Exhibition Opening: TECHNO WORLDS
In cooperation with dublab and the German Consulate General Los Angeles, Bernard Farley, electronic music artist and founder of Black Techno Matters, and local music artists 92Jelani, Trovarsi, and Corry Banks will join us at the Goethe-Institut on Friday, December 9th to mark the opening of the TECHNO WORLDS exhibition.
CONVERSATIONS IN THE RADICAL LIBRARY: The Detroit-Berlin Axis
Join us as Bernard Farley, electronic music artist and founder of Black Techno Matters, leads a discussion connecting and contrasting the counterculture movements of techno in Detroit and Berlin through the prism of the recent book ASSEMBLING A BLACK COUNTER CULTURE by DeForrest Brown Jr. The panel will feature three black electronic music artists local to Los Angeles: 92Jelani, Trovarsi, and Corry Banks who will also treat the audience to live performances and demonstrations prior to the discussion. Finally, we will open up the space for general conversation and contemplation set to the music of “Conversations in the Radical Library”, a musical piece by Bernard Farley intended as “radical waiting room music meant to provoke new ideas and conversations.”
Admission is free. All ages welcome. Masks required.
REGISTER- CONVERSATIONS IN THE RADICAL LIBRARY
SCHEDULE
17:00 - DOORS OPEN
18:00 - 18:05 Welcome and Introductions
18:05 - 18:45
92Jelani (live)
18:45 - 19:25
Trovarsi (live)
19:25 - 20:05
B_X_R_N_X_R_D (live)
20:05 - 20:30
Corry Banks Modbap Modular Demonstration
20:30 - 21:30
Panel Discussion: The Detroit-Berlin Axis
21:30 - 22:00
Conversations in the Radical Library
BACKGROUND
Black Techno Matters (BTM) is a collective of artists whose mission is to reclaim techno as a manifestation of black expression in a society that has oppressed it by creating spaces, both virtual and IRL, that celebrate the black roots of techno
DeForrest Brown, Jr.’s Assembling a Black Counter Culture presents a comprehensive account of techno with a focus on the history of Black experiences in industrialized labor systems—repositioning the genre as a unique form of Black musical and cultural production. DeForrest Brown, Jr. is an Alabama-raised rhythmanalyst, writer, and representative of the Make Techno Black Again campaign. As Speaker Music, he channels the African American modernist tradition of rhythm and soul music as an intellectual site and sound of generational trauma. On Juneteenth of 2020, he released the album Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry on Planet Mu. His written work explores the links between the Black experience in industrialized labor systems and Black innovation in electronic music, and has appeared in
Artforum, Triple Canopy, NPR, CTM
Festival, Mixmag, among many others. He has performed or presented work at Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin; Camden Arts Centre, UK; Unsound Festival, Krakow; Sónar, Barcelona; Issue Project Room, New York; and elsewhere.
Assembling a Black Counter Culture is Brown’s debut book.
ARTISTS
Bernard Farley / B_X_R_N_X_R_D / Outputmessage Bernard Farley is an electronic music and visual artist as well as the founder of Black Techno Matters, a Washington D.C. based collective of artists whose mission is to reclaim techno as a manifestation of black expression in a society that has oppressed it by creating spaces, both virtual and IRL, that celebrate the black roots of techno.
92Jelani is among the new wave of Los Angeles producers inspired by warehouse techno and electronic grooves. For over a decade, the 92Jelani has been performing in nightclubs and raves starting at DC’s U Street Music Hall once he turned 18. 92Jelani has been recently submerged in the analog recording universe using his eurorack system and dub style console mixing to combine the past, present, and future through his music.
Trovarsi is an LA based music composer/producer, live electronic artist, educator, and streaming YouTube host. Her work transcends genres, cultures, and boundaries, yet also authentically and reverentially embraces many creative traditions.
Corry “BboyTech” Banks: A pioneering figure of the Modbap community and movement, Corry Banks (aka BboyTech) coined the term Modbap as a representation of his experiments in blending hip-hop and boombap production styles with modular synthesis. As the founder of both
BBoyTechReport.com (Music tech blog for Beatmakers) and
Beatppl.com (Music and sound design label / brand), BboyTech focuses on assuring the voice of hip-hop is present in music technology by combining his passions for hip-hop music and his experience as an IT professional into a platform for like-minded individuals and peers.
CONVERSATIONS IN THE RADICAL LIBRARY: The Detroit-Berlin Axis is presented by BLACK TECHNO MATTERS in cooperation with the German Consulate General Los Angeles, the Goethe-Institut, and dublab.
ABOUT TECHNO WORLDS
TECHNO WORLDS is an interdisciplinary exhibition at the intersection of music, art, pop, media, and technology. The title refers to the multifaceted techno scene, genres, and political projects that emerged from the subcultures of the 1980s to the present day, and traces the processes of cultural and economic appropriation. TECHNO WORLDS is organized by the Goethe-Institut and curated by Mathilde WEh, Justin Hoffmann, and Creamcake (CC).
A selection of the works from this traveling exhibition will be on view the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles from December 9th, 2022 – January 27th, 2023.
The exhibition can be viewed during events and at the following times:
During Office Hours: Dec. 9th, 2022 - January 27th, 2023
Mondays–Thursdays: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Fridays: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Free Parking is available at Metro/Retail parking structure located at
676 S. Westlake Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90057
Public transport is possible with the red line to MacArthur Park/Westlake stop. Using carpool or ride-share options are appreciated.
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