DJ lynnee denise launches Afropean Spring Tour

DJ lynnee denise spent the winter in Amsterdam as an artist in residence conducting research on Amsterdam's Bijlmer community in the 1980s. Amsterdam was the first city to launch the 'Global 80s Project.' 'The Global 80s' is a multiple-city performative research project that will use film, DJ culture and a moderated panel discussion to explore, in the context of the project's European cities, the cultural and social experiences of immigrants of African descent living there between 1980-89. Three of the nine cities to be featured in the project are Amsterdam, London, Berlin, which inspired her "Afropean Tour." 

While in Europe lynnee denise has performed as a DJ in London and conducted preliminary research in the Brixton area, one of the communities of interest for 'The London 80s.' Recently she returned from a  two week investigative trip to Germany where for 'The Berlin 80s' she will use electronic music as a way to enter conversations about xenophobia and the legacies and impact of nationalism on Berlin's communities of color. In addition to the recent mission in Berlin, DJ Lynnee Denise recorded a series of four mixes called "The Berlin Sessions"  during an earlier trip to the city, which she plans to release over the next year. Part of the research in the selected cities included building a network of artists whom she can call on to participate and perform with as a part of the future project.

Lynnee Denise will also visit and conduct interviews for Europe's first Afropunk Festival to be held in Paris, France and from there will travel to attend  the NYU Black Portraitures: Imaging the Black Body and Restaging Histories conference in Florence, Italy at the end of May. 

lynnee denise in Amsterdam February 2015

The Global 80s Project Premiers in Amsterdam Tonight!

As a 2015 CBK BijlmAIR (artist in residence) DJ Lynnee Denise will present research and moderate a panel discussion with local artists and activists about music, arts and politics in the Bijlmer 1980s. The Amsterdam Bijlmer 80s is the first city to launch The Global 80s, a multi-city performative research project that uses DJ culture to explore the social conditions and political temperature of nine cities to understand the way music and culture expressed the collective mood of people impacted by institutional racism and displacement in the 1980s.

The Bijlmer is a community primarily made up of people of color from the former "Dutch Colonies," 'labor migrants' from Turkey and Morocco and refugees from all over the world. Commonly referred to as Amsterdam's only ghetto, the Bijlmer's existence highlights the contentious relationship between immigrants in Europe and post-colonial institutions that fail to address the legacies of colonialism that manifests in this particular community through unemployment, poverty, addiction and policies informed by xenophobia. The goal of the Bijlmer 80s project, was to be in dialogue with the people based in the community and record stories rooted in lived experiences. The Bijlmer 80s will discuss creativity, inspiration and complicated notions of home and belonging. The panel consists of activist and writer Simone Zeefuik, visual artist Aileen Middel, Director of No Limit and political activist Angelo Bromet and DJ and cultural producer Bamba Nazar. The event will take place Thursday May 21, 2015 at CBK Zuidoost from 17hr-19hr. Address is Anton de Komplein 120, 1102 DR Amsterdam.