Black is Celestial

By Xiorro
Brooklyn-based DJ, producer, and label head

The Carl Craig Sessions blog series invites both makers and revelers of techno to question, celebrate, reflect on, and examine the social, political, and cultural context of Detroit techno. As a response to and expansion of the ideas articulated in Carl Craig’s Party/Afterparty (2020) installation at Dia Beacon, the authors consider isolation, personal archives and systemic racism through sound, visuals, and text. 

Black is celestial. When you look at outer space, you can’t help but notice that the universe is Black. How can it be that holy while the heavens are associated with white? Why is it that Black is so commonly used to signify the wicked and grim? The hidden truth is that Black is celestial. 2020 has been a year of change, but it has also shown the lengths American society and white governments throughout the world will go to suppress radical change. The oppression of Black people in America has proven to be the pinnacle of white supremacy in the world, but it must be stopped. In the end, however, we are all nothing but stardust floating in infinite space, shouting at each other. 

Brooklyn-based DJ, producer, and label head Xiorro was born and raised in Boston and takes his name from the Afro-Puerto Rican revolutionary Marcus Xiorro. He is a co-founder of ALKHEMY, a New York City-based collective dedicated to diversifying techno by creating a platform for people of color and women to play at their Black Hole parties. With a DJ style and sound rooted in rave, Xiorro is the first international resident DJ at the club Griessmuehle in Berlin.