The 2013 edition of the Red Bull Music Academy officially begins at the tail end of this week, kicking off a month-long run of events and lectures that will accompany the two academy sessions taking place during May. With at least one public event in NYC appearing on the RBMA calendar every day from April 28 to May 31, we’ve boiled down the slew of enticing offerings to just the 10 most essential happenings—which was no easy task. Our picks for RBMA’s 2013 session can be found after the jump.

Masters at Work

Masters at Work & Special Guests
Friday, May 3 • Le Bain at The Standard, High Line, 444 W. 13th St, New York, NY
11 p.m. – 4 a.m. • Free, 21+
Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez and “Little” Louie Vega (a.k.a. Masters at Work) have been at this for a long time now—over 20 years, in fact—so it goes without saying that the veteran duo knows how to rock a party. On the first Friday of May, the house pioneers are set deliver a three-hour live set that’s sure to be heavy on soulful vibes and will feature an entire roster of “special guests.” LA’s Suzanne Kraft and Italy’s Jolly Mare are scheduled to provide the opening support.

Brian Eno’s 77 Million Paintings Exhibition
Friday, May 3 – Sunday, June 2 • 145 W. 32nd St, New York, NY
12 p.m. – 8 p.m. Daily (Closed on Mondays) • $5 Suggested Donation
77 Million Paintings is described as a work that is somewhere “between music and painting.” The audio-visual installation randomly generates combinations of music and visuals to yield images and sonic moments that are essentially the result of an almost infinite amount of possibilities. Like most things attributed to Brian Eno, 77 Million Paintings is likely to at least be a stimulating work of art, if not an entirely immersive one, and considering a $5 suggested donation is all one needs to take a look, it seems foolish to miss out. Eno will also be giving an illustrated talk as part of RBMA on May 6; details on that can be found here.

Brooklyn Flea Record Fair
Saturday, May 4 • Smorgasburg, Kent Avenue at N. 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY
11 a.m. – 6 p.m. • Free, All Ages
In May, RBMA plans to spice up the Brooklyn Flea Record Fair, an NYC insitution for vinyl enthusiasts and those who live to dig. For this special edition of the record fair, labels such as Ghostly, DFA, Modular, Mexican Summer, and more will be selling wax “out-the-trunk style,” while master mixer DJ / rupture and others will be soundtracking the dusty dig. Buying records while listening to records—a simple yet rewarding combination indeed.

Andy Stott

The Bunker w/ Andy Stott, Atom TM, Objekt, and more
Saturday, May 4 • Public Assembly, 70 N. 6th St, Brooklyn, NY
10 p.m. – 6 a.m. • $20, 21+
New York’s long-standing haven for underground techno, The Bunker, will be teaming up with RBMA for a night in Brooklyn with heavy hitters Andy Stott, Objekt, and Atom TM (a.k.a. Uwe Schmidt a.k.a. Señor Coconut) lined up to fill the room with their massive sonic offerings. 100% Silk affiliate Octo Octa is also set to perform live along with a selection of Academy participants.

Four Tet and Special Guests
Wednesday, May 8 • Webster Hall, 125 E. 11th St, New York, NY
8 p.m. – 12 a.m. • $5, 18+ (Sold Out)
If there is one thing that ties Four Tet and his special guests for the night of May 8—Jon Hopkins and Koreless—together, it is their shared affinitiy for melodically infused electronic music. The unfortunately already sold-out show is likely to have generous helpings of blissful sweeps, spiraling arpeggios, and glistening bells, on top of the adventurous dance music these three producers are known for crafting.

L-Vis 1990 and Bok Bok

Dark Disco w/ Metro Area, Gerd Janson, Bok Bok B2B L-Vis 1990, and More
Friday, May 10 • 88 Palace, 88 E. Broadway, New York, NY
11 p.m. – 4 a.m. • $15 (Advance), $20 (Doors), 21+
RBMA’s Dark Disco night is set to mark the end of its first academy session with a party down in “the basement of one of the best Dim Sum restaurants in the Lower East Side.” To celebrate, an all-star cast of selectors has been enlisted, including reunited disco dons Metro Area (a.k.a. Morgan Geist and Darshan Jesrani), Running Back label head Gerd Janson, and Night Slugs impresarios Bok Bok and L-Vis 1990 going B2B.

Byte Boogie w/ Mister Saturday Night and Dope Jams
Sunday, May 19 • Secret Venue
9 p.m. – 1 a.m. • Free with Invite, 21+
It’s only right that RBMA hooks up with the Mister Saturday Night crew during its stay in New York. The regular NYC party and, more recently, label run by Eamon Harkin and Justin Carter has been one of the city’s most consistent and visible forces pushing dance music forward, and has long been particularly keen on exploring the blurry lines where various dancefloor sounds meet. Even better, RBMA has also signed up the vinyl connaisseurs from the sadly now-closed Dope Jams record store, making the night an excellent showcase of some of the city’s finest homegrown tastemakers.

Deep Space w/ Giorgio Moroder (DJ Set), T.Williams, Benjamin Damage, François K
Monday, May 20 • Cielo, 18 Little West 12th St, New York, NY
9 p.m. – 3:30 a.m. • $40, 21+ (Sold Out)
Deep Space and RBMA put together quite the stacked bill for this collaborative effort, bringing London’s T. Williams, 50Weapons affiliate Benjamin Damage, and recently reactivated disco pioneer Giorgio Moroder to join Deep Space resident and respected veteran house jock François K for the night. With a line-up as strong as it is diverse, it’s easy to see why this one is already sold out.

Pantha Du Prince and the Bell Laboratory

Pantha Du Prince and the Bell Laboratory
Tuesday, May 28 • West Park Church, 165 W. 86th St, New York, NY
6:30 p.m. – 11 p.m. • $20, All Ages
In RBMA’s final week, the organization is set to bring German producer Hendrik Weber stateside for the premiere US performance of his latest project, Pantha Du Prince and the Bell Laboratory. The six-piece ensemble will summon the depths of their bell-like instruments—including the gigantic carillon—as Weber processes and adds bits of electronics to the entrancing pieces. Plus, all of this will go down in an iconic NYC church—one that was originally built just before the 20th century—which is just about the perfect place one could take in the sounds of Pantha Du Prince’s Bell Laboratory.

RBMA Closing Night w/ L.I.E.S., Kerri Chandler, Mathew Jonson, Mosca, and More
Friday, May 31 • Output, 74 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
8 p.m. – 4 a.m. • $15 (Advance), 21+
Everyone knows that closing-night parties make for the most fun. It doesn’t matter if it’s the closing night of a school play, a work retreat, or—in this case—a month of intensive music workshops and top-notch events; the work is done, the culmination of everyone’s efforts comes to a head, and it’s simply time to let loose. Throw into that mix Ron Morelli and Steve Summers representing the L.I.E.S. crew, Kerri Chandler, Mathew Jonson, Mosca, and the “Red Bull Music Academy All-Stars” and you got yourself a damn fine party to end on. RBMA NYC is clearly planning to go out with a bang.

The full list of RBMA NYC events can be found here.