Ableton Live 8 Launch Events in Australia

Ableton and Musiclink Australia are excited to announce the Official Australian Ableton Live 8 Launch Events.

Each event will feature in-depth clinics presented by Ableton specialists and exclusive live sets by endorsed Ableton artists.

The clinics will provide insight into the unique feature set offered by Ableton Live, the industry's leading music production and performance software application.

We'll be examining the creative use of the new features in Live 8. Join us and gain insight into the Ableton product development process, learn how Live Packs are put together, and find out how get the most out of Ableton Live 8. Our specialists will lift the lid on tips and tricks used by the pros to put Ableton through its paces, both in the studio and on stage.

Clinic presentations by: Anthony Garvin: Manager Studios 301 Damien Goundrie: SAE Liveschool Neon Stereo: Ableton Alpha Tester DIZZ1: Ableton Endorsee Jono Fernandez: Ableton Endorsee

The afterparty will be the Chinese Laundry 12th birthday celebrations, featuring Ableton Endorsee Kid Kenobi, as well as Paolo Mojo, Don Rimini, Jaytech, MDX and more.

Clinic presentations by: Tom Cosm: Ableton Endorsee Beatnick: Musiclink Product Specialist Danny Bonnici: Ableton Endorsee DIZZ1: Ableton Endorsee Jono Fernandez: Ableton Endorsee

The afterparty will feature exclusive Live sets from Jono Fernandez, Danny Bonnici, Tom Cosm and Dizz1.

Clinic presentations by: Craig McCullough: Ableton Certified Trainer, Brisbane Ableton Collective, Ableton Alpha Tester Tom Hall: Brisbane: Ableton Collective Paddy Free: Pitch Black, Ableton Alpha Tester

The afterparty will feature Pitch Black (NZ).

For more information please contact: Sam Counihan, National Sales and Marketing, Musiclink Australia

Ableton Live 8 launch clinicians and artists:

Anthony is the experienced software instructor and technician who founded both Liveschool and SAE Australia's Music Production Software Short Courses. Anthony currently manages Studios 301 in Sydney and Byron Bay.

Adam's band Stick Figures was nominated for '07 Producers of the Year in the Inthemix Top 50 and '06 Remix of the Year at the annual 3D DMAs. They release through Risky Disko, Moonboutique and Future Classic and have exclusive digital releases on iTunes and Beatport. Adam is also now teaching Ableton Live for SAE Sydney.

Nick de Friez aka Beatnick is a producer and performer from New Zealand. He has worked with artists inlcuding the Opensouls, Pitch Black, Black Seeds, Kora and Rhombus, Lisa Tomlins (Fat Freddys Drop, Hollie Smith), Taay (Solaa, Waajed), and Benny Tones. Nick has recently joined the team in the Musiclink AT department as a product specialist and clinician.

Craig is an Ableton Certified Trainer and author of "Ableton Live Explained" and other training videos for Groovebox music, USA. He has also been an Ableton Alpha Tester since 2006. Tom is a sound artist and avid user of Ableton Live in many different contexts and in creative and experimental ways. He is constantly touring around Australia and internationally with solo performances, collaborations and sound art installations.

Damien toured and performed alongside internationals such as Carl Cox, Sasha, Digweed, Luke Slater, Les Rhythms Digital, Darren Price, Miguel Migs, Kaskade, Michael Bublé, Robyn Lau and Boy George. Damien is the Australian resident DJ for the Hed Kandi brand. In the studio, Damien has teamed up with James Billings and Dean Belcastro to form Reel Sessions. Their first single, "Take Me" featuring Kristen Pearson, appeared on Disco Heaven 8 and Stereo Sushi 14, and their second single, "So Where Were We," has been licensed for the forthcoming "Moonlight Sounds" and "Hed Kandi The Mix 09."

Danny has been at the forefront of electronic music in Melbourne for the past fifteen years, working with such artists as Junkie XL, Andy Page, Luke Chable and Phil K to name a few. Danny shot to international status through his collaborations and live sets with Melbourne breakbeat legends Nubreed. He's earned a reputation as a prolific Ableton teacher and endorsee, as well as a meticulous engineer who demands perfection from his work. Danny is currently also running a mixing and mastering service in Melbourne.

Dizz 1 has been blowing up all over the place lately, from attending the Red Bull Music Academy in Spain last year, getting play from Mary Ann Hobbs on BBC 1 and signing to Crunchtime Records, to touring Europe with the likes of Al Haca, The Bug and Stereotyp, and supporting DMZ and Loefah. With a track on Beat Dimensions 2 coming out on Rush Hour, Dizz has teamed up with the one and only DJ Dexter to form the bass-driven Curse of the Machines live project, and is working on a new album project with Om'mas from Sa-Ra.

Meet Jono Fernandez, a DJ and producer who not only says he plays music from across the board, but actually delivers on that promise. From his collaborations with Kid Kenobi and Meat Katie, to his new band-oriented project with Tim Watson, Friends of Mine, Jono has long been a DJ to watch. His pioneering Live performances quickly earned him a well-deserved endorsement from Ableton, and he brings this expertise to his presentations for the Live 8 launches.

Countless accolades, awards, records and firsts have been the hallmark of Kid Kenobi's illustrious 13-year DJing career. Indeed it's an impossible task trying to resist running them off. His accomplishments include everything from being named Australia's favourite DJ for a record number of three years (2003-2005), receiving an award for his first remix ever (of Green Velvet's "La La Land"), to an ARIA nomination for "The Bump" with Hook N Sling, knocking out over twenty remixes for some of the world's biggest names in dance, pop and rock, being the first DJ ever to have a CD series named after him by Ministry of Sound, and having an itinerary that reads like a Lonely Planet guidebook to the best nightclubs around the world. Kid Kenobi will be flying the Ableton flag at the Chinese Laundry 12th birthday following the Sydney clinic.

"Breakthrough talent in 2008" - Ricky Stone (DJ MAG Top 100 Issue 2007)

From knocking out remixes for heavyweights such as Deadmau5, Steve Angello, Andy Caldwell and DJ Ricky Stone, alongside a big lineup of upcoming original productions on premiere labels such as System Recordings, Play Records, 852 Records and Benchmarc Records, Neon Stereo has recently caught the attention of Ministry of Sound Australia thanks to his massive club rocker "Delta."

Better known to the Ableton Live community as "sweetjesus," he has been an internal tester for Ableton for the last three years, an active member of the community and is regarded as one of the foremost experts when it comes to Ableton Live.

Hailing from NZ, Tom spends his time travelling the world both performing live and performing in workshops on electronic music production and performance using Ableton Live. You can find hours of video, Live sets, tutorials, demonstrations and performances on his website - all free of charge. Tom regularly presents workshops for Ableton and is globally renowned for his Ableton abilities.

Paddy Free and Michael Hodgson, the pair known as Pitch Black, have spent the last nine years rousing dance floor punters, generating rave reviews, winning awards and gaining thousands of fans across the world. Affectionately labeled the "Godfathers of Kiwi Electronica," Pitch Black's album "Rhythm & Sound & Movement" is the perfect formula, a collection of other artists' interpretations of songs from the hugely successful "Rude Mechanicals" album. Paddy is also highly active as both an Ableton Alpha Tester, as well as presenting Ableton Live workshops around the world.

For more information please contact:

Sam Counihan, National Sales and Marketing, Musiclink Australia