Written by Leslie Celeste AlessandroPhoto Courtesy of Nicole Birch
Future X Sounds, a musical platform if you will where artists are given the tools, resources and opportunity to curate their own dream musical performances were created by millennial entrepreneur Angela Gil. Angela, who has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, an MBA, a Master’s in Digital Advertising, Communications and Publicity, a Master’s in Global Entertainment and Music Business from (Berklee) also speaks three languages. A Spaniard, with dual citizenship that lived in Madrid, Milan, London, and Casablanca, now splits her time between Los Angeles and New York as she takes her dream, vision, and aspiration around the country.
For eight years, Angela worked at IBM & related agencies in marketing, alliances and business partner development. It was there where she developed her business acumen. Education paired with her childhood love for music is what birthed Future X Sounds. It was a vision that encompassed working with the artist to have the shows of their dreams as well as putting a shine on the cities from which they came, the communities that admire and support them, as well as the collaborative art that brings them together with their peers.
As a child, Angela was exposed to several genres of music that inspired her work today. Through her personal relationships and access, she recently brought Future X Sounds to Los Angeles, a stop in Philly and will be bringing it soon to a city near you. With her perfect mix of cultural gumbo, Angela looks to showcase the artist we love through an environment where art, music and social consciousness are in harmony. As she looks to the future and lays the groundwork for her global vision, she took a moment to discuss how Future X Sounds came together and where she sees the future of the brand.
LCA:When did you discover your love for music?
AG:Music has always been a part of my life. My father was a big music executive and I grew up liking always loved festivals and studios, so it’s always been part of my DNA. Music was played at home every day when I was a little kid and I listened to an array of styles and genres. I listened to jazz, Hip Hop and soul. So, I grew up with a wide array of influences.
LCA:When did you decide to take your love for music and turn it into a business?
AG:I started organizing my first concerts and festivals while I was actually still working at IBM. I spent eight years at IBM and related agencies doing business development and partnerships and alliances. As I said, music was always my secret passion. At the end of the day after a couple of years of basically doing both, I realized that either I die, or I had to make a choice and it filled my heart. There was also a tragic event. Personally speaking, when my dad passed away, that was really like a revelation. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life doing something that I didn’t love. So that was kind of a final push and I decided to quit my job and start my own project and go all in.
LCA:How did you derive at the name Future X Sounds and what does the name mean for your overall branding?
AG:Future X Sounds basically stands for two things. Obviously the sounds of music, but it’s also the sounds of change. The whole reason for this is I been touring with festivals, touring with bigger names and working with really big artists. Something that I realized from early on, was that when you’re backstage, you see that there’s so much talent there. Most of the people that support the front men are as talented as they are, but usually, they’re too busy supporting someone else. Because that’s a full -time job, or they don’t have the resources, team, the audience or the support to put their music or their voice out there. Future X Sounds are about watching those bigger names changing that spotlight and giving recognition and gratitude to their peers and the people that have supported their careers for a very long time. It’s about showcasing each city and what makes it special through the eyes of the hosts or those bigger acts. A big part of this is that the host that we work with aren’t necessarily activist, but socially conscience. They really use their voices to impact in a positive way. Future Sounds is basically future in terms of music, and the future in terms of the world we want to see.
LCA:Entrepreneurship seems to be a thing for a lot of millennials today. What were some of your strategies for birthing Future X Sounds and what were any hiccups, challenges or lessons you had to learn along the way?
AG: My personal experience as I said earlier is that I have a business background, partnerships background and I was lucky enough from the stance that I was pretty well equipped and versed in business development. Not only having worked with a big company like IBM where you learn the tools but having my education in terms of having my MBA and having a Bachelor’s in Economics. That’s kind of what I did and that was my main training. In terms of hiccups, when it’s a new project, there are always hiccups. Everything starts with a dream, with a vision, with an idea, but in my experience, in my view, ideas are great, but the execution is as or more important than the vision itself. It’s surrounding yourself with the right people and choosing your team where I’ve been lucky on that end. It’s also a lot of sleepless nights. If you’re really passionate and really determined, It’s a very beautiful adventure.
LCA: What goes into the curation of the artist and their music for each event?
AG: The different aspects of Future X Sounds are that we welcome you into the mind of the host. It’s like a personal playlist by a very established artist live. It’s about recognition and elevation of their peers and with people that inspire the host. The curation of Future X Sounds is that we give complete creative freedom to the host. I provide them with the tool, the platform, and the team to put together the show of their dream. So, what you see in each concert is exactly that. What would Layla Hathaway’s dream festival look like? Or what would James Poyser from the Roots festival look like? That is what we make happen. The cool thing about this is that their curation like I mentioned the other day, is based on mutual inspiration, respect and the will to support their peers in their individual project. It really comes from a place of pure artistry and musicianship.
