Electronic Music Malta. Annual Administrative Report 2017

Transcription

1 S Annual Administrative Report

2 Registered VO: 1155 Registered Address: 42b, Paola Hill, Paola, Malta. Telephone: / electronicmusicmalta.org 2

3 Contents Chairman s Statement Yearly Activities Report Executive Committee Annual Accounts 3

4 Chairman s Statement The year 2017 marked the second full year from the formation of (EMM) and this is the year when EMM reached out to the widest audience since its formation. Throughout this year EMM organised presentations to Primary, Secondary school and also University students whilst it also brought to Malta an internationally renowned synth maker during its annual conference, Circuits. I start off with EMM s annual conference, Circuits, which seeks to cram as much as possible talks, discussions, an installation and performances in one day at St James Cavalier. In 2017, we held the second edition of this conference, and this also marked the first time we have brought over an international guest to one of our events. This was the American synth maker and electronic music producer, Mark Verbos. Mark s visit was also made possible thanks to the financial support of the US Embassy. Secondly, I would like to mention the participation, for the first time, of EMM in the Culturepass scheme, to Malteen, USPA and Ziguzajg Festivals and the IMS Conference during which lectures, performances and presentations were held to audiences ranging from 7 year olds to University students. I would like to thank Fondazzjoni Kreattivita, the Malta Arts Council and IMS College for making these possible. Another first during this year s activities was the collaboration of EMM with other local and international organisations such as the Performing Rights Society, the Women s Rights Foundation, and the Malta Sound Women Network. During collaboration with the latter, we also screened the first ever premiere of the documentary A Life in Waves on the life of Susanne Ciani - this was also made possible thanks to the support of the US Embassy. This year marked also the end of the term of EMM s first Executive Committee and I would like to take the opportunity to thank Bjan Jensen Darmanin, Andrew Magro, and Steve Psaila who are outgoing committee members and would like to welcome Luc Houtkamp and Roberta Nicholls as new committee members marked also the tragic passing away of a young and talented Maltese electronic music producer who worked closely with EMM his name was Rhys Celeste and he performed under the name of Microlith. Rhys participated actively in our first ever Circuits conference in 2016 and the national news agencies together with various local and international magazines and record labels honored his short but brilliant music career. EMM has worked closely with a local record label, HAAR Records so as to support the production of a music compilation which will honour the memory of Rhys and of which proceeds will be invested back in the local electronic music community. In conclusion, I would like to thank all the members and collaborators of our young and fledging organization for their help and assistance in the past years and also for supporting us into our third year of operation. In fact, during 2018, we will also enjoy the support of the Valletta 2018 Foundation thanks to which our yearly Circuits conference will be inserted into the calendar celebrating the year during which Valletta becomes the Cultural Capital of Europe. Edwin Balzan Chairman,. 4

5 Yearly Activities Report EMM Talk #3 on Controllers 25th February 2017 (EMM) held its first activity of the year which was the third in a series of talks in the 2016/17 season, this time the discussion evolved around controllers. Luc Houtkamp shared his experiences in customising game controllers and using them in innovative musical performances in conjunction with software he has developed using Max (Cycling '76). Circuits An Electronic Music Conference 1st April 2017 The first ever electronic music convention to be held in Malta was organized by Electronic Music Malta with the support of the US Embassy and Fondazzjoni Kreattivita,have organised their Circuits' yearly event which this year featured American synth maker and electronic music performer Mark Verbos as special guest. The Circuits event spanned 2 days, day one consisted of a public talk at the 5

6 Esplora Interactive Science Centre during which Mark Verbos explained how modular synthesisers evolved from the United States and how he started interesting himself in electronics. Day two consisted of a conference which was held at St James Cavalier. During this conference, Ray Interactive from Scotland presented an installation open to the public which consisted of a giant replica of the classic Roland TB303 bassline synthesiser. A marathon of public talks, performances, against the clock music production challenges and demonstrations were held with the contribution of various artists from Malta and also abroad such as: Acidulant, Andrew Schembri, Clifford Borg, Danjeli, Ed Blank, Jess Rymer, Luc Houtkamp, Owen Jay, Stephanie Fiteni, and Toni Gialanze. This conference ended with a performance followed by a talk held at the theatre from local electronic artists Sonitus Eco and Yews together with the special guest artist Marc Verbos. Mark Verbos dmeonstration at Esplora Ray Interactive installation giant Roland TB303 Luc Houtkamp and Jess Rymer performance Andrew Schembri Talk on Equipment Modding Yews Performance at Circuits Theatre Setup for Concert at Circuits 6

7 It s All in the Mix: Talk 6th May 2017 A public talk by Justin Meli on effective mixing and mastering using Digital Audio Workstation Software was held at the St James Cavalier Cinema. Participants to the It s All in the Mix Talk Justin Meli delivering the talk IMS College: Participation to Conference 7th July 2017 participated in the second IMS College conference held in Malta on 7th July 2017 by setting up a stand and hosting a modular synthesizer jamming session. Copyright and Music Law: Talk in Conjunction with PRS 29th October 2017 A public discussion was hosted at the St James Cavalier Cinema which will featured the aspect of Copyright and Music law. The talk was hosted by Martin Pursey (PRS) and included also the participation of Dr Jeanine Rizzo. 7

8 Martin Pursey and Dr Jeanine Rizzo Participants to the Copyright and Music Law Talk A Life in Waves: Film Screening / Discussion 9th December 2017 The premiere of the documentary on the life of celebrated American sound designer and marketer Suzanne Ciani was held at the St James Cavalier Cinema in conjunction with the Women s Rights Foundation and the Malta Sound Women Network. This event was supported also by the US Embassy. Film Screening Promotion on National Television The audience at the Theatre for the documentary premiere 8

9 Metro Radio Programme The Voice of EMM on PBS Radio 2 Throughout 2017 continued to produce a regular radio show which was aired on the national radio station PBS Radio 2 weekly every Thursday at 9:30pm with a repeat on Sunday at 11:00pm during the months of January to June whilst, during the months of October till the end of the year, the show was given a better time slot and duration and started being aired on Fridays between 7.30pm and 9.30pm. This show was hosted by DJ Owen Jay. 9

10 Executive Committee Chairman Edwin Balzan Secretary Luc Houtkamp Treasurer Owen Bezzina Members: Frank Cachia Keith Farrugia Toni Gialanze Neil Hales Roberta Nicholls 10