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Two NZ Participants Selected for Red Bull Music Academy

Two NZ Participants Selected for Red Bull Music Academy - Paris!

The Red Bull Music Academy is proud to announce the 61 participants of the 2015 Academy edition at la Gaîté lyrique in Paris. For the first time ever, two New Zealand participants have been selected for the Academy, including Race Banyon/Lontalious (Eddie Johnston) and k2k (Katherine Anderson) – both reigning from our creative capital, Wellington.

Selected by a jury out of 4,509 applications, this year’s class is composed of producers, DJs, instrumentalists, vocalists and composers from 37 different countries. Their musical styles stretch from modern classical to juke, bedroom pop, R&B, shoegaze, techno, instrumental hip hop, power electronics, ambient, jazz, IDM, drone, future bass, disco, drum & bass and beyond.

There’s a particular tone and texture to walking home from a party alone, or sitting in bed while the person you’re crushing on is at said party without you. The music of Eddie Johnston, a young New Zealander, captures that feeling perfectly. As Lontalius, he takes heartbreak and stumbling into adulthood as his guiding principles, conveying heart and sincerity with finespun vocals, shuffling percussion, and synthetic melodies. Another alias, Race Banyon, is deployed for his electronic productions and live sets. In 2014, following a run of self-released EPs and albums, Johnston guested on Ryan Hemsworth’s Alone for the First Time LP and shared bills with Baauer, Rustie, and Kaytranada.

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“I feel great, I didn’t think I’d get accepted the first time I tried!” Says Race Banyon. “Seeing Paris for the first time is so exciting, the city has been a huge musical influence for me and I can’t wait to see live performances.”

k2k specializes in alternate realities, from luminous downtempo collages inspired by the West Coast beat scene to spectral pop-house with fried edges. A web developer and novice hacker, she mines digital culture for source material, transfiguring samples from hip hop and new-school R&B.

“I’m incredibly stoked, just being selected has made me so motivated to produce more music.” Says k2k. “It’s so nice to have recognition from Red Bull, I can’t wait to make the most of everything I learn! I’m also excited to travel with Race Banyon. I’ve seen a bit of him around town; he’s got cool tunes and puts on a really fun live show.”

From October 25 to November 27, the participants will take part in studio sessions, workshops and lectures with legendary artists at the Academy during their respective 2-week terms. At night, each participant will join the lineup at one of the many events that will take place at la Gaîté lyrique and throughout the city as part of the Red Bull Music Academy.

The Academy experience in 2015 will unfold in various ways throughout la Gaîté lyrique. In an exhibition titled Paris Musique Club, we will collaborate with visionary French collectives from the music world and beyond to bring their stories and aesthetic visions to life. RBMA Radio, meanwhile, will find a place at Plateau Media, creating a public-facing studio for the many hours of live programming that will be done throughout the Academy.

For the past four years, la Gaîté lyrique has delighted the capital with an up-to-the-minute mix of concerts, exhibitions, conferences, screenings and performances. Its forward-thinking and multidisciplinary programming lies at the intersection of music, visual arts, cinematography, gaming, design and digital arts – and it has become a cultural hub for the Parisian community and its worldwide guests. La Gaîté lyrique's approach is similar to that of Red Bull Music Academy: Both provide a platform for local scenes to create, collaborate and celebrate.

To find out the full Red Bull Music Academy Class of 2015, visit redbullmusicacademy.com.

ENDS

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