Just for the funk of it

January 20, 2008 3:24 AM

The Red Bull Music Academy is the best in music, past & present, from around the world, under one roof, getting down just for the funk of it. It is an event that travels the world, a yearly celebration of all the journeys and breakthroughs, all the dreams and intricacies that go into the music we love.
Here on the 'tubes the RBMA mainly consists of lectures, interactive features, and documentaries.

Selected Lectures
(Links are to pages containing a hyper-linked transcript and links to hi- and lo-quality embedded QT movies. In the streaming pop-up windows you can find links to non-embedded clips.)
Madlib - King of the Beats
Oh No - New Jackson Swing
Plasticman - Grime Virtuoso Part 1, Part 2
Arabian Prince - Brother Arab Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Sa-Ra Creative Partners - Sound & Space Continuum Part 1, Part 2
?uestlove - Phrenology Of Hip Hop Part 1, Part 2
Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) - The (Apple) Mac Daddy
Hugh Masekela - The Message
Gilberto Gil - His Guitar Gently Weeps
Atom Heart - Splitting the Atom Part 1, Part 2
Erlend Øye (Kings of Convenience) - Øye Carumba!
Bob Moog - The Soul Machine Part 1, Part 2
Caribou (Manitoba) - The Artist Formerly Known As Manitoba Part 1, Part 2
Cut Chemist - Phat Pharmacy, Bring the Funky Sermon Part 1, Part 2
Martyn Ware - Designing Heaven Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
Prince Paul - Prince of Thieves
Sir Mix-A-Lot - Baby Got Ringtones/Extended Version
Amp Fiddler - Turn Up the Amp

Note: Front page text adapted from the FAQ. Also from the FAQ: Red Bull has decided to support music by letting you do it your way. Frankly, Red Bull hopes to gain your personal respect and props by giving you respect and props and does not want to shove marketing rhetoric down your throat. Staying in the background and giving the gift of an experience to music lovers - that's why you won't find big billboards advertising the Academy, rampant radio ads or any musical or cultural stereotypes being exploited. The Red Bull Music Academy is there to advance and inspire at grassroots level - expect your expectations to be overturned in the best possible way. This is for you.

posted by carsonb (21 comments total)

On a first impression, less aggressive marketing seems rather delicious. It is curious to see that RB changed from sports and extremes to music, possibily the appealed audience is larger. Can't see any harm coming from that right now, but artist remember to read the fine print always :D !
posted by elpapacito at 3:59 AM on January 20

That Sun-Ra dude gives me the willies.
posted by sharksandwich at 4:00 AM on January 20

Wow. There's a LOT of stuff here. This looks great. Hadn't heard of this. Many thanks for this post!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:15 AM on January 20

elpapacito: It is curious to see that RB changed from sports and extremes to music, possibily the appealed audience is larger.

There's been no recent change as the Music Academy has been going on since at least 2002. I threw that marketing disclaimer in there at the end to fend off Pepsi Blue dipshits. Don't let it get in the way of all the good stuff. flapjax is right; there's a TON of cool shit to be found on this site.
posted by carsonb at 4:24 AM on January 20

carsonb writes "Don't let it get in the way of all the good stuff."

Well if you were so kind to read my post, maybe you missed the part in which I said its rather delicious ? Relax dude, it's not like you are a PR for RedBull you don't have to defend them from ghosts.
posted by elpapacito at 7:22 AM on January 20

Yeah, this looks really cool, thanks for posting!

although if you want to avoid Pepsi Blue accusations, maybe using the breathless marketingspeak from the FAQ in your post isn't the best idea
posted by jtron at 7:47 AM on January 20

This looks really interesting. Thanks
posted by nicolin at 7:57 AM on January 20

Pepsi Red, jtron?

Butseriously ... some of this seems pretty neat. Interesting direction for Red Bull to take.
posted by alby at 8:15 AM on January 20

Wow, this is great! Thanks for posting this, carsonb.
posted by sveskemus at 10:10 AM on January 20

There is some great content here, and I don't think you're trying to sell us Red Bull. However your post-script is a little off:

"The Red Bull Music Academy is there to advance and inspire at grassroots level..."

Don't kid yourself. The Red Bull Music Academy is there to sell and promote Red Bull. It's not a public service. The content might be fantastic and the participants might be geniuses, but it remains a promotional tool for selling energy drinks. It's Pepsi Blue in a nice wrapper.

Which isn't inherently wrong. But by passing it along to Metafilter (for very good reasons, obviously) you're helping to promote Red Bull. The Music Academy is a grassroots effort, but not for music - that it promotes great musicians and DJs is tangential to its true intent.
posted by aladfar at 10:39 AM on January 20 [1 favorite]

Looks great - they have a super list of links, too. Thanks, carsonb.
posted by madamjujujive at 10:44 AM on January 20

It's my own damn fault, you're right elpapacito. Y'all have a blast discussing energy drink marketing campaigns. I'm gonna watch some documentaries.
posted by carsonb at 10:48 AM on January 20

You've provided a fantastic link carsonb. Why can't the discussion range into the Red Bull marketing strategy? It's clearly relevant to what the site is about.

Then again, I suppose I'm one of your preemptively labeled "dipshits".
posted by aladfar at 11:01 AM on January 20

carsonb writes "'I am gonna watch some documentaries."

Cmon stop acting like a prima donna , Life is harsh your tequila shouldn't be ...opps ! I just pepsied in my pants !
posted by elpapacito at 12:19 PM on January 20

There's a LOT of great stuff here. In the middle of checking out the Bob Moog link. Thanks.


<>Why is my Pepsi so yellow and syrupy?<>
posted by louche mustachio at 12:32 PM on January 20

<>
posted by louche mustachio at 12:33 PM on January 20

this is almost as good as the mountain dew extreme literary academy, where chuck palahniuk and bret easton ellis discuss the new EA video games being designed around 'choke' and 'american psycho,' respectively, and anne rice graces us with cooking tips, including her recipe for "blood jambalaya."
posted by Hat Maui at 12:39 PM on January 20

The Hank Shocklee interview is great too, if one can get past the moral outrage of being passive-aggressively marketed to, or whatever folks are on about.

Or: "Is this something I would need to have wings to understand?"
posted by First Post at 12:46 PM on January 20

Hat Maui, I agree. It has its contradictions.

But the content--I need to sit down and watch the whole Arto Lindsay and ?uestlove interviews as soon as I can.
posted by umbú at 5:08 PM on January 20

Damn, seriously, nobody has ever posted about the Red Bull academy? I must be an old fart, then, cause these things are great. Whenever they have them in town I always try to go, it's great fun.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 7:47 PM on January 20

Damn, I shouldn't have fended anything to begin with. Mea culpa, I'm sorry, please enjoy the links.
posted by carsonb at 11:14 PM on January 20