science – composer / sound artist / writer

I haven’t posted here for a while as I’m busy with my doctoral studies (writing, reading, composing, practice-based research) and other music and sonic art projects. More info on these in the coming new year.

But a couple of unfiltered thoughts, based on the recent developments in the world and communications I’ve received.

We live on an incredibly intelligent planet. Life on Earth is a cosmic wonder in scientific, artistic and simply existential and evolutionary sense. There is no need for any artificial, human-invented ideologies: nationalism, religions, beliefs, left-right politics, capitalism, etc.

SO WHY THEN ALL THIS IMBECILITY IN POLITICS, ECONOMICS, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONSTRUCTIONS ???

There is so much intelligence on this planet. In sciences, arts, humanities, communities, in the actual living planet and its rich diversity of life. We live amid unprecedented planetary-level creativity, potential and intelligence. This is a rare planet of innovation, care, empathy, cooperation and collaboration, creativity, experimentation, discovery, harmonius disagreement, joy, wonder, freedom, love, deeply meaningful existence – conscious intelligence.

Yet culturallly, politically and socially, we lack centuries (if not millenia) behind! We destroy the planet for the sake of some badly outdated, man-made economic system designed to serve the greed of a few men instead of the well-being of all; we persecute and oppress people based on some badly outdated, man-made religious systems; we argue about some badly outdated, man-made left-right politics; we entertain ourselves to death with some throwaway consumer waste-culture; we waste the incredible potential and intelligence of all life (human and more-than-human agencies) on some badly outdated, arbitrary societal designs.

IT IS TIME FOR THIS PLANET TO FUCKIN’ WAKE AND GROW UP.

Enough of nationalism, beliefs, tribalism, hate, racism, genocide (hey Israel!!), oppression, persecution, waste, extraction, ecocide, destruction, greed, profits, narcissism, borders, walls, divisions, consumerism…this fucking incredible fucking imbecility polluting this incredibly beautiful, rich, intelligent, unique wonder that is the planet Earth.

It is high time that our political, economic, cultural and societal thinking elevates itself to the level of intelligence that the rest of the world – science, arts, the non-human life – already enjoys. We are planetary species with abundant planetary intelligence – NO MORE FUCKING EXCUSES.

My new album Flash of the Spirit is finally reaching completion, ready to be mastered and released soon. Only one piece is still on the cusp of becoming either funky pop electro disco (LCD Soundsystem) or funky avantgarde disco experiment (Kraftwerk), always a tough choice. The album is based on my experiences in West Africa and on the adventures and conversations with my dear friends scattered around the globe, and it incorporates my field recordings from West Africa into the music. I’m immensely happy about this album and its emotional landscape – I often ponder why I spend months in the studio joyously perfecting something that has absolutely no practical function in the world (I wish it had but it doesn’t). Am I wasting my passion, skills and dedication? Currently I think that I am since my music has no broader cultural resonance. But I can’t help it: when making music I feel like I’m participating in the whole scientific, social and cultural conversations in levels that go beyond ideologies, mindsets, borders, identities, beliefs…I feel free, inhabiting a culturally diverse, playful, socially and economically equal green world. Art becomes a tool to imagine and pull oneself towards a preferable future.

Yet this possible future keeps remaining just a ‘hope’ for most people on this planet, for totally unnecessary, outdated societal and financial designs. Why? On the planet where there are more resources – food, water, shelter, money – to cater for everybody than what’s needed, then why come there’s scarcity of everything: food, water, shelter, money?

I’m currently working also on new pieces by Emeka Ogboh for his exhibition in Paris, revisiting Lagos soundscapes and our LOS-HEL: Possible Cities, but this time from a whole different angle. It’s a refreshing departure from my album work, and Lagos has never sounded more contemporary and futuristic, thanks to Emeka’s musical vision. More info on this soon too.

Please redesign the world. All the problems in the world are utterly ridiculous, childish.