Syllabus for Roster(s):
- 20Sp MUSI 4523-001 (CGAS)
African Electronic Music (MUSI 4523) Syllabus
MUSI 4523 – African Electronic Music
Spring 2020
Tu & Thu 14:00 – 15:15
Wilson 142
Course instructor:
Noel Lobley, Assistant Professor of Music (Critical and Comparative Studies)
Contact: noel.lobley@virginia.edu
Office hours: Tuesdays 15:30 – 17:30 (or by appt.), Wilson 109 (434-297-6987)
SYLLABUS SUBJECT TO REVISION
Definitive version always on Collab
Course description:
African cities and urban areas have long been places for some of the most futuristic sounds being created, music and sounds that reverberate between local urban identities and international avant-garde music scenes. Explosive, hypnotic and ultra-modern electronic sounds meld stunning dance forms with musical theatre and articulate the urban youth experience in cities as diverse and vibrant as Kinshasa, Joburg, Nairobi, Lagos and Durban.
We will engage multiplex genres of futuristic music, including Congotronics, Shangaan Electro, and Gqom apocalyptic bass music, paying close attention to innovations in house and remix culture, African sound art and Afrofuturism. We will explore the histories and futures of the sounds linking African beat making, technology, guitars, and the dynamics of twenty-first century amplified African cityscapes.
No prior musical experience is required.
Thematic Course Questions
Through a wide-ranging variety of literature, case studies, and audio-visual sources our course will address the following three broad thematic areas of investigation:
Course questions
-
What are the sources, elements, sounds and messages in African electronic music?
-
How does African electronic music circulate?
-
How does electronic music blend African histories and futures?
Overview of Topics
I. The Ethnographic and the Avant-garde: from acoustic to apocalyptic
Week 1: Welcome and introduction: why study African electronic music?
Week 2: Imagining the past, imagining the future: the pioneers of African Electronic Music.
Week 3: Electronic archaeology: digging, looping, sampling and remixing African sound fragments.
II. Amplified African Aesthetics
Week 4: Continental Pop Sounds: the electric guitar in Africa
Week 5: Pyschedelic African soul funk: Fela, Afrobeat, Broadway and beyond
Week 6: Kwaito, pantsula, and South African Hip Hop
III. Youth and City Soundscapes
Week 7: Sampling Jo'Burg (South Africa)
Week 8: Interactive beats, rhymes and live art class with Xolile 'X' Madinda and Andiswa 'Bliss' Rabeshu.
Week 9: Spring Recess
IV. African Hip Hop
Week 10: Social Messages in East and West Africa
Week 11: Revolutionary sounds in North Africa
Week 12: Sampling Lagos (Nigeria)
V. Afrofuturism, Afrofutures
Week 13: Hyperactive rhythms: Congotronics and Shangaan Electro
Week 14: House, ghetto-tech and apocalyptic bass music
Week 15: A constellation of electronic art forms
The Return and Onwards
Week 16: What will African electronic music sound like?
COURSE MATERIALS
During the semester, we will read and be guided by the following key texts, some of which are available in full online,
and nearly all will remain on reserve at the Music library in Old Cabell Hall.
Key Books (on reserve at the music library for 3 hour loans)
Agawu, K. 2016. The African Imagination in Music. Oxford: University Press. [*** also available online via Virgo ***]
Agawu, K. 2003. Representing African Music: postcolonial notes, queries, positions. Routledge
Anderson, R. & C. Jones (eds.). Afrofuturism 2.0: the rise of Astro-blackness. Lexington Books.
Bebey, F. 1975. African Music: a people's art. New York: L. Hill
[***Also available online via Virgo ***]
Clark, M. 2018. Hip Hop in Africa: prophets of the city and dustyfoot philosophers. Ohio University Press.
Meintjes, L. 2017. Dust of the Zulu: ngoma aesthetics after apartheid. Durham, NC.: Duke University Press.
Meintjes, L. 2003. Sound of Africa: making music Zulu in a South African Studio. Durham, NC.: Duke University Press.
Ntarangwi, M. 2009. East African Hip Hop: youth culture and globalization. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
Olaniyan, T. 2004. Arrest the music: Fela and his rebel art and politics. Bloomington, In.: Indiana University Press.
[***Also available online via Virgo ***]
Osumare, H. 2012. The Hiplife in Ghana: West African Indigenization of Hip Hop. Palgrave Macmillan.
Schoonmaker, T. 2003. Fela: from West Africa to West Broadway. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Steingo, G. Kwaito's Promise: music and the aesthetics of freedom in South Africa. Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press.
Steinskog. E. (ed.). 2018. Afrofuturism and Black Sound Studies: Culture, Technology and Things to Come. Palgrave MacMillan.
Veal, M. 2000. Fela: the life and times of an African musical icon. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Weaver-Shipley, J. 2013. Living the Hiplife: celebrity and entrepreneurship in Ghanaian popular music. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press.
White, B. 2008. Rumba Rules: the politics of dance music in Mobutu's Zaire. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press.
Youngquist, P. 2013. A Pure Solar World: Sun Ra and the Birth of Afrofuturism. University of Texas Press.
URL for Course Reserves and Availability
Available Online
Book, S. 2014. Congotronic. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press.
Charry, E. 2012. Hip Hop Africa: new African music in a globalizing world. Bloomington, IN.: Indiana University Press.
