South by South West) is the worlds only combination Music Festival, Film festival, Technological and Trade show and showcase. It is like a festival that comes in waves. The technological arm of the festival, SXSW Interactive kicks off the festival March 8-12, 2013 in Austin Texas, it features,talks ,parties The 16th Annual, SXSW Interactive Awards, The SXSW Startup Village which connects Investors with technology developers, and startups.The SXSW gaming Expo, and  SXSW trade show showcasing the cutting edge in technology across gaming, computing, websites, music and film. The film Portion goes on simultaneously March 8-16 also In Austin, featuring screenings of the newest most anticipated films worldwide with some of the most creative and famous minds in the business as speakers.

I know this is all interesting, but I know you are asking yourself, What about the music Tap? Well here is the most incredible and promising part for the electronic, and music fans and artists in general. The SXSW Music and Media Conference is March 12-17 features performances from over 2,286 bands and artists from all over the world! Representing 49 different countries in over 100 different venues in downtown Austin. The roster of past artist reads like a who's who of music and successful bands spanning from Diplo to Duran Duran To 50cent to The Black Keys. Performing at South by SouthWest is not something that is simply reserved for the elite artists of the world. Any artist can apply to perform at SonicBids.com for a $30.00 dollar fee  and Electronic Press Kit submission. If selected, Artist are Paid cash and artist Wristbands. Submissions for 2013 are already closed but if I would have known about it believe me, I would have submitted for this year. In addition many artists and industry execs are featured at discussions and are present at demo listening sessions at the conference. SXSW has become one of the biggest events of the year in the entertainment industry and one of the places to get noticed and discovered, over 19,000 industry professionals attend each year and are present looking for the next big band, artist, DJ, or professional,or even the next game changing piece of gear or tech startup.

 SXSW is adding a new event to the roster called SXSW V2V which will be in Las Vegas and focus on venture capitalism, investing and Pitch competitions, panels workshops and discussions. It is like American Idol crossed with Shark Tank in Las Vegas! After researching these events I see them like an investment for any one aspiring to be in the entertainment business. Being able to meet so many people from all over the world in the entertainment business at one time is very unlikely outside of SXSW. The likely hood of being selected to perform, and your career exploding as an artist is very high, everyone that goes is presumably successful and looking for the next idea to invest in, or integrate into their company, or band to discover, or movie to discover, or people to network with. Each one of the SXSW arms has a fee for example, a Film Badge just for film events cost $450.00 dollars. While a Music Badge is $625.00 dollars,and an Interactive badge is $695.00. There are also Platinum and Gold Badges for all SXSW events ranging from $895-$1150.00. I think that any one of the badges focusing on any given specialty is definitely worth the investment, When I go I would like to stay for the full length of all the events and go to all the events I could get to, across all industries to get the most for the price of admission.

The newest developments in the entertainment, music,and film and technology happen at events like this and specifically at SXSW. Anyone who is serious about, Music, Film, or Technology Industries simply needs to be there.

                                            Mark Applebaum : The Mad Scientist of Music

         For this entry in my blog I decided to take a different route. As a musician and artist I often find my self bored out of my mind with music. I get bored with Hip-Hop, Dance, House, R&B, Latin, Salsa,Merengue, Reggaeton, Mambo, Classical etc. Pretty much any genre that I listen to, I often get tired of and then fall in love with it again. I get tired of trying to compose music and find new sounds or ideas but there is always a solution to every problem even if it doesn't seem apparent at first. I am an Eclectic individual , some would say I am an eccentric individual, I am an artist and as an artist I search for Individuals who are like me and can inspire me to keep on trucking down this long road of creation with no beginning or end.

        In my endless search for inspiring media and information I came across this TED talk by Mark Applebaum. Mark is an accomplished composer and multi-instrumentalist. In this presentation at Stanford university he demonstrates his incredible talent, and ingenuity in finding inspiration in all kinds of objects and creating music inspired by everything from combs to florists. Mark says he"uses boredom as a catalyst for creativity and invention" I find that refreshing because often times when we are bored as people, we just stop doing what is boring us. When we can use the feeling of boredom to harness energy and change direction, or just look at things differently we can still be productive in our endeavors.

          No one that ever became a notable individual,or left a legacy, just quit when they were bored or tired of doing what they do. It takes energy and creativity in order to continue creating and creating repeatedly even if they are many and varied creations. The energy and dedication Mark has demonstrated in this video is what drives us to continue pushing the limits of Electronic Dance music and music and art in general. When we toil for hours looking for a different sound and adjusting low frequency oscillators and automating synths we are doing just what Mark does when he creates music out of inanimate objects. this brings up the question of What is music? and are the examples that he has demonstrated actually music?

