Johnathan Cilia meets up with legendary DJ Pete Tong to hear about the BBC 1 presenter’s International Music Summit, which debuted in Malta recently.

Anyone who follows the electronic music scene in Malta has reason to be feeling good about the scene right now and is most probably in possession of quite a number of block tickets for the summer. Barely halfway through the year, and we’ve already had a slew of international DJs and brands head here to see what all the recent talk of Malta is all about – Pacha’s Martin Solveig, Annie Mac’s Lost and Found, Steve Aoki, Nina Kraviz, Plastician, Leon Vynehall... Even the cheesier-than-thou Gigi D’Agostino cannot harm the formidable reputation Malta is making for itself in foreign circles.

Which foreign circles? Well, as global DJ Pete Tong tells me, his circles.

“Over the past couple of years the level of bookings in Malta has gotten more exciting and the news is reverberating around Europe and the world. Having people like Annie Mac representing Malta, and the promoters in Malta who are able to put their rivalries aside for the good of the culture, showed us that we just had to come to the island,” he says, leaning back in his seat.

Pete Tong is the BBC Radio 1 DJ whose Essential Mixes and nightclub work are so prolific that he has an MBE, and one of the greatest dance music movies named after him, 2004’s infamous It’s All Gone Pete Tong (in which Pete himself actually cameos at the beginning). Regarded as a global ambassador for dance music, having released the first British House music compilation in 1986, he has gone on to champion the sound all around the world through his multiple radio shows in the UK and US, his internet streams, his FFRR Records record label, and most recently, with the International Music Summit.

Making their first move into Malta, International Music Summit successfully debuted IMS College with an enlightening weekend crash course in electronic music composed of talks, networking sessions and workshops hosted by Point Blank and SAE Institute, in an event unlike any other on the dance music circuit.

An intimate and hugely interactive format saw delegates given the chance to engage in valuable one-to-one Q & A sessions with all of the speakers throughout the two days, who each offered genuine and personable advice in their areas of expertise.

One of the main goals of IMS Malta is educating delegates on the real ins and outs of the dance music industry

With proceedings officially opened by IMS co-founder Pete Tong, IMS College Malta saw a wealth of young minds in attendance, with the Radio 1 presenter praising an “eagerness to absorb” within the conference. A particularly humbling factor which served as a key theme throughout the schedule, Pete also appeared across the speed networking sessions which rounded off each of the two days – giving fledgling Maltese talent the chance to gain direct conversation at a personal level.

IMS started in 2008 in Ibiza and has since expanded to China, Los Angeles, and most recently, Malta. It has been attended by some of the top DJs and industry insiders in contemporary dance music, from Skrillex and Diplo to Seth Troxler and Erick Morillo.

“When we started IMS Ibiza we had an idea for an electronic music conference, one where we could bring the musical elites together to discuss the industry. Everyone, including the council of Ibiza, was excited for us to do so, and now we’re hoping to bring this idea to Malta,” explains Pete. But it wasn’t so easy to get it started. “It was a dream we all had, we, the partners.

We had been talking about it for years, kind of waiting on someone else to come in with a big pay check and just get it started” he laughs. “Then, five or six years later, we thought we’d just do it ourselves.”

“IMS Ibiza goes on for three days,” he continues. “We are all based on the island, anyway, so we were confident in ourselves being successful there. The US is different, however. Discussions there were more about logistics and the business side of it, so it was more appropriate to have it over one day. Shanghai was completely new territory, but Malta is much more educational than the rest – and the location is definitely a big pull!”

Pete Tong

Each IMS has a different focus and format, and one of the main goals of IMS Malta is educating delegates on the real ins and outs of the dance music industry – whether you are an aspiring DJ, agent, promoter, scout, or record label owner. “There’s always been an element of education in IMS. But for Malta, that’s the main focus. As you can see from the schedule, it’s also a bit more tech focused,” says Pete.

“I am very much embracing the locals with our schedule. It’s a two-fold goal here – stimulating the local market, and also inviting people to Malta. It’s going to take two or three years for people to get used to us being here, but the goal is always to stimulate and inspire people to create.”

While Malta has been making waves internationally for its open air clubs, beach parties, and quality international DJs, the idea of starting an annual dance music conference here still begs the question: why Malta?

Domenico Ruggeri, one of the guys behind IMS, jumps in: “It’s affordable, easy to reach, and the location is great! Just like in Ibiza, it’s going to be business in the day, and partying at night!”

It’s a two-fold goal here – stimulating the local market and also inviting people to Malta

“We were actually considering Croatia for a while, but we wanted somewhere new,” Pete jumps back in. “Once Croatia was out, it was actually between the UK and Malta, funnily enough,” he smiles. I guess Malta beat the UK on this one.

Talk turns back to Ibiza, a key factor in the rise of House music’s star, and indeed many DJs’ stars, who would not be the DJs they are if Ibiza as it is didn’t exist.

“In the 1980s you had five clubs right next to each other, all world leaders places like DC10, Amnesia, Space… That level of intensity and investment is bound to pay off. I definitely think that we extended the season in Ibiza through the music. When it comes to Malta, one difference between Malta and Ibiza is obvious: Ibiza is the world leader in electronic music, so the people are always going to be dwarfed. Ibiza is established, whereas Malta isn’t – but people always get excited when they see you do something new,” he points out.

And people were excited for the first IMS Malta. Delegates were treated to open and informative panels from industry leaders, a lecture from the chief engineer at Red Bull studios in Amsterdam on how to properly mix a track, a session from an Italian DJ who made a beat out of elevator noise and some water he sampled the day before, and a final 45 minute Q & A with some of the more experienced speakers, who fielded questions from the Maltese crowd.

Bob Lefsetz’s ‘five pieces of the jigsaw’ analogy – “talent, ambition, work ethic, luck, and business taken care of,” – was a key part of the weekend, explaining the importance of loving and understanding the music, but also having a good agent, manager and lawyer to get things done right.

To top it off, each day ended with a party at Uno Village and the whole weekend was closed off by a boat party with Mark Brown, British DJ and record label owner, who also gave a frank panel on how to get noticed and signed.

An annual educational weekend conference with some of the biggest names in global dance music is just what Malta needs right now. With international names noticing Malta more and more, and Malta’s safety, accessibility, affordability, and great location doing wonders for its reputation – this, apart from a very strong local dance music scene – Malta’s hospitable nature may lead it to becoming a prime dance music destination for anyone who is looking for a little sun and fun - and a dash of education to go with it.

www.internationalmusicsummit.com