MUMBAI: The three-day PALM Conference and Seminar Programme 2017 from 1-3 June encompassed highly informative and educational lectures, panel discussions, seminar sessions, company sponsored product presentations and workshops on subjects of relevance ranging from stage sound and light, AV install and integration and install to music production industry.

The 17th PALM Expo - India’s globally renowned and highly reputed pro sound and light trade fair which took place at Bombay Exhibition Centre was also a most awaited event by International manufacturers to launch their latest product range.

Palm Show Features and Highlights from Radioandmusic.com’s approach:

Harman Live Arena:

Harman Live Arena unfolded an eclectic mix of genres with the unveiling of the loudest loudspeaker system ever by JBL. Harman Live Arena is the biggest IP of Harman Professional India and this year it was its eighth year with Palm Expo 2017. Every year, HLA is the only stage in India which showcases the most advanced technology, the top of the line or newly launched products and solutions from all the Harman brands in the LIVE domain. Also, there were performances by musicians such as Shivamani featuring Rhythm Shaw, Anand Bhaskar collective, The Ska Vengers, Niladri Kumar, Paradigm Shift, The Kush Upadhyay Group, Viveick Rajagopalan, Ranjit Barot among others. 

PALM Conference and Seminar sound partner Yamaha Music India Pvt. Ltd. once again showed its own independent space spread across 1150sqm, to display their collection of products and solutions in Hall 2B and 2C.

The PALM Soundscape

Over a span of three days, curated by Bay Six, the PALM Soundscape program brought together top decision makers and influencers from entertainment industries that are shaping the present and future of the DJs, electronic music producers and event management. The aim of PALM Soundscape was distribution of knowledge on technological advancements and industrial trends, empowering the next breed of professionals by an open discussion and vital insider knowledge. This is facilitated through interactive panel discussions, high-value educational workshops and latest product demonstrations by industry experts.

Day 1 was scheduled for a workshop by Reji on DJing from then till now, followed by a panel discussion on entertainment and event management venues and later on mega stage events where panelists were Ali Safdar, Kunal Khambhati, Waren D’souza, moderated by Tuhin Mehta. The session was about huge stage events those are the norm these days. However, the point was about the key factors in putting up a show of magnitude. The speakers discussed bringing in experts in each of the vital components, current standards, and practices by the best in the country. The amazing part was a ten-year-old Bengaluru-based DJ Atom took over the console during the DJ championship and made it to the finale.

Day 2 saw another panel discussion on Hybrid DJing when music production meets live DJing, followed by the synthfest workshop by United Machines, and workshop on deconstruction of a song by Kumail and Point Blank. Moderated by Pranav Sanghvi, while discussing the importance of music mentorship and talent scouting the youngest artist manager of the country, Aayushman Sinha who manages DJ Chetas and Lost Stories, stated, “We should market the artist by the book. We should know how to amplify the person’s content. For rising DJs who want get their music heard out, the easiest way to do it, go the local radio stations and request them to play your mixes. It will start growing up gradually.”

One-half of the electronic duo Lost Stories, Rishab Joshi said he is always looking for new demos. “While incorporating demos in my sets, it is important which part is needed in the particular set. I receive 20 demos trap to acoustic from across the world and it really depends I would pick which part and which section I am trying to fill. It is always good to look out for new demos.”

On the other hand, Shoven Shan, one of the curators of EDC stated, “Music mentorship at any festival is important. Every big festival and sponsors need headliners; however, local talent is important. While curating slots for rising talents we try to keep minimum two slots in each stage as supporting artists.  

Later in the evening, the DJ championship finale was wrapped up with an astonishing winner, 10-year-old DJ Atom from Bengaluru who has a keen interest in the bass and trap music.

Day 3 at PALM Soundscape saw another interesting workshop by Amyth on Bollywood remix deconstruction and the rising of Indian hip-hop music moderated by Enkore. Just out of nowhere, Indian hiphop artists have stormed into the industry, making them one of the top entertainers in India. In this panel, we saw the beat makers HHB, Sez, Shah Rule and Stunnah Beatz talking about their trade tools, tricks and tips. Day three ended with IRAA awards ceremony.