The advent of mobile phones has undeniably revolutionized the way we communicate and interact with the world. These miniature devices, compact enough to fit in the palm of our hands, have transformed into powerful tools that have permeated almost every aspect of our daily lives. From staying connected with loved ones to managing our work schedules and accessing the vast realms of information on the internet, mobile phones have become an indispensable part of our existence.

One of the most significant advantages of mobile phones is their ability to bridge geographical barriers and connect people from all corners of the globe. With just a few taps on the screen, we can instantly communicate with family, friends, and colleagues regardless of where they are. The ease and convenience of making voice and video calls, sending text messages, and even participating in virtual meetings have brought people closer together, fostering stronger relationships and enhancing collaboration on both personal and professional levels.

Beyond their communication capabilities, mobile phones have become multi-functional devices that cater to numerous needs. With the evolution of smart phones, we can now access a plethora of applications and services that simplify our day-to-day activities. From organizing schedules and managing finances to ordering meals and booking transportation, mobile phones have streamlined our tasks and made our lives more efficient. Additionally, they have become powerful multimedia platforms, allowing us to capture high-quality photos and videos, listen to music, watch movies, and enjoy immersive gaming experiences.

Moreover, mobile phones have not only transformed the way we consume information but also created new avenues for entertainment and self-expression. Social media platforms have become integral parts of our lives, enabling us to share our thoughts, ideas, and experiences with a global audience. The ease of access to news, articles, and educational content has cultivated a continuous learning mindset and empowered individuals to stay informed and engaged.

While mobile phones offer numerous benefits, it is essential to acknowledge the importance of responsible usage. Excessive reliance on these devices can lead to addiction, detachment from the physical world, and privacy concerns. Striking a balance between utilizing the advantages they offer and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is crucial to maximize their benefits without succumbing to their pitfalls.

In conclusion, mobile phones have revolutionized the way we communicate, work, entertain ourselves, and access information. With their ever-evolving capabilities, they continue to shape our lives and drive the progress of our interconnected world. However, it is essential to utilize these devices responsibly, recognizing their immense potential while being mindful of the potential drawbacks they may entail.

Don Bormon is a student of grade 8 in Harimohan Government High School, Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh.

On August 21, when the world prepared to witness the global event of the total solar eclipse, three friends, a brunette musicophile, the skateboarder dude and their retro observer, waited together on a brightly lit petrol station. When an incredulous series of supernatural events began to occur, the stranded telekinetic blonde shows up.

# The Eclipse Talker

— (2, 600 word count)

A skateboard rested on the ground, with a retro portable music player sat on top.

With a yellow mixtape cassette visible inside.

Unplayed.

A nostalgic ode to gated reverb of the 80’s that infiltrated music, films and TV in recent times, especially with Netflix’s #StrangerThings.

The screen glare shuffled between colours like a chameleon, as the musicophile brunette was distracted by her iPhone.

Either she switched between YouTube or Twitter.

Millions around the world came together to stare up at the sky to witness the global event of the first solar eclipse since 99 years in the history of US. Also marked the first such event in the smartphone and social media era in America.

A trending craze on twitter.

Any news on #Trump, was set on the Snooze button, metaphorically speaking, (but that button was indeed an update addition to the #Quartz app).

She wasn’t alone.

Two male friends were present with her.

The skateboarder dude with the Beats Wireless on-ear headphones on, currently absorbed by #Oxenfree—a supernatural teen thriller—on his iPhone, owned that skateboard.

And the observer, who shared a keen interest for the 80’s era and preferred to be more of a practical, how-stuff-works kind of individual, since he first put a set of Lego pieces together as a little child. Observation in order to understand anything, was essential.

The music player had belonged to him.

They were positioned in the centre of a brightly lit petrol station. The night pitch black, with the inclusion of tiny strobes of stars that twinkled in the darkness.

Herself and the skateboarder carried 3D-style eclipse glasses, whereas, their observer friend instead had prepared to witness the eclipse with an eclipse box. The old school way.

