Here in Chicago, Reclaimed Soul airs Thursdays 8-10PM (CST) on Vocalo.org 89.5fm. You can stream live at http://vocalo.org/player.
Now folks can listen anytime to radio featuring sound rich interviews and an all-vinyl playlist (courtesy of host Ayana Contreras). Reclaimed Soul is about taking old materials (records, buildings, ideas, et al) to push us all forward.
Above, a bit of video from my Artistic Residency last year with Theaster Gates’ Dorchester Projects, in which I wax poetic about Chicago’s own Mercury Records, Jerry Butler, and the Impressions.
I love sharing the stories behind the music I love with the general public; and was reminded of that as I embark on Hosting and Producing “Reclaimed Soul” (a weekly radio show on Vocalo.org) which premieres tomorrow night at 8pm CST. The show, of course, will feature stories as well as music. For more about Reclaimed Soul, click here.
Coming this Thursday (and every Thursday) Darkjive.com’s Ayana Contreras hosts “Reclaimed Soul” on Vocalo.org (89.5fm in Chicago). The music you’ve come to expect from this site, plus stories from people moving forward with what’s been left behind.
Below is an excerpt from the first episode. Jive on!
‘The Listening Room’ At Seattle Art Museum.
Marcie Sillman 12/15/2011
Art museums are dignified repositories for cultural artifacts, right? A new show at the Seattle Art Museum questions that assumption, and slips in a little R&B at the same time. KUOW’s Marcie Sillman reports.
*****
It’s a chilly Sunday morning. The Seattle Art Museum, SAM, has been open for an hour or so, but people are just starting to trickle in.
Below, one of the grooves I’ll spin: “Love so Strong” from the Lovelites (pictured, left). Fronted by Patti Hamilton, the group of ladies from Chicago’s South Side recorded a gaggle of groovin’ steppers (including one of their biggest hits, “My Conscience”).
The Lovelites are, in my humble opinion, one of the most consistent female groups in all of Chicago Soul, thanks to a string of sassy-sweet records mainly composed by Hamilton and produced by Clarence Johnson. Enjoy and jive on!
Psssst… David Boykin Expanse with DJ Ayana. It’s a righteous situation at a secret location. RSVP info@perpetualrebel.com for more info.
dance locally to vintage sounds culled from Dorchester Projects’ Dr. Wax Collection heavily leaning on music that ‘jus grew’ out of our community: this friday, june 24th, 7pm til 10pm.
bring your favorite summertime dish to share with friends
100% wax spun by dj ayana
from The Dr. Wax Collection
Visit us at Theaster Gates’ Dorchester Projects (recently featured in the Chicago Reader) this Friday Night (June 3rd from 7p-9p), as well as on Sunday, June 12th, from 3p-5p. Come with a story about how music has impacted your life….
About the Dorchester Projects:
Dorchester Projects seeks to explore the ways in which thoughtful spaces committed to art, public education, design, and advocacy can contribute to the cultural and economic redevelopment of a neighborhood.
“[Gates] says: I was always making art that was asking questions about the city, and why the city functioned the way it did. How does cultural and economic disparity happen? How can we fight it? I was trying to present these questions in the form of little abandoned ceramic houses and drawings or performances that spoke to the issue. And I just got tired of pointing a finger at it and wanted to actually do something about it, challenge it in a real way.” — Chicago Reader, June 2, 2011
Pictures, above, from last night’s affair. Join us TONITE for a special night of musical madness, and monthly every Third Thursday at the Morseland (1218 West Morse, Chicago).
Ayana Contreras (me) and Simeon Viltz (of The Primeridian) are the “Groove Conspiracy…”
In the land of 10 million grooves only a few can grab a hold of the people’s aural senses and captivate their shokras. Spinning cutting edge beats juxtaposed with gritty, get down gems from the cradle of soul. Their weapon of choice: vinyl.
Join us at The Morseland: 1218 West Morse. (I’m there most Second Thursdays, too!)
We will also be there Friday the 17th (this Friday).
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