BLACK TECHNO MATTERS presents OUR LOVE: A Juneteenth Celebration
2-4pm: Techno in the Park at Malcolm X Park (Lower Level - Best Entrance 15th/Belmont) (FREE)
Music curated by DC’s finest Diyanna Monet and Baronhawk Poitier!
Hailing from the nation's cap, Diyanna Monet is a multi-faceted artist creating beats for your cypher gatherings, rush hour trips, and all dance related explorations.
Baronhawk Poitier is a creative force in Washington D.C. known for the passionate way he ignites dance floors into a frenzy both with his signature dance moves and his high energy DJ sets that often feature his own original productions such as the exuberant Temperado Tornado released last year on Honey Soundsystem. As an active member of TNX (a DC based, queer DJ collective) he's hosted and opened for artists such as DJ Harvey, Horse Meat Disco, Honcho and Honey Dijon.
4-6pm: Black Business March along U Street Corridor (FREE)
Music by DC’s finest Keenan Orr and Outputmessage!
Keenan Orr has been DJing in Washington DC’s underground dance parties and clubs since the ’90s, including Buzz (DC) at Nation, Red, and Club Five. He has also landed residencies at a number of clubs around the city, including Marvin and Eighteenth Street Lounge. He co-created SLEAZE, DC’s monthly party, blending the darker sides of disco with forward-thinking techno. Known for clean mixing and a good ear for music, Orr makes a lasting impression on all that have the privilege to experience his sets, winning fans on a global level in The States, Canada and Mexico.
Bernard Farley, aka Outputmessage, is one of DC’s most creative beings whose passion and dedication for music and culture is absolutely immense. He’s been living and performing in the District since 2006 and since then has pivoted his creative focus onto everything from DJing to dancing to photography. His musical works include a 8 hour mega album he released last November called Love & War which contains several improvisational recordings which range from upbeat electro to protest music to a 4 hour long piece called “War.” He’s also the founder of Black Techno Matters, a local organization that highlights and celebrates the Black roots of techno music through events, music releases, and playlists such as the 85 hour BLACKNESS IS REVOLUTIONARY Spotify playlist.
6-9pm: Black Rave Culture at @eaton.dc Alleyway (FREE)
Born from the essence, Black Rave Culture lifts up the torch and begins to walk forward spreading the message of Black Rave. Amal, James Bangura, & DJ Nativesun, hailing from the District of Columbia, come together to bring you a new sound, the sound of their city.
9pm-2am: Smoke & Tea Live at @eaton.dc ($10)
Together Bernard Farley and Patrick Blinkhorn form Smoke & Tea, an ambient music band based in Washington, DC that explore the genre with a depth of emotion that is as provocative as the expansive electronic textures they utilize to transport the listener to exotic aural destinations. It’s fitting then that when deciding how to ring in 2020 during a marathon 8 hour New Year’s Eve live set at Eaton Hotel, they chose to play “Blueshift”, a song that fades in like The Milky Way coming into view in the night sky after a deep purple sunset. Farley’s ethereal vocals slowly elevate the intensifying layers of pulsating synthesizers and Blinkhorn’s raspy subsonic bass tones until the music surges like an explosive rocket catapulting an aircraft into space. The dramatic 10 minute opener of the duo’s second album, Oceans on Mars (which is out today on Not Yet Remembered Records), captivates with an elegant urgency hinting at a turbulent, or perhaps, exhilarating future.
Bernard and Patrick challenge the concept of the ambient genre as simply background music, showing its potential as a riveting force.