Sharing the same name as the panel we attended at Sound Of The Xity, this article takes a look at what’s going on in the electronic scene, including the recent hubbub made by Great Wall Music Festival and Electric Circus Festival in Shanghai.
First, the panel:
It’s Electronic Music Culture, not EDM, says Irfan Van Ewijk, and we like that. The founder of ID-T had a wealth of gems to share, including how important it is for emerging promoters – often with limited budgets – to market the experience and lifestyle surrounding shows as opposed to content alone. Convenience and execution are also crucial elements. In fact, whereas most promoters would work on a split of 20/80 for operations/talent, ID-T reverses this, justifying the switch with the premise that talent doesn’t drive mid-long term growth. It’s the quality of the experiences that really counts.
Talking to Steve Sybesma about the state of the electronic scene in Shanghai and how Storm was ideated, he – along with Chief Marketing Officer Om Zho – affirmed their position stating that the market was ready for a large-scale electronic fest (a view Howie B also endorsed). In terms of bookings, many locals are seemingly unaware of who the top DJs are on the international scene, and this could be seen as an issue or opportunity really. The end game is to help further develop festival culture in China, and with the increasing professionalisation of services throughout each segment of the industry, things seem to be going in the right direction.
The likes of Tomorrow Land are leading the way in terms of bringing the festival experience online, however as Om says, Chinese youth need more now. They crave the same experiences, yet these can’t be accommodated for in clubs. Storm – with the support of pretty much all the local clubs – is hoping to provide this experience, and for those who attended last year, there was no doubt that the festival brought something new to the table. Let’s hope the economics stack up.
DJ WENGWENG added that such festivals provide opportunities to local talents, who can embrace these rare chances to build their portfolio of experiences and carve their teeth in preparation for the international circuit. Smaller scale initiatives such as the Wooozy.cn Offline Series are also being rolled out in 2014 to the same end.
Others On The Scene: Great Wall Music Festival
Now on to Cool DJ Agency’s Great Wall Music Festival… remember we said convenience and execution are crucial elements to focus resources on? Great Wall have lined-up some impressive acts; Armin van Buuren, AfroJack, Paul Kalkbrenner, Don Diablo, Apster and D-Wayne – undoubtedly powerhouses of the electronic music culture scene. However last year’s installment was tarnished by a combination of inexperience, a lack of planning, and actually the nature of the event being hosted at the Great Wall made things tricky to start. You can read one attendee’s full account here. We’re hoping they’re going to take things to the next level this year. Let’s see what goes down on June 1st at the Juyongguan Great Wall.
To finish up, we’ve got Electric Circus Fest in Shanghai on May 17th – a collaborative project between Collective Concepts and City Moments. It takes the form of a one-day indoor fest, with 2014 featuring the likes of Cosmic Gate, Swanky Tunes, DJ Falcon, Popof, NovaHeart and GoChic. Tickets range from 150RMB for early birds, to 400RMB on the door, considerably less than Storm, but more than most festivals in China. We’re sure there are lots of international students willing to gurn the night away in an exhibition hall in Pudong, but as with all these events, we worry about local authorities and actual attendances – it can be a tough crowd. This has been tried before, remember, ironically with one of the same artists. There was also Avicii’s cancellation back in November. Let’s see what happens.
UPDATE
We got a word in with Lee Lam (林力) (City Moments Shanghai GM and Partner), who was kind enough to share where Electric Circus stands in regards to the market’s readiness. They don’t believe that the market is ready for a full strictly-EDM festival. Looking at the lineup, you’ll notice an eclectic mix of acts which cross genres and career maturity. Electric Circus is building up to the archetypal electronic fest by firstly cross-pollinating the kinds of underground acts that are more popular and relatable with local crowds with international DJs. Their approach makes sense given the merger of genres we’re seeing in China, with bands like Duck Fight Goose, re-TROS, Spice and many others incorporating rock / post-rock and electronic elements. In Lee’s words:
…we are combining international acts both commercial and underground with local electronic bands like Nova Heart and a panel of local talent, because we want the Chinese youth [to know] that this is not a style of partying we impose on them…
We look forward to seeing how this approach works out for the festival.