The Red Bull Music Academy is celebrating its tenth birthday, and the gift sounds good: In “A class of its own” selected RBMA alumni explore new musical territory together.
The Red Bull Music Academy took place for the first time in 1998 in Berlin. Nine years later, over 600 participants and lecturers belong to what is arguably the largest and most creative music family in the world. “A class of its own” now brings together the most passionate, innovative alumni and lecturers in the history of the Red Bull Music Academy to date once more to capture their mutual outputs.Studio recordings in Cologne
Ten work groups – consisting of singers, musicians, songwriters, arrangers, producers and technicians – will be invited to a twelve-day studio recording each. A first best-of meeting has already been held. Between August 6 and 17, sixteen selected international participants – from various musical genres and with different experiences – met in Cologne. Only one experience has connected them up to now: they have all known the feeling of either being participants, team members or lecturers at the Red Bull Music Academy.
The secret is in the atmosphere
The lucky alumni included the Mizell Brothers, Om’Mas, Steve Spacek, Black Spade and Miss Memory, among others. With their fresh ideas, the fun they had in the studio, but also with profound discussions, the participants catered for an atmosphere that enabled the creation of an incomparable overall production of 30 songs – from “finger-snapping boggie-electro jams” to “dubstep-hip hop hybrids.” Multi-instrumentalist Om’Mas: “I’ve never had such an great opportunity to work with so many amazingly talented people. And we might never meet again. We may cross paths. But I want to say thank you with all my heart.”
Sequel to follow
More “A class of its own” projects are planned, but dates and locations are yet to be fixed – in contrast to this year’s Red Bull Music Academy in Toronto. In both these workshops (September 23 to October 5 and October 14 to 26), DJs, producers, musicians and experts from all over the world will work together on forging new musical paths for the tenth time.
A class of its own
A class of its own
