Londoner Nick Wilson took part in one of the early editions of the Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) in Cape Town in 2003. The ensuing years have seen him heavily involved in the city's underground scene, whether it is producing genre-hopping electronic music as Mr Beatnick or writing for publications such as Fact Magazine. The Japan Times figures he's the perfect person to give us an appraisal of the academy's evolution over the past decade.
What was RBMA like back in 2003? Did it follow the same format we're currently familiar with?
Indeed it did, the format hasn't changed in a decade, which must be testament to the fact that it works. The 2003 edition was held in Cape Town and it was early days for the academy back then — I've visited a few sessions over the years, be it Seattle, London or Madrid, the flavor and vibe of the event is always dictated to a certain extent by the location, but the core concept remains the same — informal musical information exchange for two weeks, peer to peer.
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