Maldives Promotion House – W Hotels Worldwide, in collaboration with burn studios, an innovative music platform developed by burn^®, a globally leading energy drink from The Coca-Cola Company, has announced the new international DJs who have been selected to participate in the second annual W Hotels & burn studios DJ Lab. In addition, a global search has launched on whotels.com/music to find the final DJ, representing Asia, to join the curated group. The DJ Lab is designed to bring together the most exciting rising DJ talent from around the globe and provide them with unprecedented mentorship and valuable tools to help them realize their full potential. The chosen participants will polish their skills during a weeklong DJ ‘boot camp’ at W Retreat & Spa Bali – Seminyak this July in preparation for a global tour hosted at W Hotels and Retreats around the world.

“We are thrilled to welcome a new group of rising global artists to join the 2012 W Hotels & burn studios DJ Lab,” said Vincent Gillet, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels Worldwide and Le Méridien. “Supporting emerging talent is a core value of the W brand, and through our partnership with burn studios, we are continuing to provide a global platform that identifies and supports these up-and-coming artists, while showcasing what’s new and next in music at our hotels worldwide.”

W Hotels Global Music Director, Michaelangelo L’Acqua, along with burn studios, has identified seven promising DJs to join the program at W Bali this year. Hailing from global gateway cities across the world, the 2012 DJs are, Dogus Cabakcor, from Istanbul, Posso (aka Marylouise Pels and Vanessa Giovacchini), from Los Angeles, Vitor Kurc, from São Paulo, Klaus Rosa De Macedo and Ameet Jugnauth, from London, and Aline Magnier, from Berlin.

When the new class of emerging DJs convene at W Bali, they will be mentored by industry experts, including Rob Garza (Thievery Corporation), Paul Nolan (SAE) and Jason Bentley (Music Director, KCRW) along with L’Acqua. After honing their craft in “master classes,” each DJ will be given the chance to put their skills into practice by spinning at signature W Happenings and other sought-after W Hotels events, providing a fresh soundtrack for W guests and local music fans alike.

“Through our partnership with W Hotels, the burn studios DJ Lab is providing another opportunity for artists to meet and learn from some of the industry’s biggest names,” said Prinz Pinakatt, Global Director, burn, The Coca-Cola Company. “Our programming nurtures and showcases aspiring DJs looking to break onto an international stage”

For the first time ever, the eighth and final DJ, representing Asia, will be found through an online talent search held by W Hotels Worldwide, in partnership with MIX.dj. Starting today through June 15, aspiring DJs can go to whotels.com/music to upload their mix for the chance to join the 2012 DJ Lab. Uploaded mixes will automatically be entered into the MIX.dj platform where sharing and voting by the public will commence. Those DJs with the highest number of votes will then be selected by the DJ Lab Mentors to perform at various W Hotels in Asia in May and June, showcasing their unique, cutting-edge sounds.

The first of these events will kick off at W Taipei on May 18, where L’Acqua will be on-site at the official Show Off party to witness firsthand the DJs who have submitted mixes for consideration. On May 26, W Hong Kong will host its first Summer Series pool party of the season, giving the DJs additional platforms for exposure. Finally, W Seoul will welcome 2011 DJ Lab participant, DJ Angus Wong, on June 1 for a W Happening featuring select DJs from the online search, industry tastemakers and VIPs. The search will end on June 15 and the winner announced as the 2012 DJ Lab commences in July.

“The search for the final DJ allows W the opportunity to engage legions of enthusiastic electronic music fans to help us in selecting this last participant,” said Michaelangelo L’Acqua, W Hotels Global Music Director. “It is important that each DJ who joins the program demonstrate not only cutting-edge talent, but also passionate resolve, and through this online platform, we’re able to ensure our final DJ encompasses all of these qualities.”

For the third consecutive year, W Hotels Worldwide will again partner with the Ibiza International Music Summit (IMS), a high level music industry conference attended by global leaders in the dance music scene. As part of the commitment, on May 25, W Hotels will host an industry panel discussion on “Empowering Women in Electronic Music”. The following day, W Hotels together with ‘Shut Your Pretty Mouth’ (SYPM), a magazine and club night dedicated to female creative talent, will host the official IMS after-party at Blue Marlin, featuring an all-female DJ line-up, including Sister Bliss (Faithless) and Scarlett Etienne, as well as the 2012 W Hotels & burn studios DJ Lab artistsPosso. On May 27, IMS and SYPM will travel to the W Barcelona Wet Deck as the hotel celebrates the kick-off of its summer season.