AIAC contributor Boima Tucker (he is also an actual DJ/artist and behind the new “Made in Africa” party in New York City) gets the Mixpak Records treatment. Some interesting things you won’t found on our “About” page: that he plays the cello, what he thinks of the New York club scene, his current favorite tune and what is an “undercover African.” Boima also gets asked about that post he did for AIAC about vinyl culture in Africa that got everybody so upset:

Yeah, that actually really surprised me. I mean I really thought it was obvious that I was playing devils advocate. I think people reacted quickly and tried to destroy my credibility by taking personal shots, and there were some real immature things written. I was like are grown folks really writing this? I still stand by the article. I think the reactions and defensiveness that came out really went to show that these people hadn’t really confronted the situation to analyze their possible positions of privilege within the global societal structures. Maybe not, but that’s the only explanation I could come up with. The one thing about the World Music 2.0 scene is that we’re pretty good at beating ourselves and each other up over these issues. We air the issues out in the same places that we do our musical practices, so a lot of us are hyper aware of the positions of privilege we have in operating from the U.S. and Europe. I recognize that it’s definitely a grey area issue, but I don’t think that discussion was happening outside of diggers forums, and Sean who runs Africa is a Country thought it would be cool to put the debate in a forum that’s not just music folks. I think it’s important to continue the work you feel passionate about while remaining conscious of the implications of your actions for people that you work with or represent. I do really respect all the labels that are doing the work to get this music out. I personally have been able to get songs on vinyl that I heard growing up but never knew the names of. But the activities they’re engaged in are culturally specific and one sided, just as all “Western” activity in Africa has been since the 15th Century. It’s about representation, and the responsibility that goes with that.

The full interview.

P.S. For those who want more Boima, he was also interviewed by the San Francisco Bay Guardian’s Noise Music Blog.

Further Reading