We are delighted to bring you a conversation between Matt, Tim, and Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Graduate Institute for Design, Ethnography, and Social Thought at The New School, Hugh Raffles. Raffles is the author of three books. The first of which, In Amazonia: A Natural History, is an ethnography about how rivers and humans co-constitute one another in the east Amazon of Brazil. Raffles’ second book, Insectopedia, is a collection of tales about humans and insects that takes us from the discovery of language among bees to artistic representations of contaminated butterfly wings in Chernobyl. His most recent book, The Book of Unconformities: Speculations on Lost Time, is a bracing tale of time, memory, and loss, written through stories of stone. Across all three books Raffles has developed a deeply philosophical, historical, and poetic way of writing stories anthropologically that remain open to readers beyond the academy. What Raffles does with these subjects, in researching and writing about them, is somewhat alchemical, spinning them into meditations on humanity that are searing, deep, and evocative, like art; his fascination on the page is contagious. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Hugh Raffles, on his career and process, what he is learning from newer generations of anthropologists, crafting an authorly voice, and supporting others to find and craft theirs.

https://www.newschool.edu/lang/faculty/hugh-raffles/

Works mentioned
Hartman, S 2019. Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Riotous Black Girls, Troublesome Women and Queer Radicals. WWNorton Press, New York. 
Stepanova, M 2021. In Memory of Memory. Fitzcarraldo Editions, London, England. 

Show Credits
This episode was produced by Matt Barlow and Timothy Neale, and edited by Matt Barlow, Timothy Neale, and Cameo Dalley. Conversations in Anthropology is supported by the Australian Anthropological Society and made in partnership with the American Anthropological Association.

Episode #42: Hugh Raffles

****Physical Cassette Mixtape Available Our Bandcamp****
https://octoocta.bandcamp.com/album/love-hypnosis-vol-2

I heal myself weekly with the music I play. I listen deeply to the words buried within; the intention behind the lyrics either peppered-in or chorused. So much of the house music I connect with is rooted in love. It’s rooted in desire and hope. It’s rooted in narrative, “Do you want to trip with me?”, “I’ll outstretch my hand”, “I won’t forget about you, you won’t forget about me, we won’t forget about love vibrations!”. I listen to the messages to remind myself what I need and why I continue to move forward.

Vol.2 is represented in two mixing styles; long-melded blends (Trippin’ On Love) and fast, tight radio-style cut mixes with overdubs (Slammin’ With Love). Both convey the deep need for connection to one’s body and to others. It’s this connection energy that I find so powerful about house music’s healing magic.

Xoxo Octo Octa

♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎ 50% of the profits the mix will be donated to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP), which works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine their gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination, or violence. ♥︎♥︎♥︎♥︎

Octo Octa - Love Hypnosis Vol. 2 Mixtape

Recording of Rey Colino's set at Dekmantel Selectors 2023.

Rey Colino at Dekmantel Selectors 2023

Download:
https://corenews.me/dj-python-essential-mix-2024-01-20/?utm_source=soundcloud
Tracklist:
https://tracklists.thomaslaupstad.com/dj-python-essential-mix-2024-01-20-tracklist/?utm_source=soundcloud

Core News - https://corenews.me/

DJ Python - Essential Mix 2024-01-20

We tapped in with Bangkok-based music festival Maho Rasop for a second edition, bringing family & friends from some of the city’s vital collectives.

Cinthie | Boiler Room x Maho Rasop Festival 2023

Tracklist + Q&A: https://bit.ly/3vEg5V7

Percussive club meets Arabic folk signatures, @moktarmoktar takes us on a sonic journey through his dual realities

"I aimed to blend my cultural roots, as always, and my passion for electronic music — creating a musical journey that resonates with contemporary expression using soundscapes and traditional percussive sounds. I wanted to take things to a dark room in a club at 3:AM with heavy beats, driving basslines, and sonic Arabic sounds. Each track on my mix is an insight of what’s been inspiring me with my production and ongoing progression of my musical journey.”

