Thirty-two-year-old Yoshiyuki "Yosi" Horikawa from Ibaraki, Osaka, couldn't believe his eyes when he went online the morning of July 16.
"When I got the e-mail I was so surprised," he says. "I started pumping my fists in the air in celebration. Since it was early in the morning, I also felt like I might have still been dreaming ... but I wasn't. I was selected for the academy."
The academy Horikawa is talking about is the Red Bull Music Academy, and it's a bedroom musician's dream come true. It takes the form of two separate two-week workshops with 30 participants in each. They descend on a chosen city to take part in lectures, recording sessions and mentoring from established dance-music heavyweights. And, it's completely paid for.