Event Guide: Red Bull Music Academy Festival New York 2014

Red Bull Music Academy Festival New York, the month-long series of thoughtfully curated live performances, lectures, club nights, screenings and more, is set to kick off May 1 with a lineup of artists, venues and concepts that explore today’s musical landscape while paying homage to its history. Throughout the month of May, 15 unique events will take place at locations as diverse as New York itself — from traditional music venues to NYC cultural institutions to (literally) the streets of New York.

Please visit www.redbullmusicacademy.com/nyc to purchase tickets and see the full event details. Below is a brief overview of the events, which range from a public lecture with elusive soul man D’Angelo, a street party celebrating the legacy of Larry Levan and a headline show from Academy grad Hudson Mohawke.
 

Bounce Ballroom
May 1, 2014
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Four dance styles, four dance crews, four DJs. In the tradition of our 2013 United States of Bass event, Red Bull Music Academy pays tribute to hyper-local traditions that have made a global impact. With revered jocks providing the soundtrack and legendary dancers teaching you all the moves, expect a history lesson that your booty will never forget.

BRUK UP with Bobby Konders + dancers Bones Hill, Drew Dollaz, Samiam, and Ghost.
VOGUING with DJ MikeQ and MC Kevin JZ Prodigy + dancers Javier Ninja, Leiomy Prodigy and Dashaun Evisu.
HOUSING with Todd Terry + dancers Ejoe Wilson, Cricket, and Princess Lockeroo.
JERSEY CLUB with DJ Sliink and Mike Gip + dancers SoSo, Fiinesse and Tyqueek.

BAM, Luaka Bop and Red Bull Music Academy Festival New York Presents Atomic Bomb! The Music Of William Onyeabor
May 2, 2014
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Who is William Onyeabor? That’s the question that’s been on everyone’s lips since Luaka Bop released a compilation of the mysterious Nigerian’s synthesizer epics late last year. In this special collaboration with the label and BAM, Red Bull Music Academy presents a concert in which high-profile fans will form a band that plays the music of Onyeabor, highlighting its truly ahead-of-its-time qualities. Band members include David Byrne, Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip), Pat Mahoney (ex-LCD Soundsystem), Kele Okereke (Bloc Party), Luke Jenner (ex-The Rapture), The Lijadu Sisters (performing live for the first time in 30 years), Joshua Redman, Money Mark, Sinkane, and more.

Four Corners Of The Clash
May 9, 2014
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Things got a little heated the last time we brought crews together at the 2013 Red Bull Music Academy Culture Clash. This year, the Thai fried chicken at Baby's All Right might be the hottest item on the menu. The hip Williamsburg barstaurant and event space will see the clashers reunite as friends and not as opponents. Though space will be tight, you can be part of the fun either way by tuning into our livestream straight outta Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Flea Record Fair
May 10, 2014
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The Brooklyn Flea Record Fair is a treasure trove for vinyl fiends, a land of milk and honey for foodies, and a beloved hangout for regular revelers alike. This is why we can’t wait to once again touch down at Smorgasburg in Williamsburg with a few of our favorite DJs. This year we’ll be asking Sandra Electronics (Regis & Silent Servant), Optimo, Jesse Cohen (Tanlines), Autre Ne Veut and more to provide the soundtrack as you trawl the bins from labels like Rough Trade, Domino, Warp and DFA in search of that next great find. In short, this is pretty much the best way we can think of to while away a Saturday afternoon.

Robert Henke’s Lumière & The Haxan Cloak
May 10, 2014
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When you say “laser light show,” the mind can’t help but drift to Pink Floyd and planetariums. Luckily Robert Henke – the artist behind the revered Monolake project – is taking back the idea and making it into something altogether different. In a show carefully developed from scratch, Henke will present the results of his explorations in the North American premiere of Lumière. We’ll be reinventing the Brooklyn Masonic Temple for the night, as Henke is joined by Tri Angle’s dark prince The Haxan Cloak, whose experimental tracks are just as influenced by classical as they are by noise. This will be The Haxan Cloak’s debut US performance.

Larry Levan Street Party
May 11, 2014
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Through his legendary residency at New York’s Paradise Garage, Larry Levan elevated DJing to an artform and provided the soundtrack to one of the most fertile moments in the history of dance music. Levan’s sessions throughout the ’80s at the Garage were dubbed “Saturday Mass,” an acknowledgement that – to many – going to the club was a weekly ritual of the upmost importance. As part of the local initiative to rename King Street Larry Levan Way, the Red Bull Music Academy is proud to pay tribute to the legacy of Levan along with some of his most ardent supporters at the place that mattered to them most. Join us as we take over King Street between Varick and Hudson on May 11th with David Depino, François Kevorkian, Joey Llanos and some special guests for the Larry Levan Street Party.

