As a white person who grew up in Scotland, listening to Public Enemy,
and Paris, and reading the biography of Malcolm X, I don't exactly feel
comfortable making comment here. I think here there's clearly a lack of
sensitivity. It is likely to be unintentional, and in the case of the
unattributed source, they have at least corrected this soon after the
issue was raised publicly in the past few days.
I appreciate that race and racism have a lot to do with the Drexciya
story and UR. However, I do feel that the assertion here that it is
_all_ about race and racism, should be challenged. There is a cultural
context which is certainly important to remember. It's worth remembering
too those that were lost in such terrible conditions on their way to
America. I would argue that the music is not all about race and racism.
The music has a soul and that soul is humanist, not racist. It's not
racist towards white people from Europe. Drexciya stands against
slavery. We are all human beings. We are each responsible to our own
behaviour, and our shared futures. The music transcends race and racism.
We fight the power, and the slavers wherever they may be. Drawing a line
in the sand and saying that you don't belong here is not quite what I
think is intended by the music either. We are all belong to the sea in
some way. It's the strongest idea about it I feel.
On Thu, 18 Oct 2018, at 4:14 PM, Andrew Duke wrote:
> Sigh. I am absolutely disgusted by RA's handling of this at time of
> publishing and since. Denise makes great points. Liz Copeland's
> interview with James Stinson is also used. I am tired and cranky and
> thus this post ain't eloquent. Someone just sent me this link (below)
> re RA that was published Oct 11, just a few days before the
> original--uncredited--
> Drexciya feature. The linked feature on RA is especially relevant re
> the mess they made this week and how the concerns of Denise and others
> were ignored and 313-moderator Kent's concerns "downvoted":>
> https://telegra.ph/Precedent-Advisor-10-11
>
>
> On Thu, Oct 18, 2018, 11:12 AM Denise Dalphond,
> <denisedalph...@gmail.com> wrote:>> I told RA what I thought. They ignored
> me. That's what usually
>> happens.>>
>>
>> *Denise Dalphond, Ph.D.*
>> *ethnomusicologist*
>> *schoolcraftwax.work*
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Oct 18, 2018 at 10:11 AM Callum MacGregor
>> <callum.macgre...@gmail.com> wrote:>>> What about redubbing the audio with
>> you narrating? Make a corrected
>>> version....>>>
>>> On Thu, 18 Oct 2018, 16:06 Denise Dalphond,
>>> <denisedalph...@gmail.com> wrote:>>>> I love Drexciya. And it's really cool
>>> to be able to hear from James
>>>> Stinson still in 2018, thanks to Andrew Duke. And it's pretty
>>>> amazing that Andrew Duke did that interview. It's a priceless
>>>> artifact. I could go on!>>>>
>>>> Resident Advisor didn't credit Andrew Duke when they first posted
>>>> the video, and why is there a white woman's british voice
>>>> narrating? It's off putting. They're using the voice of the
>>>> colonizer to tell the story of brilliant, musical escape from
>>>> enslavement and forced labor. Escape from the colonizer.>>>>
>>>> Oh here goes Denise, making everything about race. But this
>>>> actually all the way super duper is all about race and racism.>>>>
>>>> And how much electronic music culture coverage is based in europe,
>>>> the birthplace of imperialism and colonialism? A lot.>>>>
>>>> Music fans and writers should be more concerned about preserving
>>>> and protecting and respecting the culture that made this music.>>>>
>>>> Why didn't they ask Cornelius Harris to narrate? Why didn't they
>>>> ask John Collins to narrate? That would be meaningful to artists
>>>> and fans alike.>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Denise
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> *Denise Dalphond, Ph.D.*
>>>> *ethnomusicologist*
>>>> *schoolcraftwax.work*
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, Oct 18, 2018 at 9:47 AM Jeff Davis <j...@jeffreyjdavis.com>
>>>> wrote:>>>>> Pretty sure most of you saw this already but I thought this
>>>> short>>>>> video did a good job encapsulating and contextualizing the
>>>>> concepts>>>>> behind Drexciya.
>>>>>
>>>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgG-QiChiA8
>>>>>
>>>>> includes a snippet from an Andrew Duke interview as well!!
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> thanks,
>>>>>
>>>>> Jeffrey J Davis
>>>>>
>>>>> j...@jeffreyjdavis.com
>>>>>
>>>>> www.jeffreyjdavis.com
>>>>>
>>>>> 218.833.2847
