Brighton Music Conference (BMC) 2026 announces Orbital for keynote interview
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Brighton Music Conference (BMC) has announced Orbital as the headline keynote for its 2026 edition, completing a lineup that spans some of electronic music’s most respected names. The conference runs from 20th to 23rd May, taking over a string of Brighton’s seafront venues for four days of panels, workshops, networking and parties.
Joining Orbital across the programme are Andy Barlow (Lamb), Alan Fitzpatrick, Anja Schneider, Angie Brown, Arielle Free, Beardyman, Brandon Block, Coco Cole, Dave Seaman, Denis Sulta, Dykes on Decks, Greg Wilson, Irvine Welsh, Jemma Bolt (Discoliscious), Jess Bays, JFB, Jumpin Jack Frost, Just Her, Kenny Dope (Masters At Work), Lisa Maffia, Madame Electrifie, Saytek, Solah, The Shapeshifters, Tom Middleton, Wideboys, Wildblood & Queenie and many more.
Now in its 13th year, the award-winning conference spreads across four theatres, each with its own dedicated focus area covering the latest industry trends, practical workshops and plenty of opportunities to build genuine connections within the electronic music scene.
Wellbeing (Theatre 1 — The Tempest)
Supported by Anderson Acoustics, the expanded wellbeing programme opens each day with yoga and soundbaths before moving into discussions on burnout, imposter syndrome, neurodiversity, mental health, sobriety, sustainability, suicide prevention and more. Speakers include Phil Hartnoll (Orbital), Denis Sulta, Just Her, Tom Middleton, Brandon Block, Jumpin Jack Frost, Angie Brown, Wildblood & Queenie and others.
Workshops (Theatre 2 — Players, in collaboration with Point Blank Music School)
Hands-on sessions cover social media, track production, vocal production, DJ skills, immersive audio with Dolby Atmos, virtual reality and beyond. Leading the workshops are Beardyman, Huxley, Saytek, Madison True (Vinyl Bitch / Maddøg) and representatives from AlphaTheta, Technics and Loopmasters, among others.
DJ / Producer (Theatre 3 — Horizon)
The programme’s creative core takes in A&R, artist development, songwriting, radio, podcasts and representation, anchored by keynote interviews with Orbital and Dave Seaman (Brothers in Rhythm / Selador). Special sessions mark 30 years of Hospital Records and 50 years of Greg Wilson. Speakers include Anja Schneider, Andy Barlow, Arielle Free, Irvine Welsh, Lisa Maffia, The Shapeshifters, Coco Cole, Jess Bays and a strong cast of producers, label heads and broadcasters.
Industry (Theatre 4 — Carousels, in collaboration with Skiddle)
The business-facing strand covers label contracts, publishing deals, sync, music rights, PR, ticketing, AI and the annual Beatport Hour, with an Armada Music label Q&A and a presentation of the NTIA Electronic Music Report also on the schedule. Industry professionals confirmed include: Alan Fitzpatrick, Judge Jules, Michael Kill (NTIA), Shamus Damani (Defected), Pete Jordan (LWE/AMAAD), Jason Ellis (Armada Music) and many more.
Networking
Alongside the conference sessions, BMC‘s networking strand gives attendees the chance to build genuine industry connections across a run of events at venues throughout the city. The official welcome party opens proceedings at The Tempest on Wednesday 20 May with sets from Banxi, Chad Jackson, Pete Bones, Ralf Kollmann and Ridney.
Thursday 21 May brings the shesaid.so Brighton breakfast club at the Lazy Finn (with the opportunity to network and get a professional headshot!), the PRS networking event at Hotel Pelirocco, and sets from Elemental Music and R-Trybe at Ohso, with Jack Said What closing out the night at The Tempest.
On Friday 22 May, Grahame Farmer hosts his Blueprint Breakfast at the Lazy Finn, the NTIA mixer takes place at The Tempest, and the official BMC after-party lands at Volks.
View all events here: https://www.brightonmusicconference.co.uk/bmc26-mixers-events/
More info and tickets can be found here: https://www.brightonmusicconference.co.uk/
