Theme: Redefining the DJ

TEDxBrickLane will be made up of a series of eight talks, all under the theme of ‘Redefining the DJ’ . This is a non-profit event and the aim of TEDx Brick Lane is to readdress the common conceptions of the ‘Disc Jockey’ - including where this term originated, how it has changed and developed in recent decades, why the DJ plays an increasingly more prominent role in society and the stamp that DJs have made on popular culture in general. Helping us explore these ideas is a collaboration of people with an expert knowledge and passion for music, made up not only of DJs themselves, but also music producers and academics, instrument designers and music entrepreneurs.

We are currently finalising the core group of speakers , who are well known throughout the music world, and will help to shine a light on the modern DJ and cement its position as a major part of 21st century music. This exciting debate wants help to connect the millions of people worldwide that have created the explosion of internationally renowned superstar DJs that we have seen in recent years.

Our VISION is to create a richer definition of the DJ and to inspire DJ’s, promoter’s, music technologists, sound designers and fan

Vibe Bar
The Truman Brewery
91 Brick Lane
London, E1 6QL
United Kingdom

Tony Andrews

RBMA description was so on point we borrowed it! “Funktion One boss Tony Andrews has been making the best clubs and concert halls in the world sound great since 1992. His natural insight and understanding of audio has resulted in pioneering work in loudspeaker systems, and the unique ethos behind the team at Funktion One have established many patents and principles which have now become standard industry practise. There can be only One. Tony will be discussing the notorious MP3; the relationship between the emotional connection we experience from music and sound quality.

Marc Houle

Marc is an interesting character when you talk to him, you know your are talking to man with a serious addiction to music. He has an array of toys to produce a spectrum of sound and has been doing this for over 2 decades. His talk will tackle the age old question of the key differences between analogue and digital sound. Discussing how that difference has manifested within the music he has produced over the years.

Julien Mourlon

Julien is gracing us with his presence from Brussels, he is the founder of The Laid Back project (aka LDBK). It first came together in 2002 as a weekly radio show broadcasted on a local radio station in Brussels. Nowadays there priority is to connect existing communities around the world and activate them to engage in different projects. He has taken a hybrid approach to creating/managing his media platform and will explore the ‘Rise of the Media DJ’.

Adam Place

Adam is the founder of Nu Desine and the creator of the Alphasphere. Its refreshing to see that the old art of design, build and play has not died! This instrument could revolutionise how music is performed but the genius of inventors is not usually realised straight away. Watch this space for a new breed of instruments and musicians!

Karenza Moore

Dr. Moore is good example of using scientific research to tackle taboo subjects. She has been busy researching what most of us only debate, the facts and figures behind drug taking. She will present her findings and try to illuminate why drugs are synonymous within spaces DJ’s entertain and hopefully offer her thoughts on prohibition.

Sasa Ralic

Sasa started out studying engineering but soon realised that his talent rested more in the arts and business rather than his ability to crunch numbers. Now he works as a brand strategy consultant and a large part of his inspiration comes from how music is consumed. He will explore how the recorded music industry will meet the challenges of the 21st century and who will be the next DJ’s. The engineer never really dies and his analytical mind mixed with a deep passion for music should provide for some interesting insights.

Jerome Sydenham

One word to describe Jerome, charismatic. Watching him DJ is almost like observing shaman performing a ritual. You will see a man in deep concentration balancing on foot almost as if he is surfing the sound waves. He has been through the all the faces of the music industry from AR to DJ to Label Owner, and will now try to consider whether artistic and capitalistic motivation can coexist in the pursuit of making emotive music.

Rob Watts

A vinyl enthusiast and lover of all things electronic, Rob has been producing and djing for just over 5 years. He has played a key role in the import of the best techno artists to Manchester over the past 5 years along with starting the Chapel project, a community centre and venue in a derelict 16th century chapel. He now resides as a Project Manager at Saatchi & Saatchi where he is experiencing first hand the role of brands within society.His fascination with the relationship Between technology and society forms the basis of his talk, where he will explore said relationship in terms of the production and consumption of electronic music. Rob is also assisting with the curation of TEDxBricklane.