Red Bull Music Academy Announces New York Events

Panda Bear (pictured), Kele Okereke of Bloc Party and David Byrne are just some of the artists who have been slated to play this year's Red Bull Music Academy Festival in New York City.

The music lineup includes everything from electronic and R&B to heavy metal and indie rock. The events that will take place throughout May will not only treat fans to some great music, they'll also educate participants in the particulars of certain genres.

The Academy's kickoff on May 1 will take attendees on a ride through the evolution of American club dance styles, featuring various moves from MikeQ, Todd Terry, DJ Sliink, Mike Gip and Bobby Konders. Okereke, Byrne, Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor, Pat Mahoney of LCD Soundsystem and others will pay homage to Nigerian-born synth-punk forefather William Onyeabo in 'William Onyeabor: Atomic Bomb' on May 2 and 3.

There are also artists who'll showcase their new material for the first time. Panda Bear is scheduled to do this on May 18 at Warsaw in Brooklyn. And in one of the Academy's most anticipated events, D'Angelo will host an intimate talk on May 21 at the Brooklyn Museum Cantor Auditorium, where he'll discuss his creative process and his career (which hopefully will be relaunched real soon).

The month-long fest will culminate on May 31 with 'A Class of Its Own: RBMA Closing Night,' where alumni from the Academy's past 15 years will perform together. For more information on the series and to purchase tickets, go here.