Red Bull Festival 2018, Berlin
World premieres from Oneohtrix Point Never, Jlin, Sevdaliza, Robot Koch; Performances from Nina Kraviz, Dixon, Tony Allen and Jeff Mills; Conversations with Janelle Monáe and Pusha T; Berlin installments of Culture Clash and Diggin’ in the Carts and more
Festival takes place concurrently with the 20th anniversary edition of Red Bull Music Academy – September 8 to October 12
Tickets On Sale Now at redbullmusicacademy.com/
#RBMA20 #RedBullMusic
For five weeks in September and October, Red Bull Music Festival touches down in Berlin, bringing its acclaimed program of concerts, club nights and public talks to music and cultural venues across the city.
From São Paulo to New York City, Johannesburg, Paris, Tokyo, Los Angeles and beyond, the Red Bull Music Festival series has circumvented the globe, shining a light on the unique sounds and scenes of its host cities. For the inaugural installment in Berlin, celebration converges with education for the 20th anniversary edition of the Red Bull Music Academy. 61 music-makers selected from around the world will come together at the Funkhaus, a historic recording complex In East Berlin, where they’ll collaborate in custom-built studios and attend lectures with artists that have shaped the contemporary musical landscape.
When Jeff Mills became the first artist to sit down on a Red Bull Music Academy lecture couch, in a Berlin warehouse in 1998, his selection was no coincidence. The Detroit techno legend’s symbiotic relationship with Berlin embodies the city’s open attitude towards cultural exchange and creative innovation – the ways in which Berlin refuses to recognize walls of any kind, and enables artists to grow like few other places can.
For the Red Bull Music Festival, Jeff Mills will provide inspiration in a different form, performing alongside drummer and Fela Kuti collaborator Tony Allen at Funkhaus. Elsewhere, G.O.O.D Music boss and rap legend Pusha T and Grammy-nominated singer and actressJanelle Monáe will take their place on the lecture couch to share wisdom in two public talks during the festival.
In a nod to techno as part of the German capital’s DNA, S3kt0r Ufo: 30 Jahre Techno sees a roster of the genre’s biggest names – including Red Bull Music Academy alumna Nina Kraviz, Academy studio team member Mathew Jonson, Westbam, UR presents Depth Charge and DJ Hell – come together for a time-bending journey through three decades of Berlin techno.
One of RBMA’s most popular event series, United States of Bass, goes international with Bass Union, assembling sub-loving innovators from across Europe, including UK grime figurehead D Double E, Lisbon’s Nidia and club deconstructionist Gaika; looking further afield, An Afro-Rhythmic Affair celebrates a range of explosively popular, swagger-laden club music sounds from the African diaspora with some of the genre’s biggest stars, including Naija/Ghana cool kid Mr. Eazi and Angolan Kuduro star Titica.
Continuing in Red Bull Music tradition of fostering creativity, electronic music iconoclasts Oneohtrix Point Never and Jlin will create works for the world premiere of the Symphonic Sound System, a new 4D spatial sound system in partnership with MONOM. Also premiering during the festival is Sevdaliza’s The Great Hope Design from the Dutch avant-pop producer and Red Bull Music Academy alumna who will collaborate with LA-based German choreographer Rauf Yasit AKA RubberLegz on an alternative, heart-led reality, using Berlin’s storied Volksbühne theater as a laboratory.
Berliners are known for transforming abandoned spaces into clubs and cultural centers, and in this same spirit, festival events will take place at a range of unique venues, including SEZ, a former sports and recreation center in East Berlin, and the Zeiss-Großplanetarium, where award-winning German composer and Academy alumnus Robot Koch joins forces with visual artist Mickael Le Goff for an audiovisual journey through the spheres.
The festival also brings two Red Bull Music signature events to Berlin for the first time: Culture Clash, an earth-shaking take on Jamaican soundsystem clashes featuring diverse local crews from different genres and backgrounds, and Diggin’ in the Carts, presenting live performances including Kode9 and Kōji Morimoto inspired by cult Japanese video game soundtracks.
The 2018 hand-selected Red Bull Music Academy participants represent some of the most exciting new voices in music from around the globe. As part of the Red Bull Music Festival, they’ll perform – often for the first time in Berlin – as part of the events program.
To learn more about the 61 artists taking part in the Academy, visit http://win.gs/classof18.
In addition to the festival events, original editorial will be created on wide-ranging topics in a variety of storytelling formats throughout September and October on redbullmusicacademy.com/berlin and daily.redbullmusicacademy.com as well as on social channels.
Broadcasting live from a custom-built studio at the Funkhaus, Red Bull Radio (www.redbullradio.com) will also feature five weeks of Berlin-focused programming, including event livestreams, daily specials featuring the 2018 Academy participants, and more.
For details of all events, visit redbullmusicacademy.com/berlin
