The World of Underground Retreats
by Maximilian Morici
Underground Retreats is a collaborative music and content creation course that spans five to seven days. These events are typically held in Orlando, Fla., but could pop up almost anywhere in the world.
Imagine a mansion where every room houses a singer, songwriter, music producer, music engineer, photographer or videographer. It is a space to really tune into writing and recording music, as well as work on content creation.
At its core, its goal is to create an environment where up-and-coming artists can develop their skills, network with fellow artists and learn important skills for navigating a complex industry. This produces a unique habitat of learning and creation that is not often found at this level of the industry.
Location plays a big factor into who comes to these events. At previous retreats hosted in Florida, the curator of Underground Retreats, Patrick Stafford, was able to bring guest speakers who have vast reservoirs of knowledge in the music industry. This includes faculty members from Full Sail University, managers, as well as artists and repertoires from a few major studios.
Differing from the previous retreats, this recent one was held in Scotland. While Scotland is a beautiful location to create music, some of the perks of previous retreats were not seen at this one.
Day-to-day life at a retreat is a bit like a working vacation. Workshops and seminars are run daily, letting artists challenge themselves in new ways. From writing prompts to content creation challenges, everyday brings something fresh and new.
Participation is voluntary, so artists really get what they put into it. However, the energy of the other members brings new inspiration to the process. When music is being made in real time from a concept to a finished piece, it is a beautiful and very intimate experience.
There is a good diversity of genres as well, so an artist may work with someone on a rock song even if they mostly make pop music. This builds each individual as an artist and can even introduces change of style to preferred music creation. Many times artists do not make a certain type of music simply because they have never had the opportunity to work with someone who can show them the ropes.
Expect to spend seven full days with other artists in one house, sharing meals, stories, music and most importantly an experience of unforgettable memories. The relationships built at Underground Retreats are very unique.
The experience itself is what shapes such uniqueness in the bonds formed at a retreat — seeing an artist find their unique sound. Witnessing an awe-inspiring moment, when someone creates a very deep piece of music. The moment of watching the initial reactions of peers while performing a piece of music close to the heart.
There are no egos. There is no judgement. Only a collective agreement to self-improvement and making good music.
The underground music scene will always be the home to the edgiest forerunners of music makers. The innovators that will take the game further, and potentially completely veer off any previously know path. A priceless experience with imaginable lifelong connections. Creating music that will last even longer.
The future of music is in the underground, and the future of the underground is at Underground Retreats.