RBMA 2008 Barcelona



The Red Bull Music Academy - held this year in Barcelona, Spain - has shut its doors once more for another year, but the buzz that follows will linger for a long time after.
Guest speakers included Melvin Van Peebles, Belgian EBM pioneers Front 242 and drum 'n' bass icon Goldie, who told the tale of his urban anthem Inner City Life, the graffiti-like science of making music, and the evolution of his genre from dusky raves in dusty warehouses to full symphony orchestras. The participants of Workshop Term 1 - including Kiwi talents Jessica Hansell and Will Ricketts - kept the studios humming until the break of dawn, or lit up local hot spots with impromptu performances and unique collaborations.

The city's penchant for “long lunch breaks and late night clubs” were a highlight for Jessica, who also thought “Goldie was magnetic to watch and listen to… I loved him being so passionate about his album Timeless because that was a revolutionary record for me when I was younger”. She adds that “when you have that many talented people in one space, there is a lot of self-evaluation that goes down. I felt like someone was going to tap me on the shoulder and say there had been some kind of mistake and kick me out - everyone was that incredible to work with. Each of us experienced these surreal feelings of wondering how we got there, whether our music was up to an international standard, whether we had the vision and right to utilise the resources etc.” She says that “above all (aside from all the technical skills I picked up, the stylistic ideas and the fantastic network), I learnt not to compare myself to others, to be myself and not to fear not fitting in. Being unique is what originally earned me my place at the Academy, and what my peers loved best about me anyway.”
She adds that this year's crew were a very close-knit group and everyone was able to creatively accommodate each other. Right now she is working with Robin Hannibal from Denmark, n6el from the Dominican Republic, Pepepe from Mexico, Debruit from Paris, Limyth from the Czech Republic and Subeena from the UK, “plus I have plans for a mix-tape project with my twin-rap sister in crime Violet  from Portugual”. She is also relocating to Berlin for part of 2009 “so the academy had a huge influence on my path and who I was lucky enough to work with”. “Prepare to fall in love with thirty people in a non-kinky way,” she says, “and warning: the break-up is brutal.”

Will arrived early in Barcelona, and despite a hiccup with lost luggage, settled into the Catalan vibe almost straight away. He headed straight for “a storeroom full of vintage guitars, basses, analog synths like moog voyagers, a jam room, vocal booth and recording room, and the academy hired me a vibraphone and congas and organised a gig for me at the Harlem Jazz Bar where I could stay jamming and recording till three, four or five every morning when I wanted to”. He concludes, “I had one of the most sleepless and enjoyable experiences of my life”.