23rd August was INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE SLAVE TRADE AND ITS ABOLITION.

To celebrate we released the new KUMO album

SLAVE DANCES (SEVEN PORTRAITS)

Buy now:

https://sound-space.bandcamp.com/album/slave-dances-seven-portraits

The album is accompanied by a 52 page full colour zine exploring the origins of the music and the project, conceived and designed by Dan Taylor with art and additional text by Joyce Treasure.

Available here:

http://www.psychomat.com/slave-dances-seven-portraits-zine/

“Slave Dances (Seven Portraits) is an immensely pleasurable, brilliantly sourced
weave of rhythm, texture and repurposed, reworked sounds doctored up in his
South London home studio. It is, however, a vital tool for reflection on the
connective history of Black music, remaking connections which have been erased by
the habitual omission by whites of black agency in music history and its origins.”

David Stubbs

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Concerning the title

The use of the term Slave can be deeply problematic as it subtly dehumanises enslaved people and debases their culture. Yet the term ‘Slave Dances’ appears in music dictionaries to describe the origins of African American music. I decided to retain the term in the title of my work to pass on my own shock at seeing it in regular, though diminishing, use, employing it provocatively to contrast with the whitewashed history of popular dance music that we inherit.

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The album was almost entirely premiered on Crystal Palace Lockdown Live over the winter, in fact it was a vital part of the working process. Massive thanks to you all for the support and especially to Shane and Corrie for the incredible effort they put in to make it all happen!