Bandcamp organized its first Juneteenth fundraiser in 2020 in response to the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Juneteenth 19th, 1865 marks the end of slavery in Texas, two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

The annual fundraiser “is part of our larger, ongoing commitment to racial equity,” according to a blog post by Bandcamp CEO and Cofounder Ethan Diamond. Also key in their efforts are their “mission to support artists, the products we develop, those we promote through the Bandcamp Daily and Bandcamp Radio, how we work together as a team, who and how we hire, and our relationships with organizations local to our Oakland space.”

Diamond goes on to mention several of said organizations by name. East Oakland Collective, East Oakland Youth Development Center, The Hidden Genius Project, Oakland Black Business Fund, and Oakland Kids First all garner an endorsement from the music platform.

Bandcamp launched in 2008, differentiating itself by offering creators more control over how they sell music and merchandise. In March, Fortnite developer Epic Games acquired the company for an undisclosed sum. Other than fighting for Bandcamp to keep using its existing payment system on android devices, the conglomerate has yet to significantly influence the direction of the platform.

Until 12:00 AM PDT, Bandcamp’s share of all sales will be donated to the NAACP Legal Defense fund. The initiative can also be supported directly through the NAACP website.

The Australian journalist, whose coverage of Erick Morillo‘s sexual assault case won a 2021 Drum Award, says that her arrangements to formally review the festival fell through in the 11th hour. “I was supposed to be writing about Movement Festival for Mixmag but a couple of days ahead of the festival I got a call from my editor,” she writes in a Medium blog post. “Movement had told him I could no longer review the festival. [Carl] Craig had given the festival an ultimatum — him or me. If I was allowed to review the festival, he wouldn’t perform.”

In November 2020, Ross had followed up her coverage of the Morillo case with two investigative reports on allegations of sexual assault involving seminal Detroit techno figurehead Derrick May. Craig, a second-wave Detroit techno artist who played a key role in the festival’s debut as Detroit Electronic Music Festival, has drawn criticism from Ross for openly defending May in social media posts.

I’m sorry but Carl’s in the bin too. “I don’t turn my back on my brothers.” I’m disgusted. pic.twitter.com/AyiIWFaJsj

— Annabel Ross (@annabel_ross) September 10, 2020

Selector has reached out to a spokesperson on behalf of Movement promoter Paxahau for comment. They have yet to respond at the time of writing.

May is one of the artists most closely associated with Detroit techno’s first wave; his and Thomas Barnett‘s single “Nude Photo” predates the genre’s definitive 1988 compilation Techno! The New Dance Sound of Detroit. Craig came up under May’s tutelage, learning how to produce and engineer music from their time working together.

On Thanksgiving Day 2020, sports writer Michael James began an ongoing series of Facebook posts accusing May of various forms of sexual assault. After Morillo’s death, women started to come forward with similar allegations. Awakenings, Paris Electronic Week, and Paxahau themselves are among the event organizers to remove May from their lineups as a result of the controversy.

Ross, who still visited Detroit and attended Movement Music Festival 2022, says that local artist Omar S also made a jab at her. She writes that she introduced herself to him after seeing him perform at Marble Bar, only to find a photo of May superimposed over her face in a group photo that he apparently uploaded to Instagram and then later deleted.

Derrick May appeared in a documentary on the origins of Detroit techno titled God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines that debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York on Saturday, June 11th. The sexual assault allegations are briefly mentioned at the end of the film.

In the earliest days of the invasion initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24th, Kraviz shared a video of herself writing the Russian word for “peace” on Instagram with the caption “I am praying for peace!” Nastia (real name Anastasiia Oleksandrivna Topolska), a Ukrainian, was among the most outspoken critics of the gesture. She called on Kraviz to clearly denounce the Russian government in a volley of social media comments and posts, accusing her of harboring pro-Putin views.

On May 16th, Clone Distribution in the Netherlands announced that they had discontinued their business relationship with Kraviz’ трип label on the grounds that she “ignored personal requests to talk” and clarify her position on Putin and the invasion. Shortly thereafter, The Crave Festival in Hague and Pollerwiesen Festival in Dortmund shared in statements that they had chosen to remove her from their lineups. Movement Electronic Music Festival in Detroit simply wrote that she was “unable to play” in a statement of their own.

