IMSTA Keynote Speakers

PAST SPEAKERS

Franz Plasa

German guitarist, songwriter and producer

Wer könnte ein Musik-Event in Hamburg besser eröffnen als der Gitarrist & Produzent Franz Plasa. Franz Plasa feiert mit der Band Felix De Luxe schon in den 1980er Jahren große Erfolge und produziert danach Bands wie Echt oder Selig. In seinen Hamburger H.O.M.E.-Studios haben auch internationale Größen wie Depeche Mode, Mariah Carey, Eminem oder Rammstein aufgenommen. Franz Plasa war auch immer ein Förderer von jungen Bands und Künstlern. In seiner Keynote geht es um den Mut zum Anderssein. Musik zu produzieren ist heute so einfach wie noch nie – und gleichzeitig doch schwerer als je zuvor. Zwar hat jeder auf seinem Laptop ein komplettes Tonstudio, aber dadurch klingt auch vieles gleich und austauschbar. Ein Plädoyer für mehr Originalität.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA Germany 2019.

DJ Swivel

Grammy Award-winning Producer, Mixer & Songwriter

Jordan Young, known to many as DJ Swivel, is a Toronto-born, Grammy-winning producer, mixer and songwriter. He began his musical career in 2005 in New York City, under the mentorship of Duro, a well established mixer, producer and CEO of Desert Storm Records (Fabolous, DJ Clue). With Duro's tutelage, Swivel began working with a wide variety of artists including Jay-Z, Diddy, Pharrell, Britney Spears, and Fabolous, eventually recording and mixing the latters albums ‘From Nothin To Something’, and ‘Loso’s Way’. In 2010, Swivel went on to work with Beyoncé, recording and mixing her album ‘4’, which won a Grammy in 2012 for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song ‘Love On Top’, and worked on part of her follow up self titled album, Beyoncé. In 2014 he founded Headliner Magazine, a music-driven publication, and shortly thereafter SKIO Music, a marketplace connecting buyers and sellers of music content enabling legal remixing at scale by simplifying the licensing process and making deals more transparent. In 2015 he began working with The Chainsmokers, first as a mixer on the Roses EP, followed by mixing and production work on their follow up EP titled Collage. Collage spawned the hits ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ for which he won a Grammy for 2017’s Best Dance Recording, and Closer, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks and broke countless records along the way. In 2017 he began working with K-Pop superstars BTS, helping write, produce, and mix songs on their Love Yourself and Map Of The Soul series of albums. These albums have gone on to breaks sales records around the globe, and have been the first group since The Beatles to have 3 number one albums on The Billboard 200 albums chart in a year.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA Toronto 2019.

DJ SOULSCAPE

Grammy Award-winning Songwriter & Singer

Min June Park aka DJ Soulscape, one of the best known and most respected DJs in South Korea, has been arranging and composing music under a whole other persona since as early as 2000. The eclectic blend of old and new is reflected in Min Jun Park’s 360 Sounds project. He released music that pays homage directly to old, forgotten Korean music from the 1960s and 70s. This sound was heavily influenced by American music when the US Armed Forces were based in Seoul after the Korean War and was later suppressed by government crackdowns, thereby pushing Korea’s collective memory of its bold music history underground. In a society where the majority of the young population listens to Korean pop, Min Jun has succeeded in raising awareness of this forgotten music era. In the hope of refreshing the Seoul music scene he started a DJ collective called 360 Sounds.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA Seoul 2019.

LADY V

Grammy Award-winning Songwriter & Singer

Victoria Horn *Lady V’ is a Grammy Award winning British songwriter, she started her musical life playing the piano from the age of 3 and later learned the guitar. At just 17 she joined the international renowned act THE NEW SEEKERS as a lead vocalist, touring all over the world for 11 years! She then penned her first hit for Dannii Minogue/Riva WHO DO YOU LOVE NOW, quickly followed by DAYS GO BY which became the international smash for DIRTY VEGAS winning her a Grammy and ASCAP award and staying at No.1 on the Billboard’s Dance Chart for 16 weeks and going to onto be on to pen a place on Billboards top 100 all-time dance songs.

