Allie Martin and Brittany Green: Sampling for Black Life

This event includes a presentation by ethnomusicologist Allie Martin and a discussant's remarks from composer Brittany Green.

Sampling for Black Life: The ethics of music sampling, often limited to copyright law and intellectual property, raise concerns about how Black voices and sounds have been tried on, used, and discarded in commercial and archival work. When it comes to sampling, what is owed to the voices and soundscapes on archival recordings of Black life, which were often obtained under questionable circumstances? Drawing on materials sampled during a residency at the Library of Congress, I introduce a practice of "sampling with critical intention" that engages these materials with rigorous care. This talk offers an artistic intervention aimed toward liberatory amplification, insisting that sampling has the potential to disrupt anti-Black violence both in and out of the archive.

This event is free and open to the public. All are welcome!