Exhibit extended through April 7
This exhibit celebrates and shines a light on the UC San Diego course Blacktronika: Afrofuturism in Electronic Music, created by music professor and industry practitioner King James Britt. Throughout Winter Quarter 2023, view an assortment of Professor Britt’s exciting course materials, a selection of vintage and modern electronica instruments-of-interest, and ephemera associated with Britt’s career and his current research.
Blacktronika: Afrofuturism in Electronic Music is a new UC San Diego lecture course that focuses on researching and honoring the people of color who have pioneered groundbreaking genres within the electronic music landscape. Genres span from Chicago house, Detroit techno and drum’n’bass music. Using his position in the industry, the class has been attended by many, including Questlove, Julian Priester and Flying Lotus.
About King James Britt
Pew Fellowship recipient, King James Britt (his real name), is a 30+ year producer, composer and performer in electronic music. While continuing to be an active force in the music industry, he serves as a Assistant Teaching Professor in Computer Music at UC San Diego. In this role, he carries a unique perspective, bringing a non-linear approach and knowledge to the department by focusing on various modern forms of electronic music pedagogy. King remains one of the go to authorities on Afrofuturism in music.
As a composer and producer, Britt’s practice has led to collaborations with the likes of De La Soul, Alarm Will Sound Orchestra, Saul Williams, director Michael Mann (Miami Vice) and many others, as well as being called for remixes from an eclectic list of giants, including, Meredith Monk, Solange to Calvin Harris and most recently collaborating with MacArthur Fellow, Tyshawn Sorey for an upcoming album project.
In his role as performer, Britt has traveled globally playing thousands of venues and festivals, including AfroPunk (NYC), Berghain (Berlin), MoogFest (Durham), Le Guess Who Festival (Utrecht) and The Kitchen (NYC). King was also the original DJ for the Grammy Award winning Digable Planets.
Contact:
Nikki Kolupailo
ucsdlibrary@ucsd.edu