Audio specialist Sennheiser announced that it will be the primary sound sponsor for CNTRL: Beyond EMD, a multi-campus, North American lecture and performance tour that explores the history and future of the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) genre. The tour, which was initiated by world leading DJs, Richie Hawtin and Loco Dice, will educate students on the history and future of EDM, while inspiring the next generation of producers, DJs and technology innovators at some of the leading universities and colleges in the U.S. and Canada. [WATCH THE VIDEO HERE].
With over 65 years of experience in sound technology, Sennheiser shares the ideology of the CNTRL concept and will join the tour as its official Sound Partner, reinforcing the importance of working with quality sound ideals and products in music technology. The groundbreaking tour combines educational daytime lectures on music technology presented by Dubspot, followed by an evening of electronic music with Richie Hawtin, Loco Dice and others. The events will focus on the techno and technology aspects of modern-day electronic music and present the more futuristic and underground side of the genre, as championed by Hawtin and Dice and their peers for the last two decades.
Richie Hawtin, a DJ who had an enormous influence on techno music in the early ’90s, is best known for his miminalist works under the nom de plume Plastikman. He is a legend in the EDM music genre and helped pave the way for artists making use of laptops and digital mixing equipment in their DJ productions.
The CNTRL: Beyond EMD tour will stop at several college campuses between now and November, with the primary goal of educating students on electronic music and the technology that powers it. At each location, the sound will be powered by Sennheiser equipment, and the company will also be contributing educational content. Sennheiser will also have a product booth with support personnel on hand, where it will showcase its line of professional headphones, including the legendary HD25 II, used by Richie Hawtin and many other leading DJs.
“We have seen the EDM music genre gain significant popularity over the past years — not only in the number of music fans and listeners, but lately also in the number of young creators who have become inspired to produce their own tracks,” says Katrin Huss, director customer relationship management, consumer electronics division at Sennheiser. “As a leading audio brand that DJs and musicians have relied on for decades, we are extending our knowledge and expertise by partnering with the CNTRL tour and imparting our knowledge of perfect sound reproduction to the next generation of artists making music in the EDM space.”
Set to launch on October 29th in Buffalo, NY, the tour will make stops at Berklee College of Music on October 31st and then New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music on November 3rd. In addition to the evening performances, which include an incredible roster of talent including Hawtin, Dice, Carl Craig, Seth Troxler, Kevin Saunderson and many others, the daytime sessions will include seminars in the colleges aimed to inform and inspire people about technology, music production, live performance and the business of electronic music. CNTRL will also invite local DJ / production / industry pioneers from each region to take part in the events. CNTRL will also feature a ‘future thinking session,’ helping ensure that students leave with a deeper understanding of how the genre developed to where it is today.
All in all, the tour will cover 17 cities in the U.S. and Canada, primarily on the east coast. A west coast tour is currently being planned for 2013.
Following is a list of cities and colleges to be included in the first leg of the CNTRL tour:
DATE CITY COLLEGE // VENUE
Mon 10/29 Buffalo, NY SUNY // Town Ballroom
Tue 10/30 Syracuse, NY Syracuse University // Westcott Theatre
Wed 10/31 Boston, MA Berklee College of Music // RISE
Thu 11/1 Washington, DC American University // EchoStage
Fri 11/2 Philadelphia, PA Drexel University // Electric Factory
Sat 11/3 New York, NY NYU – New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music,
Tisch School of the Arts // Webster Hall
Mon 11/5 Montreal, QC McGill // SAT
Tue 11/6 London, ON UW Ontario // London Music Hall
Wed 11/7 Windsor, ON University of Windsor // Boom Boom Room
Thu 11/8 Toronto, ON Ryerson University // The Hoxton
Mon 11/12 Detroit, MI Wayne State University // TV Bar
Tue 11/13 Urbana, IL University of Illinois // Canopy Club
Wed 11/14 Ann Arbor, MI University of Michigan // Necto
Thu 11/15 Dayton, OH University of Dayton // Masque
Fri 11/16 Chicago, IL Columbia College // The Metro
Sat 11/17 Madison, WI TBA // The Majestic Theater
Sun 11/18 Minneapolis, MN Slam Academy (with UMN EDM Club) // The Loft at Barfly
For more information on Sennheiser and the CNTRL event, visit Sennheiser’s web page at www.sennheiserusa.com/CTRL or log on to the CNTRL facebook page: www.facebook.com/cntrlbeyondedm