She spoke at IMSTA FESTA London 2019.

Manny Marroquin

Grammy nominated Audio engineer

8-time GRAMMY-winning Manny Marroquin is one of the most sought-after Mixing Engineers in the industry having worked with artists like Bruno Mars, The Rolling Stones, Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Imagine Dragons, Kanye West, and countless others. Manny shares his journey from a kid in Guatemala to the very top of the Music Business.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA LA 2019.

Derek 'MixedByAli' Ali

Grammy nominated Audio engineer

Derek “MixedByAli” Ali, disciple of Dr. Dre, Top Dawg Entertainment resident engineer, and longtime mixing engineer for Kendrick Lamar and other hip-hop greats (Snoop Dogg, Jay Rock, SZA and more), isn’t just great simply because of his work on one of the most prominent genre-bending records of all time (Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp A Butterfly”). It’s Ali’s dedication to supporting the youth of the recording engineering/pro audio community, which reveals a depth of humanity and artistry that truly cements him as a giant in his field.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA Miami 2019.

Daniel Haver

CEO and Co-Founder of Native Instruments

Daniel Haver has been the driving force behind Native Instruments for over 20 years. Today, he continues to lead its success as our passionate and visionary CEO.
True, Daniel saw enormous business potential in the music industry, but it was his passion for music itself that drove him to seize his opportunity. With the ambition to change the world of sound creation, he became a co-founder of Native Instruments.
Drawing on his creative and leadership strengths, Daniel galvanized Native Instruments’ product, sales and marketing teams early on. The world began to recognise the rapidly rising company, and as early as 1999, Daniel was interviewed by ‘Newsweek’ about "Berlin's Business Plan". Next, he spearheaded the setup of the U.S. office in 2002, personally curating all elements of the new outfit in Los Angeles. Recognising that a diverse global offering was the path to further success, Native Instruments continued to expand, opening offices in Toronto, Tokyo, London, Paris, and Shenzhen.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA Berlin 2018.

Ariel Borujow

American Sound Designer

Since 1998 Ariel Borujow has pretty much been sitting behind an audio console. The passion he had for sound the day he walked into his first session has grown naturally throughout his career. He credits his early studio experiences with many lessons. Creating the right dynamic between the engineer and the client along with their art is something he understood very early on in his career.
Luckily for him his early days allowed him to work on some of the best music of its time. The passage from assisting to recording and then mixing was next, and it was innate.
His career has led him down many different paths. He has both won and been nominated for Grammy Awards, as well as worked with some of the best musicians, artists and music producers on the planet. His involvement with the audio extends well beyond the studio. Currently he is a member of the committee for the Producers and Engineer wing at The Recording Academy.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA New York 2018.

Herb Trawick

Executive Producer/Co-Host at Pensados Place

GRAMMY-winning mix engineer Dave Pensado and veteran manager/executive producer Herb Trawick created and host the largest online television talk show focused on audio know as Pensado’s Place. Pensado’s Place has been called the “Charlie Rose of audio”, a description that sits fine with both Herb and Dave. With mix credits including Michael Jackson, Kelly Clarkson, AfroJack, Beyonce, Elton John, Christina Aguilera and Jill Scott, Dave is acknowledged as one of the leading online educators for all things audio. Trawicks' experience as a successful manager makes him the resident expert on intellectual property, business affairs, career consultation, digital media and more.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA Chicago 2018.

Dave Pensado

Grammy Award-Winning Mixing Engineer

His career began in Atlanta in the 1970s and 1980s doing live and studio sound engineering. He has lived in Los Angeles since 1990. He mixes between 200 and 250 songs a year at Larrabee Studios in Los Angeles. When recording, he usually records at Echo Bar Studios in North Hollywood.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA Chicago 2018.

