User:Shmebul0cck/new sandbox

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Afrofuturism Sandbox (Active Sandbox)[edit]

This is the sandbox I'm-a workin' in.

Outline[edit]

The article doesn't deeply touch on what makes Afrofuturistic music Afrofuturistic. With sound, it is not as easy to recognize Afrofuturism if you're not sure what you're looking for or what to expect. I hope to add on the sonic qualities of Afrofuturistic music as well as the themes that appear within the music, specifically in the 21st century section of the wiki article. The article source I chose touches upon the different figures in Afrofuturistic music and what landed their work into the genre. I think adding this info will give some clarity on what defines Afrofuturistic music sonically and content-wise.

Additions and Edits[edit]

Mid- to late 20th-century development[edit]

See also: Progressive soul

Afrofuturism within music represents a diaspora of music that is non-traditional, focusing on the topic of blackness, space and technology.

It heavily features the artificial sounds of synthesizers and drum machines while incorporating lyrical themes of black pride & history, progress, spirituality, and science fiction. [1]

Studies on Afrofuturistic music highlight the genre's challenging of sonic norms by blending elements found in Hip-Hop, Jazz, R&B, Funk, and Electronic music. [2] Melting together different sounds and cultures with Afrofuturist music emphasizes the otherworldly, alternative nature that defines most Afrofuturist works. When performed live, the genre has been observed to combine distinct sounds and sound cultures across the African Diaspora. During the 1970s, Jamaican-American party host, DJ Kool Herc, was one of the many disc jockeys responsible for mixing Jamaica's signature hefty, booming sound systems with R&B and Rap, bass-heavy African American genres, on the New York music scene. [3] This combination maximized audience immersion and storytelling capabilities. [4] Present-day Afrofuturistic musicians, such as Hip-Hop duo, Outkast, and Jazz composer, Nicole Mitchell, have traces of DJ Kool Herc's multi-cultural style in their song arrangements and performances. [5][4]

George Clinton (Top Left) performing with Parliament Funkadelic in July of 2008.

Afrofuturism was a label also retroactively applied to George Clinton and his bands Parliament and Funkadelic with his magnum opus Mothership Connection and the subsequent The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein, P-Funk Earth Tour, Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome, and Motor Booty Affair. George Clinton's work and appearance embody Afrofuturism, sporting shiny, futuristic clothing both on and off stage, using sci-fi and cosmic album theming, and addressing Black history in his lyrics. [6][2] Parliament's Mothership Connection was recognized for its themes of Black liberation and space in song arrangement, lyricism, and album visual aesthetics. The album cover art depicts a Black person, dressed head-to-toe in chrome, hanging out of a UFO in space. [6] The album also introduces two of Clinton's alter egos, the Lollipop Man and Star Child. Parliament Funkadelic's strong worldbuilding and establishment of individualism and escapism in their work have been partly attributed to their inclusion of characters and alter egos in their music. [7] Alter egos remain a staple in Afrofuturistic music, with Janelle Monáe, a notable contemporary musical artist, incorporating characters and sci-fi storylines into their Afrofuturistic music and album visuals.

This also applies to Jimi Hendrix's work such as Electric Ladyland and "Third Stone from the Sun".[8][9][10]

Provoked by Miles Davis to use electric keyboards, Herbie Hancock quickly developed his taste for gadgets into an appreciation for electric and synthesized sounds. He did this in his solo career throughout the 1970s and 1980s, at the same time adopting tribal names for his group and increasingly using electronics in his music, in a techno-primitive direction. His record covers were a very important element in this aesthetic, involving artists such as Robert Springett, Victor Moscoso and Nobuyuki Nakanishi.[11][12][13][14][15]

In 1975, Japanese artist Tadanori Yokoo used elements of science fiction, along with Eastern subterranean myths, to depict an advanced civilization in his design of the cover art for African-American jazz musician Miles Davis's live album Agharta.[16]

Other musicians typically regarded as working in or greatly influenced by the Afrofuturist tradition include reggae producers Lee "Scratch" Perry and Scientist, hip-hop artists Afrika Bambaataa and Tricky, electronic musicians Larry Heard, A Guy Called Gerald, Juan Atkins, Jeff Mills,[17] Newcleus[18], jazz composer Nicole Mitchell[19] and Lotti Golden & Richard Scher, writers of "Light Years Away", described as a "cornerstone of early 80's beatbox afrofuturism".[20]

