HEADS KNOW TAPE 008: gum.mp3
An interview and DJ mix from Virginia-based Afrofuturist multimedia producer.
Photo courtesy of the artist.
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Despite having written a whole Rolling Stone profile on gum.mp3 back in 2022—when he still went by Dirty Bird—there’s still so much to unpack about the Afrofuturist multimedia producer. The hyphens would never end if I tried to put a label on him, but I will say he’s one of the most intelligent and resourceful people I know.
Born in rural North Carolina and based in Virgnia, as a music producer, he blends the dance music of his region with jazz and funk to amalgamate the various facets of Black music history with an Afrofuturist approach. He describes himself as a “noise machine, digital pirate and technomancer.”
Ahead of the release of his forthcoming album, Black Life Red Planet, releasing on Thursday, March 7th, he speaks with me about everything that’s gone on since our last chat. Plus, he shares a soulful mix proving he’s “still one of the best deep house selectors on the planet” for this edition of HEADS KNOW TAPES.
I know you're in the middle of putting out an album so thanks so much for taking time out of your schedule to do this mix and interview! Congratulations on creating another incredible project.
Thanks! I’ve been going back and forth on how I feel about it over these last 2 years, but seeing its reception by people who’ve heard it early has been reassuring. I’m glad the project is finished and that the message resonates with people as intended.
In 2021, you put out six full-lengths and two EPs. You've become less prolific since then. Is there any reason you're taking more time to put out your work?
It’s easier to be prolific when you don’t really know what you’re doing. In 2021, I was definitely in a more experimental phase in the sense that I just wanted to try a bunch of stuff out and sharpen my skills in the meantime. The shortcomings of those releases reflect that mindset, and it’s not necessarily a good or bad thing, more so just that the work is characterized by the process it was created in. That process lacked an experienced sense of focus and as an artist I lacked technique that I now have.
This project took longer mostly because I hadn’t figured out how to package it, and some songs I made two years ago didn’t fit well narratively or sonically with songs I made for the project a year later. It became an exercise in restraint, curation and intent.
A lot has changed since I profiled you in Rolling Stone two years ago, including your name. Now that you've had time to process everything, how are you feeling… especially since Claude Von Stroke moved toward his Barclay Crenshaw alias and put Dirtybird on a hiatus?
I still feel some remaining indignation, but I’m mostly over it. EMPIRE acquired the Dirtybird label so perhaps it’s less of a Claude Von Stroke issue, but that doesn’t really matter either. I think it’s weird under any circumstances to severely reprimand a broke black artist for having similar branding. There was nothing I could ever do at that level in my career to compete with them financially or legally, so it just seemed like overkill to me.
I think it set me back a lot, honestly. I’m glad to be able to keep moving forward though, and I’m grateful for my supporters. It’s funny that a lot of them still call me Dirty Bird as kind of a “fuck you” to EMPIRE, so there’s that, too.
Do you think it's changed your relationship or perception of the music industry?
Not really. I always knew that as a Black person—and specifically as a Black guy from the South with dreads—I couldn’t expect anyone to be lenient with me or have my back in certain cases, especially not in such a predatory and extractivist industry. It is what it is. Nothing surprises me these days. It might hurt, but it’ll never surprise me. I’m not cynical at all about it though, I just recognize that the power and honor come from working with peers towards self-actualization and communal agency alike—I don’t expect anything in that regard from any industry.
You've been doing a lot more than making music anyway. Your Southern rap feature on RA was super informative and thought-provoking. I know you worked on it for a while, and as a music writer myself, I'm always curious—what prompted this idea and what was the process of formulating it into a proper pitch?
I pitched it a year ago as I was figuring out how to apply Afrofuturism to the rural South. I wanted to do something academically rigorous for Black History Month and thought it might be nice to challenge the readers of RA in a way they hadn’t been yet. I experienced some pushback and editing from the former EIC Whitney Wei that left a bad taste in my mouth, so I took the idea elsewhere and ended up making it into a larger and more thorough research paper that’ll be in an edited collection on Afrosouthernfuturism via Temple University Press.
That being said, the team reached out to me again after Whitney left RA and it was a lot more understanding and respectful of an editing process this time around, which made me glad and appreciative that my ideas still resonated with some of the staff. It turned out cool, and people seemed to have really enjoyed it.
