Oct
1
2014
Changing Hearts and Blowing Minds: 50 Years of Conscious R&B
By David Byrne
Ever since I can remember, there has been music made by the African diaspora that addressed social, economic and conceptual issues in ways that are funky, radical, surprising and joyous. Some of these are deeply sober and serious while others reorient our minds while we dance.
This approach to effecting social and mental change targets the mind through the body. Once the body surrenders, the mind has little option but to go along. Maybe the UN and other bodies should take a look at this approach? Certainly it's preferable to brute force...and probably more convincing than most verbal arguments as well.
I'm amazed at the continuity I discovered in my playlist: this trend has never disappeared or waned—it's a tradition that keeps reinventing itself. It's international, too. I could have made this collection a lot longer and included music from many more parts of the world. But this gives a taste. Enjoy.
Oct
1
2014
Changing Hearts and Blowing Minds: 50 Years of Conscious R&B
By David Byrne