Tribute to Drexciya
This week we pay tribute to Drexciya. Envisioned in the early 1990s by the Detroit techno duo consisting of the late James Stinson and Gerald Donald, the mythic Black Atlantic civilization of Drexciya was a world system adapting historical material into a malleable narrative of African American subjugation, insurrection, and exodus that inherently runs counter to the history, intentions, and goals of the modern world, founded on the manifestly evil desire for excess and domination.
“During the greatest holocaust the world has ever known, pregnant America-bound African Slaves were thrown overboard by the thousands during labour for being sick and disruptive cargo. Is it possible that they could have given birth at sea to babies that never needed air?” - The Unknown Writer
“By inventing another outcome for the Middle Passage, this sonic fiction opens a bifurcation in time which alters the present by feeding back through its audience.” - Kodwo Eshun
“(The inspiration for the underwater world) came from deep inside my mind. God gave me this vision and I’m building on it bringing it to life for the whole world to see… Water is life. Life started on this planet and other planets due to water. It is the cutting edge of creativity and innovation. You have billions of different species in the seas, oceans, lakes, ponds and streams across the world. Millions of species still have not been discovered by man so is that cutting edge of creativity or what? We approach our music the same way.” - James Stinson
This week’s selections were selected by @b_x_r_n_x_r_d through the prism of Journey Of The Deep Sea Dweller, a series of releases on Clone Records (@clonerecords) representing an almost complete collection of Drexciya’s early works and is an excellent introduction to the aquatic world of Drexciya.
If you want to dive deeper into the world of Drexciya, we highly recommend reading ASSEMBLING A BLACK COUNTER CULTURE by DeForrest Brown Jr. (@clinicalpoetics)