San Diego is shining a light on the dance music industry this weekend with the debut edition of West Coast Weekender, a three-day music conference featuring parties, panels, and more from May 13-15.
The inaugural edition of the conference will cater to over 3,000 music fans, serving as a new west-coast answer to Miami’s Winter Music Conference. With daytime panels and parties featuring strong DJ talent—Doc Martin, Miguel Migs, Gene Farris, and Christian Martin, to name a few—and killer sound from V.S. Sound and Siesta Sound System, the event’s premiere is locked and loaded.
West Coast Weekender aims to shine a light on the rich underground electronic music scene of the US’ westside, with a strong focus on local art and industry. Organizers of the inaugural installment include members of Siesta Records, I’ll House You, Soul on Beat, Art of Sound, SD Union, United by Bass, and The Deep End, with events taking place at San Diego’s Spin Nightclub, Balboa Park, and the Sheraton Four Points.
Heading out to the debut conference? Don’t miss DJ Times’ own Editor-in-Chief Jim Tremayne on the Music for Positive Social Change and Songwriters Workshop: Songwriting, Producing, Remixing, Publishing panels today and Sunday.
Set for Friday at 4 PM, Music for Positive Social Change will explore the founding values of dance music culture and kick off the weekend with a meaningful discussion about the issues that affect the community. Together with panelists Morgan Humphrey, Adam Gibbons, Ramiro Gutierrez, and Kimberly St. John, Moderator Lauren Segal (of Give A Beat) will focus on environmental sustainability, safe partying, anti-dance event legislation, political engagement, and the mass incarceration epidemic plaguing the US.
Additionally, Give A Beat has also launched a new crowdfunding campaign campaign at StartSomeGood. Get more details about the On A New Track campaign—which launched today and runs through June 24—over at Give A Beat’s blog, and listen to an interview Tremayne did with the cause below.
For more information, head to WestCoastWeekender.com
