(South Africa) March 1, 2011 – Take note music magicians, beat-makers, dance-floor movers, prodigious producers and soulful singers keen to take their craft to the next level. As part of the application phase to the Red Bull Music Academy 2011, three free workshops will be hosted across South Africa in March to help guide and inspire prospective applicants. Black Coffee, a past participant at the Red Bull Music Academy held in Cape Town in 2003 – and now one of the most successful DJ producers in South Africa – will be the main guest as part of these laid-back chit-chat sessions on the couch.
For music makers keen to apply for the Academy* – taking place in Tokyo from October 23 to November 4, and November 13 to November 25, 2011 – the workshops will be held in:
- Cape Town (Chrome) – Wednesday, March 23 @ 19h30
- Johannesburg (The Bank) – Thursday, March 24 @ 19h30
- Durban (Max Lifestyle) – Sunday, March 27 @ 10h30
Intimate, interactive and informative, the workshops are rare opportunities to meet alumni of the Red Bull Music Academy experience, and receive advice and tips on the comprehensive application process to attend the Academy. Part of similar workshops in over 50 countries worldwide, they will be followed by after-dark performances by South African alumni of the Academy, with Black Coffee as the headline DJ.
“The workshops in SA will be a taste of what it’s like to attend the Academy,” says Black Coffee, Red Bull Music Academy alumnus. “If you’re serious about getting picked, find the time to check one out. For anyone who wants to take their music career to the next level, the Academy offers the chance to work with some ridiculously talented people and learn more than you can imagine about producing and performing music.”
Those interested in attending any of these events should visit www.redbullstudio.co.za or the Red Bull Bot on MXit for more details about locations and times.
Academy legacy
Culoe do Song and Black Coffee are among 30 or so South Africans who have participated in the Red Bull Music Academy, and part of a network of more than 200 ambassadors in 67 countries, including South Africa’s Thabo Rasenyalo (Thibo Tazz), Iain Robinson (Creamy Ewok Baggends), Thabo Konopi (T-Man) and Gerald Ribeiro (Sisco Umlambo).
Helping SA applicants
The local Academy ambassadors will be available online and in-person throughout the country to help interested applicants to complete and submit their applications before April 4 – the application deadline. To save money on postage, local applicants are advised to send their submissions to one of four Red Bull offices in SA or the Red Bull Studio in Cape Town. For mailing addresses, visit www.redbullstudio, MXit or “Red Bull Studio Cape Town” on Facebook.
"The most important thing about the application process is be yourself and let your unique personality and creativity come through in your answers,” advises Culoe De Song.
International success stories from SA
Only a handful of South Africans have benefited from the learning and collaboration offered by the Academy. Some of the more notable ones include:
- Black Coffee – he now spends as much time touring the world as he does DJing back at home. One of his most legendary gigs was in the Red Bull Music Academy Lounge at Sonar in 2007, where he played the closing set as the sun went down and the revelry of the festival reached its peak.
- Culoe De Song - At only 17 years of age, he was chosen to attend the Red Bull Music Academy in Barcelona in 2008. During the Academy his career was kicked into high-gear after two of his tracks were picked up by Innervisions, one of the most influential house and techno labels. Hitting big overseas before being ‘discovered’ in SA, Culoe De Song regularly releases music for Black Coffee’s Soulistic label, along with other labels; fast catching up to his mentor.
- Richard the Third – since attending the Academy in 2004, he has thrived as a prolific producer of Dubstep. Now a regular DJ at some of the country’s best clubs, Richard is part of the DJ duo Biscope (with his brother Twelv), has toured the USA, Europe and South America; and more recently produced Spoek Mathambo's successful debut album, as well as joining the red-hot Mshin Wam troupe.
- Jullian Gomes (g.family) - another example of the calibre of talent emerging from Red Bull Music Academy, he has been asked to perform at the Sonar festival in Barcelona this June.
Range of music styles
Since it was launched in 1998, 720 participants and around 550 lecturers have been part of the Red Bull Music Academy experience. Each year, the Red Bull Music Academy receives thousands of applications from a broad spectrum of music styles. While house and techno form a large percentage of the applications, some of the most high-profile attendees have been found among artists from a more live music-orientated background, as well as producers, engineers, instrumentalists, songwriters and arrangers,
About the Red Bull Music Academy
As a travelling symposium of music performance, production and knowledge, the Red Bull Music Academy is a platform for those who shape the musical future. This year, two groups of 30 aspiring and inspiring music makers, vocalists and DJs from around the world will come together in Tokyo to work together on tracks, play in clubs and concert halls, and hear music wisdom straight from the source. For more information, visit www.redbullmusicacademy.com
*Applicants must be at least 20-years-old to apply – the legal drinking age in Japan – having been born on or before October 22, 1991.
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