Afrofuturism at Landmark: Borealis 2017

Check out our interview with Moor Mother below:

Moor Mother‘s performance was intense and unique. Crossfade spoke to her earlier on Saturday (link til intervju), and we ended up talking mostly about politics, a message which indeed came through during her concert. She gave the audience everything, doing it all by herself: being her own DJ by using her computer and synthesizer, screaming out the lyrics followed by an aggressive micdrop in front of the audience. When asking her what category her music belonged, she said she didn’t fit in anywhere and couldn’t relate to any musical acts out there. Quite right, it is hard to put her music and performance in any kind of genre. A mixture of punk, rap poetry and afro-futurism, even though this doesn’t cover it all. However one thing was clear: we haven’t seen anything like the project Moor Mother before here in Norway.

Abdu Ali‘s sound is alternative, blending experimental rap and dance-floor beats. His performance at Landmark was lit! Some of the members of Crossfade found themselves with their hands in the air, screaming “I AM ALIVE” at one point. And believe us when we say; The audience were LIBERATED! Abdu Ali’s simple-yet-powerful lyrics and beats, combined with an outstanding attitude and presence turned Landmark into an euphoric dance club. Fingers crossed for a return to Bergen soon.

Afrofuturism is a cultural and aesthetic concept that combines a wide range of elements; Sci-Fi, history, fantasy and of course afrocentrism. Both Moor Mother and Abdu Ali, individually, manage to address themes and issues of black future through their music. Do you want to know more about the term “afrofuturism”?

Interview with Moor Mother in Bergen – We were so lucky to be able to interview Moor Mother on saturday, where we discussed issues such as racism, punk, being an outsider and last but not least afrofuturism.