Experience a moment when just like the Denverites—Denver Public School students—who had a keen interest in the astronomical phenomenon took a guarded look at the sun in a partial, 88 percent eclipse in 1979. As a scientific classroom project. Saw the eclipse from the vantage point of the playground. Many youngsters made viewing boxes to watch the eclipse by projection.

A specific playlist on Spotify streamed through the Airpods. The brunette’s ears and brain synchronised the rhythm of the music. The cerebellum, mirror neurones stimulated in a trance. But as she read through tweets, the music phase out eventually.

Strangely, once the Spotify app was swiped away, she had been experiencing what can be termed as;

“Musical imagery repetition”

“Involuntary musical imagery”,

Or “**stuck song syndrome**”.

An earworm phenomenon, snippets of a catchy song inexplicably played like a broken record in your brain, even after it was no longer playing.

The brain had a strange way of doing this, either the vocals or the instrumental version of the song hummed in your thoughts.

In the virtual world of Oxenfree, Alex began the game on Edwards Island with her group of friends. Armed with a portable radio which when tuned caused her to communicate with mysterious spectres.

Just as her observer friend turned the dial back and forth in-game, the radio signals sinisterly turned to red with eerie sounds, about to unwittingly open a ghostly rift.

His iPhone switched off abruptly to a black screen.

His brows twitched as he blinked, startled.

Instant assumption, possibly his finger tapped against the on/off button on the side whilst he had been absorbed by the game’s atmospheric nature.

He tapped the button a few times.

The iPhone was unresponsive.

He heard in the distance his brunette friend announce, “My iPhone just switched off?…” Her voice almost faded away.

She tapped at the power button repeatedly, but the iPhone didn’t start up.

Like a power grid wiped out by a power surge.

Just as the following words left his lips and faded away, he spotted the small wheel of his skateboard bend and swell outwards, “Mine too…”

The port that held the cassette pushed outwards, ejected.

The dude’s eyes jumped at the sight of this and then back at the wheel, which didn’t snap off, but just fell away. The portable music player came crashing down. What held the wheel in place, as if, had melted.

The yellow mixtape cassette flew right out.

The brunette turned to the sound of the player fell to the ground. And spotted the skateboarder kneeled to attend to this strange occurrence.

Her brows squeezed as she carefully watched and registered that the wheel of the skateboard had broken off. But she didn’t consider it of great importance and retried to start up her iPhone.

Again, unresponsive.

In the era of smartphones and social media, when your WiFi lost connection, or in this case, your iPhone stopped functioning, the retro portable music player and a mixtape seemed convenient.

The music would keep the party going.

The skateboarder lifted the player off the ground and sat it, as he held the broken wheel in his other hand, inserted the cassette back into the player’s port, and gently pushed the lid back closed.

The observer, who had the eclipse box over his head and peeked through it like it were a telescope, had eventually registered something about the brunette’s iPhone. Before he could react, he heard a crackling sound, his sight began to shrink. As he removed the box from over his head, held it in his hands, he watched as it began to crease and squeeze inwards like a turtle crawling back into its shell.

In the similar way when #Eleven in Stranger Things crushed a Coke can with her telekinetic powers.

He called out to them quickly.

Both the brunette and the skateboarder interrupted, instantly turned towards him, with caution.

Before words, which had materialised in their thoughts and ready to roll off their tongue, dissipated in an instant.

Bulged set of eyes watched with incredulous, and registered the eclipse box crush like paper being squeezed inside a fist.

The brunette removed the wireless Airpods out of her ears slowly.

Once it had been crushed, they stood with temporary paralysis. Their skin was cold and numb, but they felt nothing. Their mind had been diverted away, towards the crushed eclipse box. Curiosity, trepidation and disbelief flashed in their wide and alerted eyes.

Out of involuntary curiosity, the brunette raised her eclipse glasses and saw that the lens of them had melted away.

She managed to speak as she formed one word after the next.

“What is going on here?…”

She turned first towards the skateboarder and then towards the observer, their eyes twinkled in bafflement also as they stood speechless.

Her head steered as she set her eyes on the crushed eclipse box.

Abruptly, they were interrupted as their hearts jumped with a pang just as the cassette in the player, began to play.

The lights of fluorescence that kept the petrol station well lit, changed to a purple colour light tinge just as the cassette stopped playing.

