AVA London, the capital’s Leading Electronic Music & Arts Conference returns to Printworks for it’s fifth edition on Friday 18th March 2022, announcing KINK hosting a Live Masterclass, revered author of Trainspotting and lifelong electronic music nut Irvine Welsh in a special keynote interview, CARL COX will guest in a virtual Q&A as part of our innovation theme hosted by our education partner Virtuoso, alongside a special talk with Jamz Supernova (BBC Radio 1xtra), Jaguar Bingham (BBC Radio 1) and host Niks Delanancy (Black Artist Database). Audiovisual artist and Aphex Twin collaborator Weircore will also join for a keynote interview.

The event will host over 40 artists and speakers across a daytime programme at the mighty venue, featuring keynote speeches from industry leaders, artist Q&As – as well as hands-on masterclasses, tech demos and workshops to make for an engaging, educational and insightful programme.

New additions to the conference programme include legendary artist and producer Kink coming on board to host a live production masterclass. Kink has delivered astounding festival sets at AVA in the past – now he will take to the stage to break down his process for all to see, ahead of another surefire performance at the club in the evening.

Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh’s debut novel, was rejected from the Man Booker Prize shortlist, allegedly for offending the judges. It went on to sell over a million copies in the UK alone and was adapted into an iconic film by Danny Boyle. Now the author of twelve novels and four books of shorter fiction, Welsh enjoys a dedicated global readership and tweets prolifically. He has been involved in dance music for most of his life, as a DJ and promoter and is currently co-writing a TV drama series charting the rise of electronic music since the late 80’s. Welsh will speak with Derry born Guardian Columnist and book author Seamus O’Reilly in what is set to be a highlight from the programme.

One of the most charming DJs in the business Carl Cox will join the programme virtually for a special Q&A on innovation. A musical ambassador and a veteran of acid house, a champion of techno, a dance music pioneer, label owner, King of Ibiza – you name it, Carl’s been there, done it and is still doing it, never losing sight of his passions – playing music, breaking tunes. The Q&A will be curated by Austen Smart, director at Virtuoso, our education partner. A diverse online learning platform, Virtuoso is on a mission to bring music learning into the present day, by making it inspiring, relevant and for everyone. Its video courses, interactive live sessions and online community give members the opportunity to be inspired by the world’s best artists and industry experts.

Three rising UK stars of electronic music, radio broadcasting & curation Jaguar Bingham (BBC Introducing/Radio One) Jamz Supernova (BBC 1Xtra / 6Music) and Niks Delanancy (Black Artist Database) will get together for a conversation about music curation & diversifying music culture.

Audio-visual artist Weirdcore will join the programme for a special keynote talk on his work and process which is the result of years of experimental design and animation work that pushes the boundaries of consciousness and visual interpretation. With a unique blend of formats, colours, designs and mediums, the audiovisual artist has collaborated with some of the most exciting modern artists and directors such as Aphex Twin, M.I.A, Tame Impala, Radiohead, Hype Williams, Charlie XCX, Oneohtrix Point Never and Miley Cyrus.

In a special keynote interview Oli Issacs, The is Music Ltd Founder, and co-manager to Bicep, SMD; Tom Deffee, Solar Management, manager to Floating Points & Four Tet and Georgia Taglietti, Strategist and Publicist for Laurent Garnier, previously Director of Communications at Sónar Festival will get together for a broad discussion about artist and music management in 2022.

Longstanding electronic music publication DJ Mag will host a hot-topic panel on The Future of UK Nightlife with Carly Heath (Bristol Night Time Advisor), Raj Chaudhuri (Living Proof), Michael Kill (NTIA) – and more speakers TBA. In this panel we will speak to artists, DJs, policy makers, lobbyists, venue owners and promoters to take stock of the challenges facing nightlife in the UK and how we can create a stable, safe and more diverse space for clubbers, clubs, festivals and live events.

Resident Advisor will host the RA Exchange Live with Elijah, for Royal-T, DJ Q, Flava D and Swindle, as well as co-founder of the Butterz record label. He writes ideas about art and music on Instagram and Twitter daily.

AVA will also launch a new content partnership with Patreon, the artist-centering membership platform that provides exclusive and direct access to artist content for users and a crucial revenue stream to creators during the challenging past 24 months. Virtuoso will host a live “Fireside Chat” with a creator – and in association with Shesaid.so and Black Artist Database.

AFEM (Association for Electronic Music) will host a panel themed on sustainability, titled “Events Reimagined” and Moderated by Silvia Montello (Remarqabl) featuring Claire O’Neil (A Greener Festival), Chris Goss (Hospital Records), Will Hutton (Beggars Group), Samantha Togni (Boudica) & more.

Sentric Electronic will host an insightful session on licensing and PRS for Music will host a talk on Going Full Time In Electronic Music.

Focusing on four key themes: Innovation, Diversity, Post-Pandemic & Sustainability – AVA brings its core values forward and centre important conversations around an industry rebuilding itself throughout unprecedented times. Working with industry thought leaders bringing their diverse and extensive perspectives to the conference.

AVA London is the largest and only event in the Printworks calendar of its kind, bringing you through both the day and the night, with a combined ticket including the conference and club – with doors opening on March 18th at 11 AM for the conference, and the club opening 9PM until 4 AM. There will be an interval between 6-8PM to changeover between the events.

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