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Black History Month

Celebrating Black History Month With House & Techno

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The contribution of Black artists in house and techno are undeniable and pervasive. In fact, the bedrock of electronic music owes much of its legacy to Black artists. From Chicago and Detroit, the cities that started it all, its local pioneers wove dance music culture’s fabric that now stretches globally. Frankie Knuckles, Larry Heard, Jesse Saunders and Marshall Jefferson are names that but only scratch the surface. For this special month 6AM wanted to share all the amazing contributions by Black artists to the history and music that helped create this global phenomena; and to share those artists who graced 6AM with their voices and talents.

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Black electronic artists

Making Waves: Listen to These 5 Black Electronic Music Artists

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February is Black History Month, and it’s a special time to celebrate essential black voices whose impact is felt on and off the dance floor. The house and techno music of today originated in Chicago and Detroit through the efforts of Black trailblazers. Since then the electronic music scene has taken off. House and techno music is found around the world, and it has evolved to encompass many sub-genres. Listen to these five Black electronic artists who continue to push boundaries and make waves like the pioneers before them. 

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1. LSDXOXO

LSDXOXO is an artist from Philadelphia who made a name for himself in New York City as a DJ and producer, quickly becoming an essential figure at GHE20GOTH1K. He’s known for destroying dance floors across the underground club scene with his energetic DJ sets, amassing attention for the way that he manipulates mainstream sounds by craftily layering pop tracks and vocal samples between Baltimore club, ghetto house, hardcore, electro and techno. Now residing in Berlin and running his own club night Floorgasm, LSDXOXO is synonymous with the new wave of techno artists reclaiming Black queer spaces and injecting fun and camp into the genre.

Listen: LSDXOXO Mixes

2. SPELLING

SPELLING, Chrystia “Tia” Cabral, is an American experimental pop musician based in the Bay Area. SPELLLING released her first full-length Pantheon of Me in September 2017. The album was self-written, performed, and produced in her apartment in Berkeley, California. Cabral began experimenting with music production in 2015 in an effort to carry on the creative legacy of a lost loved one. Drawing heavily from messages in her dreams, her sound spirals through clarity and obscurity searching through landscapes of psychic space.

Listen: SPELLING “Turning Wheel”

Read Next: Paving the Way: 7 Black Trailblazers Techno Fans Need to Know About

3. DJ Holographic

DJ Holographic is a one-woman funk machine born and raised in Detroit. Her mission is to serve up a mix of musical cuisine that combines House, passionate R&B, Hip Hop, unreserved Disco, true Detroit Techno, and Motown. Having spent the past few years traveling the world and playing for crowds in Berlin, London, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, she has thrilled crowds on hallowed dance floors at Smart Bar, Panorama Bar, Output, and beyond. 

Listen: DJ Holographic “Faith In My Cup” 

4. Akua

Akua is emerging from Brooklyn’s vanguard of boundary pushing artists. The artist has proved she’s not afraid to redefine techno on her own terms. The Ghanaian-American DJ has cultivated a sound that reflects her passion for research and re-contextualization, as she infuses old-school tracks and techniques with a vision for the dance floors of the future. The Discwoman has taken her sound to packed dance floors in cities across North America, and in 2019 she hopped across the pond to present her hyper-charged selections to European crowds with debuts on the Boiler Room Utrecht, Saule and De School.

Listen: Akua Mixes

5. Jasmine Infiniti

Jasmine Infiniti is a non-binary, trans person of color artist and DJ who was born and raised in the Bronx and now resides in the Bay. They are an integral part of the New York vogue house scene. The artist’s DJ sets often feature techno mixed with ballroom, hard style and gabber.

Listen: Jasmine Infiniti BXTCH SLÄP

Idris Elba

Idris Elba Pursuing DJ Career Over Acting

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The multi-talented Idris Elba has reached a critical creative juncture. In a new interview with Vanity Fair, the Golden Globe-winning actor said he intends to “lean away from the acting work” and pursue his career as a DJ more concertedly.

Idris Elba’s upcoming year on the big screen is slated to be a busy one. Elba is set to star in George Miller’s fantasy romance film, Three Thousand Years of Longing and Beast, which will see him portraying a widowed father who must fight to protect the lives of his children against a wild lion on a South African game reserve. Elba will also voice the part of Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, out in April.

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Black trailblazers techno

Paving the Way: 7 Black Trailblazers Techno Fans Need to Know About

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February is Black History Month, and it’s a special time to celebrate essential black voices whose impact is felt on and off the dance floor. Today and every day, pay due respect to the black pioneers of techno who have paved the way for future generations. This list is by no means exclusive, as it’s important to also acknowledge the black innovators and community who have promoted, supported, and given voice to the artists listed below. With that in mind, here are seven black trailblazers in techno that you need to know about.

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Carl Craig Presents All Black Digital: A Celebration of Black History Month

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Carl Craig has built a legacy defined by the discovery, amplification, and showcasing of black excellence. Over the last thirty years his iconic Planet E label has acted as an incubator for the wide reaching and globally leading sounds of Detroit, fostering a creative mixing pot built from the unique perspectives of black and brown voices. Now, as the world takes a long awaited stride towards examining global race relations, Carl remains an intellectual leader for the music and arts community at large. Today, in celebration of Black History Month, Carl announces All Black Digital, a series of virtual conversations and performances in support of Bridges For Music and in partnership with Beatport and Qwest TV.

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Black Voices in House Techno

Celebrating Black Voices in House & Techno

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The contribution of Black voices in house and techno are many. In fact, the bedrock of electronic music owes much of its legacy to Black artists. From Chicago and Detroit, the cities that started it all, its local pioneers wove dance music culture’s fabric that now stretches globally. Frankie Knuckles, Larry Heard, Jesse Saunders and Marshall Jefferson are names that but only scratch the surface. In honor of Black History Month, check out our Black Voices House + Techno Spotify playlist. Read more

Celebrate Black History Month with These Iconic DJ’s

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Note: Originally published in February of 2016 and republished in 2017, this article is being republished today in honor of the amazing never-ending list of iconic DJs that have graced our scene with their illustrious art and careers.

Since the beginning of time there have been countless individuals who helped shape the music landscape. In celebration of Black History Month, we took some time to honor some of the most iconic DJ’s of recent times:

*Artists are listed in alphabetical order

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