ISSUE-22

FROM THE ACADEMY
upfRONT
4
THE LAST
wORD
Over the past month, a
cavalcade of very special
artists and musicians
has graced the lecturehall
couch at Red Bull
Music Academy HQ. We’ve
been highlighting one
quote per issue from the
talks, but it’s beyond
an understatement to say
that some great stuff has
been left on the cuttingroom
floor. Sometimes
insightful, sometimes
hilarious, and often both
at once, here are some of
our favorite quips from
throughout the Academy.
“The microphone I was
singing on [for Daft
Punk]— aside from being
worth more than my car —
was the one Frank Sinatra
sang on.”
- Todd Edwards
“I don’t do anything
really. I just watch
documentaries and make
theories.”
- Brian Eno
“I realized that making
people dance had a point
that had nothing to do
with art. I mean that
in the most positive
way. It’s like food — if
they’re not eating it,
you’ve screwed it up. And
if they’re not dancing,
you’re just not doing a
good job.”
- James Murphy
“I did a fanzine first
before I did music. I
was really into tape
trading as well. It
kind of ruined my life
actually...”
- Stephen O’Malley
“It’s a great
chat-up line: ‘Oh yes,
I’m working with the
Beatles.’”
- Ken Scott
“You won’t be hearing me
say I’m the greatest out
of context a lot, but I
am feeling myself.”
- Rakim
“I told my mom what every
white mother wants to
hear: ‘I want to be a
rapper.’”
- El-P
“I can play a record
backwards and bring one
in forward at the same
time... That’s why they
used to call me the
devil.”
- Egyptian Lover
For the complete lectures go to
www.redbullmusicacademy.com/lectures
“We were between Italy
and Paris, vacationing.
I was doing my crossword
puzzles, having a
great time. But then
unfortunately — well, not
unfortunately — Daft Punk
came and pulled me back
in.”
- Giorgio Moroder
“They used to put
classical music on a
pedestal. I took it
down... Nothing is above
anything, everything
is music, everything is
related.”
- Bernie Worrell
“When you get a
publishing check and it’s
from somewhere you can’t
pronounce, that’s the
craziest feeling.”
- Masters At Work
“I think mistakes are cool, whether you’re DJing or
whatever. No one really likes perfection in any part
of life. Like if you meet someone and they have funny
teeth, you’re like, ‘Ooh, that’s cute.’”
— DJ/producer Seth Troxler, May 30, 2013
fOuNDING
fATHERS
Dishing with the Academy’s
ringmasters.
The Red Bull Music Academy New York 2013
draws to a close today, yet there are still questions
left unanswered. Questions like, “What is this Academy
thing?” and “Who are the crazy people who put
this on?” Not to mention, “How did they get Red
Bull to pay for it?” We cornered Academy founders
Torsten Schmidt and Many Ameri, and asked them a
few questions about this epic undertaking.
What is the biggest thing that has changed from
the first Academy until now?
Torsten Schmidt: Definitely the internationalization.
The first one was only German-speaking
countries—you may imagine how extremely
non-entertaining that was—but from the second
year onwards it was eight countries, and it only got
more colorful from there.
What is the most faraway place a participant
has traveled from?
TS: Three or four years ago, we had this guy—
from Russia, obviously—who works at a marine
naval station in the Arctic Circle. He would just
watch migrations of fish over the year and do ambient
music, which kind of makes sense.
Who is your dream lecturer?
Many Ameri: David Bowie.
TS: I would like to speak to Orson Welles. Every-
JuST
CAN’T
GET
ENOuGH
We know musicians can be
an obsessive lot — think
long nights spent in a
studio tweaking and retweaking
a snare sound
endlessly. Inspiration
can come from anywhere
though, so we asked some
participants from Red
Bull Music Academy 2013
what (besides music)
they’re obsessed with
right now.
ORQuESTA
BrAY, IreLAND
James Bond books.