Junoh Lee "Casker"

Music Producer & Film Music Director

Junoh Lee, also known as Casker, is a music producer and film music director. Casker debuted in 2003 with 1st album “철갑혹성”, and released 7 albums, 1 EP, and numerous singles. Casker's first solo album, “Juuno - shift” was released in 2014. As Music Producer, Casker continually writes for TV drama, commercials, and K-Pop. As a Flim Music Director, some of his work includes, The terror live, PD Report, The Phone, One-Line, Little Forest.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA Seoul 2018.

James Fauntleroy

Singer, Songwrite & Record Producer

James Edward Fauntleroy II is an American singer, Grammy award winning songwriter and record producer from Inglewood, California. Fauntleroy currently works with the production team The Y's and is the acting president of 1500 or Nothin'. He is best known for featuring on tracks by high profile artists such as Drake, J. Cole, and Big Sean as well as writing songs for artists including Rihanna and Justin Timberlake. In 2014 and 2018, Fauntleroy won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA LA 2018.

Charles Dye

Record producer & Songwriter

Charles Dye is an award-winning film writer/director, and a Grammy-winning mixer/producer whose work with Jon Bon Jovi, Shakira, Aerosmith, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Lauryn Hill, Julio Iglesias, Frank Sinatra, and Gloria Estefan has sold 90 million records worldwide.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA MIAMI 2018.

Nico Rebscher

Musician, Composer, Songwriter & Producer.

Alice Mertons Hit "No Roots" kam Anfang des Jahres aus dem 2017 nichts und ist ein gutes Beispiel, wie man auch als nicht-gesignter Artist einen Riesenhit landen kann. Der Song erreichte in Deutschland die Nr. 2 der Single-Charts, in Frankreich sogar die abolute Spitze. Den Song gemeinsam mit Alice Merton geschrieben und produziert hat der Berliner Produzent und Komponist Nicolas Rebscher, der uns in diesem Workshop mit auf die Reise nimmt und erzählt wie der Song entstanden ist. Nico Rebscher verrät viele Tricks zu Aufname, Soundkreation und Mixing mit Steinberg Cubase und dem Apollo-Interface und Plug-ins von Universal Audio.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA BERLIN 2017.

Sascha 'Busy' Bühren

Sound Engineer

Angefangen als DJ, Ende der 80er, hat Busy 1991 seine erstes Band Album mit „B.L.A.Q.U.E.“ produziert welches bei EMI veröffentlicht wurde, 1992 lernte er CURSE kennen, für den er den Grundstein mit Produktionen für dessen Karriere legte, weitere Produktionen folgten dann u.a. für Cora E, Stieber Twins, McRene oder Genetikk feat. Sido.

Ebenfalls zeichnet sich Busy als Remixer aus und hat Remixe für z.B. für Lil Kim & Phil Collins, Common, Walking Large oder Xavier Naidoo uvm. angefertigt.

2001 hat sich Busy auf Audio Mastering spezialisiert, wobei er die Musik verschiedener Künstler veredelt, damit den letzten Feinschliff verpasst und dabei sämtliche musikalischen Genres bedient.

Die Palette reicht von HipHop über Techno, über Reggae bis Pop, hin zur Rock Musik.

Busy wurde mehrfach mit Gold und Platin Awards ausgezeichnet, u.a. für seine Masteringarbeiten bei Seeed, Unheilig, Peter Fox, Max Herre, Marteria, Silbermond, Rea Garvey, The BossHoss, Til Schweiger Soundtracks uvm. dazu kommen mehrere Nominierungen und Auszeichnungen für den Echo Musikpreis und diverse andere Awards.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA BERLIN 2017.

Michael Boddicker

American film composer / session musician

Michael Lehmann Boddicker, is an American film composer and session musician, specializing in electronic music. Three times N.A.R.A.S. Most Valuable Player "Synthesizer" and MVP Emeritus, awarded a Grammy as a songwriter for Imagination from Flashdance in 1984, winner of Keyboard Magazine's Reader's Poll Award - "Best Studio Synthesist" 1986 & 1987 and "Best Session Player" 1988.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA BERLIN 2017.

