Musician, performance artist, activist and journalist Mykki Blanco is adding yet another string to his* bow as he announces the launch of Dogfood Music Group. Seemingly a reference to Blanco’s Gay Dog Food mixtape — an experimental punk manifesto that featured Riot Grrrl legend Kathleen Hanna — the new label will focus on “underground artists [who] inspire their communities, contribute to and share Mykki’s artistic vision, and transcend conventional cultural boundaries / constructs,” with emphasis placed on performers “whose musical practice is closely intertwined with their live show.”
Blanco has explained that the label also seeks to challenge conceptions of “African American Music,” saying, “People all over the world are only fed this singular image of “African American Music” and we want to disrupt that. We all come from backgrounds outside of the black American norm, and the world deserves to see our culture as much as anything else.”
The first release on the !K7-backed imprint will be a compilation titled C-ORE, featuring multi-instrumentalists, composers and producers Yves Tumor (Rahel Ali), who appeared with Blanco on his 2013 Europe and Asia tour; Violence, the electronic eclecticist behind Palmtrees Caprisun; and multidisciplinary artist PsychoEgyptian aka black anime star hOla zygOte (Devin Kyle Cuthbertson), as well as Blanco himself. “We are a group of friends who have created a release that represents a slice of what we’re into, our culture and what we want to show the world,” Blanco says.
C-ORE is described as a project that is, “living, breathing, moving, multiplying and spreading wildly in all directions. Incorporating rap, punk, noise, industrial, grime, and many other elements, the compilation evokes a cathartic reaction from the listener, illuminating the diverse influences, imaginations, and hunger that drive the artists.” We will be eagerly counting down the 78 days until this drops!
C-ORE will be released September 18th on CD, LP and digital services. You can preorder it on iTunes.
*Please note that a representative for Mykki Blanco has informed us that Blanco is now using male pronouns when discussing projects and artistry.