Techno Rebels: the Renegades of Electronic Funk Ebook

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Techno Rebels: the Renegades of Electronic Funk Ebook TECHNO REBELS: THE RENEGADES OF ELECTRONIC FUNK PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Dan Sicko,Bill Brewster | 176 pages | 15 Apr 2010 | Wayne State University Press | 9780814334386 | English | Detroit, MI, United States Techno Rebels: The Renegades of Electronic Funk PDF Book Preview — Techno Rebels by Dan Sicko. Off to Battle: Redefining the Detroit Underground, — pp. Due to the nature of its short, quick analysis, it runs through the history of the genre fairly quickly, not really giving the reader a lot of time to sit down and focus on little details, individual stories and anecdotes that contribute to the reader's unders A really quick, engaging read on a very maligned and misunderstood genre of electronic music. How it came from Chicago "house" music. Preface pp. Read more Overall, though, it's a very engaging and interesting read. View all 3 comments. Marco rated it liked it Oct 19, Rating details. To ask other readers questions about Techno Rebels , please sign up. If you're looking to start exploring techno music, Techno Rebels would make an excellent first port of call. This book serves more as biographical information about the pioneers of Detroi While I'm glad that a book exists on Detroit techno, it really only skims the surface. Aug 05, Kelly rated it really liked it Recommends it for: dorks. And the section where he moves into other genres touched by techno just felt far too cursory, in some cases it was almost as if he was winging it! Community Reviews. Readers also enjoyed. Dan Sicko has written for numerous publications, including Rolling Stone , Wired , and Urb , and founded the early digital music magazine Reverb. The DEMF was remarkable because it gave credence to what everyone had been doing underground for so many years. Due to the nature of its short, quick analysis, it runs through the history of the genre fairly quickly, not really giving the reader a lot of time to sit down and focus on little details, individual stories and anecdotes that contribute to the reader's understanding of where this genre came from and how people created it. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless. I was also a little bit disappointed that it spent most of its time focused on the Detroit angle of techno, which makes sense, since it was created there, but it would've been nice to have more than a few passing mentions of such incredible British techno-inspired artists such as Aphex Twin, Autechre, and others. I particularly liked Sicko's dissection of the major-label driven "electronica" boom of the late 90s and how it managed to both co-opt real dance music and alienate the unfamiliar. Either way, I give the book 2 stars, mostly because it is so dated. These two books complement each other extremely well. Techno Rebels gives a thorough picture of the music itself and the trailblazing musicians behind it and is a must-read for all fans of techno, popular music, and contemporary culture. Overall, much of While the book is kind of dated written in -- it discusses mp3 as an emerging distribution technology and the writing style is pretty dry very academic in nature , the book does provide an informative history of techno up to The book does a great job of digging deep into the socioeconomics of the era that gave birth to the genre, so that by the time you get to the big Charivari party, you understand exactly why these kids are blending the things that they're blending together and where the genre was born. The perfect overview for somebody who may not know much about techno but wants to get into it. Table of Contents. Index pp. Open Preview See a Problem? It confirms Detroit techno's legacy as one of those miraculous cultural accidents-a collision of time, place, technology, and individuals-that catch the world off-guard and keep resonating long after the original signal has faded, at every imaginable frequency. The first authoritative American chronicle of the most innovative trend in contemporary music, this appraisal is a must for all followers of what's hottest in music today. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. Project MUSE Mission Project MUSE promotes the creation and dissemination of essential humanities and social science resources through collaboration with libraries, publishers, and scholars worldwide. Original Title. A must read for fans of Detroit, and electronic music. Even as he moves across the Atlantic to cover State and A Guy Called Gerald, along with the next generation of Detroit producers, including the likes of Carl Craig, Richie Hawtin and Underground Resistance, he manages to retain focus. Impetus for the coverage of jungle could have sprung from the bleep 'n bass chapter, with the likes of Unique 3 and Shut Up And Dance serving as a bridge, rather than its being tucked way as a footnote at the end. Even better than the version. LOG IN. There's certainly a case to be made for these genres' duality. Great little history book with focus on the Bellville Three. Reading Dan Sicko's Techno Rebels is like having a conversation with a really cool friend who has a great memory and also happens to have been present, hanging around, talking to the right people, at one of the most interesting periods musically in this city's musically crucial history. Book Images. Welcome back. Dec 16, Slye rated it it was amazing. I feel the author does kind of overemphasize the importance of developments in Detroit throughout the book, but he does at least somewhat cover techno developments elsewhere in the world. Techno Rebels: The Renegades of Electronic Funk Writer Dan Sicko has written for numerous publications, including Rolling Stone , Wired , and Urb , and founded the early digital music magazine Reverb. Double and the Kemet Crew would have been more than welcome additions to the narrative. To be fair, the second half of the book is scattered, attempting to quickly cover the all of the rest of Electronic Dance Music in about pages. Original Title. Showing Community Reviews. Vladimir Dzalbo rated it really liked it Aug 03, The DEMF was remarkable because it gave credence to what everyone had been doing underground for so many years. As techno, the music, continues to spread worldwide, and techno, the idea, becomes slipperier with the years, Dan Sicko's thorough, intimate account of the music's origins is more relevant than ever. Overall, much of While the book is kind of dated written in -- it discusses mp3 as an emerging distribution technology and the writing style is pretty dry very academic in nature , the book does provide an informative history of techno up to Incredibly wide perspective of what Techno is about, as well as its history. O cartulie cinstita, perspectiva istorica, cam enciclopedica si boring pe alocuri, orientata exclusiv pe muzica si mai putin pe restu culturii, ceea ce e meah. Or maybe I'm not giving Detroit the credit it deserves. An excellent and comprehensive history lesson for anyone into the electronic music genre that wants to know the beginnings. I still give the book five stars because the first half is an outstanding and realized history of Detroit Techno. This is unnecessary, though a legitimate holdover from the "Electronica" days where such a multitude of sounds and scenes were mentally and critically shoehorned into one umbrella term. Read more Techno Rebels: The Renegades of Electronic Funk This is an updated, expanded history of techno music with special attention to its roots in Detroit. These stories are simply classic, and Sicko's dogged pursuit of surrounding historical context seems to unfold them in three dimensions. Paperback, pages. In this Book. Description Authors Reviews. Open Preview See a Problem? About Dan Sicko. Ultimately, Sicko argues that techno is rooted in the "collective dreaming" of the city of Detroit—as if its originators wanted to preserve what was great about the city—its machines and its deep soul roots. And the section where he moves into other genres touched by techno just felt far too cursory, in some cases it was almost as if he was winging it! The truth is that no one really discusses this era because it was the last time Detroit felt any real hope, and we hold it very close to our hearts. And how Canada relates. I think the book does lose its way a bit when he moves into other genres like jungle and post rock toward the end; also when he starts giving a country by country breakdown of techno producers. Sicko concludes by investigating how Detroit techno functions today after the contrived electronica boom of the late s, through the original artists, new sounds, and Detroit's annual electronic music festival. Lists with This Book. Friend Reviews. In this revised edition, Sicko delves deeper into the Detroit story, detailing the evolution of the artists and scene into the mids, and looks to nearby Ann Arbor to consider topics like the Electrifying Mojo's beginnings, the role of radio station WCBN, and the emergence of record label Ghostly International. I was very much a casualty of that era and it's taken me until recently to get over my confusion about what, exactly, dance music is and where techno and specifically Detroit techno exist withi This book is a well-reported and forcefully argued case for the primacy of Detroit techno in the world of electronic music. This is a solid introduction to techno music, its trappings and origins, penned by Dan Sicko at the turn of the century as a sort of round up of techno's history up to that moment.