FrancisGotHeat

Music Producer / Multi-Instrumentalist

Rising from the rapidly growing Toronto contemporary R&B scene, Francis Nguyen-Tran, now known as “FrancisGotHeat,” has built a strong reputation for himself as one of the hottest producers going.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA TO 2017.

Scott Jacoby

American record producer

Scott Adam Jacoby is an American record producer, songwriter, composer, sound engineer, and recording artist. He is a Grammy award winner, and has worked with numerous artists in various genres including Coldplay, Cory Henry, Fabolous, Jackie Evancho, John Legend, José James, Kane, Laura Izibor, Maiysha, Naturally 7, Ronnie Spector, Sia, Stormzy, Vampire Weekend and Vanessa Hudgens. In 2007, he founded his own record label Eusonia Records, and is also the owner of Eusonia Studios.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA NYC 2017.

Just Blaze

Record Producer & Disc Jockey

Justin Smith, better known as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop record producer from Paterson, New Jersey who attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue his musical career. Blaze is also the CEO of Fort Knocks Entertainment. He is best known for producing Jay Z songs on the albums The Blueprint, The Blueprint 2, and The Black Album.

He led a keynote at IMSTA FESTA NYC 2017.

Ricco Lumpkins

Producer / Engineer / Mix Engineer / Songwriter / Publisher

Formerly Based out of Atlanta, Ricco Lumpkins is a GRAMMY NOMINATED AND AWARD WINNING Producer/Engineer/Mix Engineer/Songwriter/Publisher (TLC's FanMail-R&B Album of the Year) . Ricco was also nominated in the 32nd Annual Chicago Music Awards as "Record Producer of the Year".

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA CHI 2017.

Rob Lyrical

3x Multiplatnium Music Producer / Photographer

1/4 of music group Chinza//Fly better known for producing A$AP Ferg's Work Remix and Shanghai from Nicki Minaj's Grammy nominated project The Pinkprint.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA CHI 2017.

Boi-1da

Canadian record producer

Boi-1da is undoubtedly one of Canada’s most sought after producers for the 21st century. His sure-fire talent and proven ability to create hits has led him to the top of the ranks in an industry where nothing is guaranteed.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA TORONTO 2016.

Frank Socorro

Multi-Platinum, multi-Grammy nominated Mixing Engineer

Frank Socorroo is Grammy nominated Engineer/Producer who's multi-platinum selling work with artists such as Amy Winehouse, Jamie Foxx, Lenny Kravitz and Mary J. Blige is a testament not only to his technical expertise but also his passion for music and recording. Frank is a 15 year music business veteran. Lover of music and likes sharing his knowledge with whoever wants listen.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA MIAMI 2017.

Gavin Lurssen

Mastering engineer

Gavin Lurssen is a mastering engineer. He owns Lurssen Mastering in Hollywood, California. Lurssen's Grammy Award–winning work includes Raising Sand, a collaborative album featuring Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, and the soundtrack for the Coen Brothersfilm, O Brother, Where Art Thou?. He has also mastered recordings by Tom Waits, Sheryl Crow, Loretta Lynn, Matchbox Twenty, T-Bone Burnett, Jennette McCurdy and many others. He also works as a mastering assistant for Doug Sax.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA CHICAGO 2016.

Jerry Wonda

Musical composer

Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis is a Haitian Grammy Award-winning musical composer and record producer. His first major success was as producer for The Fugees' 1996 album The Score. He also played the bass guitar with The Fugees, and group member Wyclef Jean is his cousin. Wonda began producing music on his own, founding a production company called Wonda Music and placing his first major record with teen sensation, Justin Bieber for "U Smile." He has since followed up several placements to include artists Mary J. Blige, Musiq Soulchild, Keri Hilson, Estelle, Busta Rhymes, Miguel and Lupe Fiasco. Wonda began signing artists, producers, and songwriters to his Wonda Music imprint.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA NEW YORK 2015.

