The Netherlands has always been a prime hub for electronic music around the world, and the revered Amsterdam Dance Event is just a display of Dutch prowess in the electronic scene. So, when ADE decided to come to India, people in the scene expressed their happiness all over social media, as the entry of ADE into the subcontinent was a key milestone in India’sΒ journey to become a truly global electronic music force.Β
And boy was it a success! The first-ever, SOLD OUT ADE Mumbai was full of intense panel discussions, detailed master classes for producers, gear to test out, and networking sessions! The Sherp was at the event over the weekend, and we’ve listed 10 things we learned at ADE Mumbai!
1. The vibe
The vibe was palpable in the air, as like-minded people gathered at the Mecca of electronic music conferences, waiting to listen intently to their favourite speakers and music producers. If you’re a producer/electronic music nerd/budding party booker/music lover, missing ADE would’ve been a huge mistake!
2. The super-helpful Master Classes from all theΒ featuredΒ artists
Wiwek opened a new project and went straight into making a jungle track from scratch on FL Studio. And, after he was done and producers in the packed Tech Lab got a taste of Jungle Terror, Kill The Noise and What So Not entered the room, switched on Ableton on their laptops, and showed everyone how it’s done. Quoting Kill The Noise from the class, “Who wants to hear some fucking dubstep?” Apart from that, the three producers gave some really handy tips on making a career out of your music, and in the words of What So Not, “There are no shortcuts.”
The Indian producers shined too. Some standouts from the Master Classes wereΒ Nucleya offering very helpful shortcuts on equalizing, Lost Stories, Arjun Vagale and Kohra explaining their entire production process, and The Inventory’s amazing Ableton Push 2 demonstration!
3. Shailendra Singh’s apt observations and points on Day 2
Shailendra Singh never attends conferences, but made an exception for ADE because, well, it’s ADE. On April 9, his panel on How Electronic Music Can Make A Social Difference brought some feelers, as he talked about all the effort that went into making Hardwell’s World’s Biggest Guestlist event a grand success, both for the crowd and for the underprivileged children to whom the donations were going to. He also made a sincere request to everyone in the conference hall, to be proud of India, and be proud of who you are. Words of wisdom, ladies and gentlemen.
4. The interactive demo sessions
The Demolition sessions were a wonderful addition to the ADE program, as producers of all experience levels made established people in the scene listen to their demos and get feedback on them. Some huge names sat on the tables, giving tips on how to improve mixdowns and where to equalize frequencies.
5.Β Willingly helpful artists
The big names reviewing demos at the Demolition sessions weren’t there only till 1:30. We spotted Shaan casually chilling with some budding producers and offering them tips on music production. Everyone was easygoing there, and you could just walk up to an artist and ask him questions related to your music career. If that isn’t cool, we don’t know what is.
6. OWSLA’sΒ massive showcase
The OWSLA gigs were phenomenal in their own right. It happened at Kitty Su in The Lalit, and Wiwek, What So Not and Kill The Noise absolutely smashed the dance floor!
7. Resonate, the ADE documentary
Also, at the conference, ADE showcased their amazing documentary Resonate, featuring the likes of Joris Voorn, KiNK, Armin van Buuren, Richie Hawtin, Seth Troxler, Don Diablo, Dave Clarke, Tommie Sunshine, Dave Smith, Matthew Adell, Shailendra Singh, Chris Howe and many others. Talking about struggles and music careers and the experiences of a musician/producer, this video is a must-watch!
8. Megan Miller’s insightful interview
(Courtesy: Twitter)
The enthusiastic Director of Communications for Burning Man had aΒ detailed chat with The Sherp, where she clearly stated that Burning Man is not a festival. “I’d call it an event,” said Megan during our interview. Talking about art installations that made their way into Burning Man, she stated, “I don’t know how many art installation applications we get. Probably in the hundreds. And yeah, anybody can apply.”
9. Free beer!
(Courtesy: standardmarket.com)
Towards the evening, the alcohol counters started serving free beer and Redbulls, which was a refreshing end to a hectic and excitement day. Props for that!
10. Networking, networking and more networking!
To round off this list, networking was the sole reason most people came to ADE Mumbai. Everyone from the scene was there, and that led to several animated discussions everywhere at Tote On The Turf. People were exchanging ideas, offering business cards and talking about future collaborations, among a host of other stuff.
Think we missed out on some stuff? Let us know in the comments!
(All ADE Mumbai images courtesy Demosh Rao and Siddhesh Redker)