Vinyl: Music for a Cause

Next week, VINYL kicks off for the first time ever in Sarasota.

With an impressive list of DJ artists, and an equally respectable round up of venues, the Vinyl Music Festival is gearing up for an explosive entrance into the county's cultural music scene.

From July 16th - 19th, you can get your fix of funky house, progressive trance, and hardcore electronic, mixed by internationally recognized DJ artists, including Paul Mendez, DJ Diamond, Drager, Master Jay, and Dee Jay Barry.

And if you don't know what "funky house" and "progressive trance" means, you can find out when you visit Horsefeathers, Esca, Kanaya, Arosa, Pacific Rim, Selva Grill, Lido Beach Resort, Gwiz, or the VIP party at the Sand Bar.

Tickets are $20, and get you into all main events. But come early, because if the place gets overcrowded, you may not get in. Holders of a $50 VIP pass, however, get into all main and exclusive events, and are admitted first.

But there's more behind the music. After speaking with Vinyl's co-founder, Matt Orr, it became clear that it's music for a cause:

Me: I noticed that a portion of the proceeds were going towards autism research. Can you tell me a little more about which organizations you are supporting?

Orr: We are supporting an organization called Autism Speaks. Their organization is one of the most dynamic non-profits we have seen work in all aspects including research, education and helping families across the world.

One interesting tie in with the festival is that Autism Speaks provided critical support to the State of Qatar in creation of the first ever World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD), sanctioned by the United Nations, and to be celebrated on April 2nd in perpetuity. And one of our headlining artists - Master Jay - is the top DJ out of Qatar. We believe music is one of those powerful ways to communicate - and it represents what we are trying to support with Autism Speaks.

Me: How did you "spark" on the idea of putting this festival together?

Orr: Sarasota Florida is already very rich in the arts, and we wanted to expand our reach to a new generation in our city. We felt an electronic music festival was an excellent way to bridge the gap. The idea was launched out of the HuB - which has a goal to expand the socio-economic landscape of Sarasota - and this just made sense as the first project.

Tickets for Vinyl may be purchased online at www.vinylmusicfestival.com