Features
Meet the Smirnoff Sound Collective
Get to know the new faces of electronic music and shift the dial
Joseph "Joe" Ray from NERO
Known for his work as one part of the three piece of NERO, Joe Ray is said to have come up with the first concept of the band during one fateful night at Fabric. The British group have championed a unique, live electronic sound that launched their debut album 'Welcome Reality' to the top of the UK charts and eventually scored them a Grammy alongside Skrillex for their collaborative remix of their smash hit, 'Promises'.
Julia Willinger, Senior Vice President of A&R Records and Publishing at Mom + Pop Music
As the Senior Vice President of A&R Records and Publishing at Mom + Pop Music, Julia Willinger plays a crucial role in making sure music on the cutting edge is heard. She’s been involved in the label side of the industry for many years, earning her chops at respected imprints like XL Recordings and RCA before joining the Mom + Pop team. She released the debut single from Australia’s leading indie electronica group Jagwar Ma on a label she co-founded, The Blue Rider, and more recently released the band’s new album via Mom + Pop in 2016. She’s proven herself as a tastemaker, relentlessly on the hunt for the next breakthrough artist.
Katie Longmyer, Founder and CEO of Good Peoples
As the founder and CEO of Good Peoples, an industry leading creative agency, Katie Longmyer’s experience pairing creatives and influencers with Fortune 500 brands is unparalleled. For over a decade she’s been involved in the music industry, working at Warner Bros. Records and MeanRed Productions, while also being involved in the agency sphere with positions at Viacom and Translation. She’s relentlessly pushing the boundaries as the Co-Owner & Creative Director of the Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival, which just celebrated it’s ninth straight year running, and her ability to juggle multiple positions is impressive and inspiring.
Kevin Saunderson, Artist
Kevin Saunderson is one of the founding fathers of Detroit Techno and celebrated as an originator of the genre. Starting his reign as a member of The Belleville Three alongside Juan Atkins and Derrick May, he has been an integral forger of underground music in North America and over the years, spanning across the world. He is currently a platinum-selling artist, label boss of the legendary KMS and has had an immense hand in the development of Detroit’s famous Movement Festival.
MK
Detroit-born DJ and producer MK has a prolific, storied background in house music across the years. In the 90s, he dominated Billboard's Dance Music charts with his No. 1 hits 'Always' and 'Love Changes' and remains a mainstay in the electronic scene today with remix touches on Lana Del Rey, Sam Smith, Hot Natured, Rudimental, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Pet Shop Boys, Ellie Goulding, and Pharrell, to name a few. From techno to R&B to house music, MK has seamlessly remained at the top, most recently relaunching his label and event brand Area10 and refocusing on his incoming artist album.
Nat Esten, Artist Manager, Milk & Honey
Originally a senior agent at William Morris, Nat then moved to ID&T and SFX as a festival talent booker, where he worked on Mysteryland, Tomorrowland and the Sensation events. He is now a partner at Milk & Honey Management, a new enterprise specializing in electronic music acts. With vast experience in so many different areas of the industry Nat brings a unique perspective on the music business.
Olga Zegers, Former Music Director at ID&T
Olga Zegers has a prolific career in electronic music - in fact, over 25 years - ranging from working in nightclubs to booking some of the world's largest festivals. Though she's recently departed her post, over the past 17 years, she's been responsible for newsworthy line-ups of Mysteryland, Sensation, Welcome to the Future and many more under the ID&T umbrella.
Roy Davis Jr., Artist
Roy's single 'Gabriel’, released on Large Records in 1996, is heralded as one of the greatest house and garage tracks of all time. It led to production work for artists such as Faith Evans, Mary J Blige, Seal, Patti LaBelle, and Morcheeba. More recent tracks include 'All I Do' on Omar-S' label FXHE. Outside the studio Roy has a deep knowledge of the industry having cut his teeth as an A&R scout for Strictly Rhythm and from running his own record label 'Undaground Therapy Muzik'.
Toby Andrews, Head of Electronic Music Marketing Sony Music
Toby Andrews is one of the top members of Sony Music’s marketing team. The young music industry expert started as an intern at the UK public relations firm Get In and quickly moved up the ranks to the company’s COO during a five-year period. His official title as Sony’s senior manager of International Electronic Music Marketing puts him at the center of the dance music community, guiding top artists and events for key success and development.
