Thunder Down Under

The journey is set to begin again. In 2006 and in its 9th year the Red Bull Music Academy is going to Melbourne, Australia. Not just any old music event, the Academy is a school of beats, rhymes and life.

The program gives once-in-a-lifetime opportunities – such as the chance to go back down memory lane with music’s most prized contributors, to share futuristic studio perspectives or capture a timeless groove in a late night jam session. The Academy is a place where self-knowledge is prized above pride. It’s where music-makers young and old find the tools and inspiration to take their dreams to new heights.
 
The journey has so far led to Berlin, Dublin, New York, London, Sao Paulo, Cape Town, and Rome, and since visiting Seattle, the “Emerald City”, in 2005, the Academy now travels to Melbourne, the jewel in Australia's South. Melbourne is a cosmopolitan and arts-oriented city of 3.2 million, and has long been a favourite outpost for musicians and artists of all kinds. The ideal place for the gifted to gather and trade tips? We think so.
 
 In the grand scheme of things, Australia is a new country, little over two centuries old, and its isolation has forced a unique and exciting culture, moving towards the future in fast forward. The city has become home to many immigrants since the Gold Rush in the 1850s, and now includes some of the largest Italian, Vietnamese and Greek communities in the world.
 
Within an hour of the city, winding roads hug beaches and picturesque coastline. Downtown, the markets burst with subtropical and tropical fruit and the characters who sing and shout to sell it. Home to Nick Cave and the whimsical Indie Pop of Architecture In Helsinki, Melbourne boasts a healthy Hip Hop fraternity, Avant Electronica scene and a dedicated Techno community that stretches back to the early ‘90s, as well as Disco, Deep House, Roots/Reggae and an emerging Nu Jazz movement. Relaxed licensing laws have resulted in a vibrant selection of clubs and bars secreted in every corner of town. For all these reasons and more, Melbourne represents the perfect port for the Academy’s eclectic style.
 

Click forward to the next page to learn more about the Academy, and how to apply.