I have been fortunate since early childhood to sit among the

conversations & at the feet of Master Teachers

close & far

sometimes divided by time as well as space

& i was a channel then

often in spaces where the word & drum clung fiercely to their reconnection

i channel still

a journey, a radio trance-mission

an intergenerational multilingual conservation of what matter(s/ed) most

my contribution to a tradition

DrumLanguage came through when words were no longer enough

inspired by

Kamau Brathwaite

Don Cornelius

Richard Steele, Salim Muwakkil & Cliff Kelley

Frankie Crocker & Bob Law

Nikki Giovanni & Mumia Abu Jamal

Georges Collinet & Don Cornelius

Felipé Luciano & Dahoud André

Jared Ball & Glen Ford

Amy Goodman & Juan Gonzales

Jace Rupture & Din Clarke

but also

iBomba, Sonic Diaspora, Africa HiFi, Manjinga, Libation, J Period, Boolumaster, DJ Spinna, Haitian AllStarz, Dance Mania, Yoruba Soul, Ocha Records.

As for the music itself, Fela, Nina, Sweet Honey, Steel Pulse, Makeba, Masekela, Boukman & Sparrow were the types of artists played in my parents’ house, so a lot of times, the music was the news

If you don't feel like dancing at some point, it's not working