SYNC and Oscill8 October update
- anthonyjappleby
- Oct 3
- 5 min read
I don't know about you, but I am a little teensy weensy bit flabbergasted that it's already October. Seriously? What’d they do with the rest of September?
Anyhoo, we are both excited and maybe even a bit stressed by SYNC--excited because we've just put together the lineup and locked in all the details with the venue, and it's honestly looking like it's gonna be awesome! And stressed because OMFG it's coming up in just over a month!
I'm gonna tell you a little bit more about SYNC, and how you can be a part of it. I’ll also let you know what we were up to in September (think Pool Party and Music Awards!). If you're curious, read on!
September events
Before we get into SYNC, I wanted to let you know about what we were up to last month.
As always, we did have a Beat Convergence on the 24th. There was a lot going on at the time, as is always the case in September, so we had a small, but joyful little jam session nonetheless! This month’s Beat Convergence will be September 30 (8:00). (We’re moving to the last Thursday of the month again.) This week's theme is "cool grooves"! We will all share a cool groove you got. Maybe it's something you use on a piece of hardware, or something you came up with in your DAW, or just a track you made with a cool beat, bass line, or both. As always, the main purpose is to build community. Bring your toys or not! It’s up to you! Hang with pals! Meet folks! Learn something new! Here’s the Facebook event link. (please share it far and wide with like-minded people!) If you don’t do Facebook, and need more details, send us a line.
September 25 to 27 we were honored to put on a full-on pool party as part of Night Lights festival of outdoor nighttime art. Thanks, Vic Park BIA and the Night Light fest for the support! For three nights, we ran a free pool party at Hotel Arts that featured DJs, live electronic music, and video art projection mapped to the inflatable roof of the pool! We had parents & kids, and folks from the burner scene & digital art scene. Heck, we even had the mayor stop by! (curses that I didn’t get any pictures!)
check out our cool Instagram reel!
Here's our Facebook post with pictures
On September 28, we participated in the YYC Music Awards at Gery Eagle Casino. Leif Olson, our beloved “El Presidente” was honored to present the award for EDM recording of the year. (Congrats, Titus1!) Big ups to the other nominees, Bungalow, Ginsong, Roger Raw, Jaxx, Niteshade, and Jon Powers! I was surprised to learn that this year marks the 10 anniversary of the YYCMAs! It was really cool being at such a great event surrounded by so many talented creatives and administrators!
Here's our Facebook post on the event
SYNC 2025
Just as a reminder, the SYNC Sound and Image Conference is a three-day festival and conference (Nov. 7, 8, and 9) celebrating creativity in electronic music and visual arts.
Festival Highlights:
Performances: Cutting-edge electronic music and visual artists take center stage, providing a platform for both emerging and established talent. Live visuals and flow arts enhance the artistic experience.
Workshops and Panels: Led by experts, hands-on sessions and discussions explore topics like music production, visual design, community-building, and technological advances.
Networking Opportunities: Attendees connect with artists, industry leaders, and organizations, fostering collaboration and professional growth.
Film Screenings: Celebrating Canadian filmmakers by screening cutting edge, thought-provoking films and discussions.
This year, all events will be at one venue—the National Music Center. We are also excited to announce that it will be free of charge! So there’s no reason to NOT go!
I’m also authorized to announce our Candadian headliner for the Friday night show will be none other than Calgary ex-pat, Long Walk Short Dock! He always puts on an entertaining show, so Friday’s gonna be a very fun night! He’ll also be leading a workshop, and there will be tons to learn there! Stay tuned to our socials & future newsletters to find out about our European headliner and other feature artists.
The SYNC community
SYNC Sound and Image Conference is all about community. It is organized by a dedicated crew of volunteer board members, who put so much heart and soul into the event, not to mention a surprising number of hours of work! It’s inspired by the amazing community of folks who create live electronic music, produce original tracks, project mind blowing visuals, and perform with flow toys at our events. In a very real sense, the most important part of the community is simply the people who buy tickets, and attend these events. They come when they can, and are a key part of the accepting, respectful, and passionate scene we have here in Calgary. And I know it’s the same in Lethbridge, Edmonton, Vancouver, and even smaller scenes like Canmore/ Banff and Nelson! SYNC comes from community, and SYNC builds community. We bring together artist and audience, teacher and learner, organizations and individuals. It’s truly such an honor to be a part of this—and to think about future iterations! What will SYNC be like next year? In 5 years? In 10 years?!!
Truly, this is bigger than all of us! And you can be part of this amazing event. We need volunteers to make it work. Volunteering is a chance to contribute to something great by doing what you’re good at. It’s fun too! Bring a friend & work together! We are a small organization, and love and gratitude are your real reward, but you do get a cool T shirt, free entry to the YYC Jazz-SYNC co-presentation performance at Cold Garden on the Sunday night, priority spots at the Electronic music open mic for the musicians out there!
There are a bunch of different volunteer roles that need filling:
Set up/ tear down,
tech support for workshops,
Hospitality (helping patrons during workshops),
Transportation
Production assistant
artist logistics/ liaison
Truly, this event CANNOT HAPPEN without volunteers! In this era of discombobulation, here’s a chance to do a small thing for a small event and help make a few people happy!
Please sign up here
Suffice it to say we are truly super stoked about SYNC Sound and Image Nov. 7 to 9. (To help me remember the date, I think of that dumb joke: “Why is 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 8 9!”) We do need help, and, as your doctor, I prescribe connecting with community as a treatment for the bleakness of these trying times! Volunteer a few hours of your time at SYNC! Come to Beat Convergence! Connect on Instagram and Facebook!
Look after yourselves and each other! See you soon!
Your man on the inside,
Anthony Appleby/ Room Elephant
Comments