We were reminded of one of the more esoteric musical by-ways whilst recently researching 100 years of Sun Ra (which you can read the results of HERE). Afro-futurism is semi-mysticism, and semi-wish fulfillment – an odd branch of Afro-American music that speaks of other worlds as an alternative to the struggles of life on Earth. It is a close brother of African first philosophies like Rastafarianism and the Nation of Islam. A search for freedom somewhere far away from Amerikkka.
In stretching for a viable Black future Afro-Futurism is: “not only about the future, but it uses the future as a source of energy”.
Quoting Ytasha Womack’s pretty exhaustive book on the subject:
“Whether it’s outer space, the cosmos, virtual space, creative space, or physical space, there’s this often-understated agreement that to think freely and creatively, particularly as a black person, one has to not just create a work of art, but literally or figuratively create the space to think it up in the first place”
I’m not too sure if this makes much sense out of context and you could write a book or two about it. In fact Kodwo Eshun’s excellenty (but very academic) book More Brilliant Than The Sun is pretty much a whole book about it if you fancy some heavy reading. But what we at Cool Accidents do know, is that some wicked (and unlikely) jams have been created in the name of Space and the future. So for no particularly good reason slide back and unhinge your mind. Fly (and float) to other worlds and play your way through tunes you know and those you don’t … the Martian inspiration of Sun Ra himself; Coltrane’s Mars; Jimi reaching for Neptune; Ms Monae and her parallel universe of Archandroids; the astral travelling Lonnie Liston Smith; George and the P-Funk Star Children returning to reclaim the pyramids; and the watery future of Drexciya whos underwater future was peopled by the children of pregnant mothers thrown from the slave ships. And there are others as you slip towards Weldon Irvine’s Cosmic Vortex.
It’s weird and wild and third dimensional. It’s art & music, poetry and prose. It’s then and now (and tomorrow). It’ll blow your mind in a million ways … so why not try it??
-TH
