Of course, the schedule for IMS 2023 is jam-packed with over 130 keynotes, discussions, parties, workshops, and networking events happening all over the place. You name it; they’ve got it. And, as always, the closing party will be held at the historic Dalt Villa, a UNESCO world heritage site. But, if you’re a fan of electronic music, the most exciting part of IMS Ibiza 2023 will undoubtedly be the discussions around artificial intelligence. The music industry is grappling with how to profit from AI and understanding its potential, and IMS is the perfect place to discuss these issues.

IMS is also presenting its annual business report, which surveys the health of the dance music industry. The report will cover sectors including streaming and live events and will serve as an industry tool to determine growth sectors. This year, the report will also focus on music publishing and the creator economy, which are massive topics within the electronic music scene.

IMS has been through some tough times, but they’re finally back in the game thanks to their partnership with Beatport. The digital download platform acquired a 51% majority stake in IMS earlier this year, and it’s allowed IMS to create a new level of financial solvency. While the acquisition has presented some challenges due to allegations of sexism, racism, and a toxic work culture within Beatport, IMS is committed to diversity, inclusion, and equality.

We’re thrilled to see IMS Ibiza 2023 back in action. It’s been a long time coming, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for this incredible event. So, get ready to dance, party, and network your heart out! IMS Ibiza 2023 is going to be one for the books.

Ana Alvarez

Alan Walker, the Norwegian producer and DJ, is back with a bang in 2023, dropping his first track of the year – and it’s a banger! His new single, “Dreamer,” is a soaring, melodic progressive house instrumental that is sure to get fans up and moving. And guess what? This track was actually inspired by his fans!

Walker recently posted a poll on Twitter, asking his followers if he should “take it back to the beginning,” and over 90% of them responded with a resounding “YES!” So, in response to his fans’ wishes, “Dreamer” was born – and it’s an instant classic.

To celebrate the release of “Dreamer,” Walker premiered the track in a special Zoom call with a group of lucky fans. And now, the music video is out for all to see. It’s a feel-good, uplifting visual that perfectly captures the spirit of the song.

And that’s not all – Walker has also just announced a residency at Zouk Las Vegas, with his first performance scheduled for May 20 during EDC Weekend. It’s clear that Walker is excited about this new venture, saying, “I’m stoked about this new residency and the possibility of connecting with my fans and the Vegas crowd.”

So, if you’re a fan of Alan Walker’s signature sound, be sure to check out “Dreamer” and catch him live at Zouk Las Vegas. And who knows – maybe you’ll be lucky enough to be on the next Zoom call premiere of one of his tracks!

Rolf Larsen

Exploring the potential motivations and consequences of Billy McFarland’s recent announcement, and what it means for the future of event planning and accountability.

As a DJ who has been in the industry for so many years and evolved with it, how does it feel to be back performing at clubs and festivals after the two years?
I started as a professional DJ way back in 1986. The only job I had besides being a DJ was at a vinyl record shop during the 90’s, so you can imagine what it feels like being 2 years without being able to do what I love the most.
Because of that but also because I’ve been playing on Sound Waves since its very beginning, I’m really excited to be back to one of the best Techno Festivals in Portugal, on July 2nd in Esmoriz, near Oporto.

