Dancecult 5(2) 2013: Executive Editor's Introduction, Masthead and Table of Contents Volume 5 Number 2 2013 Special issue on Afrofuturism Edited by tobias c. van Veen Executive Editor Graham St John (Griffith University, AU) From the floor Editors Alice O’Grady (University of Leeds, UK) Graham St John (Griffith University, AU) Reviews Editor Ed Montano (RMIT University, AU) Foreign Languages Editor Luis-Manuel Garcia (University of Chicago, DE) Production Editor Botond Vitos (Monash University, AU) Operations director Ed Montano (RMIT University, AU) Copyeditors Luis-Manuel Garcia (University of Chicago, DE) Jerome Hansen (UK) Sheena D. Hyndman (York University, CA) Katrina Loughrey (AU) Kath O’Donnell (AU) Production Assistants Carlo Nardi (IT) Martin Koszolko (RMIT University, AU) Marc Kushin (Goldsmiths, University of London, UK) Garth Sheridan (RMIT University, AU tobias c. van Veen (McGill University, CA) Dancecult Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture Issue 5(2) 2013 ISSN 1947-5403 ©2013 Dancecult Published twice yearly at http://dj.dancecult.net International Advisory Board Sean Albiez (Southampton Solent University, UK), Eliot Bates (University of Maryland, College Park, US), Andy Bennett (Griffith University, AU), Mark J Butler (Northwestern University, US), Anthony D’Andrea (University of Limerick, IE), Rebekah Farrugia (Oakland University, US), Kai Fikentscher (DE), Luis-Manuel Garcia, University of Chicago (DE), François Gauthier (Université du Québec à Montréal, CA), Anna Gavanas (Institute for Futures Studies, SE), Chris Gibson (University of New South Wales, AU), Jeremy Gilbert (University of East London, UK), Alice O’Grady, University of Leeds (UK), Ross Harley (University of New South Wales, AU), David Hesmondhalgh (University of Leeds, UK), Tim Lawrence (University of East London, UK), Geert Lovink (University of Amsterdam, NL), Gordon Lynch (Birkbeck University of London, UK), Rene Lysloff (University of California, Riverside, US), Alejandro L. Madrid (University of Illinois, Chicago, US), Charity Marsh (University of Regina, CA), Tony Mitchell (University of Technology Sydney, AU), Karenza Moore (Lancaster University, UK), Andrew Murphie (University of New South Wales, AU), Christopher Partridge (Lancaster University, UK), Anne Petiau (ITSRS / Université Paris 5, FR), Hillegonda C Rietveld (London South Bank University, UK), Geoff Stahl (Victoria University of Wellington, NZ), Sonjah Nadine Stanley-Niaah (University of West Indies, JM), Graham St John (Griffith University, AU), Will Straw (McGill University, CA), Rupert Till (University of Huddersfield, UK), tobias c. van Veen (McGill University, CA), Michael Veal (Yale University, US), Andrew Whelan (University of Wollongong, Australia) Dancecult: Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture is a peer-reviewed, open-access e-journal for the study of electronic dance music culture (EDMC). A platform for interdisciplinary scholarship on the shifting terrain of EDMCs worldwide, the Journal houses research exploring the sites, technologies, sounds and cultures of electronic music in historical and contemporary perspectives. Playing host to studies of emergent forms of electronic music production, performance, distribution, and reception, as a portal for cutting-edge research on the relation between bodies, technologies, and cyberspace, as a medium through which the cultural politics of dance is critically investigated, and as a venue for innovative multimedia projects, Dancecult is the forum for research on EDMC. Cover Image: Jeff Mills at MUTEK 2012. Photo: tobias c. van Veen. Volume 5 Number 2 2013 Executive Editor’s Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01 Graham St John Guest Editor’s Introduction: “Music is a Plane of Wisdom”—Transmissions from the Offworlds of Afrofuturism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02 tobias c. van Veen FEATURE ARTICLES Vessels of Transfer: Allegories of Afrofuturism in Jeff Mills and Janelle Monáe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 07 tobias c. van Veen The Metaphysics of Crackle: Afrofuturism and Hauntology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Mark Fisher The Vibe of the Exiles: Aliens, Afropsychedelia and Psyculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Graham St John Ethnoforgery and Outsider Afrofuturism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Trace Reddell Ethnography From the Inside: Industry-based Research in the Commercial Sydney EDM Scene . . . . . . .113 Ed Montano “Stay in Synch!”: Performing Cosmopolitanism in an Athens Festival. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131 Vassiliki Lalioti FROM THE FLOOR – online Afrofuturism Unbound: tobias c. van Veen in conversation with Paul D. Miller tobias c. van Veen Vocalizing: MC Culture in the UK Nabeel Zuberi Fabulous: Sylvester James, Black Queer Afrofuturism and the Black Fantastic Reynaldo Anderson REVIEWS Books Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture (Ytasha L. Womack) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 tobias c. van Veen MP3: The Meaning of a Format (Jonathan Sterne). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Nabeel Zuberi Electronica, Dance and Club Music (ed. Mark J. Butler). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Hillegonda C. Rietveld Film Electronic Awakening (dir. Andrew Johner) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Garth Sheridan Showtime (dir. Rollo Jackson) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 Philip Kirby ISSN 1947-5403 ©2013 Dancecult http://dj.dancecult.net St John | Executive Editor’s Introduction 1 I am pleased to announce that Dancecult is now hosted at Griffith University ePress where the latest version of Open Journal Systems has been successfully installed. There remain a few minor technical problems, but we appear to be back on track. A quick note to congratulate everyone involved in making the migration to our new server at Griffith ePress possible: Andy Bennett and Griffith Centre for Cultural Studies, Suzanne Bailey and the team at Griffith ePress and Operations Manager Ed Montano. I am also happy to report that all past, present and future articles published in Dancecult are assigned DOIs. We plan to implement full DOI compliance measures in future editions. This has been the result of the success of our fundraising campaign earlier in 2013 and the hard work performed by Carlo Nardi, and Production Editor Botond Vitos. This themed issue of Dancecult guest edited by tobias c. van Veen showcases research on Afrofuturism. The issue also features two non-theme feature articles. Graham St John, Executive Editor Executive Editor’s Introduction doi: 10.12801/1947-5403.2013.05.02.00