Topolska did not specifically name Kraviz in her post about Awakenings, although Kraviz is currently slated to perform at the Dutch festival. “As Ukrainian DJ I cannot play in the same lineup with Russians who are tolerant of war in Ukraine,” she wrote. “Those who can’t call war a war. Those who don’t realize the crimes that Russia is doing in my homeland: raping, killing, stealing, torturing and destroying.”

 

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A post shared by NASTIA (@nastia.dj)

The post continues: “I am a Ukrainian citizen with clear position. My position is much stronger and important than my business and career, so I will go to the end until the war is over. Representing Russia in silence or ignorance means representing its ideas and image.”

Putin authorized the use of military force in an invasion of Ukraine’s Donbas region that he called a “special operation” following Russia’s 2014 invasion of the region that resulted in the annexation of Crimea. According to the Ukrainian government, over 2,500 soldiers and 4,600 civilians have been confirmed dead with tens of thousands more estimated. Russia reports having suffered over 1,300 military personnel deaths.

Defenders of Nina Kraviz argue that Russian censorship laws prevent her from safely speaking out against the invasion. According to Human Rights Watch, journalists and activists have been arbitrarily detained thousands of peaceful protestors since early March.

Topolska argues that a number of other Russian celebrities have spoken out against the war. The website Human-Nonhuman.info cites TV presenter Ivan Urgant, actor Danila Kozlovsky, and singer Valery Meladze among a long list of the war’s open critics. In an April Instagram post, Topolska wrote, “I expect her to say that she is ‘scared for her parents’ and ‘they are in danger’ which is the main excuse for those Russians who try to escape from responsibility … There is not even one case when parents of those who made a statement got arrested.”

The organizers of Awakenings have not publicly addressed to Topolska’s announcement at the time of writing.

Featuring 86 flyers and 130 posters from the ’80s and ’90s, “Ruta Gráfica: Designs For The Sound Of Valencia” is taking place until June 12th, 2022. Including works by cartoonists and graphic artists, the exhibition falls within the framework of the World Design Capital Valencia 2022 initiative.

“The goal is to afford a unifying narrative on the evolution of the graphic design that grew up around the scene, one of its lesser-known aspects,” reads a statement on the IVAM website. “The point of departure for the exhibition walkthrough is Valencia’s longstanding tradition in comics and illustration, connecting with the arrival of modernity in music and aesthetics in the eighties, and ending up in the digital technologies that defined the final phases of the phenomenon.”

“The exhibits are supplemented by numerous interviews with the various agents involved in the design process — designers, artists, printers and cultural managers — along with a selection of classic posters and merchandising from the time,” they added in regards to other activities throughout the exhibition period.

For more information on the exhibition and IVAM in general check the promo video or their website.

Based on an art exhibition of the same name at the German cultural association Goethe-Institut, the book takes a deep dive into the intersection of techno, art and identity.

Exploring further than just the genre, Techno Worlds examines the role of clubs by looking at at themes like space, sign systems, and the club’s role as a place where identity and gender are renegotiated.

Included in the 300-page book are images and illustrations providing context for techno music’s influence. Detroit-based visual artist Abdul Qadim Haqq contributed artwork for the book. Written contributions from DeForrest Brown Jr., Alva Noto, Chicks On Speed, and Ryoji Ikeda are included as well.

Those interested in learning more about Techno Worlds can pre-order it ahead of its June 22 release here.

Titled Techno Worlds, the organizers bill the exhibit as “a three-part pathway to discover” taking place at two venues: the PHI Centre, an arts and culture venue, and the Society for Arts and Technology (SAT), which will host an exploration of rave culture. The exhibit started May 13th and will run through June 19th.

Techno worlds features photo, video, and installation works by artists such as Chicks on Speed, Abdul Qadim Haqq, and others. According to a press release, organizers want to explore “the areas of tension between underground and mainstream, politics and commerce, [and] space and time.”

A show featuring influential Amsterdam-based DJ Lena Willikins, Kris Guilty, and Gene Tellem is scheduled at the SAT on May 27th. On June 7th, the PHI Centre will screen a documentary chronicling the evolution of German electronic dance music titled If I Think of Germany at Night.

