James Sprang – Aquifer of Rhythm
This post was written by James Sprang, part of the 2020 Cohort of the Painted Bride’s Building Bridges: On the Rise project.
Every project is a journey. For this journey entitled Aquifer of Rhythm, I am tracing rhythms and drumming patterns from Philadelphia to the Caribbean and finally to West Africa. In doing so I hope to gain a better understanding of my personal relationship to the African Diaspora. Much of this research and understanding consists of listening. It is perfect for this moment.
For now, as a way of sharing, I invite you to listen to the four tracks/videos below.
Three of them represent each leg of this research (Philadelphia, the Caribbean, West Africa).
The fourth track is a lil’ wild card. It is the result of a modular synthesizer patch I built, inspired by Suzanne Ciani’s use of the Buchla (pictured).
I hope to soon find a sonic space that melds these aesthetics and tells the story of this Caribbean-American boy trying to find home through the rhythms and melodies around him…
Alejandro Berillo (Cuba)
Jalikunda (Africa)
Open a window and let some rhythm in…
Join James and the Building Bridges cohort for our Building Bridges Conversations on May 22 and 29th. RSVP HERE for access.