Help rename a section of King Street to Larry Levan Way in New York City: https://bit.ly/1kTsTXR

Red Bull Music Academy Festival New York and Undead Music Series, presented by BOOM Collective and Search & Restore, Presents A Night Of Improvised Round Robin Duets
May 14, 2014
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A Night Of Improvised Round Robin Duets saw its premiere in 2013 at the Red Bull Music Academy. This year we’re bringing the event back with all new artists at Manhattan’s majestic Town Hall. The format? Simple. One musician starts a solo improvisation lasting five minutes. Another musician then joins for five minutes of duo improvisation. After those five minutes, musician #1 leaves the stage and musician #3 joins musician #2 for another five minutes, and so on and so forth for two hours. Hear artists from the realms of jazz, electronics, experimental rock and everything in between as you’ve never heard them before in an event curated by the Undead Music Series.

Hardcore Activity In Progress
May 16, 2014
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This is our hardcore. Red Bull Music Academy returns to the extraordinary Queens venue Knockdown Center for a reprise of last year’s Drone Activity In Progress. That night was almost solely based on avant-garde artists. This night will blow open the doors genre-wise to present a sampling of the most extreme recording artists in metal, techno, jazz, classical, noise, hip hop and beyond. Kranky’s ambient prince Tim Hecker, grindcore legends Napalm Death, Gunplay – the Maybach rapper with a Bible on the dash – and Scandinavian free jazzers The Thing all feature. Also set to appear: Wolf Eyes, Regis, Bastard Noise, Lubomyr Melnyk, Skullflower, Joe McPhee/Chris Corsano, Okkyung Lee, Clipping, Yoshiko Ohara, Reg Bloor, and Gnaw, with visuals provided by Nuit Blanche.

Running Back: Gerd Janson All Night Long
May 17, 2014
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Gerd Janson is one of modern house music’s most accomplished jocks. His encyclopedic knowledge of house music history, coupled with a resolutely contemporary ear has made his label – Running Back – and his DJ sets – at Frankfurt’s Robert-Johnson and Berlin’s Panorama Bar – essential listening over the past decade plus. A longtime Red Bull Music Academy team member, there’s a special pride that goes along with seeing the rest of the world find out what we knew all along: Gerd is one of the best in the game. But don’t take our word for it. Find out for yourself, as Gerd takes the controls all night long at TBA Brooklyn.

Wordless Music Series and Red Bull Music Academy Festival New York Presents Panda Bear w/ Special Guests
May 18, 2014
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Noah Lennox is one of modern music’s most vibrant artists, collaging together elements of indie rock, electronic music and pop music to create something utterly unique. Both as a member of Animal Collective and in his solo work as Panda Bear, Lennox has consistently aimed the controls for uncharted territory. It’s resulted in some of the last decade’s most celebrated albums. (In 2007, Person Pitch was named the #1 album by Pitchfork, while 2011’s Tomboy made Rolling Stone's Top 50.) Aided by the visuals of longtime Animal Collective cohort Danny Perez, this event – co-presented with Wordless Music Series – will be a rare chance to see Lennox on stage as Panda Bear in New York.

A Conversation With D’Angelo
May 21, 2014
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Michael Eugene Archer revolutionized soul music like few others. As part of the Soulquarian movement, and friend and collaborator to Questlove, Lauryn Hill and Raphael Saadiq, D’Angelo carried on the legacy of Marvin Gaye and Prince, while fusing it with an off-kilter beat flourish akin to that of J Dilla. One of the world’s most celebrated performers, the Voodoo child will descend upon Brooklyn Museum for an intimate public lecture session.

The Mister Saturday Night House Party: A Red Bull Music Academy Festival New York Special
May 24, 2014
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Mister Saturday Night opens the doors to his Manhattan pied-à-terre for just one night. Members of the Mister Saturday Night label family show off their talents in the living room, and label dads Eamon Harkin and Justin Carter play records on the hi-fi in the rec room. There’s a fireplace, a grand old staircase and a pool table. The evening’s festivities start at 9pm promptly, and the location is secret, but ticket-purchasers will be given the address on the day of the event. Tickets go on sale on April 24. We’ll see you at the house.

Hudson Mohawke & Friends (Live)
May 28, 2014
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Since graduating from the Red Bull Music Academy in 2007, Hudson Mohawke has become a household name for dance music fans and rap artists alike. From his own forward-thinking releases on Warp Records, to his collaborations with fellow RBMA alum Lunice as TNGHT, to supplying beats for Kanye West and Drake – HudMo currently ranks high among Glasgow’s hottest exports. This night at Webster Hall will see him bring his live show to the stage, alongside a list of very familiar faces, ahead of his new record on Warp due later this year.

Lit City Trax
May 30, 2014
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The Lit City Trax posse has been waving the flag for grime ’n’ bass, future house, footwork and a slew of related styles from dance floor’s nether regions for a number of years now. Part rave night, part record label, Lit City is on the frontlines when it comes to getting down and dirty. The decommissioned strip club at The Westway is sure to provide the perfect setting for a night of grimy club ruckus, led by their resident DJs and a string of prominent guests.

A Class Of Its Own: Red Bull Music Academy Festival New York Closing Night
May 31, 2014
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What better way to cap off a month of events in New York than a family affair? For each edition of the Academy, we invite 60+ artists to participate in our humble traveling workshop. On this night, we’re shining a spotlight on the enormous scope of sounds that they explore. With three stages and 15 artists involved, you’re sure to hear something new – and probably from someone you’ve never heard of before. It’s a little bit like the Academy itself.