They instantly registered this, and had now, grown extremely cautious.

The Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon which they had put together for days leading up to this day and hours of the afternoon had completed it whilst waiting for the eclipse to make an appearance, took flight silently.

Began to levitate.

The observer with the crushed eclipse box had noticed this from the corner of his eye and slowly turned towards it.

He snapped his fingers and caught their attention.

The brunette and the skateboarder witnessed the Legos Falcon afloat in the air.

And then stared with incredulous eyes as each Lego piece drifted away, space apart, disassembled by invisible ghost fingers.

Unfolded.

In such a surreal way.

Suspended in thin air like strobes of stars in microgravity.

Only for a few seconds and then the pieces came crashing down onto the ground, all at once.

Lost levitation.

As if recalibrated with Earth’s gravitational field.

The skateboarder’s Beats headphones flew right off his head with such force it seemed like a tornado wind had slapped them off.

He caught them by involuntary reflex.

Before they could react in accordance, his skateboard, still missing a wheel, began to roll gently in front of them like a helium balloon floating away. They watched as it reached the feet of an eerily startling young female—who wore an olive green jacket and possibly a face mask with blonde hair—who’s back had been facing towards them as she stood at a standing distance in front of them.

She seemed either absent-minded or just unaware of the skateboard that stopped nearby her as if possessed by an invisible force.

Possible signs of poltergeist activity.

Their sights shuffled between each other like deciding a convenient playlist to match your current mood. In this case, how to comprehend this unexpected situation.

Such eerie occurrences.

And her sudden appearance.

The recollection of what had occurred moments before them had dissipated away like clouds of smoke.

Their focus turned to the existence of the telekinetic blonde, seemed her attention had been distracted whilst she stared at the sky.

Her head raised up like a receiving antenna.

But the skateboarder seemed hesitant to walk over and grab his skateboard off the ground, especially, in her questionable proximity.

Something about her left him feeling unsettled.

The brunette’s eyes flashed with uncertainty, her sight softly rolled towards him.

Scrutinising him.

She sensed his hesitation in an instant.

Especially at the sight of the telekinetic blonde.

But both her and him were interrupted as they caught from the corner of their eyes, the observer who’s eclipse box had been crushed, reach down to the ground.

They turned towards him with caution.

He grabbed a single Lego piece of his pulled apart millennium falcon, rose to his feet, held it between his thumb and index finger. Possibly studying how this could have been possible.

Then out of the ordinary, pulled his hand back like the Lego piece was a bow and then threw it at the telekinetic blonde like an arrow.

The piece tapped against her back.

And fell to the ground.

The brunette’s eyes grew to a bulge, with incredulous.

The skateboarder threw a hesitant but hostile stare at him.

She remained unresponsive, like their iPhone.

Cautious footsteps dragged them towards her as if she were a magnet. As they drew closer towards her the skateboard which was in their path, levitated off the ground vertically, in the similar way when you flipped one side of the skateboard to catch the board by the nose.

Incredulously, the skateboarder reached out his hand and grabbed the nose.

Only until he grabbed the nose that he felt it’s weight, something had supernaturally, released it into his hand.

When the 3 of them returned their attention to the telekinetic blonde, unexpectedly she turned towards them. Sensed, their presence close by like an alerted predator in a forest.

They paused, flinching.

Her face had been cloaked by a Hilary Clinton face mask, which would have been quite convenient had it been Hallowe’en. In the wake of the Trump election that even stirred a paranoid nightmare in the opening season American Horror Story #Cult, and Trump face masks became strangely, quite popular.

She seemed a supporter of the former presidential candidate.

But their stomach churned when reminded of the movie #ThePurge when disguised intruders went on brutal killing sprees. All crime was ignored for a 12-hour time period. Legalised for one night.

What if she was one of them?…

The way in which she turned towards them also conjured up the image of John Carpenter’s masked killer Michael Myers. And Leatherface, attacked Erin and Pepper wearing Kemper’s face, in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake.  

Her hands were evidently, empty of any kind of weapon.

Seconds later, the Hillary mask just flew off her head like a magician pulling out a rabbit from his hat and fell to the ground.