Clark, M. K. & Mwanzia Foster, M. (eds.). 2014. Hip Hop and Social Change in Africa: Ni Wakati. Lanham, Boulder, New York & London: Lexington Books.
Collins, J. 2015. Fela: Kalakuta Notes. MIddletown, CT.: Wesleyan University Press.
Womack, Y. 2013. Afrofuturism: the world of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture. Chicago Review Press.
Most other reading, listening and viewing materials will be available online.
Wherever possible I have uploaded PDFs of relevant chapters or articles to the resources section in our Collab site.
Useful Journals
African Music
https://www.ru.ac.za/ilam/publications/africanmusicjournal/
Ethomusicology
http://www.ethnomusicology.org/?Pub_Journal
Ethnomusicology Forum
http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/remf20
Useful Websites and Blogs
African Hip Hop
http://www.africanhiphop.com/
Africa is a Country
http://africasacountry.com/
Afropop Worldwide
Awesome Tapes from Africa
Bleep
FACT Magazine
OkayArica
https://www.okayafrica.com/
Pan African Space Station
http://panafricanspacestation.org.za/
Resident Advisor
http://www.residentadvisor.net
The Wire
Urban Africa
Assessments
This semester we will complete weekly dialogues with peer feedback, alongside three assignments in a range of creative formats: [(i) A Proposal for a Final Project working with professional partners, (ii) An Individual Version of a class Google Slides presentation (iii) a collaborative final project working with/ influenced by The Black Power Station (Eastern Cape, South Africa) and with Nyege Nyege festival/ label (Kampala, Uganda).
We will work towards building a class website to share the material publicly.
Course work will be assessed on the following basis:
25% Project Proposal
25% Individual Google Slides Presentation
50% Collaborative Final Project (30% for the final project, + 20% for the individual reflection)
Course attendance and participation
As this course is a 4000 level seminar, participation in class discussions will be particularly important. Attendance and respectful participation are expected. More than two unexcused absences from class will adversely affect the final grade.
Course policies
It is always best to advise me in advance if you anticipate any problems meeting deadlines.
Honor
I trust every student in this course to comply with all of the provisions of the UVA honor system. Please pledge and sign your assignments. Your signature on the papers affirms that they represent your original work, and that any sources you have quoted, paraphrased, or used extensively in preparing the paper have been properly credited in the footnotes or bibliography.
COURSE OUTLINE
I. THE ETHNOGRAPHIC AND THE AVANT-GARDE: FROM ACOUSTIC TO APOCALYPTIC
Week 1 : Welcome and introduction
Classes 1-2: Tuesday 14th & Thursday 16th January
Introduction – Scope of the course: what is African Electronic Music?
Key questions:
-
Why study African electronic music?
-
What methods can we use to study African electronic music?
-
What issues does African electronic music communicate?
You Tube Playlist for Class 1
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuoiSwM3103StpXOMnMakC0SL4B4aHhcY
You Tube Playlist for Class 2
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuoiSwM3103RibEsYCBH0V3N9UloL6Ln7
Week 2: Imagining the past, imagining the future: the pioneers of African Electronic Music.
Class 3 & 4: Tuesday 21st & Thursday 23rd January
Key Questions:
-
What turned African music electronic?
-
Who is Francis Bebey?
-
Who is William Onyeabor?
Required Preparation for Class.
A. Bebey, F. 1975. African Music: a people's art. New York: L. Hill. [Available on reserve in the Music Library in OCH, and online via Virgo, and in Collab 'resources']
Please read 'Expression of Life' (pp. 1-16) [PDF attached and also in 'resources']
B. Paying attention to the sounds and stories Bebey plays and tells, please listen to this 59m radio show. Among other things, we discover that keys on instruments can be people, and that before the world was created, there was boredom.
New Sounds #929: From the Vaults - Francis Bebey (WNYC Studios, 3/18/1993)
Key Resources for the week
Francis Bebey - African Electronic Music (1975-1982) Full Album
New Sounds #929: From the Vaults - Francis Bebey (WNYC Studios, 3/18/1993)
'Fantastic Man' - a film about William Onyeabor
'Afrotech - Stories of Synths in African Music' (Afropop Worldwide podcast (July 6th, 2017).
You Tube Playlist for Class 3
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuoiSwM3103Ry6h2O1nFXczwXSeOTT5ij
You Tube Playlist for Class 4
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuoiSwM3103Q6JF13DT_9l2jtubuLMAkW
Week 3: Electronic archaeology: digging, looping, sampling and remixing African sound fragments.
5-6: Tuesday 28th & Thursday 30th January
Key Questions:
- What are the sources for African electronic music?
- Whose identities are represented in African electronic music?
- How important are national and international record labels for African electronic music?
Required Preparation for Class 5
Feld, S. 1996. 'Pygmy Pop: a Genealogy of Schizophonic Mimesis', Yearbook for Traditional Music 28: 1-35.
