Education

Participants in this workshop will learn the basic tools and strategies of mixing music live using Dj equipment and software. We will discuss foundational elements of music such as tempo, meter, rhythm structure, as well as concepts of musical narrative and sonic affect as deployed by the dj.

This workshop will introduce participants to the techniques and concepts of dance music production....i.e. making funky beats! Participants will learn the functionalities of music production software(Ableton Live) and hardware(Ableton Push controller) through guided lessons and hands-on experimentation.

This teach-in focuses on the origins, directions, and meanings of Black-Atlantic, Afro-diasporic, and Afro-futurist music, covering 500 years of rhythm science history from the trans-Atlantic slave trade down to our current globally networked echo-chamber of a world.  We'll survey the spread of rhythm science throughout the world, and try to give context to our work and experiences as producers, listeners, and participants of global dance music culture.

This workshop dives into the history and meaning behind one of the foundational techniques of modern music making and artistic practice...the Remix. Participants will learn about the history and development of this artistic technique, discuss its influence on global culture, and see a short demonstration of remix techniques used in music production.

Bridging knowledge from the fields of evolutionary psychology, history and cultural studies, RSS educators will discuss the physical, psychological and social affect of dance music and its powerful influence and the transformative potential for our global communities.

A History of Bass music and Soundsystem Culture This workshop will discuss the history of soundsystem culture from its roots in Jamaican dance music to its global proliferation in the form of musical genres such as Dub, Reggae, Dancehall, Hip Hop, Dubstep, Trap, etc. Particular focus will be given to the special role that bass frequencies play in these music cultures, and investigate the deeper meaning behind these low-end-loving music practices.

This teach-in/lecture focuses on the history of Hip Hop as a uniquely Black and Indigenous mode of cultural production which could only have been created through the social condition of colonialism, white supremacy, capitalism, cishet patriarchy and its effects on bodies in space. We historicize Hip Hop and position it as a mode of cultural production and resistance strategy which continues to be mobilized by communities all over the globe to decenter hegemony and counter-narratives of erasure and violence.

Gender and Sexual politics in Dance Music. This teach-in will historicize and discuss various forms of dance/club musics such as Disco, House, Bounce, etc as sites for individual and community progress towards goals of social liberation.

Participants in this workshop will develop a shared vocabulary around the topics of decolonization, critical history, and cultural organizing. They will learn how to actively implement decolonizing strategies into their everyday context and interactions through cultural production.  Participants will learn and practice various cultural organizing and production skills such as "story circles", Zine production, radio production, and graffiti techniques.

The act of sampling has become a foundational technique of modern dance music production. While this technique may seem simple, it is an extremely powerful and transformational action. Interwoven into the process of sampling, there are radically transformative tools for engaging with culture, history, space and place.

In this teach-in, we will present and demonstrate sampling techniques and discuss the wider artistic and cultural meanings behind sampling.

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