Saturday, July 23rd 8:00pm at Crashbox
The notion of authenticity is a myth. Too often, the current narrative around ‘global music’ tends to be focussed on the perception of a culture/tradition frozen in time and performative of one’s ethnic identity. At the same time, ‘experimental music’ is also based on Eurocentric ideas that have ignored the beat-based innovations of non-western musicians for decades. Ravish Momin and Danny Mekonnen seek to decolonize those constructs and create a bold new music that embraces the ancient to the digital- music that not only draws on their respective cultural backgrounds, but also includes deeply embedded contemporary influences while utilizing cutting-edge music tech tools. As Sharmi Basu succinctly states, “therefore, when we, who are people of color, women, queers, trans people, talk of creative music, we do not unassumingly refer to music outside of popular forms of music; we mean we are creating new worlds for our bodies to exist in.”
Sunken Cages is the moniker of drummer/electronic music producer Ravish Momin, who started out as an acoustic drummer and percussionist a couple of decades ago. Momin studied with Jazz master-drummer Andrew Cyrille. He has worked as a sideman with a wide array of musicians, from pop-star Shakira to legendary Jazz musician Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre (of the AACM.) In addition, he has also lead his own group Tarana on international stages for the past 14 years. As Sunken Cages, Momin plays electronic and acoustic drums, and triggers melodies and textures. He also layers loops while manipulating them in real-time to blur the lines between composition and improvisation. While rooted in Indian and Black Music traditions, he is also influenced by the street sounds of underground dance music from Sao Paolo to Durban to Mumbai and beyond. He currently also leads Turning Jewels into Water, an electronic duo with Haitian pioneer Val Jeanty. He has recorded a full length album for On The Corner Records, and done remixes for global electronic music producers Batida (Portugal), Guedra Guedra (Morocco), Babani Soundsystem (Mauritius) and multi-instrumentalists Kamyar Arsani (Iran/US) and Thollem (US). His recent performance highlights include Lincoln Center Outdoors Festival, New York City US, and Slingshot Festival (Durham NC) https://instagram.com/sunkencages
Dragonchild is an expression of ecogrief and a celebration of Underworld music. Conceived by D.A. Mekonnen––saxophonist, co-founder/longtime leader of Debo Band, and Silkroad performing artist––the project is a culmination of decades of musical experimentation, embodied spiritual practice, and critical thinking. Creative inspiration includes a range of visionary artists and luminary thinkers including: Swamini Alice Coltrane, Ethiopian filmmaker Haile Gerima, and writer-pleasure activist adrienne maree brown. Slated for release in late 2022 on FPE Records, their debut album “BLACK” is the monumental result of that exploration: four one-sided albums, designed to be played simultaneously, creating an immersive and disorienting swarm of sound. https://www.instagram.com/deboband/