[Another] ongoing one
is ’50s rock ’n’ roll.
Oh, and motorbikes.
I just really want
to get one and learn
how to ride. I’m into
the idea of driving
across America on a
motorbike. It’s quite
iconic.
soundclound.com/
orquesta
one else we’ve more or less had. But it’s kind of
fun how every Academy, there’s this silent ghost
who is somehow in the room but isn’t. This year it
was Bowie; he appeared in so many bizarrely different
contexts and conversations.
What was the most difficult show you threw?
MA: Organizationally speaking, the DFA party
was definitely the most challenging—having 3,500
people roam through that place. As far as what was
fulfilling but still complicated, it was Drone Activity
in Progress. It was what Europeans think New
York felt like in the ’80s and what Americans think
Berlin feels like today. You had die-hard fans and
people who had never heard this music before all
in the same place eating pizza. There was a really
special buzz.
LOuIS bAKER
WeLLINGTON,
NeW ZeALAND
I’m not a very
obsessive person,
but I love sleep. I’m
a nine-hour kinda
guy. I’m well aware
of the concept of
[adaptation] and
things like that — the
New York night where
you get five hours or
whatever. You get used
to it. But I enjoy
sleep.
soundclound.com/
louisbaker
TS: The Culture Clash was such a magical conundrum
of lunacy. That was one of the most abstract
shows we ever conceptualized. Seeing how well it
worked here was great.
You’ve produced the Academy around the
world. What’s been special about the New York
City edition?
MA: When the Academy comes to New York, the
Academy comes home. There is probably no other
place in the world that has so many former lecturers,
participants, and people we like and have been
connected with over these 15 years than New York.
The amount of love that we’ve been shown over
the last few weeks is quite special to us.
TS: We love arguments and we love opinions and
New Yorkers seem to be good at both.
SHADOwbOx
BrOOkLYN, NeW YOrk
I’m obsessed with
coffee. I stopped
drinking it for a
few years, and now
I am like “Why did I
ever stop?!” Maybe
because I had a few
panic attacks in the
past... I’ve really
been getting snobby
about it — I only drink
Stumptown coffee,
I won’t drink that
Dunkin Donuts stuff
anymore.
soundclound.com/
shadowbox4u
DJ SLOw
BrUSSeLS, BeLGIUM
I’m obsessed with
trying all the
different drinks in
New York. All the
Snapple, Arizona Iced
Teas... and I really
wanna get a Slurpee
too. And I also
want to eat at White
Castle — I’ve never
been. The other night
I was there but I was
too sick to order
food.
soundclound.com/djslow
THE wELL bROOKLyN
THE DO-
OVER NyC
SpECIAL
ALOE bLACC &
MANy MORE
SAINT VITuS
ONEOHTRIx
pOINT NEVER
EVIAN CHRIST
bILL KOuLIGAS
MORE
Nyu SKIRbALL CENTER
A TALK
wITH
JAMES
MuRpHy
bENJI b
fALTyDL
DORIAN
CONCEpT
MORE
MAy
26
MAy
27
DEVIATION @ SuLLIVAN ROOM
wEST pARK CHuRCH
pANTHA
Du pRINCE
& THE bELL
LAbORATORy
LE bARON
uNO
NyC
ALVA NOTO
+ RyuICHI
SAKAMOTO
MAy
27
TONIGHT
OuTpuT
L.I.E.S.
KERRI CHANDLER
MATHEw JONSON
MOSCA
MORE
MAy
28
MAy
28
METROpOLITAN MuSEuM Of ART
(LE) pOISSON ROuGE
NyC IN Dub
LEE ‘SCRATCH’ pERRy
THE CONGOS
pEAKING LIGHTS
SuN ARAw
ADRIAN SHERwOOD
MAy
26
MAy
29
MAy
30
MAy
31
RECORDED LIVE
FOR RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY RADIO
TUNE IN AT RBMARADIO.COM
5