Kristen Agee @ Dance Music 101

Kristen Agee - a classically trained violinist, bassist and sound engineer who resides in Los Angeles - is the CEO and founder of 411 Music Group, a company that provides synchronization licensing, publishing, administration and digital distribution for artists and composers. Agee secures global partnerships for 411 and oversees creative and strategic business development. Three years after starting 411, The Coca-Cola Company featured Agee in a Q&A with the head of global music marketing, Joe Belliotti. 
Read the full Coca-Cola interview at: Coca-Cola Unbottled

- Life: when was the moment you figured out that Dance Music was meant for you?

I went to raves and listened to Drum and Bass albums back in high school. I have a diverse musical background, so I’ve always been interested in multiple genres. I started playing drums at the age of 7, then guitar at 9, then violin at the age of 11, which is really what led me on a path of music. When I moved to LA at 18, I went to sound engineering school, learned to record and then picked up the bass guitar. Growing up, I listened to Classical, Punk Rock, Classic Rock, Alt Rock, some Jazz, Pop and Electronic. I expanded my horizons more when I started writing and working in synchronization and became more entrenched in the electronic music scene as I learned about recording and programming.

- Laugh: when was the last time you had real fun?

I have a lot of fun strategizing and talking about music. Being totally honest, coming to Brazil for RMC was a definite highlight of the year. I connected with a lot of producers, composers and fellow music publishers and record labels. Talking about music and hearing artists from all over the globe is educational for me and provides a more comprehensive perspective on the industry as a whole.

- Love: name the one thing you love more than anything – and why is that?

Obvious answer: Music….and my dogs….and my friends and family, not necessarily in that order ;)

- Past: name a significant moment in your career in Dance Music – and why is that?

I didn’t have a career in Dance Music until I started 411 Music Group and signed DJs. When I was writing in the studio more, I used to watch various tutorials from my favorite DJs explaining how to create sounds in different programs like Pro-Tools and Ableton and learned how to use various plug-ins.  I always thought these producers are always going to be better at this than me, so I started curating music and repping artists instead. Artist-wise, I remember seeing Concord Dawn in LA back in 2006 and then Benga and Pendulum play at the Melkweg in Amsterdam in 2010. Those shows sort of took me down the EDM/Drum & Bass rabbit hole a bit.

- Present: what do you think is trending today in music, clubs and festivals?

A lot of mainstream artists are borrowing beats and synth sounds from the electronic music scene. It’s different in every territory, but a lot of the electronic music trends start outside of the states and then slowly trickle over. The electronic music scene heavily influences a lot of the US hits. It’s impressive to hear each culture bring something new to the table in whatever music is being created. For example, hearing the Brazilian influences in the electronic music while I was there was really cool. The mixing of cultures and blurring of genres allows for more creative portals to open and possibly have another genre or new artists emerge. 

- Future: where is industry heading in the years to come?

We’ve been moving towards digital for a long time now. That will continue. Creatively, I think we’re in for a shakeup. People can find and listen to whatever they want. So, it’s going to take some serious creativity and good songwriting to break away from the noise and grab people’s attention. I’m looking forward to hearing what that sounds like. 

Chiara Belolo @ Dance Music 101

Chiara Belolo, 28, started her career in electronic music in 2009, when she got a job as Business affairs at Sirup Music, EDX’s entertainment company. She experienced artist and event management, music publishing all while touring the world with renowned DJs. Currently Chiara is the in charge of the international development at Scorpio Music - www.scorpiomusic.fr -, an independent record label based in Paris founded in 1976 by Henri Belolo.

-Life: when was the moment you figured out that Dance Music was meant to you?

Probably when I figured that being a lawyer was not for me ;-)

I must have been 19 years old, and I was going out a lot when I got my first “weekend job” opportunity as a Tour Manager in Switzerland for famous DJs. Since then I have been enjoying all the travel involved with my job.

- Laugh: when was the last time you had real fun?

I have fun all the time! It’s really important to appreciate life’s little things and not take anything seriously. Especially in a stressed hyperconnected world where you receive so many e-mails daily…just laugh it off!

- Love: name the one thing you love more than anything – and why is that?

The one thing I love more than anything is my family. It’s really important to keep balance in life and family allows me to reach that. And I love that my family is involved in my career as well. My son attended his first IMS in Ibiza when he wasn’t even 1, and last year at just 2 years old he rocked his first ADE in Amsterdam :) Also, working for an independent family run record label kinda puts together my two passions, family and music. I am very lucky!

- Past: name a significant moment in your career in Dance Music – and why is that?

I am still young, however I have had a few significative moments every time I got a new job. All the experiences I have had helped me being the person I am today. My first real job was at Sirup Music (Sirup runs Pinkstar Records among other labels). Working side by side daily with EDX, who owns it, taught me so much! Then the day my husband offered me a job position at Scorpio Music - after being a full-time mom for a while - was a challenge I welcomed gladly. Not only are we able to work together without fighting, but we also have stuff to talk about at night because we take care of different sides of the business.