Tracklist + Q&A

The Mix 008: Moktar

** You can buy a cassette or digital download of the mix on our bandcamp**
https://erisdrew.bandcamp.com/album/raving-disco-breaks-vol-ii-rock-the-house

T4T LUV NRG is about to rock your stereo this spring with a sequel to the label’s first release “Raving Disco Breaks Vol. I” (2018). Eris Drew wanted to create a new sound for the second volume of her acclaimed mixtape series instead of simply retracing the pure disco vibes of the original. Setting her sights and intentions on creating a rock ‘n’ roll infected house mix, Eris worked on building crates for the last five years, finally reaching an inflection point—a moment of concrescence—when she was ready to put the needle on the records and let the beats flow. “Rock The House” was born, a concept for Volume II built from musical fragments, memories, and synchronicities. There are no classic Big Beat tunes on Volume II, instead Eris kicks out the jams for this mix with non-stop house and breaks cuts featuring plenty of rockin’ vocal vamps, as well as the likes of Janis Jopin, Joe Strummer, Ramones, and Led Zeppelin—all sampled, scratched and dropped along the way. Both sides of the mix include some of her most personally coveted recordings. To gather these records, Eris spent decades identifying tracks from older mix cassettes recorded by her DJ heroes, such as Terry Mullan and Mystic Bill, as well as discovering many of the featured tracks through happenstance and countless hours digging through dusty bins and YouTube rips. Each of the tracks on Volume II are at least 20 years old—some much older—but fresh is the word here, and the word is freeeesh!

Now, as the snow melts and the flowers of rave romance start to bloom, T4T wants to know one thing…Are U ready to rock right?

Eris Drew's Raving Disco Breaks Vol. II - Rock The House

Under The K Bridge - Brooklyn, NY 5th May 2024

Joris Voorn - Balance 014, Mizuiro Mix CD1

For Eris’s mixtape “Raving Disco Breaks Vol. 1”, she uses old records to create a new style out of fragments. Many of the selections have been featured heavily in her live DJ sets, including her b2b sets with Octo Octa. Eris accumulated these records slowly, over decades, but it wasn’t until touring last year that she realized a “sound” coalesced in her bag. What does a rave at the disco sound like? Kinda like everyone took ecstasy at the roller rink. On her ecstatic mix, Eris colleges together a genre by scratching-in breaks with horn samples, mixing Disco House with broken beats, dropping Miami Bass jams with Boogie keys and blending Rave tunes with disco vocals. On the mix Eris utilizes turntable techniques such as “doubles” tricks and “hot mixing”—a fast-paced mixing style inspired by her beloved B96 Mixmasters, Chicago’s most popular 1990’s radio DJs. Like all of Eris’s mixes, she weaves strong narratives of embodiment, defiance, cultural transcendence and personal triumph (a classic disco emotion) into a flow of body rockin’ beats, scratches, drops, and sweet melodies. The result is a bass heavy summertime house mix for the psychedelic bad girls, boys and enbys. 

A limited run of Raving Disco Breaks Vol. 1 cassettes are available now exclusively from the label’s Bandcamp - http://t4tluvnrg.bandcamp.com

 The recording can be streamed on the T4T LUV NRG SoundCloud for free and hi-resolution versions are available for download on the label’s Bandcamp (donation requested). All profits  from Eris’s mix will be donated to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP), which works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine their gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination, or violence.

Eris Drew Raving Disco Breaks Vol 1.

An uplifting ode to queerness and love.

Read more: https://ra.co/podcast/769

@octoocta

Resident Advisor podcast

RA.769 Octo Octa

A podcast about life, the universe and anthropology produced by David Boarder Giles, Timothy Neale, Cameo Dalley, Mythily Meher and Matt Barlow. Each episode features an anthropologist or two in conversation, discussing anthropology and what it has to tell us in the twenty-first century. This podcast is made in partnership with the American Anthropological Association and with support from the Faculty of Arts & Education at Deakin University.

Episode #42: Hugh Raffles

Conversations in Anthropology

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