Recommended publications
  • In Defense of Rap Music: Not Just Beats, Rhymes, Sex, and Violence
    In Defense of Rap Music: Not Just Beats, Rhymes, Sex, and Violence THESIS Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Crystal Joesell Radford, BA Graduate Program in Education The Ohio State University 2011 Thesis Committee: Professor Beverly Gordon, Advisor Professor Adrienne Dixson Copyrighted by Crystal Joesell Radford 2011 Abstract This study critically analyzes rap through an interdisciplinary framework. The study explains rap‟s socio-cultural history and it examines the multi-generational, classed, racialized, and gendered identities in rap. Rap music grew out of hip-hop culture, which has – in part – earned it a garnering of criticism of being too “violent,” “sexist,” and “noisy.” This criticism became especially pronounced with the emergence of the rap subgenre dubbed “gangsta rap” in the 1990s, which is particularly known for its sexist and violent content. Rap music, which captures the spirit of hip-hop culture, evolved in American inner cities in the early 1970s in the South Bronx at the wake of the Civil Rights, Black Nationalist, and Women‟s Liberation movements during a new technological revolution. During the 1970s and 80s, a series of sociopolitical conscious raps were launched, as young people of color found a cathartic means of expression by which to describe the conditions of the inner-city – a space largely constructed by those in power. Rap thrived under poverty, police repression, social policy, class, and gender relations (Baker, 1993; Boyd, 1997; Keyes, 2000, 2002; Perkins, 1996; Potter, 1995; Rose, 1994, 2008; Watkins, 1998).
    [Show full text]
  • A Comprehensive History of Techno and Finding God in the Music with Ellen Allien
    Editorial A Comprehensive History of Techno and Finding God in the Music With Ellen Allien Kian McHugh | August 3, 2020 When my Zoom call with Ellen Allien connects, at last, I feel weeks of anticipation turn to uncontrollable excitement. My fingers, sweaty from nerves, and a poorly brewed Starbucks coffee, type out the instructions on how to get her audio configured. Ellen is lounging in her Ibiza flat where she has painted all of the walls completely black so that when the sun shines through her window, the room glows yellow. The first fully formed thought I could pencil down was that her posture seemed to denote a sincere attention to detail and confidence in comfort that most others lack. For the first 2 minutes of the call, we both instinctively laugh, muted, and unaware that our discussion of Techno would soon gravitate toward, and then find unexpected momentum in… a deep consideration of Techno, God, and religion. “Rap is where you rst heard it… If rap is more an American phenomenon, techno is where it all comes together in Europe as producers and musicians engage in a dialogue of dazzling speed.” – Jon Savage (English writer, broadcaster and music journalist). In Hanif Abdurraqib’s 2019 book, Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest, he so beautifully praises “the low end” of a track: “The feeling of something familiar that sits so deep in your chest that you have to hum it out … where the bass and the kick drums exist.” His point rings true across all music that is heavily percussion driven.
    [Show full text]
  • Traditional Funk: an Ethnographic, Historical, and Practical Study of Funk Music in Dayton, Ohio
    University of Dayton eCommons Honors Theses University Honors Program 4-26-2020 Traditional Funk: An Ethnographic, Historical, and Practical Study of Funk Music in Dayton, Ohio Caleb G. Vanden Eynden University of Dayton Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.udayton.edu/uhp_theses eCommons Citation Vanden Eynden, Caleb G., "Traditional Funk: An Ethnographic, Historical, and Practical Study of Funk Music in Dayton, Ohio" (2020). Honors Theses. 289. https://ecommons.udayton.edu/uhp_theses/289 This Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the University Honors Program at eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Traditional Funk: An Ethnographic, Historical, and Practical Study of Funk Music in Dayton, Ohio Honors Thesis Caleb G. Vanden Eynden Department: Music Advisor: Samuel N. Dorf, Ph.D. April 2020 Traditional Funk: An Ethnographic, Historical, and Practical Study of Funk Music in Dayton, Ohio Honors Thesis Caleb G. Vanden Eynden Department: Music Advisor: Samuel N. Dorf, Ph.D. April 2020 Abstract Recognized nationally as the funk capital of the world, Dayton, Ohio takes credit for birthing important funk groups (i.e. Ohio Players, Zapp, Heatwave, and Lakeside) during the 1970s and 80s. Through a combination of ethnographic and archival research, this paper offers a pedagogical approach to Dayton funk, rooted in the styles and works of the city’s funk legacy. Drawing from fieldwork with Dayton funk musicians completed over the summer of 2019 and pedagogical theories of including black music in the school curriculum, this paper presents a pedagogical model for funk instruction that introduces the ingredients of funk (instrumentation, form, groove, and vocals) in order to enable secondary school music programs to create their own funk rooted in local history.
