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Mendi + Keith Obadike's "The Sour Thunder" was designed as
"an Internet opera and sonic book." The Obadikes are
known for their writing, their music-making and their conceptual art
projects. "The Sour Thunder" blends science fiction and
autobiography with pop music, new music, and a theatrical bi-lingual
text (English and Spanish), creating a personal and surreal
tale of cultural and racial identity. Commissioned by the Yale
University Cabaret, the premiere of "The Sour Thunder"
took place in two separate venues simultaneously, with images and
sound streamed from both venues to the web. The CD recording
of "The Sour Thunder" is a studio performance with all
instrumentals and vocals performed by the Obadikes.
"The Sour Thunder" takes place as Mendi is traveling with
a friend to study Afro-Dominican culture and Caribbean literature in
the Dominican Republic. While Mendi's story is told,
another story simultaneously takes place in Solaika Dast, a state
where scent is the primary means of communication. From
Solaika Dast, Sesom is sent to a new world where her sensibilities
take on new meanings. While some pieces clearly tell Sesom's
story, or Mendi's, others fit squarely in the nexus between the two.
Musically, "The Sour Thunder" is told through a
series of 23 sound-text pieces and songs. The textures that
make up "The Sour Thunder" were created using
digitally treated hollow body guitars, Nigerian mbiras, field
recordings of environmental sounds, and electronically processed
vocals.
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