- Present: what do you think that is trending today in music, clubs and festivals?

Today there are so many songs released that use samples from past HITs, but I appreciate artists that take risks musically and get successful on their own ideas. I am a huge fan of Major Lazer since 2008 when I first saw them live in Paris…and we just signed this new artist Willy William at Scorpio who also has this total different touch to his music, it’s super catchy!

- Future: where is industry heading in the years to come?

The fun thing about music is that nobody can really tell where it’s going to go for sure. I wish I could, then I could be the most successful A&R in the world haha. Jokes aside, I believe we will have some revival…I heard disco is coming back! Let’s see.
Aside that I hope that we will have more meaningful lyrics. Through music you can reach so many people, I would love some important or educating messages to be thrown out there for the youth…

I am also a huge underground techno fan at heart, and I am glad that the scene is growing so much and hopefully will continue so. I mean, look at what Warung has become in Brazil. Everyone is talking about it all over the world!

Isaac Gibson @ Dance Music 101

Isaac Gibson is a Northern Irish, award-winning producer, songwriter and sound designer. He is commonly known for making up half of electronic duo i’klektrik. He recently won the highly renowned ‘Demolition’ producer’s competition with his track ‘Dusk’ at the Amsterdam Dance Event 2016. The judges included Don Diablo, Kölsch, Eats Everything and Dave Clarke. Isaac’s electronic productions are hard hitting, however, feature a mix of organic and raw elements making his music stand out against other producers. He produces a wide range of genres including tech house, techno and progressive house.

- Life: when was the moment you figured out that Dance Music was meant to you?

My first actual experience with dance music was when I was 12/13 years old. I was looking through YouTube and happened to come across the song, ''Bromance'' by Tim Berg (Better known as Avicii these days). It's hard to put into words just how euphoric and amazing that song made me feel upon first listening to it, (I'm actually listening to it now as I type this!). After begging my parents to buy me some music production software, I began to create dance music. Whether it be day or night, producing dance music was all I could do or think about. The moment I realised that Dance music was meant for me was the time that I first played a track of mine to my brother Ethan. I had told him prior to listening to it that it was ''Avicii's latest track'' and he was eager to hear it. I wanted to get an unbiased reaction from him because I didn't want him to lie and say that he liked it just cause he was my brother, hence why I said it was made by Avicii. Even though my style of music production has changed dramatically since then, seeing my brother's unbiased reaction and smile to my music confirmed to me that Dance Music was meant for me.

- Laugh: when was the last time you had real fun?

That's an easy one. I recently got the opportunity to DJ on top of a roof overlooking the mountains of Brazil during the Rio Music Conference 2017. I was more nervous than I usually would be. This was due to the fact that I was in a foreign country completely on my own, where not that many people can speak English, (My Portuguese wasn't exactly terrific either). I was afraid that the crowd would hate my music and that I would essentially be booed off. I walked onto the stage, took my shoes off, (A pre-set ritual I do every time I play - inspired by Fatboy Slim), and started playing my music to a rooftop full of people. Watching the people smile and dance to my music in such a beautiful, but a slightly odd location for a gig, calmed me down instantly, and my nerves went straight away. From that point on, I had a lot of fun playing my music, interacting with the crowd and dancing. I really lived in that moment. It's events like these that confirm to me that I'm living the dream and doing what I love, and I'm extremely grateful for that...

- Love: name the one thing you love more than anything – and why is that?

My answer is rather predictable but it has to be... Music. There's nothing in this world that is as powerful and strong as music itself. It has the ability to make people laugh, cry, smile and recall memories pertaining to their life - Well, at least for me it does! I don't know what I would do without it. People today are far too disposable with music and move on from one thing to the next very quickly which I find quite sad. I'm able to look back at Music that I loved 10 years and still listen to it as if I'm hearing it for the first time - along with doing so come the memories that I made during that time. For these reasons, this is why I love music more than anything. When I finish this interview, I'm going to light the fire, sit down with a book and stick on some old vinyl from the Ink Spots - Nothing beats it!

- Past: name a significant moment in your career in Dance Music – and why is that?

