This past September, CIMA coordinated our seventh annual mission to Reeperbahn Festival in Germany for four days of business and showcasing events in Berlin and Hamburg. We travelled to Germany with 44 Canadian delegates and partners, plus 24 fabulous Canadian artists. This year we are pleased to announce that almost half of those artists were female, or had female representation in the bands. Nicely done Reeperbahn!
The pre-Reeperbahn events kicked off in Berlin on Tuesday afternoon at the British Embassy where panel sessions, focusing on the Berlin industry, targeted various topics like distribution, licensing, retail and the digital music market. From there, Canadian and International delegates were invited over to a Berlin industry networking reception at the nHow Hotel, co-hosted by CIMA for Canada and BPI, MPA and BIMM for Britain, and presented by Reeperbahn Berlin.
Following the networking event, attendees were invited to stick around for the Canadian Blast showcase which featured three Canadian artists: Terra Lightfoot, Louise Burns and Scenic Route to Alaska as well as British artist Frankie Furlow.
The Berlin events continued with speed dating sessions and a networking lunch held at the Canadian Embassy on Wednesday morning. Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Embassy in Berlin, hosted the sessions with delegates from the Brits in Town groups and the industry from Berlin. After lunch, companies were offered tours and a behind-the-scenes look at BIMM and Noisy Studios.
The trip from Berlin to Hamburg was a musical one, as companies hopped aboard the Berlin networking train, sponsored by Reeperbahn and Canadian artist Poor Nameless Boy performed an acoustic set for the passengers.
After moving our delegation from Berlin to Hamburg on Thursday, September 12, Canada House kicked off its first day of performances with a full day of showcases presented by BreakOut West. Calgary’s Northern Beauties set the bar high to a near packed room, as they were the first act to hit the stage! Up next the audience got a taste of the prairies with Poor Nameless Boy, this time without the clickety-clack of the train, followed by a performance from the Yukon’s own Declan O’Donovan. British Columbia’s Shred Kelly kept Canada House jumping into the late afternoon while Scenic Route to Alaska continued to play to a packed venue, straight through dinnertime.
At 7PM, during a short break from performances, CIMA organized a Canadian Reception presented by BreakOut West and FACTOR at Kukuun where showcase attendees could mingle and network with one another for one hour, with most sticking around to see what Canada House had in store for them next. At 8PM the showcases continued, as Louise Burns got the evening of music underway and Manitoba’s Yes We Mystic kept the Canadiana alive! Surf Dads had everyone dancing along to their upbeat sounds while DGS Samurai Champs, our sole hip-hip act this year, helped wrap up an incredible lineup of artists for the BreakOut West showcases.
Bring It Ontario, presented by MusicOntario and the OMDC, had a special midnight treat for everyone in attendance as USS got the whole venue shaking. The evening wound down in the early morning with Gordie Tentrees and Jaxon Haldane who helped wrap up almost thirteen hours of great Canadian music.
The last day of events was a busy one as Canadians and Germans sat down for a Meet the Canadians matchmaking session held at the networking area of the Wiener Bistro. Day Two of Canada House immediately followed the session, as Music Nova Scotia presented an afternoon of great East Coast artists. The gravely voice of Ben Caplan immediately got things started off on the right foot followed by Erin Costelo charming the crowd with her soulful sound. It was an afternoon packed with female artists as Christina Martin and Ria Mae continued to captivate the full venue. Punk foursome Like A Motorcycle brought their driving riot girl sound to the stage, to help wrap up an afternoon of great East Coast music.
Moving into La Belle Province, the music continued with three Quebec artists for the Quebec Creates showcase, presented by SODEC. Things kicked off with Samito who instantly hooked the crowd with a unique blend of dance and soul through multilingual lyrics while Foreign Diplomats kept everyone dancing with a fusion of disco and rock. The showcase ended with We Are Wolves performing pure rock tracks from their brand new album. Bien fait Quebec!
The performances continued into the evening as Bring It Ontario, presented by the OMDC and MusicOntario, showcased two powerhouse female artists, Alejandra Ribera and Terra Lightfoot. Both women mesmerized the crowd with their very different styles. The stop in Ontario wrapped up with July Talk, who music fans can always count on for a wild live show!
Sadly, day two had to come to an end with a showcase presented by BreakOut West featuring British Columbia’s crush-pop group the Belle Game and Winnipeg’s Mise En Scene were the perfect close to an incredible two days of Canadian music.
CIMA gratefully acknowledges and thanks our generous sponsors and partners Canadian Music Week (CMW), Corus Entertainment, the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings (FACTOR), the Government of Canada (through the Canada Music Fund), Harvard Broadcasting, Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), the Radio Starmaker Fund and Stingray Music.