    [Show full text]
  • Music Business in Detroit
    October 18, 2013 Music Business in Detroit: Estimating the Size of the Music Industry in the Motor City Prepared by: Anderson Economic Group, LLC Colby Spencer Cesaro, Senior Analyst Alex Rosaen, Senior Consultant Lauren Branneman, Senior Analyst Forward by: Patrick L. Anderson, Principal & CEO Anderson Economic Group, LLC 1555 Watertower Place, Suite 100 East Lansing, Michigan 48823 Tel: (517) 333-6984 Fax: (517) 333-7058 www.AndersonEconomicGroup.com © Anderson Economic Group, LLC, 2013 Permission to reproduce in entirety granted with proper citation. All other rights reserved. Foreword I'm pleased to share with readers of Crain's Detroit Business, as well as with others in the Detroit region, this first-of-its-kind study of the business of music in southeast Michigan. Everyone that grew up in this area knows of the "Motown sound," as well as the heritage of jazz, blues, and rock that has steeped into our culture. Many of us are also aware of the more recent innovations of techno and hip-hop, much of which has roots in Detroit. However, until now there has been no systematic analysis of the business of music in our area. Our Anderson Economic Group consultants have combed census and other business records; examined the geographic pattern of nightclubs and perfor- mance venues; scanned demographic patterns for concentrations of heavy enter- tainment consumers; and even conducted primary research into the days/nights of live music available to metro Detroiters at over two hundred specific bars, taverns, and clubs. What we have assembled is a thorough analysis of an indus- try that has always been important to our culture, but can now also be known for its contributions to our employment and earnings.
    [Show full text]
  • Radio City – Song List Funk, Motown, R&B, Soul Ain't Nobody, Chaka
    Radio City – Song List Footloose, Kenny Loggins Moondance, Van Morrison Hound Dog, Elvis Presley Moves Like Jagger, Maroon 5 Funk, Motown, R&B, Soul Go Your Own Way, Fleetwood Mac Ordinary People, John Legend I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Marvin Gaye Rehab, Amy Winehouse Ain’t Nobody, Chaka Khan I Saw Her Standing There, The Beatles Rock With You, Michael Jackson Ain't No Mountain, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Message in a Bottle, The Police Rolling In The Deep, Adele Terrell Never Tear Us Apart, INXS Rude, Magic! Ain't No Sunshine, Bill Withers Proud Mary, Ike & Tina Turner Say My Name, Destiny’s Child Blame It On The Boogie, Michael Jackson Riptide, Vance Joy Shape Of You, Ed Sheeran Feel Like Making Love, D'Angelo Shut Up And Dance, Walk The Moon Stay With Me, Sam Smith Heard It Through The Grapevine, Marvin Gaye Something, The Beatles Steal My Kisses, Ben Harper I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch), The Chain, Fleetwood Mac Teardrops, Womack & Womack Four Tops Twist & Shout, The Beatles The Horses, Daryl Braithwaite I Feel Good, James Brown Walking On Sunshine, Katrina & The Waves The Way You Make Me Feel, Michael Jackson Isn't She Lovely, Stevie Wonder Walking on the moon, The Police Thinking Out Loud, Ed Sheeran I Want You Back, Jackson 5 Time After Time, Cyndi Lauper I WIsh, Stevie Wonder Pop Upside Down, Diana Ross Lean on Me, Bill Withers Uptown Funk, Mark Ronson Let's Stay Together, Al Green All About That Bass, Meghan Trainor Valerie, Amy Winehouse Love and Happiness, Al Green Accidentally in Love, Counting Crows Wannabe, Spice Girls Lovely Day, Bill Withers American Boy, Estelle Waterfalls, TLC Just The Two of Us, Grover Washington feat.
