A few weeks ago, Icon Collective approached me about their dance music production and vocalist programs. Naturally, as I had never heard of such a thing, I was curious enough to bite. I was also very skeptical. Was this the beginning of the end for the DIY training and street cred that we all claim to have when it comes to writing our dance choons? Was this a way to revolutionize and improve the quality of dance music overall or would this further vanilla coat it all down to one similar cheesy commercial sound? So, I put everything out on the table in an interview with Christopher Wight at Icon Collective. For some of you, this may be just the thing you are looking for.

The Basics

TF: What is Icon Collective?

CW: We offer education for the independent artists. We exist to empower the people who wants to write, produce, mix, master and market their own music, and do so in a way that allows them to pay the bills and enjoy a creative lifestyle. With the development of technology and software, artists (for the first time) have a legitimate shot at connecting directly with their fan base, allowing them to cut out the corporate "Major Labels".

Before Icon Collective, nobody was connecting all the dots and putting them under one roof and saying, "here, this is the information you need to succeed". We firmly believe that Icon Collective is the future of Electronic Based Music Education and our graduates will be a strong contributing force to the future scene. In ten years from now, when people look back to see where many of the inspiring, groundbreaking music and producers were coming from, there going to notice that a lot of them came from Downtown L.A. here at the Collective Campus.

TF:How long has it existed and where is it located?

CW: Were located in downtown Los Angeles and we had out first classes in March of ’05.

TF: How did Icon Collective start?

CW: David Valencia and I (Christopher Wight) were both working for a well-known music/recording engineering school and realized those programs were not catering to electronic artists. Those institutions are preparing people to become audio technicians. They don't understand the dance culture and are not addressing the needs of today's beat-makers, Djs, and Artists who have a passion for electronic music. We wanted to provide an environment that made aspiring producers/artists feel like, "Wow. This is my culture... my lifestyle... this was created for me." All of the gear, curriculum, teachers and location were methodically chosen to "cut the fat" and provide core information that these future artist/producers are looking for. It was our vision to create a haven that is both knowledgeable about their culture and creatively stimulating.

TF: Who are some of the “big names” backing the school?

CW: One of the most exciting aspects of this endeavor has been the support we've been receiving from the electronic music community. When David and I began informing people of our plans to open Icon Collective, we just got overwhelmed with emails and phone calls from artists and people involved in the scene who wanted to teach and help mold the next generation of up and coming artist/producers. I know we all wished there was something like Icon Collective when we decided to pursue an artistic, creative lifestyle. After setting up the courses and curriculum, we brought on Slimkid Tre (formally of the hip-hop group Pharcyde), DJ Irene who has been a supporter from day one, Mood Deluxe (Cameron Schroff) from liquid records U.K. and DJ Rap, to name a few. We felt this was a group of well-respected, knowledgeable artists that could give our future producers some credible insight into making a living as an artist. In the end it's about creating your own future and living that alternative successful lifestyle.

TF: Are any of these people instructors?

CW: Yes, everyone involved gives as much time and effort to the collective that their schedule allows.

TF: What accomplishments has Icon Collective had so far?

CW: We’ve had many success stories in the short time we’ve been offering this course. We’ve already had students sign major label deals, to independent deal, to touring the world dj’ing and playing their music. Again, our goal is to not only teach the technical and creative side of the industry. We also put heavy emphasis on making a living doing so (booking gigs, shopping to labels, or independent online distribution).

Educational Theory

TF: Between 200-300 years ago, in order to have been considered an artist you had to attend art school. This process of formalized education eventually led a major lack of diversity in art until the late 1800’s when this structure began to be rejected by artists everywhere. Considering how almost all EDM artists today are self-taught, is Icon Collective concerned that this might happen?

CW: No. Everyone involved with IC are artists themselves. So we all understand the importance of freedoms and individuality. But most art is being created differently today then even 10 years ago. There is a technical element that all artist must understand in order to express their ideas and visions. Of course some people could sit at a computer and spend their time understanding the programs (how do I over dub, how do the effects work, why is my mix muddy) but most artists want to be artists. So the quicker they can understand the tools the quicker they can be expressive. We exist to minimize the learning curve.

TF: How will Icon Collective keep this happening through their training programs?

