I recently had the honor of working with m ss ng p eces and Red Bull Music Academy to document the intimate, closed talks that took place as part of RBMA 2013 in New York City.
In a room that held only sixty people, RBMA's journalist and musician interviewers conducted informal talks with some 50 luminaries from all aspects of music production, arrangement, and performance, including Phillip Glass, James Murphy, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Nigel Godrich, Brian Eno, Debbie Harry, Giorgio Moroder, Q-Tip, El-P, and Rakim.
Followup questions after each talk came from not only the RBMA participants but the RBMA studio assistants and staff, including cats the likes of Flying Lotus, Four Tet, Just Blaze, Thundercat, Throwing Snow, Distal, Flako, Koreless, Dorian Concept, Osborne, and Matthew Johnson.
As technical director on the project, I saw every second of every session from three angles. While directing camera coverage and editing on the fly and just generally scrutinizing every beat of every interview, I developed an intimate relationship with the material, and formed some strong opinions about what made for an ace talk.
Below are my top five from the 2013 academy. All are worth watching, but these stood out to me, each for their own reasons. Take some time to check them out and enjoy the fireworks in your brainpan.
#5: Giorgio Moroder
Genteel and charming, Giorgio comes across as a man who has made few mistakes and has no regrets. He even says as much in this talk with RBMA founder Torsten Schmidt. Watch if you are a fan of synths, moustaches, Scarface, or Donna Summer.