Strands of her actual blonde hair afloat as if in microgravity, and then slowly just like the Lego pieces, recalibrated with Earth’s gravitational field.

She wore a pollution mask over her nose and mouth.

But her eyes reminded closed like some psychic searching for souls to channel.

Eerily, her eyelids twitched rapidly.

Her lips sealed.

She continued to remain unresponsive.

They watched as her hazel eyes snapped wide open and underwent metamorphosis to replicate, mimicking the solar eclipse.

The white and the pupils had dissipated to black.

The iris to white rings.

She was communicating, through a mute language.

As this happened, involuntarily their head turned towards the dark sky. A glow of incredible white light formed before their eyes. It enlarged, and beamed to form a dazzling total eclipse as two tiny strobes of light materialised on the right and left of this glow. Suspended in the air like a set of solar planets. When the larger glow began to shrink, the two tiny strobes began to fade and dissipated away.

The sight of which was ethereally so powerful and hypnotic that it seemed they had been put under a spell, without a thought of their eclipse glasses or the eclipse box, both of which had been damaged beyond use.

A spine-tingling, goosebump-inducing experience of the total eclipse was felt.

Once the eclipse had dissipated, the 3 of them had registered the telekinetic blonde’s eyes had turned to milky white and cloudy.

Before they could comprehend how this was possible, a beam of the white-purple light flood from both her eyes and tore directly at them. Vigorously. Over their faces like headlights, passing directly into their eyes.

The kind of moment you’re supposed to jump out into your seat whilst watching a horror movie, with the right sound effects.

The brunette’s brows arched as she raised her palm in front of her face, fingers spaced out as she took cover from it, but the vibrative burst of light tore through her fingers, uninvitedly inevitable.

Her iPhone fell out of her hand, the screen shattered like the drop tests uploaded on YouTube after every new iPhone released.

The skateboarder stood eyes widened as if in a state of incoming hypnosis.

Motionless.

His skateboard fell to the ground, followed by his on-ear headphones.

The sounds of the iPhone, skateboard and on-ear headphones fell mute.

His ability to shut his eyelids seemed to have been lost, as the light bleed through, uncontrollably. His stood eyes were absorbing, sucking it in like it were a nutrient.

The observer’s widened eyes trembled, his mouth fell apart with dread as the intimidating light flashed at him also.

His body shook uncontrollably.

His scream hung waiting in the cave of his throat, as he was forced to experience this frightening light.

And yet this blaze of light was infinite, overwhelming.

All this, if it were a scene from an 80’s horror movie would be intensified to heart-pounding slow motion effect. Especially the kind in a Stephen King or John Carpenter movie. The kind of vibrative blaze of light that tore through as Blake grabbed hold of the golden cross held by Father Malone in John Carpenter’s #TheFog.

Blinded, as the petrol station had seemed to have disappeared from their sights.

Their eyes saw nothing except this light.

Like it was some kind of a supernatural purging.

Their pupils dissipated as if erased away. Leaving their eyes milky white.

As the blaze of light grew violently wild, the telekinetic blonde began experiencing a dribble of nosebleed. And then, her physical self, her body turned to black smoke particles and dissipated into thin air like evaporation as if she were a ghost.

… 

Earthling of Earth / Gaia / Terra / Sol III, within the interstellar of The Galaxy / The Milky Way — Aamir

Rave art is appealing and mind boggling which totally compliments the sound and visuals of rave. Each flyer was an invite to the next rave, with a phone number listed on the back to get more details.

On the night of the event, you would call the voicemail which leads you to a map point where you then get actual directions to the rave itself. In order to locate the next party, you would need to keep collecting more flyers or find out by word of mouth.

Over the years I held on to these flyers, reminiscing on such an incredible time in Rave history. I’m sharing with you some of my favorite Midwest flyers that embody the word ‘electronica’ and what that means to me via rave art.

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To see more in person, the largest Midwest Rave Flyer Exhibit will be displayed @ Q-Studios in Chicago as part of Viva Acid! on October 5-7, 2023 from 5pm-10pm each day with free entrance.