[Available online at stevenfeld.net and as a PDF in Collab under resources]
"Whose record is it anyway? Musical ‘crate digging’ across Africa", by Abigail Gardner (The Conversation, September 6th, 2017)
'Where It Began: Western Dance Music’s Ongoing Dialogue with Africa', by Andy Beta (Pitchfork, June 23rd 2015)
Please also familiarise yourself with some of the sounds and philosophies at least two of the following labels in time for classes on Tuesday and Thursday:
Beating Heart
Nyege Nyege Tapes
Extra Resources
'Crate Diggers and Remixers' (Afropop Worldwide podcast, January 17th 2019 [originally aired March 29th 2012])
'Sub-Saharan Cassette Shopping' (Afropop Worldwide podcast, January 22nd 2015 [originally aired in 1993])
Required Preparation for Class 6
Feld, S. 2000. 'A Sweet Lullaby for World Music', Public Culture 12(1): 145-171.
[Available online at stevenfeld.net and as a PDF in Collab under resources]
'In Nairobi, DIY is a way of life', by Mia Zur-Supiro (The Fader, April 25th, 2018)
'From Afrobeat to Akon: Why African music finally has the world's ear' (CNN, November 18th 2016)
Extra Resources
'African Tracks that were Sampled' on whosampled.com
'Sahel Sounds: modern music from Mali' (Afropop Worldwide podcast, August 17th 2017)
You Tube Playlist for Class 5
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuoiSwM3103Q7-FeBvAZMODi1IFyhkqGU
You Tube Playlist for Class 6
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuoiSwM3103RvBCVG37n0rhim17Le6qmQ
II. AMPLIFIED AFRICAN AESTHETICS
Week 4: Continental Pop Sounds: the electric guitar in Africa
Classes 7-8: Tuesday 4th and Thursday 6th February
Key questions:
-
How did soukous become a continental force?
-
Who is Franco?
-
What are the relationships between electric guitar music and political regimes?
Required Preparation for Class 7:
Schmidt, C. 1997. 'The Guitar in Africa: issues and research', World Of Music 36(2): 3-20.
[Available online and as a PDF in resources]
Please listen to at least one of these two Afropop Worldwide podcasts, in order to get a sense of some of the huge variety of electric guitar sounds across the continent.
'More African Guitars' (Broadcast August 23rd, 2018)
or
'Beneath the Bass: an African History of the Bass' (Broadcast January 7th, 2016)
Required Preparation for Class 8:
wa Makuna, K. 1997. 'The Changing Role of the Guitar in the Urban Music of Zaire', World Of Music 36(2): 62-72.
[Available online and as a PDF in resources]
Please familarise yourself with the musician Franco and the sound of rumba, by either watching
'Face of Africa: Franco - King of Rumba', (and paying attention to the relationships between rumba and social messages),
or listening to
'Celebrating Grand Master Franco' (Broadcast March 22nd, 2013)
You Tube Playlist for Class 7
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuoiSwM3103RW7caSyMlNPaSbfCzWuzkn
You Tube Playlist for Class 8
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuoiSwM3103S2eIQpmVWB_C629L6Zb0vz
Week 5: Pyschedelic African soul funk: Fela, Afrobeat, Broadway and beyond
Classes 9-10: Tuesday 11th and Thursday 13th February
Key questions:
-
What sounds inspired Fela Kuti?
-
How did Afrobeat develop?
-
How influential is Afrobeat?
Minimum Required Preparation for Class 9:
Watch the 2014 movie 'Finding Fela'. (2h)
[You can stream it for free via Virgo on Kanopy Streaming Services].
- please pay close attention to how the range of voices and perspectives on Fela's life present and ultimately stage his musical and political radicalisation.
Recommended Reading
Collins, J. 2015. Fela: Kalakuta Notes. MIddletown, CT.: Wesleyan University Press. [Available online]
[1. 'The Birth of Afrobeat' (pp. 35-47) - available as PDF in resources]
Olaniyan, T. 2004. Arrest the music: Fela and his rebel art and politics. Bloomington, In.: Indiana University Press.
[2. 'The "Apolitcal Avant-Pop Hustler"' (pp. 7-23) & 3. 'The Afrobeat Moralist' (pp. 24-49) - available as PDFs in resources]
Minimum Required Preparation for Class 10:
Watch the 1982 movie 'Music is the Weapon' (53m).
[You can stream it for free via Virgo on Kanopy Streaming Services].
- please think about some of the differences in approaches and content between the two films about Fela this week. How radical were Fela's beliefs and practices?
Recommended Reading
Collins, J. 2015. Fela: Kalakuta Notes. MIddletown, CT.: Wesleyan University Press. [Available online]
[19. 'Felabrations at Home and Abroad' (pp. 204-218) - available as PDF in resources]
Olaniyan, T. 2004. Arrest the music: Fela and his rebel art and politics. Bloomington, In.: Indiana University Press.
[10. 'Conclusion: Afrobeat after Fela' (pp. 175-190) - available as PDF in resources]
Schoonmaker, T. 2003. Fela: from West Africa to West Broadway. New York: Palgrave MacMillan.
['Power Music, Electric Revival: Fela Kuti and the Influence of His Afrobeat on Hip Hop and Dance Music' by Joseph Patel, pp. 25-35 - available in Music Library Reserves]
You Tube Playlist for Class 9
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuoiSwM3103RlKxf6jOHNjSscPkBCcykT
You Tube Playlist for Class 10
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuoiSwM3103QizHN6zbIzDufZgq9-AT4I
--
[*** Please note that for weeks 6-8 our syllabus has been adapted to align with the residency of South African artists Xolile 'X' Madinda and Andisws 'Bliss' Rabeshu from The Black Power Station (Makhanda, Eastern Cape)
Week 6: Kwaito, pantsula, and South African Hip Hop
Classes 11-12: Tuesday 18th and Thursday 20th February
Key questions:
- What is kwaito music?
