Black Techno Matters is making its calls for liberation louder than ever. Their multi-city Juneteenth event now also includes an open call beyond the US to the wider African diaspora—and for everyone, enjoy a slew of new music and mixes that “celebrate the blackness of techno” and restore that sense of freedom in the music.
Liber8 is a massive event, marking Juneteenth in the USA. (For more on what that means, you can catch up with an organizer via the ACLU in DC, get a Marxist perspective, and consider that the USA should be doing more hard work on the date.) To anyone who wants to argue about the Blackness of techno – or the explicit political nature of techno – in the past, I’d say have a look at what’s happening now. There’s a growing scene of people being more overtly activist and emancipatory with music as a platform.
The Liber8 event spans the whole USA and is expanding to international audiences online. In the lower 48, that’s Baltimore, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, NYC, Portland, Richmond, Virginia, San Francisco, and back home in 313 – Detroit. But it’s also coming online. Marshall Stukes of the BTM crew writes CDM:
This year we will adding an additional stream to the online experience called Liber8 URL, an audiovisual experience on the Black Techno Matters Twitch account. And love their flyer, by STUUUKES!!!.
Liber8 URL will highlight the community cross section of the sounds of the African diaspora and the global vision of liberation through mixes by non-U.S. DJs and visuals by artists from the U.S. and around the world. Even though Juneteenth is a uniquely American holiday, liberation is universal throughout the world. Join us and the community in connecting in a virtual space where the vibrations of resistance will ring alongside visions of revolution.
Mixes are open to non-U.S. based/citizens in the African diaspora. Black visual artist of all nationalities are opened to contributing art pieces. Artist can fill out the form below to submit their interest in contributing. The submission deadline is June 5th.
Submission link: https://forms.gle/wsrFmn8qhe3MVwk48
That’s exciting to see, as I know that even in this online age, the USA and Black scenes across other continents are often too easily isolated from one another.
I’m excited by the music that’s coming out of this collective – the music that is free to be more Black is also pushing the genre to new places. Or to speak in musicological terms – in a Marxist perspective – it’s f***ing good.
For anyone who had their minds blown and ran back to the studio to work on their production chops after the last BTM compilation, it looks like they’ve got another scorcher lined up for June 2024. Fittingly labeled “N3W P4RAD1GM,” volume 2 has something to say – something you feel in the music’s freeness.
Phaçade kicks everything off in “Rise” with a vibrant anthem that has a thrilling timelessness to it. MerlinBerlin’s “Belsidus” is brilliantly brainy; santé blue is into something that I can only describe as “weirdo soul” – “revolutionary butterfly” makes a perfect mascot. Diyanna Monet brings back the connection to Detroit roots without being nostalgic – almost as if techno were just invented now – while at the same time getting into deep tree roots and sacred space, a mystical invocation and a spell cast in your subwoofer. Smoke &Tea are in there with a 23-minute live ambient epic, apparently recorded in BTM’s “plant-filled Green Room.” B_X_R_N_X_R_D, one of the initiators of BTM, has an out-there, interplanetary epic in the titular track, the kind of track you’d want to blast on a starship as you engage the faster-than-light drive. (There is something happening in that groove that I can’t even really wrap my head around: this is a fully 4/4 track that sounds like a broken track or that you can even start to hear in some more complex meter. That doesn’t come across as cerebral either; it flows perfectly.)
I’ll stop; this compilation is meant to be listened to. The preview tracks are already enough to go buy it. I’d love to see a physical edition. And yes, it connects multiple struggles for liberation:
The compilation is split into three parts: BLACK, GREEN, and RED. The colors of the Pan-African, Palestinian and Sudanese flags symbolize solidarity with the anti-colonial movement needed for liberation.
That can’t be said loudly enough; in these horrifying, dark days, this isn’t “politics” – it’s tuning into reality.
There’s too much great music, so let’s keep going. Also via Marshall, we’ve got the latest mixes from BTM Radio, with two artists playing Liber8.
Baltimore gives us Flotussin – been following some of what she’s been doing a while now, and here’s something that can absolutely rave and hit over-the-top bangers but still have a shape and vibe to it – always feeling easy, not forced:
A local mainstay in the DMV’s underground rave scene, Baltimore-based Flotussin is an artist and DJ who is known for mixing an eclectic range of heavy-hitting sounds. Her buoyant sets are fluid in energy, spanning the breadth of techno, house and club. Flotussin’s work has landed her gigs at some of the hottest spots in the area, notably a Flash residency hosting her party series Room Service and sharing the decks with the likes of Crystallmess, DJ Boring and more.
Also from Maryland, BLACKHOUSE:
BLACKHOUSE is a burgeoning force in the world of electronic music, hailing from the vibrant state of Maryland. Often blending the uniquities of drum & bass and hard techno, BLACKHOUSE has swiftly carved a distinct niche for himself, captivating audiences and leaving an indelible mark on the East Coast music scene.
Tromac is Miles Cowling – this is just lush and excellent:
