Whenever I Hear a Remix I Think of Healing

By Theodore Kerr



A one-of-a-kind force in New York City’s legendary downtown music scene of the 1970s and 80s, Arthur Russell left behind a beguiling, ahead-of-its-time body of work spanning from avant-garde classical to hypnotic minimalist disco to haunting, plaintive folk. For Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell!, playing the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House on May 29 & 30, the Red Hot Organization in partnership with Red Bull Music Academy has assembled an eclectic lineup of intrepid musicians—including Cults, Devonté Hynes, Sam Amidon, Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters, and more—to breathe new life into Russell’s spellbinding compositions.

A Red Hot Travelogue: Two Nights in Havana

By Nick Schwartz-Hall

Last July, in preparation for the Red Hot + Cuba shows, I flew to Havana to do some advance work and meet the artists. Because of the embargo the US maintains against Cuba, even making phone calls and sending emails between Cuba and the US are tricky, much less negotiating a contract with an artist or even spending money. Still, it was an amazing and productive trip. We’re fortunate that our co-music directors, Andres Levin and CuCu Diamantes (who is originally Cuban), have visited Cuba over the last few years while making a movie, Amor Crónico, and they know many of the artists we are working with.