    [Show full text]
  • Where to Next? a Dynamic Model of User Preferences
    Where To Next? A Dynamic Model of User Preferences Francesco Sanna Passino∗ Lucas Maystre Dmitrii Moor Imperial College London Spotify Spotify [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Ashton Anderson† Mounia Lalmas University of Toronto Spotify [email protected] [email protected] ABSTRACT 1 INTRODUCTION We consider the problem of predicting users’ preferences on on- Online platforms have transformed the way users access informa- line platforms. We build on recent findings suggesting that users’ tion, audio and video content, knowledge repositories, and much preferences change over time, and that helping users expand their more. Over three decades of research and practice have demon- horizons is important in ensuring that they stay engaged. Most strated that a) learning users’ preferences, and b) personalizing existing models of user preferences attempt to capture simulta- users’ experience to match these preferences is immensely valuable neous preferences: “Users who like 퐴 tend to like 퐵 as well”. In to increase engagement and satisfaction. To this end, recommender this paper, we argue that these models fail to anticipate changing systems have emerged as essential building blocks [3]. They help preferences. To overcome this issue, we seek to understand the users find their way through large collections of items and assist structure that underlies the evolution of user preferences. To this them in discovering new content. They typically build on user pref- end, we propose the Preference Transition Model (PTM), a dynamic erence models that exploit correlations across users’ preferences. model for user preferences towards classes of items. The model As an example within the music domain, if a user likes The Beatles, enables the estimation of transition probabilities between classes of that user might also like Simon & Garfunkel, because other users items over time, which can be used to estimate how users’ tastes are who listen to the former also listen to the latter.
    [Show full text]
  • Detroit: Techno City 27 July – 25 September 2016 ICA Fox Reading Room Preview 26 July
    ICA Press release: 26 May 2016 Detroit: Techno City 27 July – 25 September 2016 ICA Fox Reading Room Preview 26 July Techno! The New Dance Sound of Detroit (1988). Courtesy Neil Rushton and 10 Records LTD The next ICA Fox Reading Room exhibition will present a studied look at the evolution and subsequent dispersion of ‘Detroit Techno music’. This term, coined in the late 1980s, reflects the musical and social influences that informed early experiments merging sounds of synth-pop and disco with funk to create this distinct music genre. For the first time in the UK, a dedicated exhibition will chart a timeline of ‘Detroit Techno music’ from its 1970s origins, continuing through to the early 1990s. The genre’s origins begin in the disco parties of Ken Collier with influence from local radio stations and DJs, such as Electrifying Mojo and The Wizard (aka Jeff Mills). The ICA’s exhibition explores how a generation was inspired to create a new kind of electronic music that was evidenced in the formative UK compilation: Techno! The New Dance Sound of Detroit. Using inexpensive analogue technology, such as the Roland TR 808 and 909, DJs and producers including Juan Atkins, Blake Baxter, Eddie Fowlkes, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson, formed this seminal music genre. Although the music failed to gain mainstream audiences in the U.S, it became a phenomenon in Europe. This success established Detroit Techno, as a new strand of music which absorbed exterior European tastes and influences. This introduced a second wave of DJs and producers to the sound including Carl Craig, Richie Hawtin and Kenny Larkin.
