Beatport, Microsoft Surface launch music education and event series, Originals²

by: Rachel Narozniak Nov 21, 2021

On November 18, Beatport and Microsoft Surface announced the launch of Originals², a cross-continent music education and event series developed to “fuel the originality of the next generation of musicians,” according to Beatport.

The first event in the series will be held on December 2 at Art Basel in Miami, where the partners will celebrate the debut of a new Party Mode feature on the Beatport DJ app. Party Mode, which seamlessly integrates with Beatport’s DJ web app streaming platform, enables up to four DJs to play a set in real time from different locations. The functionality is slated to become available to the public in early 2022, but will be on display on December 2, when Beatport Link and Surface will connect Jamie Jones (scheduled to perform at Art Basel) with Loco Dice in Berlin to support a trans-Atlantic team up that will notably be the first back-to-back set to be hosted via the Beatport DJ app.

“The music industry has adapted incredibly in reaction to the pandemic, which inspired us to build the new DJ Party Mode feature on our popular Beatport DJ web app to enable musicians to collaborate on DJ sets, no matter where they are in the world. Microsoft Surface has been a fantastic partner to optimize the experience
for DJs with their innovative hardware and software,” said Ed Hill, Vice President of Beatport Media Group.

Originals² will continue to take shape in December through Originals² Academy, a two-day educational event for select creators that will take place in Miami and Berlin. Microsoft Teams will bridge the activity at both locations, much of which will be livestreamed to DJs at home to support remote learning and development. Originals² Academy is to be powered by the new Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio and Surface Pro 8, which will enable Beatport’s team of creators to experience the latest technological innovations from Surface and Beatport in concert.

Although further details are not yet available at this time, Beatport and Microsoft plan to hold a second Originals² Academy that will double as a remix competition later in 2022.