What is the Red Bull Music Academy? That is what I first asked myself when I heard about it. The multi-faceted energy drink brand has branched out into the realm of DJ culture and music conferences with its "yearly celebration of all the journeys and breakthroughs, all the dreams and intricacies that go into the music we love."
The Academy shifts location to zoom in on micro-cultures and new musical hybrids that are springing up all over the world. The next major RBMA event will hit London in the Spring 2010. Having just returned from SXSW, I believe that music conferences are where ideas go to be incubated. There is an immeasurable value in spending time with fellow creatives, talking about creative things and hoping to fulfill creative dreams.
For two weeks, attendees get to attend lectures from today's most relevant names in electronic music (for example, ?uestlove from the Roots in video below), create and share with other like minded folks and party their ass off.
This article appears in Mar 25-31, 2009.