    [Show full text]
  • Detroit : Techno
    Until recently, Detroit has not had much attention at all con­ cerning its role as the birthplace of techno. "Detroit, globally known as the birthplace of techno, is virtually unrecognized nationally and locally beyond its Motown and rock roots". It DETROIT: TECHNO has always existed as such under the popular culture radar. First and foremost, why was Detroit the breeding ground for techno music? Why has the general population taken so long in recognizing Detroit for its techno accomplishments? Could it be simply because Detroit is not a mega-city like New York or Los Angeles? Or is it simply because the time and the place ]ohnathan Bowen were not right until recently? The Belleville 3: Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Detroit has long been known by many names: Motown, the Saunderson, arc the three individuals who are credited as Motor City, Hockey Town, and even the less than flattering techno's creators. These three individuals grew up in Murder City. However, with the passing of time and the dim­ Belleville, hence the term "The Belleville 3," but they later ming and brightening of trends, Detroit would come to be moved into Detroit to carry on their pioneering work in the known by another name: TechnoTown. \Vhat is techno? Upon 1980's and beyond. Atkins, May, and Saunderson didn't actu­ opening an Encyclopedia Britannica and looking under the ally begin this pioneering work of creating techno in Detroit entry labeled "Techno," one will find this encompassing and however. Juan Atkins sums it up best: "vVhen I first started revealing definition: making music, I lived in Detroit.
    [Show full text]
  • The Social and Cultural Changes That Affected the Music of Motown Records from 1959-1972
    Columbus State University CSU ePress Theses and Dissertations Student Publications 2015 The Social and Cultural Changes that Affected the Music of Motown Records From 1959-1972 Lindsey Baker Follow this and additional works at: https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/theses_dissertations Part of the Music Commons Recommended Citation Baker, Lindsey, "The Social and Cultural Changes that Affected the Music of Motown Records From 1959-1972" (2015). Theses and Dissertations. 195. https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/theses_dissertations/195 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Publications at CSU ePress. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of CSU ePress. The Social and Cultural Changes that Affected the Music of Motown Records From 1959-1972 by Lindsey Baker A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements of the CSU Honors Program for Honors in the degree of Bachelor of Music in Performance Schwob School of Music Columbus State University Thesis Advisor Date Dr. Kevin Whalen Honors Committee Member ^ VM-AQ^A-- l(?Yy\JcuLuJ< Date 2,jbl\5 —x'Dr. Susan Tomkiewicz Dean of the Honors College ((3?7?fy/L-Asy/C/7^ ' Date Dr. Cindy Ticknor Motown Records produced many of the greatest musicians from the 1960s and 1970s. During this time, songs like "Dancing in the Street" and "What's Going On?" targeted social issues in America and created a voice for African-American people through their messages. Events like the Mississippi Freedom Summer and Bloody Thursday inspired the artists at Motown to create these songs. Influenced by the cultural and social circumstances of the Civil Rights Movement, the musical output of Motown Records between 1959 and 1972 evolved from a sole focus on entertainment in popular culture to a focus on motivating social change through music.
    [Show full text]
  • Recreating the Ensemble Dynamic of Motown's Funk Brothers
    6 Unsung Heroes: Recreating the Ensemble Dynamic of Motown’s Funk Brothers Vincent Perry Introduction By the early 1960s, the genre known as soul had become the most commercially successful of all the crossover styles. Drawing on musical influences from the genres of gospel, jazz and blues, ‘soul’s success was as much due to a number of labels, so-called “house sounds”, and little- known bands, as it was to specific performers or songwriters’ (Borthwick and Moy, 2004, p. 5). Following on from the pioneer releases of Ray Charles and Sam Cooke, a Detroit-based independent label would soon become the ‘most successful and high profile of all the soul labels’ (Borthwick and Moy, 2004, p. 5). Throughout the early 1960s, Berry Gordy’s Tamla Motown dominated the domestic US pop and R&B charts with its assembly-line approach to music production (Moorefield, 2005, p. 21), which resulted in a distinctive sound that was shared by all the label’s artists. However, in 1963, the company ‘achieved its international breakthrough’ shortly after signing a landmark distribution deal with EMI in the UK (Borthwick and Moy, 2004, p. 5). Gordy’s headquarters—a seemingly humble, suburban 95 POPULAR MUSIC, STARS AND STARDOM residence—was ambitiously named Hitsville USA and, throughout the 1960s, it became a hub for pop record success. Emerson (2005, p. 194) acknowledged Motown’s industry presence when he noted: Motown was muscling in on the market for dance music. Streamlined, turbo-charged singles by the Marvelettes, Martha and the Vandellas, and the Supremes rolled off the Detroit assembly line … Berry Gordy’s ‘Sound of Young America’ challenged the Brill Building, 1650 Broadway, and 711 Fifth Avenue as severely as the British Invasion because it proved that black artists did not need white writers to reach a broad pop audience.