- What inspires pantsula dance?
- What is spaza hip hop?
Required Preparation for Class 11
Please can everyone make sure they read
Charry, E. 2012. Hip Hop Africa: new African music in a globalizing world. Bloomington, IN.: Indiana University Press.
- Ch. 2. ‘A Genre Coming of Age: Transformation, Difference, and Authenticity in the Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture of South Africa’, by Lee Watkins (pp. 57-75).
[Available online and as a PDF in ‘resources’]
Clark, M. K. & Mwanzia Foster, M. (eds.). 2014. Hip Hop and Social Change in Africa: Ni Wakati. Lanham, Boulder, New York & London: Lexington Books.
- Ch. 7. ‘Hip Hop, Youth Activism, and the Dilemma of Colored Identity in South Africa’, by Shaheen Ariefdien and Rico Chapman (pp. 94-111)
[Available online and as a PDF in ‘resources’]
Required Preparation for Class 12
Please can everyone make sure they read
Goeller, Daniela. ‘Impilo Mapantsula – or how to jump from a moving train. Recording the first hand history of South Africa’s dominant sub-culture and contemporary dance form’. [Available online at Research Gate, and as a PDF in ‘resources’]
'A New Generation of South Africans Are Reviving 90s Genre Kwaito', by Rofhiwa Maneta (Noisey, July 6th 2018)
Schoon, A. 2016. ‘Distributing Hip Hop in a South African Town: from the digital backyard studio to the translocal Ghetto Internet’, AfriCHI’16 Proceedings of the First African Conference on Human Computer Interaction, pp. 104-113. [Also available as a PDF in Collab 'resources']
And the following documentaries are very valuable, please try and watch at least one
'The Future Sound of Mzansi' by Spoek Mathambo and Lebogang Rasethaba (2015) [90m]
[This is a three-part documentary covering electronic music throughout South Africa and will be very useful for future classes later this semester, giving you a head start]
'Same But Different: Little Simz in Johannesburg with Gigi Lamayne' (2016) [9m44s]
'Stormzy & Muzi: From South London to South Africa' (2016) [10m48s]
You Tube Playlist for Class 11
You Tube Playlist for Class 12
III. YOUTH AND CITY SOUNDSCAPES
Week 7: Sampling Jo'Burg (South Africa)
Classes 13-14: Tuesday 3rd & Thursday 5th March
Key questions:
-
What are the sounds of Jozi?
-
What does the Jo'Burg house music scene look and sound like?
3. How does South African electronic music circulate?
Required Preparation for Class 13
Please watch Resident Advisor's 'Real Scenes: Johannesburg' (20m32s) and 'Born Free: Hip Hop in Johannesburg' (16m21s)
Required Preparation for Class 14
Simmert, T. 2015. 'Media and Mobility in South African House Music', Journal of African Media Studies 7(1): 87-99.
[Available online via Virgo and as a PDF in resources]
***
Prompt for African Electronic Music Class for our joint class on Thursday with X, Bliss, and Professor David Edmunds’ Global Development theory class.
Many thanks for welcoming Xolile ‘X’ Madinda, Andiswa ‘Bliss’ Rabeshu, and other friends and guests to our class space yesterday afternoon. We are working at co-designing and co-curating content and spaces together, and in class on Thursday we will join with Professor David Edmund’s Development Theory class to explore as a group the relationships between Black Consciousness, Steve Biko, and South African hip hop and other music.
The readings for class yesterday and last week - and the recommended readings and viewing for Thursday - provide foundations for what we hope to build.
In order to prepare for Thursday’s shared class, please read the two chapters from Steve Biko’s “I Write What I Like” - attached as PDF - and reflect on what Biko is saying about asserting black humanity in the face of apartheid. X will guide us through different versions of a Xhosa circumcision/freedom struggle song to illustrate some of Biko’s points. Bring your collaborative mind- we will attempt to learn and converse through the spirit of The Black Power Station education model, which asks us to subvert hierarchy and participate equally in conversation.
In Thursday’s class, X and Bliss will help us navigate through some different musical examples in relation to black consciousness, Steve Biko and liberating youth through social justice and education. They will consider how youth find reasons to relate to and trust artists over politicians. And music is one tool that has been used by young people to find their voice.
Please watch in advance these short clips, and begin to think through your own experiences/ examples of ways in which music and songs can be used as ways to build communal understandings.
St Stithians Boys College Gwijo - Thina Siyazalana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4dGXtsO5qg&t=3s
Queens college
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDQly4ZXlZs
FMF 2016 Nobody wanna see us together - Yamkela Gola ft Wits Students
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFmRA2U5-pQ
Saints College - Ufiki'zolo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpocFod3Boo
Performance by Kanyi Mavi | Afternoon Express | 27 February 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCZvXjhFvbo
The following quotes from the readings for last Tuesday’s class will provide useful ideas to think through together.
“South African rap music has come of age in its longevity, social reality, and representation of diverse interests in many national, racial, and class groups and as a creative influence in the emergence of kwaito.” (Watkins, 2012: 58)
“Hip-hop artists were extremely scornful of American ‘gangsta’ hip-hop, and saw their music as a moral alternative, to distance themselves from a pervasive criminality in the townships. Through hip-hop they could give advice based in the philosophy of black consciousness, on how to navigate the difficulties of everyday life, in a society where poverty and inequality still took on a racial character.” (Schoon, 2015: 105)
“During the late 1980s to early 1990s, the dominant expressions in hip hop in the United States and South Africa embraced various forms of black-centered ideologies (which was a creative mixture of American Afrocentricity, influences from the Nation of Islam, the Nation of Gods and Earths, Rastafarianism, and Biko-styled black consciousness coupled with Pan-Africanism). For marginalized youth all over the world, those first encounters with hip hop from the United States and the United Kingdom functioned as “media created by other ‘have-nots’ . . . and [youth] could see that the averages of truths it spoke were higher than that of all that White, Western brainwashed media out there” [Chang 2006, 280].” (Ariefdien & Chapman, 2014: 4)
“[Hip Hop] provided young people who have experienced various levels of alienation, trauma, and/or systemic abuse a vehicle to find voice, express the self, and develop a set of artistic practices as a system of coping with the brutal day-to-day reality of capitalism, white supremacy, and patriarchy.” (Ariefdien & Chapman, 2014: 5)
“The townships saw the development of a micro-society with its own unwritten laws and a unifying solidarity against the oppressor. Cultural practices, were it expressions of traditional culture or more contemporary manifestations, such as pantsula, played an important role in holding the community together by providing a form of cultural, social and political autonomy that ultimately shaped the identity of generations of black people in the townships.” (Goeller, 2016: 11)
Please note that the Black Power Station operates as a grassroots-owned radical participatory space, so please do come prepared to engage, ask questions and share ideas. The conditions will emerge for a more intimate exchange next week in class as we begin to work more closely together.
You Tube Playlist for Class 13
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuoiSwM3103QHN4dpW4OYcR-_PhWnpYST
You Tube Playlist for Class 14
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuoiSwM3103RhwHN6VlHJj3n1HHZpb4q8
Week 8: Interactive beats, rhymes and live art class with Xolile 'X' Madinda and Andiswa 'Bliss' Rabeshu.
Classes 15 & 16: Tuesday 3rd and Thursday 5th March
Required Preparation for Classes 15 & 16
In place of our dialogues this week, we would like to ask you to do a little practical preparation instead before we share an interactive art, beats and rhymes class tomorrow. X and Bliss have advised the following.
Please watch and listen again to emtee's 'umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu' and explore the style and philosophy a little.
Please also watch and listen to Johnny Cradle's 'uLate' paying attention the fusion of beats, lyrics and style.
Please come to class prepared by following these short tasks.
1. Find a common phrase in English that will be appealing to you and, ideally, unifying.
2. Please find a few Xhosa phrases that intrigue you and bring them to class. Please try and practice the pronounciation before class.
3. Referring again to some of the videos from Tuesday's class, please imagine how you might like to appear were you to attend a qgom or pantsula or house gig. Bliss says "dress cool as if you were going to dance"!
We are very much looking forward to working with you all again tomorrow.
Sobonana ngomso, konke kuzokwenzeka, siyabulela.
Kind regards,
X, Bliss and Noel
IV. AFRICAN HIP HOP
*** CLASSES NOW ALL MOVE TO ONLINE ZOOM CLASSES FOR THE REST OF THE SEMESTER ***
Week 10: Social Messages in East and West Africa
Classes 17: Thursday 19th March
Key questions:
-
How political is African hip hop?
-
Is African hip hop more local or more global?
-
Is hip hop gendered differently in Africa?
Required Preparation
Our main texts are both available online via Virgo:
Charry, E. 2012. Hip Hop Africa: new African music in a globalizing world. Bloomington, IN.: Indiana University Press.
Clark, M. K. & Mwanzia Foster, M. (eds.). 2014. Hip Hop and Social Change in Africa: Ni Wakati. Lanham, Boulder, New York & London: Lexington Books.
Please can everyone make sure they have read the following introductions this week:
Charry, E. 2012. Hip Hop Africa: new African music in a globalizing world. Bloomington, IN.: Indiana University Press.
'A Capsule History of African Rap' by Eric Charry (pp. 1-25) [Available online and as a PDF in 'resources']
Clark, M. K. & Mwanzia Foster, M. (eds.). 2014. Hip Hop and Social Change in Africa: Ni Wakati. Lanham, Boulder, New York & London: Lexington Books.
'Introduction' (pp. 9-27) [Available online and as a PDF in 'resources']
I also recommend the following two articles from each volume [all of which are both online and available as PDFs in 'resources']
Clark, M. K. & Mwanzia Foster, M. (eds.). 2014. Hip Hop and Social Change in Africa: Ni Wakati. Lanham, Boulder, New York & London: Lexington Books.
'Building our Nation: Senegalese hip hop artists as agents of social and political change' by Sheba Lo (pp. 53-73)
'Gender Representations among Tanzanian Female Emcees' by Msia Kibona Clark (pp. 165-186)
Charry, E. 2012. Hip Hop Africa: new African music in a globalizing world. Bloomington, IN.: Indiana University Press.
'The Rapper as Modern Griot: reclaiming ancient traditions' by Patricia Tang (pp. 79-91)
'The Local and the Global in Kenyan Rap and Hip Hop Culture' by Jean Ngoya Kidula (pp. 171-186)
***
Google Slide Link for Class 17 (03-19-2020)
You Tube Playlist for Class 17
Zoom Recording for Class 17 (03-19-2020)
***
Week 11: Revolutionary sounds in North Africa
Classes 18-19: Tuesday 24th & Thursday 26th March
Key questions:
- What role did hip hop play in the Arab Spring?
- Why did hip hop become so significant in Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya?
- How did El Général provoke and inspire resistance?
Required Preparation for Class 18
Please can everyone read:
Clark, M. K. & Mwanzia Foster, M. (eds.). 2014. Hip Hop and Social Change in Africa: Ni Wakati. Lanham, Boulder, New York & London: Lexington Books.
Wahlrab, A. Chapter Three 'Speaking Truth to Power: Hip Hop and the African Awakening' (pp. 49-63) [Attached, available online and as a PDF in 'resources']
Required Preparation for Class 19
Please can everyone spend time with these two resources/ videos.
'The Rap Songs of the Arab Spring (NPR The Record, June 9th 2011)
Recommended Resources for our class presenters (Liya and Sampson)
I recommend you start with 'Hip Hop for Global Literacy: Teaching the Arab Spring Uprisings', which is a very useful syllabus from the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies Outreach Program. Please navigate through as many of the links as possible. [Attached and available as a PDF in 'resources']
'Hip Hop and the Arab Uprisings' by Ulysses (published on Open Democracy, 24th February 2012)
[please also navigate through as many of the links as possible]
***
Please keep a close eye on announcements, assignments and class messages to keep everything aligned as we move through the rest of our work together.
***
Google Slides Link for Class 18
You Tube Playlist for Class 18
Google Slides Link for Class 19
Zoom Recording for Class 19
***
Week 12: Sampling Lagos (Nigeria)
Classes 20-21: Tuesday 31st March & Thursday 2nd April
Key questions:
1. What are the musical roots in Afrobeats?
2. What makes Nigerian hip hop distinctive?
3. How does Emeka Ogboh compose his market soundscapes?
Required Preparation for Class 20
Considering Questions 1 & 2, please read:
Shonekan, S. 2009. 'Nigerian Hip Hop: Exploring a Black World Hybrid'. In. E. Charry (ed.) Hip Hop Africa: new African music in a globalizing world. Durham, N.C.: Duke, 147-168.
[Available online via Virgo and as a PDF in 'resources'].
and
Please listen to 'Lagos and the Rise of Nigerian Afrobeats' Afropop Worldwide Programme from May 2018.
Required Preparation for Class 21
Considering Question 3, please spend time researching Emeka Ogboh's work, especially Lagos Soundscape.
The above will give us an excellent introduction to both the roots and contemporary electronic sounds of Lagos. For a broader perspective on the music of Nigeria. I highly recommend the extra resources below for our two presenters on Thursday (Michael and Thomas)
The 'Hip Deep in Nigeria Preview' includes more music and reflections from the researchers and producers of the podcasts.
Hip Deep in Nigeria - includes three further podcasts - and a wealth of other links and material - which travel further afield in Nigeria beyond Lagos, namely:
1. 'Edo Highlife: culture, politics and progressive traditionalism' (including changing styles of highlife music)
2. 'Hip Deep in the Niger Delta' (including hip hop and highlife hybrids)
'Hip Deep in Northern Nigeria' (including Hausa hip hop)
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Last Week:
Google Slides link for class 21 (03-30-2020)
YouTube Playlist for class 21 (03-30-2020)
Zoom Recording of class 21 (03-30-2020)
+
Google Slides link for class 22 (03-26-2020)
Zoom Recording of class 22 (03-26-2020)
V. AFROFUTURISM, AFROFUTURES
Week 13: Hyperactive rhythms: Congotronics and Shangaan Electro
Classes 23-24: Tuesday 7th & Thursday 9th April
Key questions:
1. What does Nozinja produce?
2. What are Congotronics?
3. How new are Shangaan Electro and Congotronics?
Required Preparation for Class 23
Please can everyone listen to the following.
‘Story of Congotronics’ podcast (originally broadcast 2006)
Afropop Soundsystem Part 4: South Africa (originally aired in 2010)
[Listen to 33m18s – 49m07s to hear Nozinja and some of his influences]
Recommended DJ Mixes for listening
2010s: Shangaan Electro – New Wave Dance Music from South Africa, by Pista Sin Tutulo (on Mixcloud)
R P Boo x Nozinja’s MixAfrica (2015) (= Chicago footwork meets Shangaan Electro)
Required Preparation for Class 24
Please can everyone read:
Font-Navarrete, D. 2011. 'File Under "Import": Musical Distortion, Exoticism, and Authenticité in Congotronics', Ethnomusicology Review 11.
[Available online via link above, and as a PDF in 'resources'. Please note that the excellent online audio examples are not available in the PDF].
Recommended Resources for Class Presenters (Molly and Max)
Brown, J. 2010. 'Buzz and Rumble: Global Pop Music and Utopian Impulse', Social Text 28(1) 102: 125-146.
[Available online via link above, and as a PDF in 'resources']
Vincent Kenis Interviewed by Kenneth Routon (May 9th 2011)
Vincent Kenis Interviewed: Konono No. 1 Meets Batida, by Morgan Greenstreet (April 15th 2016)
Nozinja Interview: “All the nation dances. It’s a matter of growing with that”, by Emma Tucker (Dummy Mag, 9th November 2014)
A very useful extra resource, containing information that is not readily available elsewhere is 'Shangaan Electro from Soweto to Sonar', a masters thesis in media, Culture, and Communication at New York University by Wills Glasspiegel. I have a copy with permission to share with the class but this has not been published yet so it must not be shared beyond our class. We will find a way to offer Wills feedback on his work. Please see the 'resources' section in Collab for week 14.
Broader Perspective on the Sounds and Circulation
Pype, K. 2015. ‘Remediations of Congolese urban dance music in Kinshasa’, Journal of African Media Studies 7(1): 25-36)
[Available online, and as a PDF in ‘resources’]
***
Many thanks for the ideas and work on the final project ideas. Please can everyone make sure they add their proposal to the shared Google Doc so we can all be mutually aware of the emerging ideas and teams and offer our ideas and feedback. I will be back in touch about this on Monday.
Finally, on Tuesday, Basile Koechelin will join us for the first 30-40 minutes for a conversation about working with Nyege Nyege. We will send some resources and preparation out for this section of the class later this evening.
***
Google Slides Presentation for Class 23 (04-07-2020)
YouTube Playlist for Class 23 (04-07-2020)
Zoom Recording for Class 23 (04-07-2020)
Google Slides Presentation for Class 24 (04-09-2020)
Zoom Recording for Class 24 (04-09-2020)
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Week 14: House, ghetto-tech and apocalyptic bass music
Classes 25-26: Tuesday 14th & Thursday 16th April
Key questions:
- What is gqom music?
- What is the future sound of Msanzi?
- What is township tech?
Required Preparation for Class 25
Pease can everyone watch all three parts of 'The Future Sound of Msanzi', a documentary by Spoek Mathambo and Lebogang Rasethaba (2015).
Required Preparation for Class 26
Please can everyone listen to
The gqom generation of Durban, South Africa Afropop Worldwide Podcast (21st March, 2019)
Recommended resources for our presenters:
'Woza Taxi - Gqom Secret Stash Out Of The Locations' (2016), and 'H∆SHTAG$ Season II - #Gqom | Red Bull Music Academy' (2017).
'Get To Know Gqom, South Africa’s Slow-Burning Club Music', by Adam Harper (2015)
'What Happens When South Africa’s Gqom Underground Goes Global?', by Sihle Mthembu (March 16th, 2017)
Resident Advisor Exchange 336 with DJ Lag and Nan Kolè (12th January, 2017).
[Also available as an MP3 in 'resources']
***
Google Slides Link for Class 25 (04-14-2020)
YouTube Playlist for Class 25 (04-14-2020)
Zoom recording for Class 25 (04-14-2020)
- Access Password: C2=KJ19!)
[Please note that since 04-13-2020 Zoom recordings are now password protected]
Google Slides Link for Class 26 (04-16-2020)
Zoom recording for Class 26 (04-16-2020)
Access Password: w7?7?z14
Week 15: A constellation of electronic art forms
Classes 27-28: Tuesday 21st & Wednesday 23rd April
Key questions:
1. What other art forms does African electronic music relate to?
2. What is Afrofuturist music?
3. What does Afrofuturism imagine?
Required Preparation for Class 27
Please can everyone read the following two online articles. Please familiarise yourselves with some of the Afrofuturistic sounds, artists, ideas and imagery.
'What the Heck is Afrofuturism?' by Jamie Broadnax (Huffington Post, 16th February 2018)
'Afrofuturism: the next generation', by Ruth La Ferla (New York Times, 12th December 2016).
Class 28
Please can everyone watch
'Afrofuturism Imagination and Humanity', by Ytasha Womack (Sonic Acts Festival, Amsterdam, 26th February 2017)
Recommended extra resources for presenters
'Your Brief and Far-Out Guide to Afrofuturism', by Priscilla Frank (Huffington Post, 25th April 2016).
'Afrofuturism is all around us and we don't even know it', by Elizabeth Wellington and Raishad Hardnett', Philadelphia Inquirer, 26th February 2020).
Reddell, T. 2013. 'Ethnoforgery and Outsider Afrofuturism', Dancecult: Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture 5(2): 88-112.
[Available online and as a PDF in 'resources']
**
Google Slides Link for Class 27 (04-21-2020)
YouTube Playlist for Class 27 (04-21-2020)
Zoom recording for Class 27 (04-21-2020)
Access Password: 4e#6U7w^
[Please note that since 04-13-2020 Zoom recordings are now password protected]
RETURN and ONWARDS
Week 16: What will African electronic music sound like?
Class 29: Tuesday 28th April
Key questions:
1. What methods can we use to study African electronic music?
2. What, how and where does African electronic music communicate.
3. What and where is the future for African electronic music?
Required Preparation
We will use the class to share prototypes of your final projects with the whole class together.
Zoom recording from final class (04-28-2020)
______
STUDENT LIFE
Student Life
I will work hard together with your teaching assistants to encourage a safe and equitable learning environment in this course. But, what happens in the classroom will be just one element of your experience at UVA this semester. Although I may not always be able to address your questions and concerns, I will certainly be able to guide you towards all necessary support and resources, so please do not hesitate to contact me about any issues that may be affecting your experience of this class.
Additional resources that are available to you:
Resources for Addressing Sexual Violence:
The University’s central site is: http://www.virginia.edu/sexualviolence/.
You can also contact the Office of the Dean of Students: 434- 924-7133 (or after hours and weekends call 434-924-7166 for the University Police Department; ask them to refer the issue to the Dean on Call)
Sexual Assault Resources Agency (SARA) hotline: 434-977-7273 (24/7)
Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE) hotline: 434-293-8509 (24/7);
UVA Women's Center: 435-982-2361; and
Resources for Addressing Racial Violence or Other Instances of Harassment or Discrimination:
http://www.virginia.edu/justreportit/.
You can also contact the Office of the Dean of Students: 434-924-7133 (or after hours and weekends call 434-924-7166 for the University Police Department; ask them to refer the issue to the Dean on Call); and Student Health (CAPS).
In addition, the Center for Teaching Excellence (formerly the Teaching Resource Center) has assembled a wide-ranging list of sites and offices that can help respond to both academic and non-academic concerns.
You can find it at: http://trc.virginia.edu/resources/support-for-uva-faculty-and-students/.
Finally, if you have any questions about academic integrity or what counts as plagiarism, please let me know. The Honor Code applies to all assignments for this course. The Library also offers helpful information at:
http://guides.lib.virginia.edu/content.php?pid=385908&sid=3162708
Music Department Community & Safety
Please see below for recommended actions to prevent and respond to violence involving students, faculty and staff in the department. These guidelines aim to promote safety, community and awareness amongst students in classes and ensembles, musicians and other members of the department.
Syllabi statement
The McIntire Department of Music is committed to providing a safe and equitable learning environment for all students, and holds the following two values as critically important:
1. Power-based personal violence will not be tolerated.
2. Everyone has a responsibility to do their part to maintain a safe community on Grounds.
Please know that as a faculty member, I support a safe and violence-free campus. If you or someone you know has been affected by power-based personal violence, more information can be found on the UVA Sexual Violence website, which describes reporting options and the many available resources. A link is given for reporting misconduct through the university’s Title IX process.
If you have concerns or questions about any aspect of this, you can approach any faculty or staff member of the music department, or any of these offices:
- ODOS Dean on Call: (434) 924-7166; DeanofStudents@virginia.edu
- CAPS (individual counseling) :
§ Day time – (434) 243-5150
§ After hours – (434) 972-7004
- SARA 24-hr Sexual Assault Hotline: (434) 977-7273
- University Women’s Center: (434) 982-2774 or sdvs@virginia.edu
- Campus Police à Call 911 for emergencies or (434) 924-8843
Reporting misconduct
- Misconduct includes any type of power-based personal violence and any type of sexual conduct and / or sexual intercourse that occurs without effective consent; misconduct includes intimate partner violence, domestic violence and stalking, as well as sexual harassment, defined as unwelcome verbal, written, physical or other conduct that is sex or gender-based and creates a hostile environment
The Gigging Musicians’ Guide to Getting Home Safely
Arrange how you’re getting home before you go
- Don’t wait and see if you can hitch a ride home, get in touch with the people you know who will be there and figure out a car pool! Don’t be shy; getting to know your fellow musicians may even turn out to be a great networking opportunity to line up future gigs!
- If you need to walk or take transportation after all, map out a route along the busiest streets where you are least likely to be alone.
On your way home: STAY ALERT
- Know what is going on around you, even in unfamiliar situations.
- If you’re walking or taking public transportation:
Stay awake
Don’t let yourself get lost in your phone or a book
- If your surroundings become unsafe, you need to be able to react quickly.
“Keep your cards close”!
- Keep your phone, wallet, laptop and any other valuables out of sight
- Take off any valuable jewelry before you leave and put them out of sight
- Wear instrument cases and other bags strapped as closely as possible to you
- If anyone asks you any questions, be polite but don’t give them any information that makes you look vulnerable and just keep walking or otherwise move away, for example:
“Where are you headed so quickly?”
“My friends are expecting me; have a good night!”
“What do you have in that big bag? Is that an instrument?”
“Too much stuff! Have a good night!”
Preventative measures
- Contact Buddies on Call to accompany you home after rehearsals, concerts and other evening events Thursday – Sunday: (434) 260 -0545
- Contact Campus Police for safe rides home: (434) 242-1122
- Safe Ride (434) 924-4225
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END OF SYLLABUS FOR MUSI 4523 (Spring 2020)
African Electronic Music (MUSI 4523)
African cities and urban areas have long been places for some of the most futuristic sounds being created, music and sounds that reverberate between local urban identities and international avant-garde music scenes. Explosive, hypnotic and ultra-modern electronic sounds meld stunning dance forms with musical theatre and articulate the urban youth experience in cities as diverse and vibrant as Kinshasa, Joburg, Nairobi, Lagos and Durban.
We will engage multiplex genres of futuristic music, including Congotronics, Shangaan Electro, and Gqom apocalyptic bass music, paying close attention to innovations in house and remix culture, African sound art and Afrofuturism. We will explore the histories and futures of the sounds linking African beat making, technology, guitars, and the dynamics of twenty-first century amplified African cityscapes.
No prior musical experience is required.