IMS Asia Pacific is right around the corner!

Many people are excited about the event and especially hearing personal opinions from the top artists leading the scene and the discussions from the people heavily contributing to the dance music scene. 

Let's go over the key speakers/participants of the event happening in Shanghai and how they will be making a fruitful IMS event. 

 

 

【Top 5 anticipated Keynote speakers】

 

Axwell^Ingrosso (Artists, Sweden)

The iconic reign of Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso took new heights in the form of Axwell Λ Ingrosso. Embraced by tastemakers, luxury brands and adoring fans across the continents, a culmination of Grammy Nominations, DJ Mag Top 100 chart success and back­to­back Billboard and Beatport chart accession has seen the duo garner huge attention from across the globe. Kick starting with a first collaborative appearance at Governors Ball in New York in 2014, debut single ‘Something New’ kick started the project with a bang, with subsequent singles ‘On My Way,’ ‘Can’t Hold Us Down’ and ‘Sun Is Shining’ put the Stockholm­based crusaders back on the radio airwaves whilst keeping their main stage activity in full flow. The Pusha T assisted ‘This Time’ spelled an experimental twist with a charitable edge for the UNHCR from the all­star act at the back end of 2015, leaving instrumental landmark ‘Dream Bigger’ to kick start 2016 for the duo. From landmark appearances at Coachella, V Festival and Electronic Daisy Carnival and a weekly summer residency at the prestigious Ushuaia Ibiza under their belts, the year ahead spells more high profile activity for two Sweden’s hottest musical exports of the last decade. 

 

 

Bart Cools (Warner Music Group, Executive Vice President/Global A&R Marketing Dance Music, UK/NL)

“Bart Cools is the Executive Vice President Global A&R and Marketing Dance Music for Warner Music Group.He and his team oversee the roll out and marketing of Warner Music Group’s dance releases by artists such as David Guetta, Robin Schulz, Galantis, Matoma, Disciples, … 

Bart started at EMI Belgium in 1991 in the Marketing and A&R department, after which he moved to London to work for Virgin Records in the International Marketing team, looking after amongst others Massive Attack, Chemical Brothers … and the Spice Girls.

From 2000 onwards Bart was the Managing Director of Virgin Belgium, EMI Switzerland and EMI Netherlands; and from 2008 he was the Executive Vice President Marketing (Europe and ROW) for EMI Records”

 

 

Laidback Luke (Artist, Netherlands)

From his origins in the house and techno underground to his current moreeclectic style, Laidback Luke has always been a leading light in music of the present day as well as the future.  The Dutch hero continues to enjoy a hugely varied and consistently noteworthy career in the game. With a reputation as a serious talent scout and for being one of the nicest guys around, he has built himself a mightily impressive musical empire that has touched the highest reaches of the music industry. 

Within his first year of producing music in the mid-’90s, he was remixing dance legends like Green Velvet and Moodymann and having his tracks licensed by Carl Cox for his compilations, laying down the base as an artist to watch. A prolific output saw him conquer the underground and by 2003 he was remixing the likes of Daft Punk. As the noughties progressed, he laid the foundations for the distinctive Dutch house sound that would provide one of the building blocks of the EDM sound and help bridge the gap between dance and pop / urban music. 

With chart crossover hits and remixes for the likes of Mariah Carey, Robin Thicke, Madonna and Nicki Minaj plus three albums under his belt – not to mention hundreds of dancefloor hits – he is a hugely accomplished producer.  In November 2015, he released his eclectic third album ‘Focus’, which proved him once again to be an artist with wide ambitions and a very skillful spectrum of styles, while his steady run of singles continues to keep him at the forefront of dance floors across the world. 

His scouting skills have served up an impressive array of big hitters on their way up including Avicii, A-Trak, Bingo Players, Knife Party, Afrojack and Steve Angello among others, all while pushing the commitment to discover and support new talent which is at the heart of what he’s all about.He has emulated that role in his capacity as founder and A&R of his own Mixmash Records, renowned for presenting music trends of the past, present and future.
His wealth of experience and ear for talent have seen him undertake the role of a mentor for the dance scene, while his dedication to personally replying to every tweet he receives confirms how much he values his huge, loyal fanbase. 

