Levon Vincent Guest Curates Red Bull Music Academy’s Online Magazine
The revered house and techno DJ/producer is taking over our website for a week.
Levon Vincent is one of the most respected DJ/producers in the house and techno world. His run of music since 2008 has been, quite simply, incredible, vaulting from relative obscurity to a critically acclaimed fabric mix and DJ gigs around the world.
Initially coming up as part of a wave of producers associated with Jus-Ed’s Underground Quality, Levon clearly has a deep love of New York City – the metropolis where he has spent much of his life. There are a few features from this week that will touch on that side of things – a celebration of the wild drag shows of the mid-’80s in the Pyramid Club, an interview with bassist and producer Bill Laswell. But you’ll also see plenty of unexpected things as well: A tribute to Negativland’s Helter Stupid and an interview with Japanese group Mouse on the Keys.
It also bears mentioning that there were things that we couldn’t fit in. Alvin Lucier, Afrika Bambaataa, Cymande, Richard Long, Maselec and Importe/12 Records are just a few of the ideas that we discussed. Like our guest curator Lucy last month, Levon’s tastes are wonderfully wide-ranging – and that’s exactly why we asked him to take over our magazine this week.
Levon Vincent: An Introduction
A guide to the respected house and techno producer’s oeuvre so far.
Interview: Japan’s Mouse On The Keys on Blending Philip Glass and Helmet
The genre-defying Japanese group on the 3/11 earthquake, their hardcore beginnings and working with Levon Vincent.
Nightclubbing: New York City’s Pyramid Club
An oral history of the New York space that served as the stomping ground for influential performance artists, musicians and drag queens like John Kelly, Larry Tee, Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons, RuPaul and Lady Bunny.
Key Tracks: Negativland’s “Helter Stupid”
The original “culture jammers” talk about the track that made them (in)famous.
Ondes Martenot: An Introduction
A favorite of Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and classical composer Olivier Messiaen, Andy Battaglia explains the origins and appeal of the ahead-of-its-time electronic instrument.
Razormaid!: The Remix Service That Changed the Face of Dance Music
Derek Opperman travels to Arizona to uncover how one remix subscription service turned the industry on its head in the ’80s.
Bill Laswell: An Introduction
Nothing is true; everything is permitted: S.H. Fernando Jr. leads a guided tour through the voluminous discography of the renowned bassist and producer.
