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 Music
Industry Day at Derby Dance Centre
article
0105 added
21.03.06 words:
Fierce Freas
technical:
QED
Derby Dance Centre continues to be something of an oasis of
hope for arts and culture in the city centre, fighting back against the
forces of apathy and commercial intoxication that many a resident finds
it all too easy to succumb to.
 God
bless it, then, for hosting another Music Industry day last Saturday, in
which musically-oriented members of the local community could come (for
free) to participate in seminars and workshops, and be entertained by an
array of live performances by local artists.
A lot bigger than last year’s Music Industry event as I remember it,
there were four arenas in which local community figures and guest
speakers provided support and advice to the grateful public: after
registering in the lobby, visitors were welcomed by DJ Gidge (Off
The Hook living legend) and master of ceremonies Yogi (probably
Derby’s biggest MC) in the café area, where live performances
entertained the crowds throughout the entire afternoon.
The seminars, hosted by figures such as John Hart (experienced
musician, now with Access To Music, a national music development
agency), Devon Daley (once a significant local media figure, now
producing for 1Xtra) and Spencer Wells (Derby City popular music
officer), covered several ground-level subjects on the music industry:
‘Guerilla Marketing’, ‘Markets For Your Music’,
‘Producer, Promoter, Publisher’ and ‘Are You Ready To Be Famous?’.
Though each seminar was brief (mostly about 40 minutes), guest speakers
such as Thad Baron and ‘Matt @ Dat’ (both in artist
management and promotion), Laura Lucanz (music manager for 1xtra)
and Blade (longstanding UK rapper spanning pretty much the entire
twentieth century) gave in-depth knowledge and wisdom to each audience
on the topic at hand, answering questions and contributing to
discussions regarding both local and national issues.
 Aside
from the seminars in the theatre, the meeting room upstairs held several
‘Music Surgeries’ with practical demonstrations on ‘How to…’,
including making beats, music business skills, approaching a venue and
making the most of Myspace.com. With guests from music media and events
organisations such as On The One (Derby), Pedestrian
(Midlands) and The Y (Leicester), these workshops were a helpful
community-orientated addition to the wider spectrum of attractions.
Throughout the day visitors also had the chance to visit the Music
Market Place in studio 1, where stalls from the Arts Council, On The
One, Pedestrian, the Princes Trust and Derby College provided
information or a point of contact for people wishing to be involved in
local music projects, whilst upstairs independent musicians and
performers could submit applications to this year’s ‘On Yer Mikes’
competition, sponsored by Egg, which culminates in a showcase at the
Assembly Rooms later this year.
Highlights of the day for me were listening to Blade’s seemingly endless
stories of being chased by security guards and meeting Public Enemy,
then relaxing in the café area to watch Alex Blood (local MC
featuring at Ill Behaviour this month) and Kezia (intensely
moving acoustic singer, winner of last year’s ‘On Yer Mikes’). The sound
quality was surprisingly very good in the café, and the dozen acts that
played, from local youngsters Zero Tolerance to nationally acclaimed
beatboxer Petebox and pride of Derby DJ Angelo, all had a
very clear and solid sound, making all performances refreshing and
seriously entertaining.
Thanks to Egg’s ‘Developing Local Talent’ programme, the Turn It Up
music development programme, Baby J, all the artists and
professionals who appeared at the event, Derby City Council, and of
course all the wonderful staff at Derby Dance for putting on this
fantastically constructive event – let’s hope people start waking up to
how much talent there is in Derby.
 Related
Links:
For more information about Derby Dance and the Urban Myths
project, visit these websites:
 
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