RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY, NEW YORK
Giorgio Moroder & Chris Cox
the single most anticipated set throughout the five weeks is from the man himself. It’s the Italy-born, Germany-based producer’s first-ever live DJ set and the excitement at Brooklyn’s Output isn’t even palpable — it’s explosive. The man and myth himself finally comes on with younger sidekick Chris Cox and actually vocodes his intro. We are then treated to hit after hit from Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ to ‘The Chase’ to Sparks’ ‘Beat the Clock’. Laughing all the way, Moroder fill us in with a summary of his life and career (which marks the first time and probably only time we hear a superclub fall completely silent), which leads into the track he collaborated on with Daft Punk on ‘Random Access Memories’, ‘Giorgio By Moroder’. Everyone is sporting feel-good grins from ear to ear by the end as legend-in- his-own-right François K mans the helm of the best Deep Space set we’ve ever heard from him. We even spot Juan Atkins, who played a fantastic set the weekend prior that DJ Mag attended, in the crowd looking suitably chuffed to be seeing one of his biggest influences in the flesh.
DFA IS PLAYING AT MY HOUSE In the wake of the nightlife rubble post- Giuliani and 9/11, a fledgling record label fought to keep its city dancing by fusing elements of post-punk, indie and disco in a way that appealed to people without being overtly house and techno (which had temporarily lost its popularity throughout this time.) Twelve years on, DFA is still going strong (despite the ongoing legal rift between James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy) and their RBMA party is by far the biggest of the series. It’s set in the Grand Prospect Hall, a historic multi-level structure that boasts massive chandeliers and a general palatial feel. Four thousand revelers come out in true bank holiday weekend style as most of the label’s roster play across three rooms. The Crystal Ark,
Masters at Work
Planningtorock, Prinzhorn Dance School, Black Dice, Factory Floor and Still Going top the night for us. We only wish more people were dancing during Shit Robot’s ravey numbers and James Murphy’s celebratory birthday DJ set, which he does tucked away in a dark corner of a balcony instead of on-stage with the rest.
And just like that, it’s over. We return to our normal chock-full raving and gig schedules as the first of many heatwaves swathes the city in stickiness. What’s going to happen now? Will promoters come away convinced that the only way forward is through corporate sponsorship? Is that necessarily a bad thing? Or will a grassroots rebellion shun all future work from Red Bull whilst
promoting independent D.I.Y. ethics? It’ll be interesting to see how the legacy of RBMA 2013 manifests itself, but at the moment playing sleep catch-up and performing an early January-esque detox take precedence after what most certainly feels like the musical equivalent to spoils of the holiday
season.ZARA WLADAWSKY
djmag.com 063
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