Demuir begins the video by touching on George Floyd‘s apparent murder. Working backwards from Disco Demolition Night in 1979, he then outlines house’s manifold influences and argues that much of them resulted from struggles faced by people of color. He closes out urging artists to raise awareness among their followers and not shy away from difficult conversations.

George Floyd died of cardiac arrest after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin apparently knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes on May 25th, 2020. Chauvin and the three officers accompanying him were fired after footage of the incident leaked. All four were arrested after protests erupted in cities across the U.S. Chauvin’s charge was later upgraded from third to a second-degree murder, and the other three were charged with aiding and abetting.

Minneapolis techno artists DVS1 and Dustin Zahn have also publicly commented on the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests, as have numerous electronic musicians of color.

Plenty of electronic musicians of color have been vocal on the matter, after all. Seminal Detroit techno producer and DJ Kevin Saunderson shared an open letter on the matter via Facebook with the full details of George Floyd‘s untimely death as well as his own reflections on the incident.

“People from around the world are standing together, risking their own safety for the future of humanity,” he wrote. “For us and for the future of our children and our beloved planet. I stand with them. I’m a peace-loving person and not one for violence, however, we the people have had enough. We’ve had enough hatred and bigotry. We’ve had enough systematic racism. We’ve had enough of killing us.”

Jeff Mills – typically one of electronic music’s more articulate intellectual figures who himself played an integral role in techno’s protest music origins – has given a different kind of input than usual. In addition to changing his Facebook page’s default image to the raised fist symbol, he has used his platform to draw attention to news articles around the protests.

Artists from overseas have also shared perspectives on the movement to end racial inequality. Considering Apartheid’s lasting effect on social injustice in South Africa, Black Coffee‘s short message of hope is especially relevant. “All of this will bring us closer together…we’re a global family now more than ever,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

The protests originating in Minneapolis quickly spread to cities in every U.S. state as well as countries like the U.K., Germany, Brazil Syria. Law enforcement has responded in much of the U.S. by deploying tear gas, pepper balls and foam bullets, adding fuel to the debate around police brutality.

Derek Chauvin, who was arrested for apparently murdering Floyd by pinning his knee on his neck after handcuffing him, has had his charge upgraded from third to second-degree manslaughter. The three other officers present have also now been arrested for aiding and abetting.

DVS1 (real name Zak Khutoretsky) voiced his support for those demonstrating. “I can’t condone all the behavior surrounding the protests, riots, looting, and violence, but I 100% stand by the reasons this is all happening and I can understand why it’s happening,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “When peaceful protest goes unheard, riots happen, uproar happens. When you don’t hear the voice of someone speaking quietly, they speak LOUDLY.”

Zahn made more pointed commentary, criticizing electronic music influencers for inaction. “I must admit the lack of support from the underground dance community regarding the week’s past events is pretty disappointing considering our culture is entirely indebted to black roots,” his Facebook post began. “The biggest voices in the industry are doing nothing and saying nothing. Your top-tier DJs have made nothing more than whispers and Resident Advisor has barely acknowledged the situation. They should all be ashamed of themselves.”

Compared to the outpouring around the 2018 Tbilisi raids, Zahn asserted that key industry personalities have remained absent from the conversation. “Most popular acts have said NOTHING while others posted an MLK quote, hashtagged George Floyd, and called it a day,” he wrote. “Today’s use of excessive force is 1,000 times the cause everyone fought for two years ago but nobody is doing anything to raise awareness.”

As Selector has recently explored, techno is not only rooted in African American culture but protest as well. Often called “the Public Enemy of techno,” Underground Resistance incorporated themes of uprising into their brand to make social commentary on the whitewashing of black music.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced on Wednesday that Chauvin’s charge would be upgraded from third to second-degree murder. The other three officers present during the incident have been arrested and charged with aiding and abetting.