EMW Presents Steps On The NYC Scene As City’s Newest Promoter

EMW Presents is hosting two shows by Chris Lake on July 19 and 20 in the Brooklyn Army Terminal, an open-air venue with views of the Manhattan skyline. Thomas Turner, known for the Arizona-based promotion company Relentless Beats, and Kevin Mitchell and Max Roseff, formerly of SFX and LiveStyle, teamed up to create EMW Presents last year. The trio promoted several smaller shows last summer, including a date with Anjunabeats at Pier 17.

Mitchell and Roseff have both been in New York City for the last decade, with Turner having an extensive network in the city and his own successful promotion company in Arizona. The three felt the market in New York could do with some more competition in the dance space and a fresh take on places to throw parties, which led to the creation of EMW Presents (which stands for East Meets West).

“We’ve all been working in this business for a really long time and have a lot of mutual respect for each other, and some winds have changed in the New York market where Kevin was working and how Max saw the market in the future,” Turner tells Pollstar. “Some conversations I had about working with some other mutual friends and partners of ours that we all respect were talking about how it really made sense to form a new company in New York. I have a highly operative company in Arizona that was operating a lot of special events, so was able to envision how we could use that as a backbone for some things in New York. Kevin has an extensive buying history in the market for many continuous years, and Max was also moving and shaking in the market. We all showed a common vision. So, here we are. We felt like going out and doing bespoke venues and locations was something that New York needed. We’re blessed with some fantastic venues around town. The reality is it’s always great to have an experience that is new and you’ve never done it before. To see one of your favorite artists not just in the same place, but perhaps where no one’s ever had a show before or very few people have had shows. That’s something we identified early and took to heart.”

Turner, Mitchell and Roseff share a common goal of bringing dance music into venues that create unique experiences for fans. They’ll seek out places like King’s Theater, which doesn’t traditionally host many dance shows, or they’ll explore other options and search for locations that perhaps don’t often host live music at all.

They started the company in January 2023, with only a few shows last summer. When they first formed, they felt their strongest asset was being able to find unconventional venues, which would take more time. With this weekend’s show at Brooklyn Army Terminal with Chris Lake, their ultimate plan is finally coming to fruition.

“We love the idea of being able to create bespoke experiences utilizing non-traditional venues when possible,” Mitchell says. “We did a show with Tchami at Angel Orensanz Foundation [on April 11], it’s a deconsecrated synagogue in Manhattan. Brooklyn Army Terminal has only had one other electronic show, and there’s no other ones announced this season. Under the K is being utilized a lot more, but it’s still and underutilized space relative to some of the others. We have some other tricks up our sleeve for this year later into next.”

Last year, EMW Presents brought Anjunabeats to Pier 17, with the brand returning to the venue once again on Aug. 3. The space has hosted concerts from Billie Eilish, Modest Mouse and Pixies, Two Door Cinema Club and other bands, but is another location that rarely hosts dance music shows. Overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge and located in Manhattan, the location remains one of New York Citys’ most unique venues.

“We see voids at some venues that traditionally don’t do electronic, as well,” Roseff says. “There’s really no built-in infrastructure, full-time outdoor space that can warrant high capabilities except some other competitors that continuously rinse and repeat.”

While their focus is primarily on dance music, the trio emphasizes that they won’t rule out other artists and genres. With many of their contacts already in the dance market, they felt it was easier starting off there before dipping their toes into other areas across the music industry.