German musicians Mathilde Weh and Justin Hoffman alongside Berlin’s Creamcake group organized the exhibition. It is currently traveling around the globe, with stops in Houston, New York, Boston, and Los Angeles planned before the end of 2022. It will also visit Mexico City, Montevideo, São Paulo, and Warsaw next year.

Running 50 pages, the inaugural edition showcases underground artists and record labels, including Hieroglyphic Being, Beau Wanzer, fumu, avant-garde artist Margenrot, and Breathing Problem Productions from Austin, Texas. Each purchase comes with a vinyl EP by SMPL SMPL, artwork by Bartosz Zaskorski, and a mix by Athens-based artist Sawf.

Speaking to Resident Advisor about the publication, Natural Sciences leader Alex Hall said, “The aim of Embryo was to go back to the DIY print culture of hardcore punk and rave.” He went on to say he hopes the magazine will highlight up-and-coming musicians and creators “from the contemporary underground that exists and thrives outside of the matrix of social media hype and conventional media.”

Hall doesn’t know if there will be future issues of Embryo. “Pulling it all together was a heavy duty process and about a year’s work (respect to anyone who does this on the regular) so once the dust settles on the first issue, there might be a discussion about a follow-up,” he said.

Those interested in learning more about the project can do so on Natural Science Bandcamp.

In February of last year, boxout closed their physical radio station. They have now re-tooled their website so that listeners can stream podcasts, interviews, mixes, live performances, and archived broadcasts.

In a press release, radio manager Ayesha Dikshit spoke about the pivot, saying, “The purpose of this shift is to highlight the incredible richness of the boxout.fm archive.” She said the decision was a “tough one,” but that their team remains committed to presenting new content from local talent.

Initially launched in 2017, the station began as a party thrown by Mohammed Abood A.K.A. DJ Mocity. The brand soon evolved into the boxout.fm radio station as well as a record label focused on giving a platform to Indian artists. After being forced to discontinue due to COVID-19 restrictions, their weekly Boxout Wednesdays party resumed in March. Festivities take place New Delhi venue Auro Kitchen and Bar.

In celebration of the organization’s fifth anniversary, Boxout Wednesdays will host a series of parties this month featuring artists such as Australian DJ Nina Las Vegas and SUCHI, a London-born producer who holds a monthly residency at the club.

Titled Subconsciously, the 12-track effort is Black Coffee’s ninth studio album. This marks the first time a South African has either won or been nominated in the category. Commercially successful artists such as Diplo, Pharrell Williams, and David Guetta appear as guest artists throughout the work.

“I want to thank god for the gift of music and being able to share it with the world and heal some souls,” he said during his acceptance speech. He also thanked his fellow producers for collaborating with him, saying they “believed in working with a smaller artist like myself.” His firstborn son, Esona, was onstage with him to accept the award.

Born in Umlazi, South Africa, Black Coffee’s career began to take off after he participated in the 2003 Red Bull Music Academy contest. In 2005 he founded his own record label, Soulistic Music. That same year, he released a self-titled album through the imprint. The effort went on to gain recognition thanks to his sampling of popular South African musicians. He created it with basic software, stating that “everything was played with a computer mouse.”

Run by local DJs Kane Orchard (A.K.A. Kayne the Hermit) and Corey Miller (A.K.A. Morey Cillar), the shop will specialize in used recordings ranging from the 1970s to the early 2000s.

Before opening a brick-and-mortar store, the two ran their business completely online. “We want to thank all the people who have bought from us and supported the Instagram which has ultimately allowed us to get this far and make the jump to a physical space so soon!” wrote the owners on Instagram. “The building will have other artists/studios and we aim to open mid April/early May.”

Bristol’s Gloucester Road is renowned as a music and art hub with numerous studios, rehearsal spaces, music shops, and more attracting artists from around the world. Speaking with Resident Advisor, building director Pat Muncaster expressed hope for the store’s opening.

“After being vacated early on in the COVID-19 pandemic and left empty for over a year, [the storefront] began to descend into a state of disrepair,” he said. “It’s now being refurbished, with a new lease of life being breathed into it.”