I had the honor of attending Red Bull Music Academy 2010 in London. For those who don't know anything about the Academy, I would encourage you to go deep on the info below and hit up the site for more info. It's one of the most amazing events I've ever been a part of.
The 2010 RBMA highlights:
The scoop from the RBMA website:
Know The Score
The Red Bull Music Academy In A Nutshell
The Red Bull Music Academy is a platform for those who shape our musical future, a music workshop that has been traveling the world since 1998. Setting up our EQ HQ for two fortnight-long 'terms' in a different musical metropolis each year, we pull together pioneers of days-gone-by and musical legends of tomorrow from all aspects of rhythm and sound.
For two weeks, 60 selected participants - producers, vocalists, DJs, instrumentalists, and allround musical mavericks from all around the globe - come together to check gear, chat on tunes, play in clubs, get a rare glimpse into local musical hybrids in a different country, swap musical visions in the studio, and discover closely-guarded secrets of mixing desk magic - straight from those who started revolutions in sound. They're the people we look up to, and they're looking to you for a fresh perspective in turn.
Sofa Surfin'
The Lecture Sessions
Since the very first session back in '98, when Jeff Mills revealed his transglobal hotel secrets, the Academy lectures have offered a chance for participants to glean those pearls of renegade wisdom.
It's a long list, but whether they're house dons like Moodymann or Larry Heard, techno heads like Derrick May or Moritz von Oswald, bass steppers like Skream or Roska, disco nuts like Prins Thomas or DJ Harvey, hip hop heavyweights like Just Blaze and ?uestlove, trojan horses in popland like Mark Ronson and Joe Goddard, or just straight-up legends like Steve Reich or Bob Moog, they've all joined us on the couch for an honest insight into their musical minds - and many will follow in the years to come.
Strings Of Life
The Studio Sessions
Between times - usually there are two lecture sessions per day - Academy attendees record exclusive radio shows, and meet in the lounge to chat about the latest gear or their homeland scenes. Then they gather in the studios set up for the occasion, turning their fresh knowledge into melodies and basslines. You might find yourself exchanging licks with your favourite reggae-soul composer in a studio session, or writing sentimental lyrics with a Scandinavian singer/songwriter at a milkshake bar. The building echoes with noise and music well into the morning hours, and anything could happen.
(Night Time Is) The Right Time
The Concerts and Clubnights
And when stars come out on the dark side of the moon, studio time will give way to signature concerts and club nights in some of the host city's most inspiring venues. It might seem too good to be true, but it's actually a very simple recipe: the best in music, past & present, from around the world. All under one roof, getting down just for the funk of it. The Red Bull Music Academy is there to advance and inspire at a grassroots level.
Wherever We Lay Our Hats
The Wandering Feet of the Academy
The Academy shifts location to zoom in on micro-cultures and new musical hybrids that are springing up all over the world. Since 1998, its acoustically treated studio walls have been set up in cities such as Berlin, New York, São Paulo, Cape Town, Melbourne, and Barcelona, giving international participants a chance for an original adventure, their own unique set of experiences. The Academy also aims to link up with creative folks from every sector, from music production to arichtecture and graphic design, providing them with an international platform and allowing them to make contacts all across globe. It's a two-way street, and everyone's getting closer to the essence of creativity.
In 2010 we planted our stakes in London, shedding light on past, present and future of one of the most vibrant music scenes to ever exist. The location and exact date for the 2011 edition will be announced soon - watch this space!
If Your Name's On The List...
Who Can Apply for the Academy?
The Academy is intended for anyone with a strong yen for music and a desire to be involved in its evolution: producers, instrumentalists, MCs, singers, DJs, sound engineers, broadcasters, laptop lapdancers, guitar guerreros, soulful songwriters - they'll all be considered.
No particular set of skills is necessary. For each Academy, two groups of 30 participants are chosen to represent a wide range of cultures, musical backgrounds and set of skills. There are no set quotas for any country or genre of music. Therefore everyone has an equal chance of coming along - as long as they have a creative vision, an honest attitude and an open approach. You'll need to be 18 or over when the Academy workshops starts, but there's no age limit other than that.
No one will forbid you and your entire crew to enter individually. But please do understand that fairness, logistics and our desire to create open socio-dynamics alone do not allow us to invite entire crews.
If you don't get in, it does not mean that you're not the kind of person we're looking for. Often the number of potential participants far outnumbers the amount we are able to invite. You should definitely apply again: next year, you might be just the person to create the right balance in the final selection of 60 people.
