More than 100 EDM fans gathered at San Diego State on Feb. 22 for AL!VE’s first EDM industry night, V!TAL. At this event, five guest speakers talked about their journey into the entertainment industry, taking the audience back in time to the smaller successes and leading the speakers up to the EDM boom. San Diego’s growing EDM scene was enough for AL!VE to organize a whole event to inspire future music producers, writers, photographers and radio broadcasters.
V!TAL began with one of San Diego’s true EDM pioneers, DJ Tristan D from Channel Z90.3. Hailing from the more EDM-filled world in London, Tristan D came to San Diego with high hopes and one ultimatum: If listeners go up, you stay, and if not, you’re out. Tristan D now hosts the biggest EDM show on FM radio in the U.S. Although the CEO and co-founder of LED Johnny Shockey could not make the event, his marketing leader took the stage and was more than happy to offer opportunities to those truly interested in San Diego’s EDM industry. The phrase, “shoot me an email,” was no stranger to this conference.
V!TAL took a passionate turn as each guest speaker went up one after another, their love and dedication for music shining through. Derek Andersen from Slander discussed his experiences DJing at fraternity parties that fostered his dedication in producing music that has a lasting impact.
“I go back to that one moment at a show, where I’m there with all my friends almost crying and I start from there,” Andersen said.
Editor Mike Walkusky of EDM.com explained the satisfaction he feels after writing about something he truly loves. AL!VE’s own creative director Peter Don featured his new film on Australia’s EDM scene, which was two months in the making. Don simply remarked, “I just wanted to do something cool.”
It says a lot for AL!VE to bring on potential rivals such as EDM.com and LED and create collaborations that bring about some of the best shows in the EDM industry. All in all, V!TAL was successful in representing relationships in the EDM industry and bringing together many dedicated people under one roof to inspire the future of a promising industry.
Also read: Big event on campus for EDM fans
Photo courtesy of Wesley Beights