CW: We teach techniques that have been proven, but we also teach that these are “guidelines” and that all “rules” can and should be broken. But artist are more creative and inspired when they’re proud of their product. So if they can mix in their own song during the next gig, and it holds up with the other tracks then they’ll carry that motivation back into the studio. Our goal is to inspire and teach artist to get the best song out of their soul… so what ever that takes we do. 

TF: What are the programs that Icon Collective offers?

CW: We currently offer two programs. The independent artist program deals with all aspects of being an artist in the 21st century. This includes, producing, engineering, mixing, mastering, music business, and creativity. Then we have our Record Development program designed for vocalist. This program focuses on getting a record complete using all of our existing on-staff producers. So the artist can pick a track, or a producer they like and spend the next three months working on the songs. (hooks, vocal technique, music business etc).  Plus we offer one-on-one private lessons in all aspects of music from DJ’ing, to piano, vocals and so on.

TF: How does each of the programs work? For the independent artist program, is there a strong emphasis on actual songwriting as opposed to loop creation? For the vocalist, is there some minimal singing ability required?

CW: We place our emphasis on each individual artist and what they need to achieve their vision. Some artists are going to need to understand loop creation if that’s what they’re going for and others not so much. We sit down with each person that comes to the collective to find out their long and short-term goals, and from there were able to set them in the right direction. As far as the vocalist are concerned, I’ve always believed you have to work with what you got. If you wanna be a vocalist and you have something to say…that’s all that I need to hear. We can find an angle or approach that’s right…cause the bottom line is self-expression. Some of the greatest vocalist of all time were awful singers, but so what. They moved millions of people with their thoughts.

TF: Since many people have been doing this without any training for years now and have been able to be successful, what will someone really get out of these training programs?

CW: Again, we’re not sitting here and saying “you must come to Icon Collective in order to be successful in the music industry”. To each there own, were a very humble and confident community. But I can’t tell you how many successful and established DJ’s have come up to us to say “man, I wish you guys were around when I was starting out, would have saved me about 5 years”. We are here for those looking for help, guidance and inspiration.

Attending

TF: Who should attend Icon Collective?

CW: Anyone looking for the next step in their career. We’ve had artist straight out of High school, looking to start their musical endeavor, and we’ve had 40 something established musicians looking to get their finger on the pulse of the next movement in the music industry.

TF: What are the admissions requirements?

CW: It's very important to us that we keep the vibe and environment creative and positive. Nobody's going to feel creative and inspired if there are people with bad energy in the class, so first off, we like to chill and meet with all perspective artists. We want to make sure that not only are they going to add to the greater whole, but that we offer them exactly what their looking for. We're not just looking to pack as many people as possible into the classes, David and I are both committed for the long term of this vision and we are looking for people that have that same passion. If we see a strong desire to live a creative lifestyle and the artist is committed to being here, then it's just a simple process of filling out an application, submitting a high school diploma and choosing an available start date.

TF: Is the school accredited?

CW: Not at this time. Accreditation is a tricky thing that requires schools to teach very specific courses that we may not feel is right for our Producers. It keep us from being able to cut the fat of traditional programs and keep our “free flowing” course that allows room for individuality and freedoms. So until we can find an accreditation that would allow for this freedom we’re not interested.

TF: What equipment is someone required own when attending Icon Collective?

CW: All producers will receive an Apple G4 laptop and programs that they get to keep when they graduate. This allows them to continue to build upon the foundation they created wile they were studying here. 

TF: How much will it cost per quarter/semester to attend Icon Collective?

CW: Our tuition is currently $3,700 per semester and the Digital Music Program runs for two semesters. Even with the purchase of your laptop it is less expensive to study with us than traditional recording schools that have fees of at least $5,000 per semester and typically much higher.

TF: When someone graduates, what type of degree will they receive?

CW: Degrees are meaning less in art. The bottom line is how good are your tracks and songs. Anyone who says differently is lying. You won’t get a degree from Icon Collective, you’ll get all the technical knowledge of the tools needed to express yourself, and you’ll have a solid foundation for your career you can build on for the rest of you life.

So there you have it. Will Icon Collective leave its mark on the scene? It may be too early to tell, but with the backing of artists and DJs like Slimkid Tre, DJ Irene, Mood Deluxe and DJ Rap, they are off to a good start. If nothing else, there is a lot to be said about collaborating in a classroom with other like-minded individuals who simply want to make great music.