Red Bull Music Academy Paris 2015 Events

Our thoughts are with all those affected by the devastating events in Paris on November 13th. Following the security recommendations of the French authorities, we will not host any shows in Paris until at least Thursday, November 19th. Please check individual event pages on redbullmusicacademy.com for more information about specific events.

Ici, Maintenant

October 25, 2015
Badaboum

François K
Pépé Bradock
Joakim b2b Gilb’r
Just Blaze
Kool Clap (Live)
Uncle O
La Mverte
Chairman Mao
Borchi

The 2015 Red Bull Music Academy in Paris kicks off in style at Badaboum by bringing together some of France’s most influential DJs and label bosses, reflecting the global reach and ongoing strength of Parisian club culture. Born in France and reborn on New York City’s dancefloors, François K still brings an inexhaustible energy to his DJ sets, while Atavisme head Pépé Bradock retains a reputation for uniquely emotional (and occasionally irregular) house. With a combined 30 years of experience breaking a sweat behind the decks, Joakim of Tigersushi and DJ Gilb’r of Versatile will play back-to-back, while French RBMA alumni are represented by electro-funkster Kool Clap and La Mverte. It’s a family affair in Room 2, meanwhile, with Parisian selector Uncle O, hip hop superstar (and RBMA studio team member) Just Blaze playing a special 45’s-only set, RBMA lecture host Chairman Mao and 2015 RBMA participant Borchi.

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Réalités Concrètes

October 27, 2015
Garage MU

Iueke (DJ)
Hiele (Live)
Great Lakes Mystery (Live)
Luisa Puterman (Live)

Red Bull Music Academy sets the stage for an adventurous evening of sonic experimentation, featuring a selection of performers from this year’s class of participants. Gareth Anton Averill, an Irish full-time composer and sound designer for film and television, will showcase his John Carpenter-inspired compositions under his Great Lakes Mystery guise. Brazil’s Luisa Puterman dives deep into a playful whirlwind of feedback loops, and Belgium’s Hiele will wrangle a wild concoction of sounds from his trusted synth arsenal. Rounding out the lineup is Parisian selector Iueke of French label Antinote. Prepare to immerse yourself in a colorful, synaesthetic world of soundscapes and post-classical composition methods.

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Sonic A/Vantgarde

October 28, 2015
La Gaîté lyrique

Mondkopf (Live A/V)
Laurel Halo (Live A/V) Visuals: Tarik Barri
Vessel (Live A/V) Visuals: Pedro Maia
Inga Copeland (Live A/V) Visuals: Dan Mitchell
Noahs Heark (Live A/V)

As a celebration of electronic music’s continually evolving relationship with audiovisual technology, Red Bull Music Academy brings together cutting edge artists for a special night of live performances using the immersive 360° screens at of La Gaîté lyrique. Hyperdub’s Laurel Halo brings her thunderous synthesizer and processed vocal exercises and Inga Copeland (formerly of Hype Williams) offers off-kilter melodics, while French producer Mondkopf works through dark electro and Tri Angle’s Vessel explores the eeriest frequencies of the low-end. Support on the night comes from Red Bull Music Academy participant Noahs Heark.

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Pitchfork Paris After Party #1

October 29, 2015
Le Trabendo

Rustie
Nosaj Thing (Live)
Stwo
Gilligan Moss
Keight
Jade Statues
John Pope (Live)

Red Bull Music Academy is hosting three official afterparties for the 2015 edition of Pitchfork Music Festival Paris. Our opening night is helmed by Rustie, the maximalist star of the LuckyMe and Warp labels. With worldwide tours and acclaimed albums Glass Swords and Green Language to his name, the success of Rustie's sound lies in its playfulness, bringing the melodic drama of trance and happy hardcore into the club-focused fury of modern rap. Elsewhere we'll be guided by a tight crew of hip hop-indebted producers who work across the electronic spectrum. Chicago's Gilligan Moss will deliver sugar-coated machine funk that's the flip of Los Angeles' Nosaj Thing, whose recent collaborations with Kendrick Lamar and Chance The Rapper have taken his intricate rhythms into the mainstream rap consciousness. On a local tip we have Stwo, whose loyal underground following from the HW&W label has made him a serious player in the French beat game. The night also includes three Red Bull Music Academy 2015 participants: John Pope, Jade Statues and Keight.

