Music
Tracing the Rhythmic Roots: A Journey Through the African Diaspora's Musical Legacy
2024-11-06
In a world where pop music is increasingly infused with Africa-rooted sounds, a British-Egyptian historian, Dr. Hannah Elsisi, raises thought-provoking questions about ownership, credit, and the unsung labor that shapes the rhythms of our cultural landscape.
Uncovering the Untold Stories Behind the Beat
Rhythm Ownership and the Dancehall Lawsuit
The ongoing copyright case involving Jamaican dancehall production duo Steely and Clevie has sparked a deeper examination of how rhythms are founded and the unacknowledged histories they carry. Elsisi's research delves into the ways in which music can serve as an "archive for histories that aren't written," as communities displaced by war, economic crisis, or slavery bring their musical traditions with them, only to see them mutate into new cultural forms.Chromesthesia: Mapping the Rhythmic Diaspora
Determined to trace these lineages, Elsisi founded Chromesthesia, an independently released compilation album and a forthcoming 13-hour performance at the Le Guess Who? festival in Utrecht. This ambitious project aims to "map centuries of movement and resistance as they have been inscribed in sound," bringing together producers and musicians from across the African diaspora, spanning 20 locations, to explore the connections and through-lines between continents and rhythmic tropes.The Residency Experience: Forging Musical Connections
The Chromesthesia project was initiated during a series of residencies in late 2023, where producers were invited to come together in Italy and Egypt to simply share playlists of their favorite music. This collaborative process allowed the artists to recognize similarities and interests, leading to the creation of a record made in 25 cities around the world.The Chromesthesia Compilation: A Cacophony of Rhythm
The resulting nine tracks of Chromesthesia: The Colour of Sound, Vol 1 deliver an unpredictable and diverse soundscape, spanning dark drones, Arab folk jizan rhythms, bass-heavy reggaeton, echoes of dubstep, trance-influenced Venezuelan raptor house, and eerie free jazz. This compilation is the antithesis of traditional ethnomusicological collections, embracing a loud, fuzzy, and gut-shaking bass-driven aesthetic.Celebrating Shared Experiences and Resisting Tokenization
The Chromesthesia project has been a transformative experience for the participating artists, who have forged deep connections and discovered unexpected links between their respective musical traditions. South African rapper Sho Madjozi, for instance, found exhilaration in exploring the commonalities between Egypt and South Africa, while London-based producer Gaika aimed to represent the merging of diaspora cultures in the city's nightlife.Envisioning a Collaborative Future
With plans for further albums to continue exploring the musical links between the African diaspora, Chromesthesia could become a lifelong endeavor. The project's independent and artist-centered approach is a testament to the power of collaboration, as the participating musicians assert that this music "belongs to us." By amplifying these untold stories and fostering cross-cultural connections, Chromesthesia seeks to challenge the tokenization of people of color in festival programs and celebrate the rich diversity of the African diaspora's musical legacy.