Skip to main content

Afrofuturism

 

Reem Zedan 7711552

Prof. Dr. Bernd Herzogenrath

The Future of [American] Music

02 February 2022

 

Afrofuturism

During this lecture, there was an elephant in the room that needs to be addressed in this paper. There was a white, Danish professor giving us a presentation about Afrofuturism. I was definitely surprised but also very intrigued. The racial plot-twist definitely caught my attention to say the least. Yet, nothing dramatic happened. The music was very lively, the professor was unproblematic and if I am being honest, this lecture was the only one that had music that was quite enjoyable.

My introduction to this genre was through literature, when I read W.E.B. Du Bios’s short story “The Comet.” Because of that, I was familiar with the themes and had a bit of an inkling on the kind of music that will be presented in the lecture. It was also interesting to learn that the term “Afrofuturism” was coined by a white male (second racial plot-twist of the day.) From the term itself, a person can gather that this genre is reenvisioning the future through a black perspective. I found Sun Ra’s take on the genre a bit confusing because it was sort of inspired by and takes place in Ancient Egypt, which I would never have associated with Black culture. On the other hand, George Clinton’s and Wallac Willis’s music have a very agreeable mixture of struggling for equality and hope.

Afrofuturism consists of a combination between science fiction and social justice. It is fascinating but also sad to witness how a minority has to rely on fiction not only to imagine a fair world but to also summon hope and faith in the future. Of course there is an aspect of Afrofuturism that portrays a bleak, harsh future but I choose to focus on the hopeful one.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

William Basinski – The Disintegration Loops III

  The Disintegration Loops is a quartet of albums published in 2002 and 2003 by American avant-garde composer William Basinski. The pieces are made up of tape loop recordings that were played over time, with noise and crackles rising as the tape deteriorated. Basinski noticed this effect when attempting to convert his older recordings to digital format. The completion of the recordings coincided with the September 11, 2001 events, which Basinski witnessed and adds a deeper meaning to the composition. The composition is fascinating in many ways and makes the listener lose track of time. The tape loop recording had a very calming effect on me and put me in a trance-like state when I listened to it in its entirety. The tape loop is really soothing, so much so that I didn't even notice the loss of quality when I first listened to it. It makes you forget about time and allows you to really get into the piece capturing the calmness it exudes. You forget or don't really notice how i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pierre Schaeffer - Étude pathétique

  Pierre Schaefer begins the piece with sounds produced by drums and similar percussion instruments. One hears the sound of an object spinning and then coming to a stop. I assume it is a circular object, like a cymbal or hi-hat of a drum kit, that spins until it comes to a stop. Sounds of a locomotive follow, continuing with a mixture of drums and spinning objects as well as voices. There are slight parallels here with another piece by Schaeffer, "etude aux chemins de fer," in which he has the musical piece consist of sounds of trains and locomotives. I also recognize an accordion and a violin playing rapidly, accompanied by human sounds that are not really decipherable. By combining all these background sounds and using human voices, Schaeffer creates an exciting atmosphere while listening to the piece, and the listener's auditory senses are constantly challenged to decipher all the details of the sounds. At times one could be reminded of a scene from a scary movie, at l...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pauline Oliveros – The Goddard in the Dan Harpole Cistern

  After watching Dan Harpole's film of Goddard in the Cistern, one is struck by how creepy the location appears and feels. In the light, you can just make out a lengthy ladder leading down into a concrete-walled area. It's absolutely dark, with only the top hatch and a small lamp providing lighting. This sequence accounts for a significant portion of the plot. Three persons are seen climbing up and down the ladder, which might be regarded the music piece's official start. Additionally, while the name "Dan Harpole Cistern" suggests a vast space, it appears to be a homemade video. A hum and other vocal noises travel across the room, bouncing off the walls. The women's voices generate a hum that contributes to the room's unique feel. The beautiful singing is interrupted by metal fragments falling on the floor. One would ask how much thought went into the sounds, given that the majority of them appear to be chosen at random. The emphasis is not on making sound...
Post a Comment
Read more