Groundwerk is the New Electronic Music Social Listening Party

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Groundwerk is the New Electronic Music Social Listening Party

How local West Coast producers and associates are trading in egos for art.

"Everyone you're ever going to meet knows something you don't," says Joel Cottingham (aka Joel West), quoting Bill Nye during his opening speech at the second installment of Groundwerk. "Share it because that will bring out the best in both of you. I know it's a little cheesy, but it's actually true."

It's a sunny weekday evening in downtown Vancouver, BC and a multitude of local electronic music producers, event promoters, VJs, and enthusiasts alike have gathered to discuss all things related to Vancouver's electronic music scene. Cottingham, founder and member of the Groundwerk team, is welcoming returnees and newcomers before handing the mic over to the two keynote speakers for the evening, electronic music artists Joel Armstrong and Jennifer Roworth (aka Queensyze). They have been invited to speak to the group of emerging artists and entrepreneurs within the local scene, sharing with the enthusiastic crowd their wisdom and experience working within the industry.

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Although Cottingham and keynote speakers stand at one end of the room on a platform, the talks are only a small portion of what's about to take place over the course of the evening. The area is set up with copious amounts of free pizza supplied by Panago, a bulletin board loaded with local business cards and event stickers, a bar, a seating area, and then nothing but open space for attendees of the monthly event to begin laying down their very own "Groundwerk".

Groundwerk Vancouver is a new monthly event which serves as a meeting place for those working within the scene to gather and share information on the local electronic music community. It is a mix of lecture series, info sessions, and music listening party.

Inspired by the success of Calgary's Habitat Studio Social, Cottingham was eager to create a similar atmosphere of community support and development within the local Vancouver electronic music scene. Since its establishment in 2013, the Studio Social has become a pillar for the electronic music culture of Calgary with regular workshops, lectures, music sharing, and more. "What I saw (at the Studio Social in Calgary) was a group of producers, a tribe," he says. "Their level of production seemed to go up fairly quickly and they seemed to be making more noise about it."

After surveying Vancouver's electronic music scene for any events within the city that resembled Studio Social, Cottingham came across the Vancouver Producer's Forum and headhoncho, Adam Szabo (aka Adam Atma). Like Cottingham, Szabo was excited to start a new movement within the local electronic music culture. "He'd been coming to a point where he was at the end of a cycle of energy with that," explains Cottingham. "I talked to him about what I was thinking and he was like, 'I'm in! Let's just do it.'"

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In an effort to get off on the right foot, Cottingham also approached local Calgary DJ and one of the main organizers of Studio Social, Isis Graham. "So, I called her up and she said, 'Why don't you just copy what we did for our first year,'" tells Cottingham. "She was awesome and sent me a whole bunch of resources. I asked her for ten minutes of her time, and we talked for about an hour and a half."

With Steph Parkes and Nick Collinet of Some Kind of Music Blog joining Cottingham and Szabo, the official Groundwerk squad had been solidified. "Because one of the first things Isis Graham said was 'Get a team. Get a team. Get a team!'"

With only just three months into the event series, Vancouver producers and those working within the scene are already experiencing the benefits of Groundwerk. Music producer, Ralph Hauptmann (aka Ray-Kay) says that the regular meet-ups have allowed him to move further within the local community, a task which can often prove to be difficult for newcomers. "I've only been in Vancouver for one and a half years. I moved from Germany. It's all about connections and knowing the right people," states Hauptmann. "It's so different [in Vancouver]. The electronic music scene especially. There's a lot of hidden gems but you definitely have to find them. This is the perfect connection."

"Vancouver really needs this," says Kontakt Records founder and event promoter, Dewan Bayney. "These guys are really building a hub." Since relocating to the West Coast from the Canadian prairies, Bayney has been working hard to break into the tight-knit community of Vancouver. Groundwerk, he says, is just the catalyst that he had been searching for. "We've only been here for about three years. We're from Winnipeg originally. But breaking into this scene is really, really difficult."

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Attendees of the monthly social have also found the diversity in Groundwerk's participants useful for collaborative projects. Local multimedia artist, Sami Majadla (aka thisissami) claims that it took no time upon entering Groundwerk for him to find someone with similar goals within electronic music production and performance. "[At Groundwerk] you're going to find the visual artist who needs someone who has the same music style," he says. "And you're going to find the producer who wants to create the live visual show. They just have a talk and it's like, 'Woah!'"

Being one-part music listening party, Groundwerk also opens its doors to all artists interested in submitting unreleased tracks to be played during the latter part of the evening while people mix and mingle. Prior to the event, any artist at any level is invited to submit their work. During Groundwerk's social hour, if at any point you feel the need to know the name of the track that is being played and the artist who made it, simply look over to the wall with the projected image and there you will find the necessary info. And if you want to locate the producer behind the gem that you've just discovered, that won't be difficult either. Simply wander around the room until you find the artist with the matching name tag. It's that easy!

Those who have taken part in the monthly music submissions note that it has helped them to complete tracks which otherwise fall into the 'to do later' folder, a common rut that most artists often find themselves trapped in. "I like the idea of trying to make a track once a month to submit to them. It's an interesting goal," says electronic music producer Nathan Beardfight. "I love setting deadlines for myself."

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"In my opinion, I think that Groundwerk is going to revolutionize the underground scene in Vancouver," states Armstrong. "Because the people that are running it are amazing. They really care about the people that are coming out. They want to give everyone a voice, and a space to talk to other artists and improve their own crafts."

Armstrong adds that the welcoming environment in which the Groundwerk team have created sets a precedent which cultivates receptiveness and encourages progress among the crowd. "You feel it. Like, there's how many people in there? Technically everything is over, but it's still a full room. They want to meet other like-minded people. They want to be inspired by other people."

"I think it's really just accepting people where they're at," reflects Cottingham. "I got up at the first one and I showed vulnerability. If you're going to diffuse ego then you must be willing to be vulnerable. That doesn't mean that you don't still have yourself. But it's letting down your guard. It's letting down your social mask. It's letting down that armour that you keep up."

Groundwerk Vancouver will be on hiatus over the summer and will restart on September 23. During the break, the team will host a remix contest. For further details, follow Groundwerk on Facebook and Twitter.

Listen to past Groundwerk music submissions on SoundCloud.

Hollie is on Twitter.