PRESENTATION
Social Mediums/Medias in Lusophonia:
How does music-making beyond the Euro-American centres continue, comment upon and/or contest Western discursive practices? Is a relationship with national history – or even a sense of nation - an obligatory pre-requisite for the creation of musical imaginaries for contemporary artists? To what point can we consider modern nations of the lusophone African universe as being enveloped in a flowing process of liminality wherein imperial pre-conditionings give way to renewed self-motivated configurations of identity within one’s place in a glocalized world? Through an explanation of the term RIY (Remix/Resignify It Yourself) I proposed to present case-studies and proofs of concept that shed light on intermedial practices of modern musical creation resulting from the collaborative exploration of the term with three artists that operate within the boundaries and intersections of the lusophone musical space. Music, and music-makers, as media, mediums, medialities, and modes of transmission were a focus of this presentation. One which scrutinized the long established idea that promulgates acts of signification, prospective and retrospective presentations of time, as well as the flowing formations of internal subjectivities as a dialogical interaction between co-dependent pasts and presents, and the dynamic interconnectivity between various musicological regions.
Notes from Afro-Portuguese Underground Imaginaries
PRESENTATION
Working with Mbira makers in Maputo
‘'Working with Mbira makers'' in Maputo follows a research perspective in the crossroads of tradition
and innovation. This presentation detailed a process of participant observation and collaboration with
local and international Mbira players in Maputo over the course of a year, and revealed my intent to develop an
acoustic-digital hybrid Mbira with which to expand creative possibilities for Mbira players. Urban and
non-urban ambiances melt in this observation challenging old classificatory uses.
PRESENTATION
THE MOBILITY OF MUSIC
In this presentation I proposed to talk about recent, profound changes to the paradigms of production and consumption of music. Using my research on how communication technologies are impacting global music markets and altering how music is commodified by affecting the value of music as a product in society, I suggested that music is increasingly mobile; non-localized, portable and all-pervasive. Moving away from physical enclaves such as the music studio, traditional instruments, and physical formats such as the CD into portable apps, software and digital instruments that connect to the cloud. I suggested that this freedom from proprietary formats and normative distribution channels is conducive to a DIY approach which provides an opportunity to essentially create niche marketplaces with which to cater directly to fan-bases in a process we could term as the democratization of music, all accessible at the touch of a finger.
analysis and considerations
concerning music and
mobility today
