Experimental Filmmaking/Visual Storytelling
Osunlade is a magic man, a dance floor healer and a music shaman. When I heard that he would be spinning a set in Amsterdam during the same time I was there, I reached out to Carlos Mena and asked him to connect us so that I could interview him. Busy as he was, he didn't respond, but I went to the show, stood close to the speaker during his entire set, recorded key moments and then found the nerve to simply ask, "can we connect on camera?" His answer was yes and he escorted me to the DJ green room. Osunlade and his brainchild Yoruba Records are two of the most important names in house music history. When people discuss his work, they often times leave out his amazing history as a fully seasoned St. Louis born musician. Yes he produced music for Sesame Street, but that was a small part of his contribution to music in America. In this interview he speaks of traveling to Chicago as a youth and being exposed to the burgeoning house scene in the 1980s. He shares how he traveled to L.A. where among other projects he produced music for the legendary SOLAR records. He talks about what it means to be an expatriate and his deep love relationship with food and Japanese cuisine. Enjoy.
In 2011, I had the opportunity to work as an arts educator with the Art Rules Aruba program. I taught a DJ class to students between the ages of 8-18. One of the highlights of that trip was the opportunity to work alongside some of the most gifted artists in the world, not the country or the city, but the world. The Incident at Sea was filmed on a boat ride with fellow teachers. The video features acclaimed dancer Melissa Flerangile.
Produced the original musical score for this documentary film that explores the role Black lesbians played in the Lesbian and Gay Rights movement.