Having performed in countries like Japan and the USA, how does the Portugal crowd compare to others and do you have a favorite place to perform?
Portugal crowd is amazing, really into music, whatever the genre is. Also, the tourists that visit us and go to our dance music events get into our “party spirit” and always have a great time. It must be the weather, friendliness of the people and the quality of our events, or everything combined.
Outside of Portugal, luckily I also get amazing crowds, especially in Japan (they are really up for it!) but also in the U.S., Spain, Switzerland, Brazil, Croatia, etc.
Was there a particular moment or DJ that you can recall that verified for you that it was possible to perform and do what you love as a career?
Things were pretty different in 1986, and back then I never thought I would be where I am today, 36 years later. My other passion was Architecture, which I quitted on my second University year, in 1994. It was probably then, when I had to decide what to do (it was becoming impossible to deliver my school work on time because of my DJ and record shop work) that I had to decide what I should do.
It was at that moment that I thought I could live from doing what I love the most: DJing.
Having started your career while vinyl was still quite popular do you feel that modern DJs have the same skills and connection with
skills and connection with the music in the present day that they did when you first started?
When I started, vinyl was the only way we could play music and make people dance at the club. Yes, some DJ’s used reel-to-reel tape machines back then (especially in the U.S.) but they were so expensive that one a few lucky ones were able to do it.
I think our relationship with music these days is different not because of the medium that most of us use now (digital) being different from the physical contact we have when using vinyl, but because the amount of music that is released today, compared with what it was released back then. We have thousands of tracks released every day (just on Beatport, the main online shop) and it’s really hard and time consuming to find good music today.
I have thousands of vinyl 12” s in my studio that I use for sampling, recording, etc. but I can’t imagine myself getting back on the road carrying my two 120 vinyl flight cases every weekend as I did, back in the days!
Regarding skills, the digital DJ has more options to use on his performance, so he really has to know his software / hardware to be able to be creative with all the technology available, therefore has to be more skilled.
I know that some people are still in that old discussion about “vinyl DJ” vs. “digital DJ”, that some say that the “vinyl DJ” is the real one because they don’t rely on software to beat-match their mixes. But beat-match is just one of the things a DJ does, there’s a lot more to DJing besides that, so in my opinion it’s a pointless discussion.
Is there any particular show that you felt had your best work and energy put into it that you look at as a benchmark for what you want to emulate each show, and is there anything you are specifically excited about for the Sound Waves festival?
I try to do my best on every show, be it in a club or a one off event like Sound Waves. I’ve been lucky enough to be at several big events where I felt “on the top of the world” because thousands were dancing in front of me and really into my music. That’s an indescribable feeling!
I remember playing at “Rock In Rio Lisbon” in 2016, having thousands dancing in front of me, totally into my set at 11pm. That was really one of the best feelings I had, for sure.
Luckily I also felt that feeling in almost all Sound Waves editions where I played. I’ve been told by the promoter that I’m the DJ who played on more Festival editions, so I must be doing something right!
Having just a few years between starting to seriously DJ and being nominated for best newcomer do you have a part of your skill set that you can accredit your rather fast success to?
I would credit my success mainly to the music and of course at the time there were very few female DJ’s especially in the vinil era which of course helped a lot to get noticed.
You currently manage your own label and radio show. Would you say that you enjoy your current lifestyle and job more than when you were focused on more DJing, and is it exciting when you get to perform at live shows and festivals such as Sound Waves?
My main focus is always djing! It’s what I absolutely love to do and it’s always exciting and fun to play at festivals such as Sound Waves because we get to play for massive crowds.
Having entered this field in the late 90s and early 2000s did it feel like you had a disadvantage being a female DJ or do you believe it may have helped spark more interest and let you stand out?
It definitely helped spark some interest but on the other hand, for years I had to work twice as hard as any man to gain the respect of the industry. At the time it was hard to conceive that a woman could actually be good at what she did other than just having a pair of….
When you began did you feel an equal draw to the energy and the way music made people feel or was your fascination more on the technical side of creating and mixing music?
Before I began djing I would go clubbing and dance until the sunrise. I was an electronic music lover so by the time I began to DJ I was completely fascinated by the art of mixing all the music that I had already fallen in love with. I must admit though, I’m very perfectionist on the technical side.
When you prepare for a large festival such as Sound Waves is there something you try to keep consistent in your sets that feels comfortable or do you always try to have a unique set?
After 22 years of DJing I know what the crowd wants and needs depending on the time and space of the event so I do believe that there is a certain consistency but even then I still try to keep it unique.

The insight from these artists on their music and careers combined with the new changes and talent at Sound Waves promises the festival to live up to its hype.

Yeah, really happy about that! It’s really cool to know my music fills up so many great artists sets.

How has your daily routine changed in the last year? What have you been focus on the most?

I’ve got much more productive this year. Before I had time to relay on the show’s money, stuck in a comfort zone. But now I had to reinvent myself, think about ways to connect to my fans and create good content to keep it up, so probably working double than before now! And speaking about music, think I’ve never been so inspired like now. So many cool stuff coming out!

In recent years you have played a key role in the evolution of electronic dance music in Brazil. How can you describe it and what are the main differences between the Brazilian scene and rest of the world?

Brazilian scene has its own personality really clear. In the past we use to copy the foreign DJs, but now I see we created our own style. The main difference in my opinion is that Brazilians are really attached to who you are beside the dj. Sometimes only good music is not enough here, people here are really connected to social media, so it’s really important to have good lifestyle content to engage fans.

