ALUNA & FRIENDS: RODEO RAVE will stream live via Twitch on November 1.
Following the August release of her debut solo album RENAISSANCE via Mad Decent, Aluna is today announcing her very own personally curated all Black, POC, Female electronic virtual festival. ALUNA & FRIENDS: RODEO RAVE, will stream live via Twitch on November 1 from the Compton Cowboys Ranch in Los Angeles. Alongside the stellar line-up, Aluna will be performing her critically-acclaimed debut solo album, RENAISSANCE.
"Originally, putting together my dream festival line up (Black, POC and women DJs who play dope dance music) was an incredible goal, a chance to show exactly how I see the future of mainstream dance festivals." Aluna reveals. "Then we found out the Compton Cowboys we're down to help us put the festival on and all of a sudden you have this parallel of two black people in totally different worlds doing the same thing -- re-invigorating the inclusion of black people in a space where we had been erased. Getting to connect like this is really what music should always be about -- bringing people together. This is gonna be an epic cultural moment for myself and anyone who is looking forward to the future of dance music."2020 has already been a momentous year for Aluna, her latest singles have amassed more than 27 million combined global streams, with 2K global radio spins in 32 countries, garnering global support from some of the world's most respected radio stations, including BBC Radio 1, Triple J, KCRW, KEXP, and Sirius BPM, as well as 'Envious' being playlisted on Capital's newest station Capital Dance. Spotify's New Music Friday has championed her in more than 20 countries this year, as well as placing her on the cover of their flagship dance playlist Mint and Massive Dance Hits. Nectar (Amazon Music) and New Music Daily (Apple Music), along with support from radio staples Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden continue to amplify her solo project.
In June Aluna also penned a powerful open letter to the global dance community, demanding the community re-assess the platforms and positioning of Black creators within the dance world. "When I started looking at all the challenges I face being a black woman making dance I realized I wanted to do more than just create a space for myself - I want all black people to know that the genre of Dance is their heritage and they should feel included and encouraged to create under that banner by expanding the genre to be culturally and racially inclusive." Read the full letter HERE. One half and front-woman of the internationally renowned duo AlunaGeorge, the critically acclaimed singer, songwriter and performer has stepped out on her own having inked a global deal with Los Angeles based record label Mad Decent. On stepping out solo, the British born, Los Angeles based artist shares: "In the past when performing on the stages of my white male peers, I always felt like a visitor being one of the few Black women I could see, so it never fully occurred to me to claim dance music as my music, as an artist, even though it was at the heart of my connection to music." She continues. "Then I looked at the history of dance music and saw how, for example, Chicago House, known as the invention of house music, was pioneered in the Black and Latino LGTBQ+ communities which gave me inspiration to stake my flag in the ground as a Black woman in dance music by taking control of production and songwriting with my own vibe."Videos