Address: 2328 N. Milwaukee Ave, Floor 3, Chicago, IL 60647

Full event details available at vivaacid.com:

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NOTE: The “Blessings” flyer was created by legendary rave Artist/DJ Phil Free Art (RIP). Learn more about Phil in this 5 Magazine article.

LOOK REY LOOK

Look Rey Look, don’t be greedy
Yah, don’t chase money
Hey, money can ditch you
You know, money comes and goes ǁ

Look O Look, you avoid doll-drums
Yeah, you have good mouth piece
Try get Peace of Mind, try and Try
Hey, lest, you’re smashed ǁ

Thy, Life to run on life tracks
Look Rey Look, you’re engine driver
O See, all bogies your kith and kin
Hey, don’t drive engine like goods ǁ

A lovely image indicates the lovely mind
A lovely mind indicates the lovely feeling
A lovely feeling is for a lovely talk
A lovely talk is the result of a lovely friend ǁ

A nice moment is the result of a good mind wave-length
A lovely thought is the result of a good study
A hard work study indicates the nice behaviour
Behavioural attitudes are the combination of personality-cult ǁ

Look Rey Look, Birth and Death common
Hey, Try become legend, Try and Try
Your deeds show the path
Legends always simple and simple ǁ

Thy, Life to run on life tracks ǁ
Look Rey Look, Birth and Death common ǁ

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Email: mrkndyl@gmail.com +91-9951038802 Hyderabad, India

On September 3, 2023, I attended the Jungle got Soul event in Chicago – hosted by the dnbid crew (DJ’s Stunna, Subverb, Renan, Skrimshaw and Occum’s Razor):

fb.me/dnbid

Three sets in, I was impressed by the ambient sounds of DJ Toyacoyah. I looked her up online to learn more about her and saw that she was a member of the Comanche Nation – a rarity, so I decided to have an impromptu dialog with her at the bar where we dished on raves vs. pow-wows, West Coast DJ culture, Brazilian jungle/drum ‘n bass, indigenous hip-hop, Mixed-blood politics, Native representation, tribalism, (sound) medicine, colorism/racism, etc.

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M: OK, let’s start with your name. What does it mean?

T: It means “Returning from the War”. I’m named after a great great grandma on my dad’s side. Her name was actually spelled “Toyackkoah”. So, story goes, back in times of war, the women would help the men and provide weapons and reinforcements if needed; so on her way back from helping refill ammunition and what not, my ancestor was born. I think it literally might mean “returning from the mountain” because I’ve seen Toya used as a mountain name before.

M: Cool. So what does it mean to you to be a Comanche DJ in Chicago’s Jungle/Drum ‘n Bass (DnB) scene?

T: Yeah well, honestly, I didn’t grow up 100% around Comanche Nation just because, like, I was born there – born in the Indian hospital – but I only lived in Oklahoma until 7 years and then I moved off to Arizona, California; but I went back to Oklahoma for college. So that’s kinda how I got back in touch with my roots ‘cause there’s…a lot of Natives that go to college up at OU but yeah, no, I definitely see the parallels between pow-wow music and rave culture and stuff like that. People always ask me about that. I’m, like, “definitely”…so yeah, I definitely see the appeal obviously ‘cause I watched my relatives dance – definitely percussion was heavy in the mix, right? So no, who knows? There might be something in the DNA ‘cause I listened to house music, freestyle and all that stuff growing up; but the first time I heard jungle, I was like, “Yo, what the hell is this?” and I didn’t know what it was, right? I went back later, I’m like, “that was ragga jungle.” I’m like, “that was straight up, like, the craziest thing I ever heard in my life.” I really wish I knew what song was playing, who the DJ was but it was like ‘95 – San Francisco. That’s where I first started and my life was pretty much changed after that.

DJ Toyacoyah on the decks @ Jungle got Soul in Chicago.

M: You bring up an interesting point about the cultural or subcultural, at this point, parallels between the Jungle/DnB scene and the First Nations scene – raves versus pow-wows. I think every Junglist has that moment that they can identify where they were like, “Whoa, what is this?”

T: Yeah.

M: “How does this relate to me? I’m here, it’s real…and, now, what am I gonna do?” Obviously, you chose to DJ.