Being the son of renowned DJs Swarup and Ekanta, what artistic heritage did they leave you?

My parents showed me it was possible to be a DJ for living. By the time I started, everyone looked at it as a hobby, and they were my references of professionals to always making me believe.

Given the lack of touring this year, have you enjoyed spending more time at home and in the studio?

That was the good part about lockdown. Could spend much more time with my son, which is almost 2 years old, enjoyed my family, and had more time to produce as well.

What are the artists you are listening to at the moment?

I’ve been listening a lot to some Anjuna Deep stuff and tech house in general. John Summit, Harry Romero and Prok & Fitch are my favorites on the moment.

Let’s speak about the project Follow The Sun, now at its 6th edition!

Yeah, “follow the sun” was one of the good things of quarantine. It’s a longset I record or stream during sunrise, in beautiful places around Brazil. I found myself on this project, and my fans also got really engaged with it. Looking forward for the next editions!

What are the pros and cons of working so close to your brother Alok?

I think the bad part is always being associated to him. In the beggining it was harder, but now I think people can really see the uniqueness and differences between us, so that part doesn’t bother me anymore. And the good part is to have such a good producer and artist to work together. I’m a great fan of my brother’s work and career, so it’s always a pleasure to be close to good references.

‘Cartas Para o Jovem DJ’ you give advices to young Djs producers on your YouTube channel, how did you get this idea?

It’s started with the question “What am I doing for the world?”, and I thought I could help a lot of people with my experience and knowledge about music. It’s a really cool feeling, to know you’re helping producers out there!

What has been the most exciting live stream you have recorded during the last period?

It’s hard to choose only one, but I think Follow The Sun 2 in Corumba was the coolest. The place is amazing, played a 6:30 set, at sunrise got really emotional (even cried hahah )

Armada, Austro, Sony and Controversia are the labels you release the most on. What changes between releasing on a Major and releasing on your own label (Controversia)?

I believe each song has the right label to host it. Some songs are made for majors, and other for specific labels that can push it to the right direction. I’ve been producing different styles of music, so it was good to diversify the labels on each case.

Do you take a different approach when collaborating with someone else rather than working on your own? And what happens when the person you collaborate with is your brother Alok?

It’s really cool to work with other artists, get the best of each one for a track. I think the question always should be “is this collab good for the song in any way?” That’s something I always ask to know if I do it alone or with someone else. About working with Alok, it’s really easy, since we know each other so well. We know where the song should go to get both happy.

What are your upcoming projects?
Invite Climax readers to check out your music on Spotify!

I’ve got a few singles scheduled for the next months, with Wankelmut, Moguai and Lucas Estrada. Beside that, working really hard to finish my first album. It’s getting really cool!

Hi guys! Thank you for having us. Spotify is extremely important for us, it brings us together to our fans, it’s a way of keeping them updated on everything we release. Besides that, it’s also a great platform for people to discover new artists and songs, especially because of the playlists and the music suggestions. So someone who doesn’t know our work, but enjoys the style we produce, can get to know us this way. It is one of the most important stream platforms nowadays, so it’s really great to be doing well in it.

How is the Corona Virus situation in Brazil going? how have clubs, music and night life been affected by the lockdown?

It’s been very complicated. Unfortunately the situation here isn’t the best, lots of lives were lost and now we’re facing a second wave, so it’s been really hard. The events sector has been suffering a lot from this impact, since it’s economy depends a great deal from people getting together. We know that what really matters right now is everyone’s safety and we’re super in favor that everyone who can should stay at home, but we also know that many people are being affected by this reality. Brazil recently started with the vaccination campaign and we know it might take awhile till everyone’s safe, but we’re pretty excited about this, we can’t wait to get our own shot haha.

What has given you the wave of motivation to produce and spend time in the studio during the lockdown?

In the beginning we were pretty focused on being in the studio. Since we usually don’t have much time to produce, to really immerse in it like that, due to our tours, the quarantine was an opportunity for us to do so. We didn’t see this time at home as vacations or anything like that, we wanted to just go to the studio and produce. Because of that, we’ve been producing more than ever, we have plenty of new tracks to release and projects going on.

What track do you think has been your best of 2020 and can you tell us why it’s your favorite?

