After relocating our headquarters to Austin, Texas, DISCO couldn't wait to join the excitement in the self-proclaimed Live Music Capital of the World during this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) conference.
For the uninitiated, SXSW is a massive tech, music, and film conference that brings over 75,000 attendees to Austin each year. It has been a launchpad for tech companies like Twitter and Foursquare and bands like Haim and Janelle Monáe.
DISCO’s first joined in the fray with a booth at the official SXSW trade show, giving demonstrations of how our software is applying AI technology and cloud computing to improve legal outcomes. Our swag proved so popular we ran out by the second day! (Who knew people still loved fidget spinners so much?)
To fully embrace the SXSW festivities, DISCO hosted an official music showcase on March 12th at The Main on Sixth. The showcase, curated by and featuring DISCO employees, boasted acts from around the globe, providing festival-goers the opportunity to see diverse talent and bands who rarely tour the U.S.
Opening the show was DISCO’s own DJ Baby Roo, a frequent collaborator with Houston rappers like Bun B, followed by Carthy, an indie pop band reminiscent of Kings of Leon and Foster the People. (Of the three brothers in Carthy, two have worked at DISCO.)
Next up was The Upside Down, a young indie band from Chongqing, China, and then Canada’s jangly pop band Tallies. Australia-based, genre-defying Haiku Hands got the crowd dancing before the headliner of the night, Cults out of New York. Lead singer Madeline Follin’s dreamy vocals were backed by an energizing live band, bringing new energy to even their most laid back tracks.
(Relive the evening with our showcase playlist on Spotify.)
With a full house at the showcase and a buzzing booth at the trade show, DISCO’s first foray into SXSW was a definitive success. Thank you to everyone who came out, to our fabulous team for putting everything together, and we hope to see you all again next year!
