Maybe you’ve heard of Flutronix, and maybe you haven’t, but you should. The flute duo, comprised of artists Nathalie Joachim and Allison Loggins-Hull, combine classical music with electronic, hip-hop and R&B sounds. Last semester, they performed at Hill Hall with their new piece, Discourse.
Discourse is described as a “site-specific, community engagement and social change initiative” that hopes to engage conversations across communities (Flutronix Website). Discourse introduces interviews from the Southern Oral History Program with their flute and vocals. Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of meeting the duo in one of my classes. We listneed to their piece, “Freedom School,” which is their last piece from Discourse. “Freedom School” combined Flutronix’s playing and singing with an interview with Willie Blue. Blue is a civil rights activist and a former member of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. By combining voices of activisim from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s with Flutronix’s modern resistance, a discourse arises about how far black people have come in securing equal rights, how they are still discriminated against, their current fight for equal rights and why activism is improtant arises.
Listening to their piece was extremely powerful and led to a productive conversation in my class. I can only imagine what it is like to watch their full evening performance. Before their visit, I had never thought of using the Southern Oral History Program’s interviews outside of academics. Flutronix’s Discourse provides a new frame for these interviews and brings them into the space of modern day activism.
Flutronix has recently secured a two year residency comissioned by Carolina Performing Arts. Be on the lookout for these powerful activists and any upcoming performances. As someone who normally only listens to music for pleasure and not for activism, I am looking forward to exploring more of Flutronix, who combines both into their art. You can learn more about the Souther Oral History Progam and listen to their interviews here. You can learn more about the Flutronix by visiting their webiste, here.