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Pitchfork Paris After Party #2

October 30, 2015
Le Trabendo

Omar S
Galcher Lustwerk
Andre Bratten (Live)
Cosmo (Live)
k2k

Our second Pitchfork After Party features Detroit hero Omar S at Parc de la Villette. Under his own FXHE label, Omar S re-figured himself on the house music landscape with 2013’s stunning Thank You for Letting Me Be Myself LP — and his DJ sets leave the dancefloor smiling until sunrise. Diving in further is White Material affiliate Galcher Lustwerk, whose 100% Galcher mix of original productions was widely lauded as one of the finest of 2013, while Norwegian artist Andre Bratten’s zoned-out disco influences will pick up the pace. Support will come from Red Bull Music Academy 2015 participants k2k and Cosmo.

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Pitchfork Paris Club Night

October 31, 2015
La Grande Halle de la Villette

Laurent Garnier
Hudson Mohawke (Live)
John Talabot b2b Roman Flügel

Red Bull Music Academy’s collaboration with Pitchfork Music Festival Paris ends on a bombastic note. RBMA alumnus Hudson Mohawke’s recent LP Lantern covered everything from buttery R&B to stadium-shaking hip hop, and he boasts a live band capable of delivering all the colors in between to fill the vast confines of Grande Halle de la Villette. German house jock Roman Flügel will bring decades of experience at Frankfurt’s iconic Robert-Johnson club when he plays back-to-back with John Talabot, whose sunny productions and acumen behind the decks is sure to result in a melodic and memorable pairing. Joining those three is none other than the legendary Laurent Garnier, an artist so respected in France he’d likely garner more than a few votes were he to run in the next presidential election. Luckily for us Garnier prefers all manner of propulsive dance music over politics, and his DJ set should shake up the hometown crowd. From Glasgow to Frankfurt to Barcelona to Paris, the lineup for this closing party showcases four inimitable creative minds working in contemporary electronic music.

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Une Conversation avec Cerrone

November 1, 2015

During disco’s heyday, dancefloors burned red hot with the sound of Marc Cerrone: a French producer, composer and drummer whose hit 1977 album Supernature saw him bring together live orchestral composition and the radical synthesized sounds pioneered by Giorgio Moroder. After selling millions of records worldwide, turning his impressive live performance into a successful Broadway musical and scoring film soundtracks, Cerrone’s legacy of bringing the disco sound into mainstream music consciousness remains. In this conversation with Red Bull Music Academy, Cerrone discusses his legendary career.

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Synthéclique

November 1, 2015
Le Pop-Up du Label

Sapphire Slows
Mulherin
Desampa
DX Heaven
Corey K

When the Red Bull Music Academy’s participants arrive in the host city, they meet each other for the very first time. Getting to know one another is getting to know their music, too – playing live together becomes a musical conversation. For this participant showcase, we’re drawing close musical ties between a global lineup. The vintage synth-pop sounds of Australia’s DX Heaven suit the hazy house melodies of Japan’s Sapphire Slows, and the emotionally-charged, R&B-influenced lyricism of Memphis-bred Mulherin warms to Brazilian singer and producer Desampa’s style: part Antony Hegarty, part Usher – chamber pop for D’Angelo fans who grew up with the internet. Finally, the bright-eyed British teenager Corey K is a real wildcard. Between his heady blend of danceable funk, EDM and R&B, and talent for writing pop ballads, who knows where the musical ties will be made?

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Floating Points

November 2, 2015
Le New Morning

Floating Points (Live)
Jeremy Underground
Sebastiano Zanasi (Live)

Dr. Sam Shepherd is a lot of things: a neuroscientist, a DJ and record collector, a close associate of famed London nightclub Plastic People and a classically-trained musician. But he’s perhaps best known for the label he runs with Alexander Nut, Eglo Records, and the string of critically acclaimed EPs and 12-inch releases that have seen him fold classical and jazz composition into his unique house music productions. With Floating Points, it’s about raising the stakes. After visiting the Academy in Tokyo last year for a lecture and DJ set, we’re delighted to host Floating Points’ debut live performance in France. Onstage at the iconic Parisian jazz venue New Morning, which has hosted greats such as Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon and many others, Floating Points will be joined by musicians handpicked to realize the vision of his highly anticipated debut solo LP, Elaenia. Joining him as support on the night will be Jeremy Underground and 2015 RBMA participant Christian Tiger School.

