On Saturday, March 19, the edgy Block T venue in Smithfield played host as the Red Bull Music Academy Sessions returned to Dublin. The venue is an old tile factory located in the heart of Dublin city centre and is now used by freelance artists as a creative space.
A very Irish theme ran through the RBMA Session on Saturday evening as three of Ireland’s finest musical outputs B+ (aka Brian Cross), David Kitt & OB (aka Olan O Brien of All City Records) gave our 100 attendees a special 2.5-hour talk about music, production, song writing and their overall musical experiences.
OB began proceedings as he spoke about his various musical experiences in particular the growth of his self-made, world famous All City Records Label and the collaborations he has masterminded.
Then B+ took to the couch where he reminisced about his various experiences which took him from an unknown art student from Limerick in Dublin to one of the most well renowned Hip Hop photographers of his time. B+ discussed the ups and downs of his various musical relationships from Lauren Hill to Damien Marley, as well as wowing the crowds with some of his short movies recently shot in Jamaica with Damien Marley.
Last but by no means least on the couch was David Kitt who took the crowd through the evolution of a song from first inspiration through creation to production, as it became evident that late nights ‘in the zone’ and lots of creative improvisation have been invaluable in his experiences.
The session continued on to The Grand Social where B+ and David Kitt took to the decks.
Ruth Medjber / Red Bull Music Academy
In keeping with the theme of art and to tie in with the RBMA Session weekend the Red Bull Music Academy proudly presented a special photo exhibition of Irish man B+’s (aka Brian Cross) work in Block T, open to the public from March 18-25.
The exhibition, entitled Ghostnotes, presents an exploration of the relationship of photography to music through 20 years of music photography. This is the first time Brian has shown his work in Ireland for over 20 years.
The Ghostnotes exhibition was launched on Friday evening to over 200 special guests and media at the edgy venue. Among those in attendance at the launch were representatives from national media including RTÉ Digital, The Irish Times, The Irish Independent, Today FM, The News of the World as well as music press including Hotpress, Alternative Ulster and many photography enthusiasts.
A testament to the power of the activity is the National College of Art and Design lecturers request to keep the space open for an extra week so he can hold workshops there with his students. This has been agreed with the venue for no extra cost, and B+ will host a screening of one of his new documentaries to wrap up the week on Friday, March 25.
Ruth Medjber / Red Bull Music Academy
Ruth Medjber / Red Bull Music Academy
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