Jimmy Douglass

American recording engineer

Jimmy Douglass (also known as The Senator) is an American four-time Grammy winning recording engineer and record producer, whose prolific career has spanned more than four decades. Douglass is best known for bringing unconventional techniques into the studio and encouraging artists to transcend genre restrictions. He is credited with bringing a raw edge to sound and specifically bringing a heavy funk bass sound into rock music. His hard work and immense talent has carved a place for him among some of the most respected engineers and mixers in the world.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA TORONTO 2015.

Harvey Mason

American record producer

Harvey Jay Mason Jr. is an American record producer, songwriter and movie producer. He has written and produced songs for popular performers in the music industry including Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Chris Brown. In addition, major motion picture and television studios have called on Harvey to produce music for blockbuster films & television including Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls, Whitney Houston in Sparkle, Hailee Steinfeld and Anna Kendrick in Pitch Perfect, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson and Tori Kelly in Sing, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube in Straight Outta Compton and Mary J. Blige and Neyo in The Wiz Live!.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA LA 2014.

Ken Lewis

GRAMMY Winning Producer

Ken Lewis has been at the top of the music business for years as a Producer, Songwriter, Mix Engineer and Musician. He credits include 12 GRAMMY winners and 40 total nominations, 71 Gold & Platinum albums and single and 56 #1’s. Ken has worked with such luminaries as Eminem, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Drake, Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande and many others. His keynote which will detail his studio and writing experience is not to be missed.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA NEW YORK 2014.

Morgan Page

Electro House DJ / Music Producer.

GRAMMY-nominated DJ/Producer Morgan Page is ubiquitous within the dance music scene - his latest album, DC to Light (2015) features "Running Wild" and "Open Heart" and debuted at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and #3 on Dance/Electronic Albums chart. The record features numerous guest appearances, including tracks with Angela McCluskey and frequent-collaborator Lissie, who worked with Page on 2008’s GRAMMY-nominated “The Longest Road.”

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA LA 2016.

Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins

American record producer

A wildly successful producer/songwriter/musician, Jerkins has been an in‐demand producer since his early beginning; megastars line up to work with him, to insure that next smash. He has added to the hit lists of music talents such as Sam Smith, Mary J. Blige, Beyonce, Justin Beiber,Madonna, Brandy, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Kelly Clarkson, Keyshia Cole, Cher, Janet Jackson, Destiny's Child, Natasha Bedingfield, The Pussycat Dolls, N'Sync, Gwen Stefani, Ludacris, Black Eyed Peas, Mario, Monica,Ciara, Tiffany Evans, TLC, J. Holiday, Joe, Ray J, Maroon 5 and countless others. They know that having the "Darkchild" touch on their song puts it on the fast track toward reaching Number One.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA LA 2015.

Steve Albini

Singer / Songwriter

Steven "Steve" Albini is an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal engineer of Electrical Audio, a recording studio complex located in Chicago. In March 2004, Albini said that the number of albums he had worked on was "probably as many as 1500." He has had major influence on the development of genres such as noise rock, post-hardcore and math rock.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA CHICAGO 2015.

Young Fyre

Record producer

Tramaine Winfrey, professionally known as Young Fyre, is an American record producer signed to T-Pain's record label, Nappy Boy Entertainment. He has worked extensively with T-Pain and produced most of the album Revolver, T-Pain's fourth studio album. Young Fyre has also worked with Britney Spears, Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko, Lil Wayne, Ace Hood, Chris Brown, Mario, Busta Rhymes, Big Time Rush, Nicholas RAS Furlong, Rico Love, The Writing Camp, and many others. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia and travels frequently between Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles and New York City to record.

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA LA 2017.

Young Guru

American audio engineer

Young Guru, is an American audio engineer, record producer and DJ. Young Guru was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2011 for his work on "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. He has worked with many leading recording artists, and an April 2015 Wall Street Journal profile called him "the most famous and successful engineer in the history of hip-hop".

He spoke at IMSTA FESTA TORONTO 2014.