It's really quite difficult to put AEMCON into words and sum up the impact that was contained within 5 magical days at this electronic music conference. Being here was like taking all the best aspects of a festival, minus the drugs and tents, and ultimately bringing together a professional community that gives hope to the future of electronic music. 

 

Within the conference, there was a multitude of takeaways on everything from mental health management as an artist to monetizing and marketing in the industry. However, the most impactful realization of all was that there are incredibly supportive groups out there, helping people going through the seemingly isolating and often tedious process behind the scenes in the industry.

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This was a safe haven to explore everything from the bare-bones basics of music production with multiple Ableton 101 courses led by Fortuna, down to advanced song creation by Slynk, who regularly teaches on YouTube.  Even going beyond music production, there were insightful interview highlights with music influencers such as Nick Middleton from The Funk Hunters, Dave Ogilvie from Skinny Puppy, and YouTube champion Andrew Huang. Coming from diverse backgrounds and various levels of experience, everyone shared such unique stories based on their own journey, providing a very down-to-earth level of relatability.

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While there was a large portion of knowledge-based material shared throughout the daytime, it would be impossible to neglect the immense lineup of nightlife events that took place throughout downtown Calgary. All within reasonable walking distance, it was impressive how perfectly orchestrated each show was. Filled to the brim and buzzing with excitement, FOMO hit hard, since at any given time there were several high-class performances happening all at once. This ultimately led to a rampage of bouncing back and forth from venues such as The HiFi Club, Junction, and Habitat Living Sound. 

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Bringing things back to Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, there was always something new and exciting to check out every day. Over the course of the weekend, AEMCON had a drool-worthy marketplace set up with the latest and greatest synths and controllers. Needless to say, a few items definitely got added to the wishlist. 

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If only AEMCON could last forever; it was hard to say goodbye after all the amazing experiences and meeting so many inspiring people, but this conference just keeps getting better every year.

 

Stay posted for new releases and ticket sales for AEMCON 2020 by checking out their website and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe to Alberta Electronic Music on all platforms to receive updates on more exciting events! 

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