T: Yeah, so I’ve been buying records since I was a kid – like in the ‘80’s. It was always, like hip-hop or, like I said, freestyle or hip-house or whatever; so I was interested in electronic music but, just, I didn’t know it was a DJ culture thing, right?

M: Right.

T: I listened to the radio a lot in California and they’d always have people mixing but I always felt it was more hip-hop; so I knew that culture – turntables and all of that, but I was like, “Oh OK, there’s, like, a whole other thing happening here,” right?

M: Right.

T: So, when I got to college, I started buying stuff and then I went to the radio program there; so then I had a radio show and that’s where I started playing a lot of drum ‘n bass. That’s how I got my practice.

So funny enough the radio station at the time was KXOU but it was only on cable TV since they didn’t have a license or whatever. There was an NPR station I interned at, too, called KGOU. But for the show I had on the cable TV part it was called “Recipe for Chaos”. I think I have an old VHS tape of one night somewhere (laughs). Dragged my 1200s and mixer into the studio for it.

www.comanchenation.com

M: What’s the scene like down there in Oklahoma?

T: So, funny enough, there’s a really big scene and it was mainly a lot of hip-hop and rave crossover. One of the biggest crews that was throwing parties was the UAT crew and they’re actually the ones that made me DJ.

The very first time I got a gig was because my friend was throwing a party and they put my name on a flyer and didn’t tell me until, like, a month before the party. He said, “by the way, you’re playing this and start practicing now. And I was like, “WTF, dude?” but I needed that push because I would never do something like that – you know what I mean? – like on my own, so I appreciate that he did that for me and, yeah, that was my first gig – January ‘98 – and no looking back since then.

M: That’s what’s up. Do you feel like a lot of other First Nations people down there kind of had that same synergistic feeling or experience of, like, the rave culture integrated with the pow-wow?

T: Especially if they were into hip-hop culture. I don’t know as far as rave goes, but I definitely noticed it more recently. But that’s also because of the internet, you know – you’re a little more in tune with what other people are doing and I think it helps that people, like in Canada – First Nations – where, like, A Tribe Called Red (are from). They definitely helped solidify…rally the troops…

M: …Yeah, right. Exactly…around hip-hop. Rebel Diaz* is another one representing the First Nations down in Latin America. They have a show coming up at the Old Town School of Folk Music.

T: Oh yeah, I know Indigenous Peoples’ Day is coming up, so they’re having a big…what is it?…one-day concert. I remember they had something last year. I wanted to go to it…but, no, I’m really excited because, like I said, I feel like I see more hip-hop with Indigenous culture. There’s, like, a big appeal there. But that kind of probably goes with social awareness and issues like that. It’s a way to express yourself, you know what I mean?

M: Yeah, totally.

T: So, I feel like that’s a big parallel culture with, like, bringing sh!t up.

M: Definitely.

T: But yeah, no, I actually just played in Minneapolis like two weeks ago (?)

M: Oh Nice! Largest Native urban population in the “United States” (Turtle Island).

T: Well, that was the thing, right? So  I remember I saw on the event page, this girl was like, “Wait, she’s indigenous like me? I’m totally coming out.” And she’s like “Representation Matters.” She was so excited. I didn’t know this girl, right? So, the day of the show…I didn’t see that post until the day of…and I was like, “Oh that’s so cute.” And, so, she actually came up while I was DJ’ing. She put a sticker on the CDJs, and it was…this medicine wheel sticker.

soundmedicine.art

And I was like, “Oh, is that the girl?” And so I waited until after the show and talked to her and now we’re Facebook friends. But I was like, “I appreciate that” because I didn’t really have too many Native friends in the scene. One of my best friends used to dance with me alot in Oklahoma but, you know, you go somewhere else and I’m usually the one person in the room, right?

M: Right. Exactly!

T: Like if I look around right now, I’m probably the only Native person…but I get used to that – whatever. So it was nice when you get to be with people, like, in a similar situation…

M:  Totally. 100%. Now I think, with that said, there’s also that unspoken presence as well, right? As a DJ, you talk about mixing genres and mixing records, but there’s also the mixed-blood, right? Those of us that, you know, have mixed-blood, but may not be enrolled, may not necessarily be accepted in the sovereign nations, so how do you speak to that? As a mixologist, how do you speak to that with respect to the mixed-blood people and how they express themselves whether in the underground culture or in the mainstream culture?

