Moods 39: Honey Bun
Up next in the Moodsphere is Honey Bun (@honey-bun-sounds), an emerging Texas/NYC DJ and multidisciplinary Afrofuturist artist. Her work aims to reclaim the black past, affirm the black present, and demand the black future. We cover some brilliant territory here, from the tropical to the icy to the stormy. Listen and read on below for more.
Playlist:
Gary Bartz Ntu Troop - Celestial Blues
BLO - Chant to Mother Earth
Robert Glasper, Erykah Badu - Afro Blue
Solange - We Deal With the Freak’n (Intermission)
Erykah Badu - Southern Girl
Kokoroko - Abusey Junction
Kelis - Suga Honey Iced Tea
Erykah Badu - I’ll Call U Back
Yoko Ono - Don't Be Scared
Kali Uchis - Table For Two
SZA - Ice Moon
Fka Twigs - Water Me
Bjork - Possibly Maybe
Rolling Stones - Heaven
Jimi Hendrix - Third Stone From the Sun
Sun Ra Arkestra - Door of the Cosmos
Dionne Warwick - Walk on by
King Krule - 363N63
Leon Bridges - Texas Sun
Jay Daniels - Paradise Alley
Sade - Lovers Rock
Missy Elliot - Izzy Izzy Ahh
Santigold - Shove It
QnA
Where, geographically, did you grow up? Was it a single place or many places?
I was born in New York but grew up mostly in the desert canyon region of West Texas in an isolated town named Amarillo, Texas. I spent my late teen years in Dallas, Texas and have been living in New York now for 6 years.
Can you pick one song in the mix and explain where you first listened to it? Who "introduced" you to these songs?
I’d say the stand out track on this mix is ‘Shove It’ by Santigold off her 2008 album ‘Santogold’. Santigold is one of the most important artists of the century.
I find a lot of peace and relief in the shift to night and the big reveal of the moon and stars. The sky was the most beautiful part of growing up in such a harsh desert climate, I would witness the most spectacular sunsets turn to violet and green tornado super storms to then blow away leaving behind windows to the cosmos. Living in mostly urban cities in this part of my life has made me realize how restricted and commodified access to the sky is for many. I find these songs, whether lyrically or melodically, to express the varied experiences of being on Earth and looking up at the sky.
Where and when did you first hear techno?
I first heard Techno in middle school from my childhood friend’s older angsty sister who would blast the music from her room giving ‘do not disturb’ vibes. Living in such a small town in Texas, dance music was almost exclusively synonymous with country. I always loved R&b and Hip Hop, which was my only understanding of club music for a long time. I loved listening to Dallas K104 FM live from the clubs on weekend nights. I’ve always been the youngest student and in friend groups making it hard for me to legally go to clubs for a few years into college which was extremely annoying. Long story short, my love of music led me to take steps towards becoming a DJ and with the help of a professor named Sybil Cooksey at NYU, I quickly learned the black history of techno music and have been passionate about spreading the word ever since.
You’ve got the microphone. What do you want to say?
To the techno community I would like to say, “This is a new beginning, the empire strikes back!”
Artwork
We've paired Honey Bun's set with a collage from emerging NYC-based visual artist Ilana Harris-Babou, whose work explored ritual, self care, and the complications of being sold these things in a capitalist structure. Both are on equal playing fields, and mine the history of place, care, and healing.
To learn more about Harris-Babou, we recommend this article: www.artnews.com/art-in-america/aia-reviews/ilana-harris-babou-decision-fatigue-hesse-flatow-1202684478/
You can keep up to date with Honey Bun through her current project BUNTOPIA, a dance club in a galaxy far away where all bodies are welcome and all booties are poppin’ if that’s your vibe you can explore more on buntopia.net or on www.instagram.com/buntopia_net/ and live every month on the lot radio.