As a DJ, he’s a continual fixture on all the biggest dance stages in the world, with regular dates at the clubs and festivals like Sensation India, Ultra Music Festival, Tomorrowland Brasil, Cream Ibiza, Ministry of Sound, Daylight in Las Vegas and Creamfields to name just a few. His Super You&Me club nights gave early bookings to the likes of Skrillex, Snake, Dada Life, Zedd, Diplo, Hardwell. Avicii even made his worldwide DJ debut on one of the infamous Miami editions of this all-inclusive event, again establishing his track record of supporting big names ahead of the curve. His events continue to swell in size with regular parties in Miami, Ibiza and beyond. 

Recent times have seen him continue his dancefloor domination by producing a slew of killer tracks with both the world’s biggest names and newcomers alike, including Afrojack, KURA, Will Sparks, twoloud, Mike Cervello, GTA and Aruna. His commitment to discovering and nurturing new talent is key to his ethos, with his reputation as a mentor proceeding him. For him, it’s only natural to share his wisdom and support in the same way his peers did when he was coming up.

His popular weekly vlog ‘The Real World: DJ Edition’ gives an insight into his intense life and maintains a direct connection with fans, while his healthy lifestyle sees him extol the virtues of tai chi, yoga, healthy food and his beloved kung-fu (in which he’s participating in the World Championship in Hong Kong) over hedonism and excessive partying. On top of it all he is also a regular contributor to Billboard where he spills his thoughts and wisdom on the scene in his acclaimed column. All this combined makes him a truly unique and inspirational figure in the dance music industry, and one who will contain to play a vital part in it for years to come. 

With residencies at Light and Wynn in Las Vegas, a stack of new releases and his fourth album soon to come, things are only going to get bigger and brighter for this true legend.

 

  

Pranitan Phornprapha (Scratch First Co. Ltd, (Wonderfruit Festival), Founder/CEO, Thailand)

Pranitan Pete Phornprapha leads an avid international lifestyle. Born in Bangkok, Thailand his family moved to Vancouver, Canada when he was three until he was seven. After returning to Bangkok for 6 more years he then went to boarding school in Massachusetts, USA and then attended Bentley College majoring in International Business. After some years he decided for a change and relocated to London, UK to complete his studies. 

He then returned to Bangkok, to worked for GE capital for a while before starting work in his family's business, Siam Motors, Co., Ltd., (www.siammotors.com)  a large automotive and industrial conglomerate with over 40 companies. He is currently in charge of  key  business units of that group and holds several key executive positions and directorships.  A keen entrepreneur, he started a Japanese restaurant with his friends, Sushi Den (www.sushiden.net), that has expanded steadily since.  He also co-founded another company distributing Piaggio scooters and under that umbrella is developing more urban motor related business.  (http://vespa.co.th ).

He leads a very active lifestyle,  travels extensively and has an interest in the arts, music, and cultural trends.  His   key passion is creating environmental impact, and is the Founder and CEO of Scratch First Co, Ltd. since Y2014, promoting sustainable living through  “Wonderfruit Festival” (www.wonderfruit.co) - a celebration of art, music, food and ideas to catalyze positive impact. In Y2015, he has also co-founded another company called “Asiola” introducing Thailand’s 1st curated crowdfunding platform (www.asiola.com).  He recently launched the contemporary Japanese Cuisine from legendary Chef Masaharu Morimoto, “Morimoto Bangkok” (https://www.facebook.com/MorimotoBangkok).

 

 

Scarlett Li (CMC Holdings/Zebra Media, Vice President/Founder, China)

One of China’s leading media and music executives, Scarlett started her music career as the CEO of StarTV’s Channel [V] (A News Corporation Company) music channel.

Scarlett founded Zebra Media in 2008, Zebra is China’s most innovative entertainment and live event platform. Zebra Media organizes one of the largest music festivals in China, the Zebra Music Festival (ZMF), attracting more than 150,000 people each festival at multiple location of China. Zebra Media also owns the interactive live-cast platform “Showtime”. Showtime promotes celebrities, trend setters and influencers on its mobile apps, creating a real-time experience among the user and the followers.

Prior to Zebra Media, Scarlett Co-Founded R2G Limited, a music rights clearance company. R2G was sold to Tencent Music Entertainment in 2016.

Scarlett obtained her bachelor degree in Australia and her EMBA from Tsinghua University in Beijing. She is a Henry Crown fellow with the Aspen Institute, a NAL of the World Economic Forum and an Asia21 fellow of the Asia Society.

 

 

【IMS Asia-Pacific 2017】

Date: Sept. 21st – 22nd, 2017

Venue: Hyatt on the Bund, No.199 Huang Pu Road, Shanghai, China

 

www.imsasiapacific.cn

 

 

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