Bandcamp have adapted their no-fee holiday concept to support racial equality initiatives in light of the Black Lives Matter protests. The website will donate their share of sales for purchases on this Juneteenth and all future ones to the NAACP. In addition, Surgeon has shared a playlist of songs by black artists on the platform to help raise awareness for the initiative.
Surgeon (real name Anthony Child) selected “techno (and techno adjacent)” music exclusively from electronic musicians of color. Included in the 31-entry list were releases by artists as notable as Robert Hood and Stacey Pullen along with those of undercurrent acts like DJ Bone, Terrence Dixon and Sterac.
Remembering the Roots
The Black Lives Matter protests have brought increased attention to people of color’s contributions to electronic music and the culture surrounding it. As we recently explored, techno in particular started out as protest music. Early Detroit techno mainstays like Underground Resistance often spoke out against the whitewashing of the genre as it achieved international popularity.
As the protests stemming from George Floyd‘s apparent murder by Derek Chauvin unfolded across the world, notable figures in electronic music became more vocal about this history. Minneapolis artist Dustin Zahn criticized the industry for remaining silent in an impassioned post, and Demuir discussed how to initiate a dialogue in a YouTube video titled “A Conversation on Race and Dance Music.”
Learn more about the Juneteenth NAACP fundraiser via the Bandcamp blog.