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Colin Stetson & Sarah Neufeld + Liturgy

November 3, 2015
La Maroquinerie

Colin Stetson & Sarah Neufeld
Liturgy
Furtherset

Colin Stetson’s unconventional saxophone playing and Sarah Neufeld’s elegant violin cascades proved a perfect match on this year’s collaborative album Never Were the Way She Was. However, the duo’s common musical ground stretches back further in time, including a joint tour as soloists in 2012, performing with Arcade Fire and Bell Orchestre, and their combined effort on the soundtrack for Blue Caprice. We’re excited to host these two modern virtuosos on their Paris tour stop, sharing the bill with Brooklyn’s roaring metal avant-gardists Liturgy. Since 2009, the four-piece has been at the forefront of black metal’s so-called third wave, pioneering a style that bandleader Hunter Hunt-Hendrix once infamously dubbed “transcendental black metal” that relies on the burst beat and a renunciation of nihilism. Expect an evening running the gamut from minimalism to maximalism at repurposed leather factory La Maroquinerie in the 20th Arrondissement. Support will be provided by 2015 RBMA participant Furtherset.

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Revolution 808

November 4, 2015
Petit Bain

DJ Funk
Feadz b2b Crystalmess
Manaré b2b Kazey
Lil Jabba
Sevdaliza (Live)
Wheez-ie
Toxe
Lemonick
Homesick
Astrolith (Live)
Silkersoft (Live)
Miso (Live)

All focus is on the subwoofers for this heavy lineup. We’ve brought together a plethora of artists representing the many mutations of bass around the world. Headlining are Chicago’s DJ Funk – whose high octane productions on the Dance Mania label help to build the riotous ghetto house sound – alongside back-to-back sets from Ed Banger’s Feadz and rising DJ Crystalmess, and from Parisian label Clek Clek Boom’s Manaré and Kazey. Artists including Rotterdam-via-Tehran singer/producer Sevdaliza and Southern Belle Recordings boss Wheez-ie will get a chance to push the soundsystem with varying rhythmic contortions and low-end theories, while additional acts like painter/producer Lil Jabba, Silkersoft and Homesick will showcase dystopian grime, technicolor trap and footwork-jungle hybrids. Whether leaning against a wall meditating on bass weight or throwing yourself front-and-center to show off your footworking skills, tonight’s the night to see the future queens and kings of bass all on one stage.

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Nicolas Godin

November 5, 2015
La Gaîté lyrique

Nicolas Godin
Lætitia Sadier
Dub I Prosto Derevo
Sobrenadar

As the founding member of acclaimed French duo Air, Nicolas Godin is eminently capable of achieving sublime effects through understatement. Embarking on a solo career with the 2015 release of Contrepoint, Godin develops his lush orchestrations within a more classical context, now inspired by reclusive Canadian pianist Glenn Gould and his famed interpretations of Bach. The results are complex revisions of canonical works, seen through an electronic and open-minded lens. This performance at La Gaîté lyrique will be the debut of Godin’s Contrepoint A/V show. Joining Godin on the bill is Lætitia Sadier. Best known for her work with indie icons Stereolab, Sadier has has had a prolific solo career in the '00s and continues to develop her sound: most recently with her expansive 2014 album, Something Shines. 2015 RBMA Paris participants Dub I Prosto Derevo and Sobrenadar will provide support.

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50WEAPONS Finale

November 6, 2015
Concrete

Modeselektor
Shed (Live)
Bambounou
Doc Daneeka b2b Benjamin Damage
Fjaak (Live)
Kasper Marott

Founded in 2005 by Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary of Modeselektor, 50WEAPONS has since provided plentiful ammunition for daring DJs with releases ranging from wonky rhythm experiments to cohesive concept albums by the likes of Shed, Bambounou, Addison Groove, Cosmin TRG and more. All good things must come to an end, and the label will close up shop at the end of 2015. However, we’ve arranged for one final French blowout before 50Weapons lower their flag, taking place at an essential venue in Paris’ contemporary club culture, Concrete. Headlined by label bosses Modeselektor, they’ve rallied their troops for a lineup that pulls together a who’s who of label all-stars, including original signee Benjamin Damage B2B with Doc Daneeka, live trio Fjaak and rave savant Shed, as well as Parisian hometown hero Bambounou. RIP 50WEAPONS: set the bass to blast.