           I answer the question I have posed above with this statement, Music is made to be perceived. Music is simply sound created  at intervals that is perceived to create rhythm and melody through harmony, the interplay of distinct sounds. The perception of music is simply a function of metabolism our internal rhythms have to be functioning at such a rate that the external rhythms can be perceived to coincide with them. In other words if you think it is music and find it interesting, then it is music. If you do not, then it is not. Do you think that if you play" Push The feeling On" By the Nightcrawlers for a dog he would perceive it as music? Maybe. If he does it is music to him, if he doesn't then to him it is not.

With any piece of music some humans will like it and perceive it as music others will not. We as  the creators and connoisseurs of music simply have to understand that some music is for certain people  while other music is for other individuals. It's about the feeling that it creates.

This video is for all of us to listen to with an open heart and appreciate the ingenuity that composers and creators of music in an genre have to possess in order to continue to create.I find his creativity and talent inspiring, and he inspires me to think outside of the box,and continue to be a multi-genre-list (if you think that is an actual word then it is to you! Otherwise you should already know i just made it up).

In the course of studying  music and the entertainment business one comes across a lot of acts. One of my instructors at Full Sail University in Orlando, always seemed particularly forward thinking. His name was Dave and he was very positive and spoke about something called Dubstep which at the time in 2010 I had never heard of. Dave's optimism sold me on at least checking this "New" genre out.

 That day changed my life,and the course of my music. Dave is one half of the Group AfroWhitey  and you will get to know them really well,check it out!

What do you get when you blend bass blistering beats and smooth & sassy vocal antics? "AfroWhitey" is already turning ears and they are just getting started. With their first single "Ridin" hitting the top 10 Beatport Dubstep charts, people are taking notice and craving more. Including support from Martin Solveig, Skream, Tim Healey, Leeroy Thornhill, JFB, Freak Nasty, Borgore and mention from Annie Nightingale just to name

a few. With a feature in Mixmag, exclusive guest mix on BBC Radio 1 & a release on the Ministry of Sound Dubstep compilation, this crisp new sound is slated to rock stages and break bassbins from coast to coast and across the pond.These funky fresh Florida boys are bringing forth southern style swagger with big dirty basslines and are ready to rock the masses and shake some asses! 

                          AfroWhitey-City Lights

                        

Facebook.com/AfroWhitey              Soundcloud.com/AfroWhitey Twitter.com/Afro_Whitey
youtube.com/afrowhiteymusic   http://static.fm/afrowhitey 

                                                                   Published By:

Ana Sia is one of those artist, producer, DJs that really really stands out. When She Plays a show you hear so many different melodies and rhythms that it is exceedingly hard to categorize what she is  creating and playing.  Her sound is part of what has built the west coast into a burgeoning cornucopia of electronic music. She attacks her sets with  frantic tracks and weaves in and out with crashes, hits, Beeps and sound blips and bites that turn the experience into more than a DJ set but  something closer akin to an ear movie. She calls it her "Multi-level, Omni Tempo experience."

Ana Sia is constantly touring the world, from  the  Bay area in the West Coast,where she is from to every major electronic music festival from Coachella to Lollapalooza,The Detroit electronic music festival,The Electric Daisy Carnival and everywhere in between. She has rocked stages and tours with the likes of  Deadmau5, Sound Tribe, and Bass Nectar and many more. Her self run independent Label "FriteNite"is  been hailed in the electronic music genre as "Leading the way with the brightest production minds in North American Dance music".

She started 2012 by releasing her first project on her label a compilation and DJ mix entitled Surreal Estate  to critical acclaim. She continued to the NYE tour in Queenstown,New Zealand and on to stages all over the world. She is currently working on several new projects and collaborations.Ana Sia is making her mark and helping to promote electronic music by blending everything from Dance to Hip Hop to Grime with the skill of the classically trained musician and dancer,which she is. Ana Sia is pushing the limits and making crowds all over the world dance and groove to her original beats.

Check out this video of her live performance at the Ogden Theater in Denver Colorado at Mile High live. With performances like these, and the sounds she features on her website Anasiamusic.com ,she is continuing her movement and promises to make a lot more noise! learn more about her by reading this recent interview by Bigup Magazine here .

ANA SIA LIVE AT MILE HIGH

References:

http://thebigupmagazine.com/blog/about/music/ana-sia/

http://anasiamusic.com/music.html

http://www.electronicmidwest.com/news/ana-sia-brings-multi-level-omni-tempo-experience-lawrence-kans/