T: Yeah, no, it’s definitely difficult. It’s a touchy situation because…there’s definitely colorism and whatever within indigenous cultures – (in) the Black community for sure. But, like – I don’t know – I think there’s something that you can get from all the cultures and all the different music. A shift sharing is a big part of our culture too. Like, someone comes into your home, you’re sharing food; so, as a DJ, you’re sharing…the music, the love – so I don’t know.

M: It’s something to put out there – something that’s maybe not discussed as often as it should be, but I think that the arts have always been a means to at least communicate the reality of such situations that ultimately bring that medicine that the tribes do talk about. A lot of times, the more difficult conversations, the more difficult confrontations, the more difficult situations, both within and beyond First Nations communities, can bring about that medicine, right? Sometimes you have to break the bone and reset it correctly in order for it to grow in its proper nature.

T: Yeah, no, and I think that there’s alot of things that we can all learn from each other and that was the bad thing about what happened in this country when it was “founded”, right? People were already here, but we’re gonna say, in quotes, “founded”. If everyone had tried to get along, I think that things would be way better; but it’s always “us against them”, “who can you trust”, “blah blah blah”…

I prefer the places where you can have some acceptance because alot of times, with Native cultures, there’d be wars going on – whatever, but if someone was captured they were brought into the community, right? Like, “OK, you’re one of us now,” back in the day, you know? So I feel like there’s that whole, like you were saying, acceptance, tribalism – whatever, like “you’re one of us now.” That’s kind of how it is in the dance music community, like “Oh, you like drum ‘n bass? You’re one of us now.” Because, like, we’re few and far between, I feel like.

K: Totally, and speaking of medicine, for me personally, drum ‘n bass has always had somewhat of a healing impact and place, and effect in my life. Do you feel that drum ‘n bass has that capacity to heal some of those divisions or some of those wounds that exist within the First Nations community as well as beyond the First Nations community?

T: Oh yeah, for sure, I mean, there’s musical therapy, right? Like, there’s people that specialize in that stuff. So yeah, I feel like the more we share, the more we create, the more we’ll have in common. You know? That’s where we find our common ground, is on the dance floor.

K: That’s cool. Do you see yourself, in the near future, maybe bringing the drum ‘n bass culture – sound – maybe into the pow-wow community or somehow, you know, bringing it a little bit closer?

T: It would be cool just because I feel like there’s not enough…like you’ll see – especially in the UK, right? – you’ll see alot of record labels or song titles that borrow from tribes, but they still have that weird, stereotypical view of what that means ‘cause they’re not around it. That’s fine, they’re in the UK – whatever, but there’s this one kind of crazy…I’ve seen it before, Redskin Records is the name of it. I’ve seen it. The caricature is not very flattering. People have called them out on line but, right now, if you say something, like, “Oh no, ‘woke’ is a bad word.” It’s like, “no, you’re just trying to say this is not how you need to be talking about people, representing people”; but, of course, it’s like people are still set in their ways, right? So, things like that, I think there’s still a long ways to go. People just don’t know that sensitivity ‘cause they’re not around it all the time, right? So, yeah, it’d be cool to have more representation in the scene. Bring more people into it – whatever.

Boycott Redskin Records!

T: And, like, speaking of, like, indigenous cultures – I’ve never played for a crowd, right (?), that’s like mainly indigenous or like mainly even more than just me, right?

M: Right.

T: But someone reached out to me this past year – and I haven’t done it yet, but I’m actually gonna play for this Native American museum (Eiteljorg Museum) in Indianapolis. I’ve never done anything like this…but I was surprised because someone knew I was Comanche and they’re like, “Hey, we’re looking for an indigenous DJ and there’s one in Chicago”, so I’m actually gonna go there in November to help with this exhibition, so it’s gonna be, like, the first time I’ve played for something like that. I’m excited. I’m gonna pick out different music, obviously, but still, you know, some good tribal music, world music. I feel like I could also expand it a little bit.