Two very significative moments in my dance music career actually happened on the same day. I was attending the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) last year and for those of you that don't know, the Saturday of the conference is called ADE Next, and it is dedicated to helping young and upcoming producers. Throughout the day I was attending the talks and workshops, but when I went for lunch in the Felix Meritis, (the building that the conference is held in), I happened to spot the legendary House Music producer, Marshall Jefferson just sitting in the corner. I plucked up the courage, went over to him and asked if he had the time to listen to some of my music for 5 minutes. He ended up spending over half an hour with me listening, (and dancing at several points in a room full of people), to my music along with talking about future collaborations and projects we could work on. It was an incredibly surreal experience. As if that day couldn't get any better, I then went on to win the highly renowned Demolition producer's competition that closes out the conference each year with my electronic duo/alias, 'iklektrik'. The judges, (Dave Clarke, Eats Everything, Kölsch, Marcel Fengler & Mason) choose tracks from the audience, give feedback and pick an overall winner - which happened to be me this year! I ended up gaining some incredible contacts and winning some amazing prizes, but what was even more worth it for me was hearing the extremely positive feedback about my music from some of the industry's leading professionals. It was such a confidence booster that proved to a perfectionist like myself that my music was to a very high standard. These were both incredibly significant moments in my career that just so happened to occur on the same day!

- Present: what do you think that is trending today in music, clubs and festivals?

You might find this quite surprising, but I myself am not a big club-goer. I prefer to be the guy behind the table playing music to a room full of people opposed to actually being out in the crowd - so it would not be entirely fair for me to comment on today's club culture. From a DJ's perspective, I can tell that festivals, clubs and artists themselves are becoming a lot more brand-orientated. I'm not saying that this is particularly a bad thing but it seems to be that nowadays, less focus is on the music and more so on the event itself - even in small clubs & festivals. It's cool to see all of these elaborate stage set-ups and the amazing pyrotechnics that come along with it that the audience can then record with their phones and upload to their social media pages, (I would be lying if I said that I didn't also do this). People focus less on the music that's right in front of them and more of the impression they can have on social media. This is why I appreciate clubs like the Berghain in Berlin. With a strict no phones/photo policy, you are free to be who you want in there. You can go and listen to amazing techno music from some fantastic artists, dance and not be judged for who you are and what you are doing - This is something I feel clubs and festivals nowaday lack...But at the same time, I also enjoy both sides and appreciate the current trends of today.

- Future: where is industry heading in the years to come?

I prefer to live in the moment opposed to looking too far into the future. I try not to worry about where the industry is heading because ultimately, I can't change the outcome, and worrying about these inevitable changes will only do me more harm than good. Instead, I'll just continue doing what I love - and that is to create amazing music, for amazing people. I know if I do this then I'll be prepared for however the industry is heading in the years to come!

Gemma Cocker @ Dance Music 101

Gemma Cocker is the founder and CEO of TAP, a cutting edge company that delivers event technology solutions including tracking technology, which can streamline production, decrease operations requirements, and provide key points of data to improve the overall event experience.

- Life: when was the moment you figured out that Dance Music was meant to you?

Both music and dance have been such a big part of my life and environment since I was a child. When that happens from such a young age, it makes sense that it becomes an important part of your life as a “grown up” too ;)

- Laugh: when was the last time you had real fun?

Yesterday! My friend got a new puppy - so fun and funny! :)

- Love: name the one thing you love more than anything – and why is that?

An individual’s true spirit. I say that because a person’s true spirit generally only shows itself when that person is in alignment with their own right path - whatever that might be! When that happens, it doesn’t matter who the person is in relation to you, where they’re from, or what it is they’re doing - their spirit can’t help but rub off on you and it’s an absolute joy and inspiration to be around.

- Past: name a significant moment in your career in Dance Music – and why is that?

I would consider myself to be more across the wider Events industry as opposed to Dance Music alone, but building my company TAP is obviously a significant moment - and every day we continue to build!

- Present: what do you think that is trending today in music, clubs and festivals?

I think that people are starting to realize that the culture of music and clubs and festivals doesn’t have to end once the event is over. I think we’re going to see more and more event brands allowing their attendees to continue to live and breathe their event culture day to day.

- Future: where is industry heading in the years to come?

I believe the industry is ready for some innovation and technology is a great example of how we can leverage a different channel to enjoy and communicate through Dance Music. One thing for sure is that the culture of Dance Music is here to stay!

Tom Keil @ Dance Music 101

Tom Keil is the General Manager of Ultra Music Europe since 2013 and before that he was with Universal Music Group in Germany as an A&R Consultant for 3 years.

Life: when was the moment you figured out that Dance Music was meant to you?
It may sound absolute stereotype cliché, but it was when i heard something from Kraftwerk for the first time as a kid - i got infected by electronic music.

Laugh: when was the last time you had real fun?
Every day with my kids.

Love: name the one thing you love more than anything – and why is that?
My kids.

Past: name a significant moment in your career in Dance Music – and why is that?
When Patrick Moxey asked me to become General Manager/Head of A&R for Ultra Music in 2013.

Present: what do you think that is trending today in music, clubs and festivals?
Electronic music is as big as never before and will stay as a genre like Rock, Pop, R&B.

Future: where is industry heading in the years to come?
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.