* Learn about the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) music business *

* Learn DJing and digital DJing *

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Learn how to produce dance and experimental music/noise *

* Bring tracks to share in a session hosted by signed producers *

Are you interested in tech house, dubstep, noise, trance, electro, breakbeat, house, drum & bass, glitch, and other forms of electronic music? Come join in Signal Sessions - interactive workshops with leading area DJs, artists, and scholars demonstrating how to DJ, produce dance music, and compose experimental music/noise. Aspiring artists and DJs are encouraged to bring demos to share during a listening session hosted by signed producers.

The Signal Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to supporting electronic music in the Triangle and Southeast. Signal's educational workshops are held in conjunction with UNC's Music department and are free and open to the public - but space is limited.

Thursday September 29 @5:00 PM, Kenan Music Building, UNC Campus

Room 1206 (0) Welcome/keynote Signal 2:00-2:15

Room 2131 (1-A) So You Want to Be a DJ? Presenters: Billie Blaze & J-Star 2:15-3:00 In this session, we will cover the basics of DJing. We will give an overview of the gear involved: turntables, CDJs, mixers, and monitors. This will include basics on hookup as well as usage. From there we will progress into the basics of beat matching and phrasing, followed by a Q&A session. J-Star: With over 15 years in the EDM community, J-star will get your body moving with her signature style of driving techno that flirts with the hard and the dark. In just a few short years J-star has quickly become a force to be reckoned with on the decks. Partnering with husband Billie Blaze, she co-found the Diffuse Audio collective with the goal of bringing like-minded EDM connoisseurs together to bring underground EDM to the masses. Billie Blaze: With over 17 years in the underground scene, Billie Blaze is no stranger to techno! Melding together Techno, Acid, and Broken Beat, he is sure to destroy any dancefloor. Check out his numerous releases on Milk Recordings, Primal Instinct, and Chronic Cutz with remixes from the likes of Bas Mooy, Patrick DSP, Jeroen Liebrigts, DDR, James Fusion, Brad Lee, Wetworks and more! (2-A) The Digital DJ - Controllers and Software Presenter: Uzoma Nwosu 3:15-4:00 This session explores how to "digital DJ" - that is, DJing using using laptops and hardware controllers. Included is coverage of free DVS systems Mixxx - which took the top spot in the Mac App Store in February of 2011. Uzoma Nwosu is co-founder and current director of the Signal Foundation. Over the past decades he has pioneered several electronic music institutions in the Triangle including the New Science Experience dance music show on WXYC-Chapel Hill and the Friends series of DJ gatherings. (3-A) Voice in the Context of Experimental Music Presenter: Derek Piotr 4:15-5:00 "Voice in the Context of Experimental Music" will cover Derek's journey in sound composition, including interning for Meredith monk, and will address why it is important for electronic musicians to use voice. Derek Piotr is a Poland-born composer based currently in New England. Main focus is vocal manipulation and electroacoustic composition, either directed towards song form or abstract experimentation. Has interned for Meredith Monk; collaborated with AGF, Scanner, Khonnor, and Jari Pitkänen; and had works featured on The Wire's Adventures in Modern Music radio program (May 2010).

Room 1206 (1-B) Microsound, or, the Music of Self-Effacement Presenter: Tomas Phillips 2:15-3:00 As a musical genre that emerged in the mid to late 1990's, microsound has undergone numerous changes in response to inevitable aesthetic and technological shifts. What remains central to minimalist approaches to electronic or electro-acoustic music, however, is a diminution of sound that, I argue, corresponds to the performing or listening self. With reference to certain theoretical and musical examples, this lecture will examine the degree to which a minimalist music practice provides a particular framework for subjectivity and, more specifically, as Michel Foucault puts it, for care of the self. Tomas Phillips: Tomas Phillips (b. 1969) is a composer, novelist, and teacher whose sound work focuses on improvisational performance and minimalist through-composition. He began composing electronic music in the early 1990s and has since released CDs on such highly acclaimed labels as Trente Oiseaux, Line, and Absinth Records. Collaborators include Francisco Lopez, France Jobin (i8u), Jason Bivins and Craig Hilton, among others. He has also been active in creating music for installations, dance, and theatre. Tomas has taught in the disciplines of literature and fine arts at various universities in the US, Quebec, and Finland. He published his first novel, Long Slow Distance, in 2009. Having completed an interdisciplinary PhD at Concordia University in Montreal, he now lives in the US, where he teaches literature at North Carolina State University. (2-B) Intro to Music Production Presenter: Conrad Greggor 3:15-4:00 This session covers the basic elements of sound music production - how to produce a new electronic dance music track from scratch. Conrad Greggor began his DJ career in his home town of Seattle while in college studying music theory. It was at this time that he was introduced to the rave scene. During this time he also played in several projects as a vocalist, DJ for multiple events and parties and began working with prominent artists from the Seattle area in artist management. He began producing original electronic music 8 years ago. Currently he resides in the Triangle region of North Carolina where he performs regularly with weekly broadcasts, special events, outdoor regional festivals, and regional showcase events. His passion for music, life and the people who share this journey with him is translated poignantly in his performances. As an artist he feels compelled to take the audience on a cerebral and physical journey of mind and body. He produces minimal techno, techno and tech house and is signed to Release Musiq. (3-B) Artist+Producer+DJ Open Demo/Listen Hosts: Hidden Cat and Conrad Greggor 4:15-5:00 Aspiring artists, producers, and DJs: bring your demos to share. Play your tracks, talk about your creative process, and get pointers from signed producers! Hidden Cat: Madison Bullard made a name for himself as Hidden Cat over the course of 2009. Hailing from Raleigh, North Carolina, the 20-year-old gained popularity after a series of remixes released online that received favorable reviews from Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, The FADER, Stereogum, and other blogs. He has worked on remixes for a wide variety of artists; from Deradoorian, HEALTH and Wild Beasts to RipTidE, Savile and NT89.