Red Bull Music Academy | London 2010

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