Audio Evidence

Volume VI features my friend and poet Jamal Rashad. Jamal thoughtfully took the time to record his answers to questions I sent him for this episode. He dives into his background growing up in Washington DC and yet finding his poetic voice in the Bay Area. He tells us about being editor of the “Imagoes” queer anthology and the process therein. Jamal reads several of his poems for the audience and speaks on the importance of centering queer poets of color. He also highlights what it’s been like as a creative while quarantining during a pandemic and what virtual events he’s been apart of plus what’s on his upcoming calendar. This Juneteenth tribute honors all black lives, especially those that have been lost this year due to state sanctioned violence. May we continue to uplift black voices now more than ever.

Volume V of Audio Evidence honors freedom fighters Malcolm X & Yuri Kochiyama who were both born on the auspicious date of May 19th. This episode aims to highlight the audio evidence of Malcolm X after his travels abroad during the mid-1960’s, including to the holy city of Mecca. Many people seem to forget how impactful those travels were on Malcolm as he was becoming a burgeoning internationalist who was sought after by many other world leaders of his era. Yuri Kochiyama helps to contextualize what the impact of that time meant to Malcolm and his developing consciousness, both religiously and politically.

Volume IV of Audio Evidence is a Mother’s Day tribute to my mother Chiori Santiago who also serves as the inspiration for this sound series. The audio in this episode is a digitally constructed conversation between my mother and I that was originally released in April of 2017. The recordings of Chiori’s voice come from old tapes I had found in our shed after she passed away in 2007. Some of the clips come from a radio program she was on titled “audio evidence” which became the namesake for this series.

Volume III of Audio Evidence features Nacho’s favorite voice messages from family and friends over the last decade and change. Enjoy these capsules of sound.

Volume II of Audio Evidence is a short piece curated for Meta Den’s )(eclipse)( Aries SZN :: Ram the Rona event experienced on zoom. The audio heard here is a collection of musical performances recorded in the public spaces of New York City before the spread of covid-19 interrupted public life and interaction as we knew it.

Volume I of Audio Evidence features excerpts of dialogue by Angela Davis speaking live at The Sanctuary Auditorium, First Corinthian Baptist Church of Harlem in New York City on September 26, 2018. Professor Davis highlights her relationship with freedom fighter Yuri Kochiyama and she goes on to discuss the insight and potential of women of color. The role of movements along with issues we face today, including the gender division of labor are topics Professor Davis notes. Angela Davis focuses on the need for intersectional analysis and contrasts movement eras and lessons of the past with contemporary ones. The rest of this episode is sprinkled with rhythmic contributions by musicians on the New York City Subways as well as a beat called, “Being Human” as recorded in Khartoum, Sudan. This inaugural show is dedicated to the life and memory of Toni Morrison.