Decyphering Voodoo at 25—An ‘Esoteric 106&Park’ Experience

Decyphering Voodoo at 25: An ‘Esoteric 106&Park’ Experience is an intimate listening session in celebration of the 25th anniversary of D’Angelo’s genre-defying sophomore album, Voodoo. We will be spinning Voodoo on vinyl and offering brief reflections between songs on how D’Angelo’s sonic incantations provide a blueprint for weathering today’s political, cultural, and spiritual climate. As undisciplined black studies scholars and cultural critics, the creative director of (de)cypher, zuri arman, and their guest, i. augustus durham, will be drawing on personal experiences and scholarship to draw out dimensions of Voodoo previously left unthought. Our cypher will be opened with remarks by Faith Pennick, the author of the Bloomsbury 33 1/3 series book on Voodoo released in 2020.

Decyphering Voodoo at 25 is part of a weekend of events called Finding the Ceremony: Experiments with Voodoo put together by (de)cypherdark notes on the culture to honor the recently departed musical visionary, D’Angelo. Immediately, following the listening session at Gladys, we will be hosting an afterparty at The Rum Bar BK called Serenading the Night at 10pm. Throughout the night, multidisciplinary artist Akeema-Zane will be cyphering sounds from across the diaspora including soca, reggae, r&b, dancehall, house, and hip-hip. Join us as we serenade the night and pour libations for an artist that changed the definition of music as we know it. Tickets and further information about the Finding the Ceremony series, including our critical-creative writing workshop on Sunday, November 23rd, can be found on our instagram page @darkdecypher.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher (de)cypher—dark notes on the culture