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Kamasi Washington

November 15, 2015
Le Trabendo

This event has been canceled. Please click here for more information.

Une Conversation avec Jean Michel Jarre

November 17, 2015
La Gaîté lyrique

This event has been canceled. Please click here for more information.

Cosmorama

November 17, 2015
Café de la Presse

This event has been canceled. Please click here for more information.

Afrique Polyrythmique

November 18, 2015
La Bellevilloise

This event has been canceled. Please click here for more information.

Come Correct: Une Célébration de la Culture Vogue

November 19, 2015
Folie’s Pigalle

This event has been canceled. Please click here for more information.

Rap, Beats & Rhymes: Curated by Yard & Free Your Funk

November 20, 2015
La Gaîté lyrique

Hosted by Oxmo Puccino

RAP
The Hop (live band) avec Lino / Ärsenik, Mac Tyer, Nessbeal Flynt, Jazzy Bazz, Deen Burbigo, Spri Noir Bon Gamin & Prince Waly, Don Dada Records Showcase: Alpha Wann & Hologram Lo, Caballero, Infinit

BEATS
Myth Syzer
Nodey

DJ SETS
DJ Pone
Supa!
Suicideyear

Red Bull Music Academy teams up with local collectives Yard and Free Your Funk for a wide-ranging celebration of French hip hop. Pioneers of the scene will perform side-by-side with today’s cream of the crop in a special event format at La Gaîté lyrique that combines multiple elements of the artform: we’ll shine a light on some of France’s finest beatmakers and their priceless contributions to the culture, give a platform to a few of the most spellbinding MCs, and bring together a rotating cast of live performers. Prepare for surprise guests, impromptu cyphers and a proper neck workout.

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Sauvages: 12h de Sueur et de Suie avec Kill The DJ

November 21, 2015
Le Tunnel

Chloé b2b Miss Kittin
Golden Teacher (Live)
Barnt
Ivan Smagghe b2b Solar
Clara 3000
DJ Sundae

Red Bull Music Academy is joining forces with the famed underground Parisian club-night-turned-label Kill The DJ, for a night that distills the power of the dancefloor across myriad genres. Headlining is a special back-to-back DJ set from Kill The DJ co-founder Chloé and electroclash star Miss Kittin, whose dramatic productions alongside The Hacker and Felix da Housecat in the 2000s saw her rise to the top of the Parisian music scene. Glaswegian group and Optimo Music signees Golden Teacher perform their raucous live show: a crew of Arthur Russell-loving art school kids, whose two singers/dancers inject further power into their cosmic, hardware-based jams. Further DJ sets come from Clara 3000, long-time Kill The DJ affiliate Ivan Smagghe b2b Solar, DJ Sundae and tough techno producer Barnt, whose steely style of mixing has earned him plaudits across the European club circuit in recent years.

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Sunn O)))

November 23, 2015
YOYO

Sunn O)))
Big | Brave
Pan Daijing

At once conveying impending destruction and attainable enlightenment, the music of Sunn O))) pursues musical extremes to profound physical effect. Founded by Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson in Seattle in 1998, Sunn O))) (pronounced “sun”) give equal credence to drone icon Earth’s maximalism and violinist Tony Conrad’s studied minimalism, as well as incorporating a few “metal” modifiers (drone, doom, death and black, among them). Their legendary live shows are alternately described as oppressive and meditative, with an unrelenting emphasis on the transformative power of overwhelming sound. Expect a ritualistic presentation and impenetrable fog in a show sure to shake Paris down to the catacombs. Joining them on the bill is Pan Daijing, a 2015 Academy participant pursuing similar aims of revelation through repetition, along with Montreal’s Southern Lord affiliates Big | Brave. Transcendence is possible, tinnitus is likely.

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Insomnie Collective

November 23, 2015
Venue TBC

Thingamajicks (Live)
The Sine Painter
Lunate (Live)
ArtSaves

As the Academy draws to a close for another year, more of our 2015 participants come together for a night of live performance and DJing. Playing live are two South American producers whose takes on a new wave of experimental house music bounce off one another. The multifaceted approach to experimental analogue workouts of São Paulo’s Thingamajicks is anchored by a rugged, melodic undercurrent, while Bogotá’s Lunate orbits on a softer axis: with releases on sultry Los Angeles label 100% Silk, and mellow rhythms that nod to the recent Vancouver sound of labels like Mood Hut and 1080p. Joining them on the bill are Bangalore’s The Sine Painter and Tehran’s ArtSaves, whose mutual love for warm, rolling house grooves pulls the four participants together in a world of their own.