    [Show full text]
  • To View the Official Program!
    20 years of the gathering of the juggalos... On this momentous occasion, we Gather together not just to celebrate the 20th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos, but to uphold the legacy of our Juggalo Family. For two decades strong, we have converged at the height of the summer season for something so much more than the concerts, the lights, the sounds, the revelry, and the circus. There is no mistaking that the Gathering is the Greatest Show on Earth and has rightfully earned the title as the longest running independent rap festival on this or any other known planet. And while all these accolades are well-deserved and a point of pride, in our hearts we know...There is so much more to this. A greater reason and purpose. A magic that calls us together. That knowing. The spirit of the tribe. The call of the Dark Carnival. The magic mists that float by as we gaze through the trees into starry skies. We are together. And THAT is what we celebrate here, after 20 long, fresh, hilarious, incredible, tremendously karma-filled years. We call this the Soopa Gathering because we are here to celebrate the superpowers of the Juggalo Family. All of us here together and united are capable of heroics and strength beyond measure. We are Soopa. We are mighty. For we have found each other by the magic of the Carnival—standing 20 years strong on the Dirtball as we see into the eternity of Shangri-La. Finding Forever together, may the Dark Carnival empower and ignite the Hero in you ALL..
    [Show full text]
  • Allegories of Afrofuturism in Jeff Mills and Janelle Monaé
    Vessels of Transfer: Allegories of Afrofuturism in Jeff Mills and Janelle Monáe Feature Article tobias c. van Veen McGill University Abstract The performances, music, and subjectivities of Detroit techno producer Jeff Mills—radio turntablist The Wizard, space-and-time traveller The Messenger, founding member of Detroit techno outfit Underground Resistance and head of Axis Records—and Janelle Monáe—android #57821, Cindi Mayweather, denizen and “cyber slavegirl” of Metropolis—are infused with the black Atlantic imaginary of Afrofuturism. We might understand Mills and Monáe as disseminating, in the words of Paul Gilroy, an Afrofuturist “cultural broadcast” that feeds “a new metaphysics of blackness” enacted “within the underground, alternative, public spaces constituted around an expressive culture . dominated by music” (Gilroy 1993: 83). Yet what precisely is meant by “blackness”—the black Atlantic of Gilroy’s Afrodiasporic cultural network—in a context that is Afrofuturist? At stake is the role of allegory and its infrastructure: does Afrofuturism, and its incarnates, “represent” blackness? Or does it tend toward an unhinging of allegory, in which the coordinates of blackness, but also those of linear temporality and terrestial subjectivity, are transformed through becoming? Keywords: Afrofuturism, Afrodiaspora, becoming, identity, representation, race, android, alien, Detroit techno, Janelle Monáe tobias c. van Veen is a writer, sound-artist, technology arts curator and turntablist. Since 1993 he has organised interventions, publications, gatherings, exhibitions and broadcasts around technoculture, working with MUTEK, STEIM, Eyebeam, the New Forms Festival, CiTR, Kunstradio and as Concept Engineer and founder of the UpgradeMTL at the Society for Arts and Technology (SAT). His writing has appeared in many publications.
    [Show full text]