That’s a hard question, but probably Save Me Now, because it marks a new style for us, something that we are really passionate about and that now we are exploring more.  We believe that this song was a turning point for our sound, going more in a progressive direction, that we love.

Given the lack of touring this year, have you enjoyed spending more time at home and in the studio?

We did! We don’t have much time to just be at home usually, so we really appreciated being with our family and pets and being able to really focus in the studio. But we’re also missing our tours so much. We, as many people too, had no idea this pandemic was going to last so long, so as much as we like just being home and working in our studio, we can’t wait for everything to just go back to normal and we can all meet on the road again.

Are you thinking to start your own imprint sooner or later?

We don’t think so, for now at least. Of course we considered it before, it crossed our mind sometimes, but for now we’re in a really good place and we’re happy with how things are working out. We already have so much to focus on, if that ever comes to life, will probably be in the future.

It has been 2 years since GONE TOO LONG was released. It has been streamed 40MLN time and counting…does it give you goosebumps?

It definitely does. Since the very moment we saw the final result, we were super proud of Gone Too Long. It’s a song that we like to play till today and we love how the fans reacted to it, it’s always one of our most requested tracks, as the numbers show, so we’re really happy that after 2 years since its release, it’s still one of the fans favorite.

What are the pros and cons to be brothers in the music business?

It’s great working with your brother, at least for us, cause we’ve always had a good relationship. It’s nice to have this intimacy, so you’re comfortable to say your opinions and what you’re really thinking about the directions the project’s taking. We miss home a lot during our tours, so it’s also amazing having your brother there to keep you company and understanding what you’re going through, we really support each other. There would be things a lot harder to handle if we didn’t have one another. The cons are probably when we get tired of each other, or when one of us is really annoying the other haha, but I guess that happens with every duo, not only brothers.

Your North American tour has been put on hold due to Covid-19. When has it been postponed?

It was postponed right in the beginning of the pandemic. We were supposed to play several gigs in North America and also Europe last year, including some great festivals such as Tomorrowland. But due to everything that has been going on we had to postpone it. We still don’t have a date for it to come back, especially with everything the way it is, still so uncertain. But we are eager to get back on the road and resume all of this.

Livestream home edition: love it or hate it?

Usually love it, especially when people get to produce a great set, with visuals or just in a great location. We’re committed to produce some very different sets, for example, we recently played a livestream from Tulum, Mexico, for the virtual edition of EDC Orlando and we also played in the Tomorrowland digital festival, Tomorrowland Around The World. Right now we’re residents at Insomniac TV and every Sunday we present a new set created 100% digitally with the same 3D technology as Tomorrowland Around The World, so we’re super excited about it. But we confess that in the beginning of the quarantine there were just too many live streams going on from everybody, we never hated them, but at some point we got a little tired of watching them all.

What has been the most exciting live stream you have seen during the last period?

Probably the one we’ve been most excited about is our 3D livestream for Insomniac. This is something that we’ve been working on for a while and is totally new for us. We really enjoy this kind of stuff, dealing with new technology, studying about it and using it to innovate on our shows. Our gigs are one of our main priorities, we always invest a lot in them and since there’s none going on right now, we’re investing on our lives what we’ll futurelly use on the shows. We really liked the final result, so it was the one livestream that we liked the most.

‘Scars’ feat. Havenn is your latest release on Armada Music. How is the collaboration with the Dutch label going?

It’s been great. We had already worked with them before, but being a signed artist is an  accomplishment for us. We always admired the label, so we were super excited to work with it. Everything has been working out just fine, even being continents apart, the communication is great, which is essential for it to work, so we’re really happy and looking forward to what will come next.

What else is happening next in Cat Dealers world?

As we previously mentioned, we have a lot of new songs to release, since we’re spending so much time in the studio. We’re working on our style and on what we want to show our fans, so we’re pretty excited about that. We wanted to say that we’re ready to come back with our tours, but unfortunately for now we don’t know when it’s really going to happen. So we’re dedicating ourselves to our sets and current residency. But stay tuned on our socials, cause we’re always updating them with news.

Invite Climax readers to check your music out on Spotify!

Hey everyone who’s reading this in Climax, go check our music on Spotify! We recently released our new single ‘Scars’ and we’ll soon release new tracks too. Go check our playlist too, Cat House Sessions! Cheers!