ClassicsToday.com review Mendi + Keith Obadike's "The Sour Thunder" was designed as "an Internet opera and sonic book." The Obadikes are known for their writing, their music-making and their conceptual art projects. "The Sour Thunder" blends science fiction and autobiography with pop music, new music, and a theatrical bi-lingual text (English and Spanish), creating a personal and surreal tale of cultural and racial identity. Commissioned by the Yale University Cabaret, the premiere of "The Sour Thunder" took place in two separate venues simultaneously, with images and sound streamed from both venues to the web. The CD recording of "The Sour Thunder" is a studio performance with all instrumentals and vocals performed by the Obadikes. "The Sour Thunder" takes place as Mendi is traveling with a friend to study Afro-Dominican culture and Caribbean literature in the Dominican Republic. While Mendi's story is told, another story simultaneously takes place in Solaika Dast, a state where scent is the primary means of communication. From Solaika Dast, Sesom is sent to a new world where her sensibilities take on new meanings. While some pieces clearly tell Sesom's story, or Mendi's, others fit squarely in the nexus between the two. Musically, "The Sour Thunder" is told through a series of 23 sound-text pieces and songs. The textures that make up "The Sour Thunder" were created using digitally treated hollow body guitars, Nigerian mbiras, field recordings of environmental sounds, and electronically processed vocals.
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Mendi + Keith Obadike
BRIDGE 9158