6 Questions for Ben Turner: Co-Founder of IMS Engage Music Summit – LA, April 16
As if dance music weren’t immersive enough, the gathering known as IMS Engage is returning to Los Angeles.
This is a lot more than just another amped-up dance party. IMS Engage, taking place at the W Hotel Hollywood on Wednesday, April 16, is the stateside addition of the highly successful Ibiza-based IMS Conference. These annual events also known as the International Music Summit (IMS) don’t just celebrate dance music – they’re focused on moving it forward.
Founded by the iconic DJ Pete Tong, along with music executives Ben Turner and Danny Whittle, IMS Engage gathers a cornucopia of thought leaders together to discuss the durability of dance: financial, technology, music, and media industries are all represented, to help electronic music progress.
This year’s spread will be no exception, broadcasting the latest intelligence via six un-moderated conversations between some highly intriguing intelligentsia. Confirmed pairings so far include Sean “Diddy” Combs and top dance music talent Guy Gerber, Moby with director David Lynch, elite composer Hans Zimmer with emerging scoring star Junkie XL, and Pete Tong himself with the legendary producer/composer Giorgio Moroder.
On the eve of the event, we took the opportunity to engage one-on-one with Ben Turner. Together, we went deep on the dynamic of developing an international dance music summit, right here in the USA.
Between mega-conferences like SXSW and multiple trade shows, there is a lot of competition for music industry events. How does a gathering stand out in 2014?
Ben Turner
IMS has its own approach and tone we feel. We honestly just focus on the curation of the content and not the parties around it and let the speakers lead the way. We clearly shape the direction of what we think the agenda should be and we’re careful to bring in people who widen the interest in the event and in turn the genre but then its down to the intelligence and vision of the architects of our scene.
Clearly electronic music is forefront in people’s minds right now which certainly helps, but I think we created IMS ENGAGE as an unmoderated but structured concept to immediately stand out from everything else being presented in our space.
How would you explain the founding philosophy of IMS Engage? What did you learn from producing dance music events in Ibiza that made you intent on producing an event for the US?
IMS ENGAGE is a clear, concise and entertaining format. We purposely didn’t want to create a new conference, more a spin-off of our main event in Ibiza, which is tailored we feel to the American landscape and the current huge interest in electronic music.
IMS Engage is designed to showcase how far the electronic industry is penetrating into film, finance, art, technology and the wider music industry. The pairings are fun to create, not easy, but last year’s response was hugely rewarding and it really felt like a good way to present the intelligence and vision of the genre.
How did you select Los Angeles for the US edition of IMS Engage?
As somebody said to me recently, LA is the current global village for our scene. And it certainly is. We always wanted to be in the business capital of electronic music and not just the party capital – hence choosing LA over Vegas.
IMS Engage is an event where the business leads and the partying is secondary, so it feels more natural in LA. Film is clearly a huge new opportunity for our genre – with the likes of Junkie XL now leading the charge – so being positioned here also makes sense for the quality of speakers we feel we can reach out to without expecting them to travel too far. Always beneficial for concepts like these.
Jean-Michel Jarre, Nile Rodgers and Ben Turner
Besides location, what will make IMS Engage and IMS Summit different – how do US based dance music producers/artists have different opportunities and challenges than those in Europe?
We have global issues in our genre, but yes some are more local. Ibiza has a huge set of issues that are different to those in America. Being exposed to both of those challenges is interesting to say the least.
IMS Ibiza conceptually is a full summit with a huge list of issues to discuss and debate. Engage is more about showcasing our reach and intelligence and inspiring new thinking, but showcasing the thought leaders of our genre and the worlds were connecting with. We feel the two events complement each other hugely.
That’s a sensible approach. Can you name some artists that you think are taking the lead in changing the sound of dance music, with their work in the studio?
Nicolas Jaar, Nils Frahm, Recondite, Plastikman, Skrillex, Jon Hopkins, John Talabot … All creating futuristic, heartfelt music, all innovators and unique…
Last question: What do you hope attendees of IMS Engage this year will come away with – how will attending a dance music summit make them BETTER?
We aim to inspire, provoke thought, help you think about how you run your business and how to better your approach and thought process. And ultimately – make people better informed and connected.
— David Weiss
IMS Engage takes place Wednesday, April 16 in Los Angeles. For more information and tickets, visit http://www.internationalmusicsummit.com/ims-engage/delegate-badges.
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