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emmy parker

@black.computer

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Archival Producer
Memory Worker
Former Brand Architect of @moogsynthesizers

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Happy to have contributed to two episodes of Control, a four-part documentary series for RTÉ 2FM (@rte2fm) exploring women, technology, and the recording studio.

The audio clips from the show touch on two artists I greatly admire, Patrice Rushen and Suzanne Ciani. What interests me is not simply that they succeeded in fields dominated by men, but what their careers reveal about the conditions under which women were permitted to participate, innovate, and be recognized.

Women have always been present in music technology. The interesting question to me is how their contributions were valued, understood, and remembered.

The full series is now available online. Link in bio.

My thanks to Kate Butler (@dj_softskills), Renn Miano (@nonbinaryicon) and the entire production team for including me in such a thoughtful project. by @black.computer

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3 months ago

Honored to be featured by Callaloo Literary Journal.

The essay I wrote for the current issue is rooted in my family’s musical traditions and in questions I’ve been carrying for a long time.

A decade spent working in music technology taught me how instruments are built. Black Sonic Intelligence began when I started wondering whether Black musical practice might itself be a technology: a way of storing knowledge, coordinating people, transmitting memory, and sustaining forms of life across generations.

Thankful to the editors for the platform and for the opportunity to share some of the thinking behind this larger project.

And if you aren’t already reading Callaloo, now is a good time to start. For nearly 50 years, it has been one of the most important homes for Black literary and intellectual life anywhere in the world. IYDKNYK

Link in bio for the full interview with @callaloojournal

Photo in slide 2 by @gracelandnewyork by @black.computer

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4 months ago

My first published article is live, and it feels like the start of something I’ve been building toward for years.

“Resonant Technologies: The Banjo and Black Sonic Memory” uses the banjo as an entry point into a larger story I’ve been tracing my whole life: how Black music technologies carry memory, transmit meaning, and reshape time.

This is a turning point for me. After years of keeping this work close, I’m stepping forward as a cultural technologist, writer, and archivist, sharing the ideas and research that will soon grow into something much larger.

I’m also finishing up a master’s in Museum Studies at CUNY, deepening the archival practice I’ll be announcing more about later this year.

Grateful to Curationist for giving this first piece a home, and grateful to those of you who’ve been with me through the quieter seasons.

Link in bio to read the full essay. taken in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn by @black.computer

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a year ago

𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝟕𝐩𝐦 @bamfilmbrooklyn

I am performing ‘BY ANY MEANZ SONICALLY’ a new audio/visual work and electronic live score created by producer, composer and artist Suzi Analogue, presented by @alfredascinema.

Directed by JONES (@olajones_films), with an original composition by Analogue, archival research and production by Emmy Parker (@black.computer) , and performance technical direction by Compton Timberwolf (@whoiscompton), this visual montage highlights the profound influence of Black women in electronic dance music, tracing their impact from the early roots in jazz and rhythm & blues to the global prominence of dance music today, all set to Suzi’s electronic score.

BY ANY MEANZ SONICALLY is not just a celebration of music; it’s a celebration of identity, of the intersections between race, gender, and genre, and of the unwavering contributions of Black women who continue to redefine the boundaries of music and culture. In this performance, Suzi Analogue offers both a sonic tribute and a space for reflection on how these women have reshaped electronic music and continue to influence the sounds of tomorrow.

Poster: Praise Godswill @pegnosis

Get your tickets to witness this unprecedented piece together. #ByAnyMeanzSonically #Brooklyn #LifeInAnalogue #LinkInBio by @black.computer

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2 years ago

though artists play the most vital role in promoting our instruments to the world, they are rarely directly compensated for it. now is the time to amend our existing model to include artists in the revenue stream of musical instruments.

this is our economic justice action. and actions matter to ensure black lives matter. #blacklivesmatter #equityvsequality taken in Los Angeles, California by @black.computer

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6 years ago

there’s too much legend and too much love in this photo. phade (the king of all kings) and my lil sister shilla (young queen ceo). the wave passes generational knowledge from og to young g. blessed to be a witness to so much goodness and gawdliness. all thanks to the luke to my leia @freddyanzures by @black.computer

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6 years ago

“the weak can overcome the strong if the weak persist. persisting isn’t always safe, but it’s often necessary.” - octavia butler rip (73rd bday was yesterday) • keep pushing. we’ve got a long road to walk. as my mother said to me: “don’t be safe, be smart.” hope to see you at @laschools board this morning. time to make our voices heard loud and clear: get the racist police out of our school systems ! #defundthepolice #defundlapd •#keeppushing #blacklivesmatter #octaviabutler #equityoverequality 📷: @jonnycrave by @black.computer

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6 years ago

my daddy, kellis earl parker sr was so beautiful. look at him next to rbg - black, brilliant, beautiful and strong. •
he was a genius, far ahead of his time. don’t believe me, read his nytimes obit or ask dave chappelle or cornel west or wynton marsalis or my uncle maceo. they loved his wildly transformational mind as much as i do. •
my father called me “big time”. he taught me one thing: you will radically transform this world, but only when you are willing to devote your life to it. now i understand. •
we have a long way to go, but we are winning, and we will never give up. humanity depends on it. we will not accept this life we have been forced to live. we must evolve, by any means necessary. happy father’s day, daddy 🤎
•
#blacklivesmatter by @black.computer

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6 years ago

⠀⁣
👀 look at the info graphic, (music nerds, pat yourself on the back for already knowing all modern music is black music), chuckle at the lazy third eye blind reference...now consider this: ⁣
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none of the major musical instrument manufacturers is black owned. there are no black musical instrument designers at any of the major musical instrument manufacturers. and as far as i know, i am the only black executive in the industry (11 traumatic years deep). for ten years i heard, “we can’t find any qualified black engineers...” 🤷🏻‍♂️⠀⁣
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white supremacy culture and systemic racism has violently looted and shamelessly exploited our bodies, minds and greatest gifts. the effect in the musical instrument industry is that we’ve cheated the world - there are no modern instruments that are imbued with the full breadth of human experience. there are no black people sitting at the table when musical instruments are being developed. we are not included in the process of designing our own tools for creative expressions. ⁣
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at best, this leads to tools that don’t allow artists and their work to reach its full potential. at worst, we are robbed of music that could lead to our healing, liberation and enlightenment (yes, i believe music is that powerful). ⠀⁣
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the musical instrument industry is built on the backs of black americans, yet black creatives are excluded from sharing in the revenue stream where we add the most value. ⁣
after some convincing from my mentors, and the support of the most radical and creative design/engineering company on earth imo, i decided to come back to this white (boys) space for one reason: to effect long lasting change. ⠀⁣
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*if you’re a black executive in the musical instrument industry i apologize for the oversight, please hit me up so we can build together... ⠀⁣
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#equityoverequality #economicjusticeisracialjustice #blacklivesmatter #blackmusicisallmusic #defundthepolice #maketechnoblackagain by @black.computer

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6 years ago

add musical instrument manufacturers and designers to the list.... 👀 on notice. this must change... repost: @travon taken in Los Angeles, California by @black.computer

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6 years ago

spirit animal #tbt taken in The Artform Studio by @black.computer

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6 years ago

#shaqtinafool since ‘77 🥳 by @black.computer

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6 years ago