Juneteenth is about emancipation, and it’s expressed in musical joy across the USA today. Here are our friends from Black Techno Matters with their community calendar of events today — one might be near you — plus two recent releases you should hear wherever you are.
Juneteenth is an essential holiday for Black communities in the US celebrating liberation, and that means an essential time for other communities to support the ongoing work of dismantling systemic racism in all its forms. In a week when Europe is embracing ICE-style deportations, you can bet it’s timely. In the bleakest of times, we are all working for one another’s collective liberation.
I’m here in Berlin at the moment, but there’s something thrilling about just seeing all of these events in the US, especially as a powerful political antidote. Stripping people of joy is the greatest tool of authoritarianism, so full support for seizing it back. And this comes at a time when I know so many techno producers and lovers are disheartened by finance-backed homogenization and Eurocentrism.
The cure for that mood is always to seek out more and better music. The reason the music is lacking is because it’s exclusive and racist. So here’s music plus the calendar of events:
Stop, listen to these now
Black Techno Matters delivers as always. I love what they’re doing because I know how much talent there is that goes off the radar — because of who has access to the music industrial complex, because so many of the best producers are not in the hyperinflated cultural capitals. And I just love the music, so Bernard and co, it’s so refreshing to go to your Bandcamp page and immediately find what’s missing in the promo inbox. Hell yeah.
Let’s go:
Xav is straight out of the BTM crew, in Richmond, Virginia, and is out with a perfect example of how DJing can translate into taste and vision as a producer, with attention to detail and craft. “Fishing (Dub)” is a dubby (duh) gentle wetland-style masterpiece to start out the release. “Temporal Inertia” is heavy and groovy, and I don’t have any more eloquent words other than I want to be behind decks somewhere I can play this out. “My Way” is ass-wiggling Detroit-inspired pure perfection. “Coalescence” and “Funhouse” show the full range, each a hypnotic b-side.
yNOTi out of LA has a winner here, and not just because of the title On Vantablack Wings. “Sweet Nothings” actually lives up to that title — it’s giving the subs in my studio a serious workout while I write this. It’s cinematic, heavy, but not drenched in overly-serious goth; it’s just effortlessly dark. It’s cinematic in a way that makes you want to dance — there’s the idea. It’s been a long time since I heard a track that did that. She’s a violinist, and puts it into “Dead of Night” without a hint of schlock; pizz drives the groove forward. Everything that could be too much here is just right. I really want to hear more of this artist than these two tracks, so I’m dialed in.
Juneteenth event picks across the USA
Actually, just read how great these lineups are, and tell me there isn’t a problem with booking leaving out Black music, like… wouldn’t a lot of festival lineups be better if they looked like this?
Baltimore, MD – NECTAR queer party at Club 1722 with Amarji King, Flotussin, Sdot
Chicago – Juneteenth Club Hospitality x Heartwrench at Podlasie Club with Asl Princess, Byrell the Great, Cobra B, afters = Schooch a Lil Closer
Detroit – Marble Bar with Huey Mnemonic, DJ I.V., Candor
Hudson Pride – HYDROMANCY two-day event at Pocketbook Hudson, also a huge lineup
LA – Black Techno Matters x Juneetenth LIBERATE HOOD RAVE with Waajeed (Detroit), Trovarsi, Rivussy, E.M. Bae, 92JELANI (with artwork by Drexciya and UR artist Abdul Haqq!!) … more details
NYC – Nowadays Nonstop with DAY/DEM, Gladstone Deluxe (Live), Mike Dearborn, SHinedoe, SHYBOI, Underground Resistance (well, f***!)
NYC – Juneteenth x Paragon Broadway with UNIQU3, DJ SWISHA, SHEKDASH, KYRUH
Pittsburgh, PA – Freaknik with DJ Love, Huny XO, Manny Dibiachi
Portland, OR – Liber8 – Black Techno Matters with AMX (Detroit), b_x_r_n_x_r_d (DC) and jenngreen (Seattle)
Richmond, VA – Juneteenth at LSO with Juana, Lucid, Desertsprings (and June 20 Athena, VLE AMAU, Ghost)
Washington, D.C – Splash Zone: Groove Haul x LUV202 with a huge lineup from like everywhere, just going to send you here
Washington, D.C. – Transmission daytime with TROMAC, DJ Unt.il, DJ Dolla, Anysia Kym, Izzy Holmes, Kilian Fonlon
Sounds and food for thought
Jaymie Silk went on a rant this week to correct the idea that techno is a European invention — he clarifies in comments that he doesn’t object to Berlin UNESCO recognition, but insists that Detroit artists not lose credit as originators. (I agree, as I told the BBC at the time — note Detroiter Alan Oldham’s name on the application. I’d expand that, even, to Black artists who developed this style outside the Belleville Three — across the country, eventually — and Latinx and other artists, too. Abadir chimes in to talk about the electronic origins of Halim El Dabh from Egypt.)
Lastly, here’s b_x_r_n_x_r_d getting ready for Liber8 PDX:
Oh, and listen to E.M. Bae’s guest session for dublab. Or here, also live, with — why, that’s Trovarsi hosting (about an hour twenty in), and oh yes, the joy of model:cycles again:
And let’s get some 92Jelani, too:
Pictured at top: Trovarsi, 92jelani, E.M. Bae.