M: Yeah, definitely. No doubt, absolutely. I think the world music community, there’s a place for you in that community. I know they have their festival comin’ up here soon. That’s why I mentioned Rebel Diaz – they’re part of that. They’re celebrating like 50 years of an uprising (coup) in Chile.

T: OK cool.

M: Yeah, I think that’s an avenue that could definitely serve as a bridge between, you know, the First Nations community and the underground jungle/dnb community.

T: And also in that spectrum, too, I really love Brazilian music. When I was like…you know, early 2000’s there was alot of Brazilian drum ‘n bass that came out. I was so inspired by it that I actually did study abroad in Brazil. I used to DJ down there, but if you look at the USA and Brazil there’s alot of parallels of indigenous culture, settlers came in, slave trade was happening, and it was really interesting to see how the music – you know, kind of similar. We’ve got jazz, they’ve got bossa nova, you know. I was very interested to see, like, how those cultures came about because of what they went through.

M: Well the majority of the African captives, actually, were landed in Brazil and Colombia.

T: Yeah, Salvador was where I was and that was a big part of what I saw there.

M: Exactly, exactly. So too often, in the US, we think we’re the epicenter of that, but we’re far from it. We’re a very small percentage.

T: Nope. Yeah. And that’s why I really wanted to go there – just to see how they treated their indigenous culture because it was definitely like they didn’t really talk about it. It was so weird. It was like, “Oh we’re all Brazilian” and I was like, “Nooo”, you know?

M: Yeah. I mean there was that immediate fusion of the African captives and the First Nations there and, for example, in Jamaica you have the Maroons. And in Canada you have the Métis and here, obviously, you have the Mixed-bloods here and all throughout the Americas, really. So it is a quote unquote “Pan-American” or Pan-Turtle Island diaspora that is both inclusive of indigenous and Afro-Indigenous communities, but also the integration of the two, which needs to be illuminated more; and I think, through music, we can heal some of those divides and get back to those roots.

T: And that’s my favorite part, just hearing what people do – that whole call and response with music. It’s like I’ll have this, I’ll have that – ooohh, let me put my little vocal element in there.” That’s f#cking bad@ss. I feel like that happens alot. So, it’s like we can relate more with music than, I feel like, in other different ways.

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^[1] Rebel Diaz brothers RodStarz and G1 grew up in Chicago and came up in The South Bronx, NY. They are the sons of political refugees from Chile who fled a CIA-funded dictatorship in the 1970s. They have been doing rebel rap since the Clinton era, sharing their story and those of their people; el barrio, the hood, the poor, los inmigrantes. The brothers’ bilingual sound has been shaped by pieces of South American folk, house, and latin percussion gettin’ down with boom-bap, breaks, and 808s.

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* Rebel Diaz brothers RodStarz and G1 grew up in Chicago and came up in The South Bronx, NY. They are the sons of political refugees from Chile who fled a CIA-funded dictatorship in the 1970s. They have been doing rebel rap since the Clinton era, sharing their story and those of their people; el barrio, the hood, the poor, los inmigrantes. The brothers' bilingual sound has been shaped by pieces of South American folk, house, and latin percussion gettin' down with boom-bap, breaks, and 808s.

Electronic Music

Electronica is the term for various genres of electronic music built with samplers, synthesizers, and drum machines. Many of these electronic genres are part of dance music festivals worldwide. Other genres of electronica are non-dance music for close listening. In the United Kingdom, electronica typically describes music that listeners consume via headphones and a home stereo system, or as soundtracks to movies and video games.

In the UK, also, electronica is also a catch-all term to describe club music, genres such as EDM, system pop, electro, electronic pop drum and bass, and trip hop. Consequently electronic music, broadly known as electronica, has evolved in conjunction with advances in synthesizer, sampler, and drum machine technology.

The earliest forms of popular electronica were developed in the 1960s-1970s. Jamaican DJs spun records of reggae, backing tracks without the vocals, creating music and dance known as din. Around this time in Europe, artists Mike Kraftwerk, Mike Oldfield, and Alan Persons Project began.