Using hometown hero Sun Ra as jumping off point into a larger conversation about Afrofuturism and music, Lee Shook put together this playlist as a sort of sonic journey through the sights and sounds of some of the most revolutionary and visionary Black Artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. From cosmic jazz and sci-fi funk, to disco, world music, hip-hop, 80’s R&B and dance music, techno, rock and roll, and the infinite number of variations, permutations, and reconfigurations that stretch into today’s new artists, this is the place where pathways meet and face forward into tomorrow. And whether it be through the embrace and radical use of state-of-the-art technology, thematic elements that reimagined space, time and history as seen through the lens of the Black Experience, or just the forward-thinking fantasy of some of the world’s most creative modern minds, these are but a small handful of the tracks that offer a glimpse into a realm beyond where the avant-garde, artistry, philosophy, mysticism, and invention collide in fantastic new ways for all to hear.​

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Articles on Afrofuturism:

1. Sun Ra and Afrofuturism

2. Afrofuturism Takes Flight: From Sun Ra to Janelle Monáe

3. George Clinton, Sun Ra and the Sci-Fi Funk of Afrofuturism

4. Betty Davis and Afrofuturism

5. Grace Jones and Afrofuturism

6. Lee Perry/Reggae/Dub and Afrofuturism

7. Rammellzee and Afrofuturism

8. Afrika Bambaataa and Afrofuturism

9. Detroit Techno

10. Afrofuturism: From the Past to the Living Present

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Lee Shook is a DJ, music writer, filmmaker, photographer and concert promoter from Birmingham, AL. Having worked in the music industry around the Southeast for nearly two decades, Shook is best known through his multi-media work as The Audiovore, producing unique specialty radio shows, live music videos, and concert experiences through his collaborations with organizations like Birmingham Mountain Radio, TransMuseq, The Improvisor, Shaking Ray Levi Society, and Southeastern Attractions, to name just a few. As a music writer he has also had work published all over the country and world, including with such esteemed publications as Oxford American, The Wire, Paste Magazine, Birmingham Magazine and Tuscaloosa News. In his spare time he also works as a highly-regarded club DJ opening up for national touring acts like Arcade Fire’s Win Butler, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Michael Franti, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, and Tank & The Bangas, among countless others. With one foot firmly in the future and the other firmly in the past, he has helped raise awareness of the South's unique musical and cultural history and heritage, and has worked with groundbreaking artists-- both large and small, known and unknown-- through his many endeavors across multiple creative formats.

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Lee Shook's Website

The Audiovore