LCA:In addition to the like-minded people, you work with, what would you say is the “special sauce” that has afforded Future X Sounds with the ability to work successfully with producers, promoters, curators and iconic artists across the country?
AG:I think that one of the big key success factors of this whole venture is the collaboration effort. On my end, I couldn’t do this myself. There’s no way I could go to LA and know LA better than an experienced community or the producers, writers or artists that have come through that city. The same goes for every city. So, the good thing is, that we’ve been working, the team and myself, with these artists in many different capacities, so we have access, personal relationships and most of all we have their trust. So, we have those relationships and they have their relationships. At the end of the day, it’s a small world, everybody knows each other. This is kind of a window into that small family and that world by allowing the audience to witness who the actual artists’ community think is dope. That’s a very different angle than you usually, don’t see or have access to.
LCA:Recently, Future X Sounds were in LA with a show that included Layla Hathaway and Anita Baker. With Pennsylvania in play, what type of show are you planning to curate for the folks in Philly?
AG:Obviously I’m not a curator, so I’m just the facilitator and the enabler. Our host /curator for Philly is James Poyser from the Roots. He’s not only iconic from the Roots, but he’s also a producer and he’s one of the most respected cats. As what Layla did LA, he’s inviting the cats he wants to jam with and be challenged by. He’s bringing his favorite Deejays and individuals he wants to support. These guys have known and grown together for a long time. It’s about James saying this is about Philly and Philly artistry.
LCA:Future X Sounds have been successful. What are some of your goals for expanding the brand globally and where are some of the countries you’re looking to expand the Future X Sounds experience?
AG:I have to say that I’m thrilled and feel really blessed with everything that has happened so far. With two cities and over four-thousand attendees, being covered in Billboard and Rolling Stone, it’s been a beautiful journey. We still have one to go, Philly and maybe another surprise, but we’ll see about that. We’re already working with the artist and with the team next year. The goals are, first of all, to cover more cities in the states and actually revisit the states of the cities that we visited this year.
When you think of LA, we had Layla showing us her LA. But you imagine for example seeing this show through the eyes of let’s say Thunder Cat? So, it’s like the same city, the same community with different artists, and having a completely different show. We’re covering the same cities, cities across states like Chicago, Atlanta and Detroit. Each city has an incredible culture of its own and the possibilities are endless. There will definitely be international expansion. Right now, we’re having discussion plans for Australia, Africa which is a continent I know, but we have three or four countries that we’re discussing. Depending on what that ends up being, it will be one country or the other. Then there’s Europe where the UK is a possibility. I have a thing for Spain where I come from and then there’s Paris, which is a big capital for music. The other thing we’re celebrating from Future X Sounds in addition to the music is social justice and we celebrate each culture for what it is. Right now, we need to prioritize but it’s in the plans.
LCA:If you could determine the destiny of Future X Sounds, what would that look like?
AG:I do have a very clear long- term vision of what I want. Obviously, it’s a step-by-step process and it’s about collaboration. We’re putting together very different people that inspire each other. Some of the things I’d like to do are two things; I would love to do a mini-series or documentary per city. It would be really cool to see and engage with all of these different community makers in each of the cities. They can show us their city, through the eyes of the creative community but who are the local heroes who show us where they jam, where they go to school and really see and capture the richness through multiple perspectives on each city and their history. What would LA without LA look like? What would Snoop Dogg’s LA look like? I think that’s a really cool kind of content and there’s also an educational aspect to it. So, there would be a mini-series or web content per city that would be really cool and fun.
One of the things that I feel is actually making this work, is that it’s a new toy for the artist/host which is another creative factor. It’s like hey, I’m giving you everything you need to make that happen which also make them excited. Working with them and seeing that process is something that is really cool. Another thing I’d like to do is more on the producing side. One of my goals is to with the help of the host, have the careers of the peers be part of the acts that are being curated because it’s really about them. I love for the curators to pick performing acts way in advance of the festival, work together, writing a song, go into the studio write one or two songs or a single, ahead of the show that is obviously released and premier live at the festival.
At the end of the day, I’d like to have something that helps the creative acts beyond the festival. It’s cool to perform and be selected by Layla, but what about in addition you have a single with Layla, or you have a feature song with Layla, you have a vehicle with Layla? So that really helps beyond a single performance and that is really one of the secondary goals that I have. At the end of the day, who best to showcase their cities than the artist who know it well?
For more on Future X Sounds visit www.futurexsounds.com
IG: @futurexsounds
YouTube: https://youtu.be/–SCBEJe7rg https://youtu.be/zP1BO1-S6SU