Sound
The sound of Afrofuturism makes the speculation and liberation central to Afrofuturism accessible to everyone.
RISE: Detroit’s Machine Music Podcast
In conjunction with Techno: The Rise of Detroit Machine Music Exhibition, RISE is a podcast dedicated to telling the story of the origin and impact of techno.
Curated for the MSU Museum, Techno: The Rise of Detroit’s Machine Music (February-July 2025) explored the deep connection between Afrofuturism and sound, showcasing how Black artists have used music as a tool for cultural expression, resistance, and future-building. Centering on Detroit—the birthplace of Techno—the exhibition reveals how the genre emerged from the city's shifting industrial landscape and vibrant Black communities. It highlights Techno's role in expressing identity, place, and possibility through sound. At the heart of the exhibit is a 45-minute immersive sound installation by Underground Resistance, accompanied by visuals created by artist Andrew Charles Edman. This experience honors Detroit’s sonic legacy by blending iconic innovations with lesser-known pioneers. Through archival objects and audiovisual storytelling, the exhibit traces the evolution of Techno into a global movement rooted in Black creativity and futurist vision.
Who created Techno?
Techno: the Rise of Detroit’s Machine Music tells the story of the origin and impact of Techno.
Mapping the Sonic Imagination
An Exhibition at the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum
My installation for the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum offered an overview of sound that aligned with the 2021 Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities.
The sounds in this playlist represent the artist that captures the innovation, intervention, and transformation central to our sonic imagination about Afrofuturism.
Sound defines.
“Afrofuturism — What is its Sound?” is a 2-day event curated by Dr. Julian Chambliss, professor of English, Michigan State University, and ZORA! Festival National Planner.
This conference is inspired by Zora Neale Hurston’s legacy of valuing black cultural voices and sounds and will marry elements of futurism or science fiction to the oral tradition and music technology evident in black history and culture.
Roundtable Discussion: "What is the Sound of Afrofuturism?"
Panelists:
Julian Chambliss, Ph.D., Michigan State University
Regina Bradley, Ph.D., Kennesaw State University
Paul Ortiz, Ph.D., University of Florida
Erik Steinskog, Ph.D., University of Copenhagen
Toniesha Taylor, Ph.D., Texas Southern University
Moderator:
Clarissa West-White, Ph.D., Bethune-Cookman University
