Afrofuturism and Black Sound Studies: Culture, Technology, and Things to Come (Palgrave Studies in Sound)

This Book Interrogates The Meeting Point Between Afrofuturism And Black Sound Studies. Whereas Afrofuturism Is Often Understood Primarily In Relation To Science Fiction And Speculative Fiction, It Can Also Be Examined From A Sonic Perspective. 0the Sounds Of Afrofuturism Are Deeply Embedded In The Speculative ? Demonstrated In Mythmaking ? In Frameworks For Songs And Compositions, In The Personas Of The Artists, And In How The Sounds Are Produced. In Highlighting The Place Of Music Within The Lived Experiences Of African Americans, The Author Analyses How The Perspectives Of Black Sound Studies Complement And Overlap With The Discussion Of Sonic Afrofuturism. Focusing Upon Blackness, Technology, And Sound, This Unique Text Offers Key Insights In How Music Partakes In Imagining And Constructing The Future. 0this Innovative Volume Will Appeal To Students And Scholars Of Sound Studies, Musicology And African American Studies. Erik Steinskog. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 225-233), Discography (pages 219-223), And Index. Acknowledgements 6 Contents 8 1: Introduction: Afrofuturism and Black Sound Studies 10 Afrofuturism 12 Black Sound Studies and the Question of the Sonic 18 An Afrofuturist Canon 30 Discography 43 Bibliography 44 2: Blackness, Technology, and the Changing Same 46 The Last Angel 48 The Changing Same 52 Electrifying (Eddie Harris) 66 Will the Circle Be Unbroken? (Henry Dumas) 70 Sonic Time Traveling 75 Discography 80 Bibliography 81 3: Space and Time 84 Ancient Egypt 89 Sun Ra 95 Earth Wind & Fire 99 Drexciya and Atlantis 106 Discography 115 Bibliography 115 4: Vibrations, Rhythm, and Cosmology 118 Sun Ra and Vibrations 122 The Heliocentrism of Sun Ra 132 Cosmic Drama 139 Discography 145 Bibliography 145 5: Interstellar Space, Outer Space and Inner Space 148 Nicole Mitchell, Octavia Butler, and Xenogenesis 154 Intergalactic Beings 166 Ras G and the Afrikan Space Program 170 Discography 181 Bibliography 182 6: The Sounds of the Future 184 The Beginning of the Sound of the Future 186 Decentring Electricity (Hendrix) 189 The Traditional Music of the Future 196 Synthesizing the Future 200 Keyboards: Sun Ra, Herbie Hancock, Bernie Worrell 202 Robotic 213 Discography 218 Bibliography 219 7: Conclusion: New Suns/Sounds 221 Bibliography 226 Discography 227 Bibliography 232 Index 241 This volume interrogates the meeting point between Afrofuturism and Black sound studies. Whereas Afrofuturism is often understood primarily in relation to science fiction and speculative fiction, it can also be examined from a sonic perspective. The sounds of Afrofuturism are deeply embedded in the speculative - demonstrated in mythmaking - in frameworks for songs and compositions, in the personas of the artists, and in how the sounds are produced. In highlighting the place of music within the lived experiences of African Americans, the author analyses how the perspectives of Black sound studies complement and overlap with the discussion of sonic Afrofuturism Front Matter ....Pages i-viii Introduction: Afrofuturism and Black Sound Studies (Erik Steinskog)....Pages 1-36 Blackness, Technology, and the Changing Same (Erik Steinskog)....Pages 37-74 Space and Time (Erik Steinskog)....Pages 75-108 Vibrations, Rhythm, and Cosmology (Erik Steinskog)....Pages 109-138 Interstellar Space, Outer Space and Inner Space (Erik Steinskog)....Pages 139-174 The Sounds of the Future (Erik Steinskog)....Pages 175-211 Conclusion: New Suns/Sounds (Erik Steinskog)....Pages 213-218 Back Matter ....Pages 219-241