Is writing something you're planning on doing more of this year?
Eh, yes and no. I have something I finished last year that is also coming out this month. I’ve developed good relationships with editors and there’s that research paper on the way, but I don’t know what my writing practice will really look like for the rest of the year. Honestly, I’m more concerned about rewriting the script for the animation project I’m working on, and the text-based game I’m writing as a prequel to Black Life, Red Planet.
Journalists and non-fiction writers don’t get paid enough and on time, and it’s been the same for me as someone who is really just doing it as a hobby. If this was my main source of income I’d have burned an office down already. Academic writing in particular has become complicated to me, politically, as I’ve been planning to go to grad school and whatnot. I’ve started to wonder about the efficacy of academic writing, and I never want to become one of the career academics that I despise so much. What is there to do after you finish throwing PDFs at people, y’know? I want to figure out how to turn the words into action.
I asked a lot of heavy stuff, so let's do some fun questions. Rank these vintage gums from best to worst: Hubba Bubba, The gum inside of a Blow Pop, Juicy Fruit, cigarette gum, WRIGLEY'S Doublemint
Doublemint, Hubba Bubba, Blow Pop gum, Juicy Fruit, cigarette gum – too easy.
Rank these 2021 gum.mp3 albums from best to worst: Virginia Creeper, N**** u 24 it's Time 4 Jazz, Time Traveler, Neurogenesis
Virginia Creeper, Time Traveler, NU24IT4J, Neurogenesis – sorry to the Neurogenesis truthers but it’s probably my weakest project, if you ask me.
If it's time for jazz when you turn 24. What is it time for me to listen to now that I'm turning 30 this year?
Corridos, Chante Moore’s Exposed, and D’Angelo & The Vanguard’s Black Messiah, specifically.
How about this for "The Question:" Is it real?
Alas, ‘tis all an illusion!
Okay, I'm done now. What was the idea behind this mix?
Nothing too fancy, just had to remind y’all I’m still one of the best deep house selectors on the planet. I’ve been on a D’Angelo kick (again) and it felt nice to follow him up with the late Amp Fiddler – may he rest in eternal power and peace. Lots of songs in this mix that I haven’t gotten to play live yet. I think it’s a fun listen.
Is there anything I haven't asked you that you want to talk about? Anything you want to promote?
I want to give a big shout out to swoozydolphin for mastering Black Life, Red Planet in stereo and Schuma from Japan for mixing/mastering it for Dolby Atmos. Congratulations to dazegxd for his cross-country touring this year and Swami Sound for his captivating album + remix album experience for Back in the Day. Shoutout to Dylan Ali and river moon for inspiring me to stay on the grind even when I’m mad at the world. Lastly, next Black History Month, I don’t want to see a single outlet posting about Fred again… or I'll blow the planet up.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Follow gum.mp3 on Instagram, Twitter, SoundCloud and Bandcamp.
Plus, check out when he’ll be in your city next via Resident Advisor and see what he’s up to next on gum.studio.
TRACKLIST
D'Angelo and The Vanguard - Betray My Heart
Amp Fiddler - It’s Alright feat. Neco Redd & Ideeyah (Waajeed’s Earl Flynn Remix)
Stratospheric - Neon Carlita (Bombassa Mix) feat. Jamie M. Harris
Felipe Gordon & Toro Moratto - Sexy Trippin' feat. Bob The Egoist
OVEOUS - Just Like You (Yoruba Soul Mix)
DJ Kwame - Spirit Dance (Timmy Regisford Edit)
A.D.N.Y & J. Sheperd - Consejo del pero
Bas Noir - Shoe B Do [Kerri Chandler Main Mix]
Dubtribe Sound System - I Hope You're Feeling Better Brother (Imperial DUB Version)
Classen Collective - Close To Greatness (Original Mix)
Osunlade - Don’t Hang Up
Kerri Chandler - Feat Bluey Robinson (Main Vocal Mix) (Output NYC)
Stephanie Cooke - I Never Told You (You Could Stay) (Masaki Morii Remix)
Janice Presented By Brown Smith & Grey - Caipirinha (Ruther & Wemuth Remix)
Wizzards of Ooze - Hi-Fi (Swirl People Stereo Dub)
Roy Davis Jr - People From Mars
Kerri Chandler feat Nadir Simon - Track 1 [Jazz Version]
