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Budding musicians and aspiring DJs were provided with an opportunity to showcase their talents recently at the second annual Bahrain Music Conference (BMC).
The three-day event, branded with the tagline ‘attracting inspiration through collaboration’, featured a packed schedule which included workshops, an international industry trade show and performances from industry professionals.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, conducted in the atmospheric Bizarre Lounge at Le Méridien City Centre Bahrain Hotel, event organiser Fawaz Al Olaiwat outlined the goals of the conference.
He said: “Our main aim is to help educate local artists on different areas of the music industry. In particular, we want to focus not only on the art of DJing itself, but also managing and production which are equally important.
“There is no form of education about the industry in Bahrain, so that is why we have brought professionals from outside to perform and offer their advice to help the local talent.”
Among the renowned performers at the event was DJ Derrick May, one of the founding members of techno music, who performed a headline gig at Mezaluna in Adliya.
Mr Al Olaiwat, who himself has been one of the kingdom’s leading electronic musicians since 1999 under the guise of DJ FawazO, added: “The local talent here will be able to learn from the masters of their craft and share their experiences with others, helping to grow music in the kingdom.
“The workshops offer a great chance to network with professionals and offer them samples and demos to listen to in person. It’s very difficult to get your music heard and recognised across the internet, but with the Bahrain Music Conference, feedback is immediate and in some cases we have even had local talent endorsed by the pros.”
The three workshops, titled ‘The Principles of Mastering’, ‘Managing Music’ and ‘Audio Mastering - Making Your Music Loud and Clear’, drew a large crowd and proved extremely popular with local Bahrainis, which according to Mazen Maskati, founder of the BMC, highlights Bahrain as a hotbed of enthusiasm.
He said: “My mission is to save Bahrain from bad music. The response we have had so far and the music we have heard proves that we are on track. There is a wealth of talent here and Bahrain is a booming sector of music. Unlike elsewhere in the Middle East, almost all the DJs and performers that get opportunities and gigs are local Bahrainis.
“We have a music scene in Bahrain, but not an industry. Nothing is regulated or standardised, which hinders growth of our artists. Our aim is to break these barriers and offer a platform for these musicians to succeed and showcase what they do. It’s not just about the music, but attitudes towards the industry.”
The BMC continues to support artists throughout the year, with a number of smaller workshops and frequent booking of artists to encourage interaction and exchanging of tracks.
Mr Maskati added: “The professionals share a common goal with us. They want young performers to break through and succeed just as much as the youngsters themselves. Music is universal and everyone wants to see its growth, so the more people making it and spreading enjoyment, the better.
“The interaction element is particularly important. We host these workshops so that locals and professionals can collaborate, bounce ideas off each other and continue to learn. This year was heavily focussed on electronic music, but for future conferences we have numerous plans lined up and we are looking to showcase other genres such as rock, folk and jazz.”
