Moods 43: Blackmoonchild
Our closer for Moods Season Four is BlackMoonChild (@medusamakesbeats), curated by Crystal Gause. This mix is a family affair, pulling inspiration from Blackmoonchild's family seeped in live music, funk, jazz, and rock in Southwest Michigan from Flint to Funkadelic.
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Tracklist
Lyn Collins - Think (About It)
Funkadelic - Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On
Rick James - Bustin out
One Way - Cutie Pie
Steve Arrington - Weak at the knees
Zapp & Roger - Dance Floor
Tom Browne - Thighs High (Grip your hips and move)
Teena Marie - It Must Be Magic
Vanity Sixx - Nasty Girl
The Mary Jane Girls - Candyman
Chemise - She Can’t Love You
Cherrelle - Saturday Love
Shelia E - The Glamorous Life
Mya - My Love Is Like… Wo
Usher - Seduction
Aaliyah - Are You That Somebody?
Nicole Wray - Testing Our Love ( Suga )
Kut Klose - Surrender
Michel’le - Something In My Heart
The Emotions - Don’t Ask My Neighbor
Alexander O’Neal - My Sunshine
Aaliyah - Choosey Lover
After 7 - Ready or Not
Willie Lindo - Midnight
Eddie Hazel - So Goes The Story
Bootsy Collins - I’d Rather Be With You
D’Angelo - Lady
Mary J Blige - All Night Long
Tevin Campbell - Can We Talk
Brandy - I Wanna Be Down Remix (ft Queen Latifah , Yo - Yo & MC Lyte)
QnA
1) Where did you grow up? Was it a single place or many places? How did this influence the songs you listened to?
I grew up between Flint and Detroit, MI. Growing up an only child, I was influenced mostly by the adults around me. My parents, aunties, and uncles all grew up on funk, jazz, r&b, and rock n roll. I naturally grew up having a deep appreciation for the old school.I also played in jazz band and marching band when I was younger where I first began to love composing. Spending time in Detroit made me fall completely in love with techno and ghettotech in particular. My mom grew up coming to Detroit to party at the techno spots in the 80's and she would buy me burned CD's for my CD player that she'd get from the hair salon, gas station, etc and there would always be some ghettotech / club music on them. In addition to that, my first job out of high school was at Chene Park (Aretha Franklin Amphitheater)! I saw so many legendary acts there, It truly made me love Detroit people, music and culture so much.
(2) Can you pick one song in the mix and explain where you first listened to it?
Funkadelic - Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On. Funkadelic was huge in my household. I grew up going to their concerts with my Mom who is a huge fan and I remember being in awe of the eccentricness. My Uncle later showed me footage of them performing this song from their concerts in the 1970's and I was hooked. It was huge for me at that point because I loved rock and metal but hated how eurocentric it felt to me at that time. Being exposed to Funkadelic was my first real introduction to Black rockstars.
(3) Who “introduced” you to these songs? Was it a person, a radio station, a CD, or something else?
My parents introduced me to funk and jazz. My parents made sure I was exposed to live music and took me to as many concerts as they could until I grew old enough to go to them myself. Also, my Uncle who is an avid collector of vinyl would play music for and around me. He'd also take me with him while he dug for records. His love for deep cuts really inspired me to dig for gems myself. It is something we still do today!
(4) Where and when did you first hear techno? What drew you to it? Who did it sound like it was for?
My mom first took me to DEMF when I was in the second grade. I remember there being a moment in particular where I'd heard Gypsy Woman by Crystal Waters for the first time and though that's not necessarily a techno song it was the blend the DJ was doing plus the crowd reaction that made me love electronic music. I remember watching all of the beautiful Black people around me dancing all night and having a ball. I knew then that it was for us and that I wanted to make us dance one day in the same way.
(5) You’ve got the microphone. What do you want to say to the techno community?”
Just thank you. Thank you for introducing me to a world of fun, dance and community through what I love most.
Artwork
We’ve paired Blackmoonchild’s mix with a piece by Sam Gilliam. Gilliam’s all-over drapped paintings were revolutionary in the 1970s, and only recently has Gilliam been revisted and hereld as part of the essential Black vanguard for American Art. Gilliam, like the songs Blackmoonchild selects, are our shared history: powerful and here for us.
To learn more about Gilliam’s work, this interview is a nice start: https://www.frieze.com/article/sam-gilliam-physical-activity-discovery
To learn more about Blackmoonchild, follow her on Instagram: www.instagram.com/blackmoonchild___/