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Rêves Lucides

November 24, 2015
Le Pop-Up du Label

River Tiber (Live)
Auður (Live)
Sparrows (Live)
Lontalius (Live)
Yung Veerp (Live)
Iskeletor
Tide Jewel (Live)

This night highlights the cultural and musical diversity of our 2015 Red Bull Music Academy participants. River Tiber’s vocals have made him a popular player in the Toronto hip hop scene, lending instrumental talents to BADBADNOTGOOD as well as having his “No Talk” sampled by Drake. Au∂ur has produced for several Icelandic hip hop stars, but his own music oscillates between garage-inflected house and pop earworms. The pastoral electronics of Sparrows flits somewhere between the Books and Boards of Canada, and should match well with the funky electronic abstractions of double-bass player Yung Veerp and Tide Jewel’s vocal experimentation. Rounding things out are the trippy beats of Istanbul’s Iskeletor plus Lontalius from New Zealand, another strong vocalist whose songs are an oasis of calm but with electronic influences. ​Different voices and different visions, each one ready to be heard beyond the Périphérique.

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Futurs Improbables

November 25, 2015
Social Club

RP Boo
Drippin
Hyroglifics
OK Lou (Live)
Taskforce (Live)
Chloe Martini
KUČKA (Live)
Shake It Maschine
Ghost Wavvves

With each year, the global underground becomes a more intense, fascinating creature: inspiration crosses continents at the speed of light, creating sounds that call myriad places home. In 2015, the club sounds of footwork, juke and grime have travelled like never before, and are evolving far beyond Chicago and London. Lauded producer and Planet Mu affiliate RP Boo is not just a pioneer of the footwork sound – he’s a champion of the genre’s creativity and far-reaching influence, and dances to his own frantic, inspiring beat. He headlines this special bass-heavy showcase, with several of this year’s Red Bull Music Academy participants providing the soundtrack for rest of the night. Even in the darkness of the club, the future has never looked so bright.

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Club Brutal

November 26, 2015
Rex Club

Mr. Oizo
Ron Morelli
The Mover
Veronica Vasicka
Errorsmith
White Sample (Live)

Distortion, feedback and noise can be used as artfully and effectively as the smoothest sample. Just ask the acts on this night. French artiste Mr. Oizo has a particularly aggressive sonic sensibility, and this rare appearance in Paris brings together a lineup of kindred spirits. Ron Morelli moved to Paris from New York in 2013, but there’s been no interruption in the prolific release schedule of his L.I.E.S label. He’s joined here by fellow New Yorker and Minimal Wave / Cititrax founder Veronica Vasicka, an archaeologist of aging yet entrancing electronic music. As a founding member of Smith N Hack and MMM, Errorsmith is an expert at confounding expectations in danceable ways. He’ll showcase a crunchy, wild style at Rex Club that’s taken even further by Frankfurt’s The Mover, a founding father of hardcore techno. Support comes from RBMA 2015 participant White Sample.

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Paris Now! RBMA Closing Party

November 27, 2015
La Gaîté lyrique

Philippe Zdar b2b Para One
Low Jack (Live)
The Driver b2b ?
Cabanne b2b Lowris
DJ Slow b2b Canblaster
AZF b2b Parfait
Krikor (Live)
Betty B2B Orgasmic
Zaltan b2b Geena
Pilooski
Maud Geffray
Ezechiel Pailhes
Orval Carlos Sibelius
Dorian Pimpernel
Juliette Armanet
Partre
+ more to be announced

Following more than a month in the French capital, Red Bull Music Academy celebrates with a furious finale at La Gaîté lyrique. With an all-star lineup of French selectors and producers, the Academy’s closing night is dedicated to the movers and shakers of contemporary French dance, experimental, and bass music. On the heels of the Paris Now video series and as an immersive extension of the Paris Musique Club exhibition at La Gaîté lyrique, this night adds another layer to our celebration of current innovations in the City of Light. Expect rare back-to-back sessions, extended sets, and special appearances featuring the finest from Paris and beyond.

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Check out more RBMA events on our dedicated events page.