Name: Touched The Waters by altoscliff
Duration: 6 min 22 s
Description: Improvisation of "Touched the Waters" (an acoustic original that's a bit more singer-song writer) with viola, guitar, and voice.

"This composition was commissioned by artists Bojana Coklyat and Shannon Finnegan for their project Alt Text as Poetry. I created the piece using the music software Ableton Live."

Pair this track by Jjjjjerome Ellis with Elinor T Vanderburg's illustration, "Companion", in the Fresh Ground Pepper 2021 Zine – available for purchase at freshgroundpeppernyc.com.

Jjjjjerome Ellis – Alt Text #1

You must first learn that you are stardust
How your springform hair is an iteration of the Big Bang
Surely you have noticed, we are energy so magnificent
Mankind has always been hesitant to handle us.
As if when touching our arms, they know that we might be too hot.
They know they're minor characters in a melanin plot.

You see, our hair breaks free not because of gravity but
In defiance. Our hair wrestles pins & hair bands.
It dies to tell us the true story of humanity,
A lesson cruelly hidden from our view.
It waves its curly arms at us in the mirror
Hoping one day we'll lean in, & listen to the love
That's bursting daily from our roots.
That one day we'll lean in & listen (repeats)
With eyes like rivers, arms like grapevines,
Beholding our Black face to say,
"I'm so happy that I'm you."
Listen, Beloved, listen.
One day you'll lean in just to listen.


Years ago, when I made the transition to natural hair, I surrounded myself with imagery of Black & Brown womxn on social media. I learned a whole new repertoire of hair care & styling. At first, I wasn't sure how to do my hair, or what it even really looked like. My hair had been relaxed since around age 8.

Every day I said to myself in the mirror, "I'm so happy that I'm you". That's the key part, it's not "I'm OK with being you", not "I'd rather be you than someone else", not "There are worse things to be than you." It's about being thrilled, ecstatic, overjoyed with your reflection. It's about seeing everyone in ourselves & not treating ourselves worse than we'd treat a friend.

I began writing these 2 poems- "Big Bang" & "Free" in Black comrades' birthday cards, or reciting them to friends at open mics, & eventually set it to music. These poems have been said over so many songs, including "Poetry" on Soundcloud. My ministry is validating BIPOC knowledges & building up BIPOC self-love through my artivism (art+activism).

So, this is a love poem for Black hair, specifically for Black comrades I've met at Black Brunch here in Kansas who commune on Sundays to hold space for one another. And for my siblings & passerby who, for the longest time, saw me stifle the same hair that grows out of their heads.

Big Bang

A meditative serenade inspired by Akira Kurosawa's "Dreams" (1990), the musical saw arrangement in "Delicatessen" (1991), & traditional drums from multiple places telling the story of many distinct Indigenous voices in unity.

Microkorg
Korg Minilogue
Novation Rhythm

Indigenous Dreams

Gloomy Sunday Ft. Billie Holiday (Free Download)

Gaining her first show out of London in August 2022, she played the pre-party for Scotland’s number one queer alternative night SHOOT YOUR SHOT, ahead of founder Bonzai Bonner and headliner Cormac. This year has seen her go from strength to strength; opening for CEM and Giant Swan at Phonox and an extraordinary three hour set ahead of DJ Bone, at one of London’s most iconic clubs Fold. 

Co-founder and co-host of Melatrois on Reform Radio, which airs monthly and has been running for over 6 years serves a balanced mix of heartfelt chats and tunes. Extending her radio sensibilities LO-LOW has made a few radio guest appearances on Voices Radio, Stripped.fm show and Netil Radio. She was also invited by co-founder Nala Brown of AMPFEMININE to curate a mix for a takeover on Ghana based station, Oroko Radio amongst new talent and other members of the collective. LO-LOW also co-produces and has presented Fold Talks, a new series ran by the London club, which is aimed at giving under-represented communities a voice in the electronic music realm.  

Instagram: lo_low_ldn

Track list
1.    AFRODEUTSCHE – DRINK 
2.    Jun Kamoda – Misty Funk 
3.    Anz – Clearly Rushing 
4.    Shinedoe – Triplex 
5.    Manni Dee x River Moon – HOT
6.    ASEC – Acrylic 
7.    moktar – Send It 
8.    Drevv – swing at the king
9.    BLACK GIRL/ WHITE GIRL – LOUI3
10. Jasmine Infiniti – BE READY 
11. SUCHI – Birdy Bell 
12. RQVX – X-Humans (Main 2)
13. Player – Player 003 A1
14. Moma Ready – A Graceful Landing 
15. Witch Trials – Dilemma 
16. AceMo – System Override 
17. Gareth Wild, Voicedrone – Que?tion (Works Unite Remix)
18. Benny Benassi x Rosalía – A Pale Statisfaction (Jenson Interceptor’s Pushin Mashup)
19. GLASKIN – Sage Mode 
20. Theo Nasa – Summertime Raving In London 
21. Rudoh – Traybal 
22. SONIKKU – Megalomaniac 
23. Alphaconda – Hey Mami (presented by Hyperaktivist)
24. Binary Digit – Untitled 38490
25. LSDXOXO – Double Tap

LO-LOW - Black Techno Matters Radio

Improvisation of "Touched the Waters" (an acoustic original that's a bit more singer-song writer) with viola, guitar, and voice.

Touched The Waters

a basement jam featuring 
Ian Genet on guitar
Marianna Hoitt-Lange on viola 
Colin Miller on drums

Basement Jam

All rights to Nnamdi Ogbonnaya. Recorded at Young Camelot

Touched The Waters

altoscliff

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