Red Bull Music Academy Radio
Sunday, April 25, 2010
London | Amsterdam | Helsinki (11/19-11/29)
Thurs (10/19) – after only 3 hours of sleep and far too many Bull Hills (Red Bull + Sugar Hill beer), I had to get up and head to JFK for my flight to London. I crawled into the cab and quickly laid my head down on the back seat for a nap. About half way to JFK, I woke up suddenly and started screaming profanities…. Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t! … I forgot my passport! I was freaking out but the cabbie pulled a “U”ie and darted back to Chelsea and then back toward JFK. I made it *just* in time to check my bag and luckily preserved my “never missed a flight” status. Whew – that was close! I landed at Heathrow, hopped on the Tube to Angel through Kings Cross and was greeted on the street by KJ, Broen and a doner kebab. Yay! It had been way too long on all fronts. We spent the night catching up on gossip and sleep… as we knew a big weekend lie ahead.
Friday (10/20) – KJ went to work in the am so I was left to my own devices for the day. I had been to London many times before so wasn’t necessarily on a site-seeing crusade but decided to spend the day wandering around the city. I started things off with a mocha at a Café Mobile espresso cart (where I got grilled about the feasibility of such a cart in NYC) and then darted over to the London Bridge Tube stop for a walk along the Thames Path. I stopped at the Tower Bridge when I saw they had a Red Bull Experiment exhibit, showcasing Robbie Maddison’s recent back flip over the open bridge (web clip and pic). After that I walked and walked and walked until I realized that North Greenwich was probably too far to walk – even for me. A short Tube ride later, I was at the O2, the new entertainment complex which includes an arena, a nightclub (Matter, which is owned by the same people behind Fabric) and various other entertainment options. I had the choice between the Michael Jackson exhibit and the British Music Experience and opted for the latter given the contextual relevance. Overall it was great – although it may have been a bit interactive for its own good (or maybe I’m just lazy?). Ha.
After the O2, I ventured toward Soho and wandered for awhile longer. Along the way I walked past Busabi Eathai, a restaurant I had eaten at in 2001 on my very first trip out of the US. After that I met KJ for after dinner drinks at a funky little lounge called Graphic which rotates the work of various graphic designers. That night we grabbed some Turkish food in Angel and met up with Sami and Catherine for a low key night which ended on a particularly funny note: A wasted bloke was walking down the street toward us when all of the sudden his buddy shoved him (hard!) into a massive pile of empty boxes on the street. He was so drunk that he couldn’t move (let alone get up) and remained face down in the boxes for some time. Not to miss out on a good photo opportunity, me and the crew piled on more boxes and then proceeded to stand on the top, surfing on the wasted mess of a man below. I’m going to hell. Ha!
Sat (10/21) – KJ took me hat shopping at CA4LA in Shoreditch for a belated birthday present. We tried pretty much every hat in the joint before finally settling on our new lids. Goes without saying that KJ and my selections were quite different (-; After that we started a Bloody Mary and brunch crawl – stopping first at Cantaloupe and then at Breakfast Club before finally landing at Nir’s apartment. KJ and I let Nir go to the gym (someone’s gotta do it) and cabbed up to Camden for the Red Bull Street Style UK finals at St. Michael’s Church. (link). That night we had a DESLISH dinner at Elk in the Woods, got our pre-game on and then went to Fabric for the main event of the trip. We’re old and tired so we only lasted until 6am but not before catching Craig Richards, Jeremy P. Caufield, Zip, Pan Pot, Caesar & Disorder and Inland Knights. Fabric definitely lived up to its billing as world’s best sound system and all around amazing club – I can see why the Brits still venture out night after night for big room madness.
Sunday (10/22) – Laziest day ever: pay per view movies, Indian food and the couch.
Mon (10/23) – KJ was back to work so I decided to cruise over to Red Bull’s UK HQ right near the Tower Bridge to meet up with a colleague and check out their new digs and future site of RB Music Academy (Feb 2010). The afternoon was spent exploring Borough Market, eating Fish & Chips and walking, walking, walking until I couldn’t walk anymore. Since it was my last night in London, KJ, Broen, Sami, Catherine, Nir and Taj all gathered at a great tapas joint in Shoreditch where we sucked down Brandy sangria and pounded tapas like it was going out of style. yum, yum, yum. Then we had a final nightcap at Ottolinghi in Angel, where good friend Haim (aka Cam) is working.
Tues (10/24 & beyond)
Unfortunately the rest of the trip was not documented very well so I'll have to come back and edit this when I have some time to put *pen to paper*. In the meantime, just know that Amsterdam is amazing but not for any of the reasons everyone always talks about - ganja, red light district, etc. And... that my 24 hours in Helsinki was absolutely off the chain!
The highlights:
--Picked up by Red Bull local at the airport
--Stopped for afternoon drinks a super cool loungey hangout, Siltanen
--Toured the city's sights
--Got dropped off at a dope, boutique hotel, Klaus K
--Given clothing from a local company, Makia
--Taken out to a traditional Finnish dinner of meatballs and Brandy sauce at Tori
--Hit up a cool bar called Beetroot and drank Glögi (a wintery mulled wine drink with almonds and cranberries) and the most popular shot in Finland, Fishu (2 packs of ground up fisherman friends packets to ½ litre of vodka)
--Popped over to the 30th bday party of a few club owners at Motellet, rocked out a Mo-vember party at Klaus K and then made it to Redrum for Berghain resident, Ben Klock.