During the 1980s, the burgeoning Detroit techno scene also developed a futurist vision specific to Detroit's suburban black community.[21]

A newer generation of artists are creating mainstream Afrofuturist music – for example, Janelle Monáe, Outkast, Missy Elliott, Solange, jazz composer Nicole Mitchell[19] and Erykah Badu.[22][23]

References[edit]

Santos, Gil. "Evolution Of Afrofuturism In Music." Culture Bay, 28 Aug. 2023, culturebay.co/blogs/afrofuturism/evolution-of-afrofuturism-in-music. Accessed 25 Feb. 2024.

"Afrofuturism In Sound." YouTube, uploaded by Oakland Museum of California (OMCA), 2 Nov. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymsWhJujtV4.

  1. ^ "Evolution of Afrofuturism in Music". Culture Bay. 2023-08-28. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  2. ^ a b "Evolution of Afrofuturism in Music". Culture Bay. 2023-08-28. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  3. ^ Goldman, Henry (2007-01-22). "DJ Kool Herc/Clive Campbell (1955- ) •". Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  4. ^ a b Afrofuturism in Sound. Retrieved 2024-05-02 – via www.youtube.com.
  5. ^ Walljasper, Matt (2023-05-10). "The Caribbean roots of Southern hip-hop and OutKast's "SpottieOttieDopaliscious"". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  6. ^ a b "Mothership Connection (Star Child)", Wikipedia, 2024-03-16, retrieved 2024-05-03
  7. ^ https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/MothershipConnection.pdf
  8. ^ Jones, Josh (October 12, 2020). "How Science Fiction Formed Jimi Hendrix". OpenCulture.com.
  9. ^ McAlpine, Fraser (2 March 2018). "8 afrofuturist classics everyone needs to hear". bbc.co.uk. BBC Music.
  10. ^ "Jimi Hendrix's Unexpected Influences". Polyphonic. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12 – via youtube.com.
  11. ^ Castaneda, Ramsey. "Proto-Afrofuturism and Musical Prophesies of Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi Ensemble". Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  12. ^ "Afro-Diasporic Imagery in Herbie Hancock's Discography". Afrovisualism. 13 April 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  13. ^ Aceves, Rusty (8 July 2019). "We Travel The Spaceways - Afrofuturism In Music". Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  14. ^ "An Alternate Canon of Afrofuturist Classics". Red Bull Music Academy. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  15. ^ Francis, Sherese (21 February 2012). "…An Album By Its Cover: Herbie Hancock". Futuristically Ancient. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  16. ^ Buchwald, Dagmar (2012). "Black Sun Underground: The Music of AlieNation". In Berressem, Hanjo; Bucher, Michael; Schwagmeier, Uwe (eds.). Between Science and Fiction: The Hollow Earth as Concept and Conceit. LIT Verlag Munster. p. 109. ISBN 978-3-643-90228-3.
  17. ^ Reddell, Trace (2013). "Ethnoforgery and Outsider Afrofuturism". Dancecult. 5 (2). Griffith University ePress: 89–90. doi:10.12801/1947-5403.2013.05.02.05.
  18. ^ Loudermilk, A. (3 October 2016). "Forever Out There: 25 Contributors to the Space Disco Era 1976–1986". PopMatters.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  19. ^ a b "Nicole Mitchell (musician)", Wikipedia, 2024-04-05, retrieved 2024-04-10
  20. ^ Fitzpatrick, Rob (14 May 2014). "The 101 strangest records on Spotify: Warp 9 – It's A Beat Wave". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  21. ^ Williams, Ben (2001). "Black Secret Technology: Detroit Techno and the Information Age". In Nelson; et al. (eds.). Technicolor: Race, Technology, and Everyday Life. NYU Press. pp. 154–176. ISBN 9780814736043.
  22. ^ La Ferla, Ruth (12 December 2016). "Afrofuturism: The Next Generation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  23. ^ Jackson, Panama (16 February 2021). "28 Days of Album Cover Blackness With VSB, Day 16: Outkast's Aquemini (1998)". The Root. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
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