In 2017, we hosted the Sample Music Festival for the last time at GRETCHEN/Berlin. The kick-off event started on Friday with our notorious opening event at GENERATOR Hostel, where most of the artists were housed during the festival. In cooperation with BATTLE AVE, we ran an exciting scratch competition which showcased the amazing skills of our community. As SERATO was our main sponsor for the event, we produced a special SMF edition of a SERATO control disk featuring a beautiful cover of Berlin - the home of Sample Music Festival.

Our audience and artist program became even more international this year, with performances by EXCESS from the United States, Modus Operandi from Chile, and Akila Be Water from France. This was especially noteworthy as it marked the first time that female artists were featured at the event. To further explore the role of females in the DJ industry, we were privileged to have guest lectures from FRESHFLUKE and performance by That Fucking Sara. To gain a deeper understanding of the music sociological aspect, Dr. Arno Simons gave an insightful lecture which opened up a new perspective on our community and the social background. Another momentous occasion for music history was the debut of Syntablism by Sir Cut. His live presenttaion captivated the audience with its innovative musical potential, leaving them in awe of this revolutionary concept.

The highlight of the event was undoubtedly the inaugural Finger Drumming World Championship, which saw participants from 8 different countries come together to compete. We are immensely proud to have established this format in 2017 as an annual event at Sample Music Festival, and look forward to seeing the competition grow in the years to come.