--Was very, very hungover for the long flight from Finland back to the US of A.
Friday (10/20) – KJ went to work in the am so I was left to my own devices for the day. I had been to London many times before so wasn’t necessarily on a site-seeing crusade but decided to spend the day wandering around the city. I started things off with a mocha at a Café Mobile espresso cart (where I got grilled about the feasibility of such a cart in NYC) and then darted over to the London Bridge Tube stop for a walk along the Thames Path. I stopped at the Tower Bridge when I saw they had a Red Bull Experiment exhibit, showcasing Robbie Maddison’s recent back flip over the open bridge (web clip and pic). After that I walked and walked and walked until I realized that North Greenwich was probably too far to walk – even for me. A short Tube ride later, I was at the O2, the new entertainment complex which includes an arena, a nightclub (Matter, which is owned by the same people behind Fabric) and various other entertainment options. I had the choice between the Michael Jackson exhibit and the British Music Experience and opted for the latter given the contextual relevance. Overall it was great – although it may have been a bit interactive for its own good (or maybe I’m just lazy?). Ha.
After the O2, I ventured toward Soho and wandered for awhile longer. Along the way I walked past Busabi Eathai, a restaurant I had eaten at in 2001 on my very first trip out of the US. After that I met KJ for after dinner drinks at a funky little lounge called Graphic which rotates the work of various graphic designers. That night we grabbed some Turkish food in Angel and met up with Sami and Catherine for a low key night which ended on a particularly funny note: A wasted bloke was walking down the street toward us when all of the sudden his buddy shoved him (hard!) into a massive pile of empty boxes on the street. He was so drunk that he couldn’t move (let alone get up) and remained face down in the boxes for some time. Not to miss out on a good photo opportunity, me and the crew piled on more boxes and then proceeded to stand on the top, surfing on the wasted mess of a man below. I’m going to hell. Ha!
Sat (10/21) – KJ took me hat shopping at CA4LA in Shoreditch for a belated birthday present. We tried pretty much every hat in the joint before finally settling on our new lids. Goes without saying that KJ and my selections were quite different (-; After that we started a Bloody Mary and brunch crawl – stopping first at Cantaloupe and then at Breakfast Club before finally landing at Nir’s apartment. KJ and I let Nir go to the gym (someone’s gotta do it) and cabbed up to Camden for the Red Bull Street Style UK finals at St. Michael’s Church. (link). That night we had a DESLISH dinner at Elk in the Woods, got our pre-game on and then went to Fabric for the main event of the trip. We’re old and tired so we only lasted until 6am but not before catching Craig Richards, Jeremy P. Caufield, Zip, Pan Pot, Caesar & Disorder and Inland Knights. Fabric definitely lived up to its billing as world’s best sound system and all around amazing club – I can see why the Brits still venture out night after night for big room madness.
Sunday (10/22) – Laziest day ever: pay per view movies, Indian food and the couch.
Mon (10/23) – KJ was back to work so I decided to cruise over to Red Bull’s UK HQ right near the Tower Bridge to meet up with a colleague and check out their new digs and future site of RB Music Academy (Feb 2010). The afternoon was spent exploring Borough Market, eating Fish & Chips and walking, walking, walking until I couldn’t walk anymore. Since it was my last night in London, KJ, Broen, Sami, Catherine, Nir and Taj all gathered at a great tapas joint in Shoreditch where we sucked down Brandy sangria and pounded tapas like it was going out of style. yum, yum, yum. Then we had a final nightcap at Ottolinghi in Angel, where good friend Haim (aka Cam) is working.
Tues (10/24 & beyond)
Unfortunately the rest of the trip was not documented very well so I'll have to come back and edit this when I have some time to put *pen to paper*. In the meantime, just know that Amsterdam is amazing but not for any of the reasons everyone always talks about - ganja, red light district, etc. And... that my 24 hours in Helsinki was absolutely off the chain!
The highlights:
--Picked up by Red Bull local at the airport
--Stopped for afternoon drinks a super cool loungey hangout, Siltanen
--Toured the city's sights
--Got dropped off at a dope, boutique hotel, Klaus K
--Given clothing from a local company, Makia
--Taken out to a traditional Finnish dinner of meatballs and Brandy sauce at Tori
--Hit up a cool bar called Beetroot and drank Glögi (a wintery mulled wine drink with almonds and cranberries) and the most popular shot in Finland, Fishu (2 packs of ground up fisherman friends packets to ½ litre of vodka)
--Popped over to the 30th bday party of a few club owners at Motellet, rocked out a Mo-vember party at Klaus K and then made it to Redrum for Berghain resident, Ben Klock.
--Was very, very hungover for the long flight from Finland back to the US of A.
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