Where Future Unfolds is a new work spirited by Chicago-based sound &
visual artist Damon
Locks. Starting as a solo sound collage piece (where Locks pulled samples from
Civil Rights era
speeches and recordings to create an improvisational pallet for performance on
his drum
machine), over 4 years the project has blossomed into his 15-piece Black
Monument Ensemble – featuring musicians (including Angel Bat Dawid on
clarinets and Dana Hall on drums), singers
(alumni of the Chicago Children's Choir), and dancers (members of Chicago youth
dance
company Move Me Soul). Where Future Unfolds is a live capture of the
ensemble's epic debut at the Garfield Park Botanical Conservatory on the West
Side of Chicago. Recalling the spirits of Phil Cohran's Artistic Heritage
Ensemble, Eddie Gale's Black Rhythm Happening, Archie
Shepp's Attica Blues, and Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold
Us Back, the album presents an inspired, innovative & immediate intersection
of gospel, jazz, activism & 808 breaks.
