CULTURE

‘I DON’T ACT LIKE I USED TO’: Joshua Asante’s latest blends archive, improvisation and lo-fi recording techniques.

THE SOUND OF EARTHA KITT, CACKLING

A Q&A WITH JOSHUA ASANTE.

Joshua Asante is a musician, photographer and writer based in Little Rock. Here, we talk with him about his Jan. 10 release, “I Don’t Act Like I Used To, A Retrospective of Rarities: 2010-2020,” a collection of solo recordings made in various spaces across the city over the last decade using a combination of sequencers, cell phone microphones and vocal effects filtered through guitar amplifier chains.

Among the first things mentioned in the album credits is a sort of subtitle, “info for the children so they can tell it plain further down the line.” Can you elaborate? I try to live/create with the hope and expectation that my work will endure. If that manifests, I’d like for my children and the children of my culture/sound to know something about how I arrived at the soundscapes. There’s so much induced mystery in the recording process. I could speculate to no end as to why that is but I honestly don’t care anymore. For me, and particularly with the release of these songs, I’ve tried to do away with a lot of that. And in a way it’s also me saying, “Here’s how I did it, now can we talk about why?” I’m also lying and it’s a cryptic message to Fon The Archangel. of tension and anxiety, and I’m trying to grab all these thoughts by their tails and tie them together. I love it. I’ve never found any of that to be hard when I’m alone; it’s blissful and I’m so very grateful that it’s true for me. It’s kept me. And it’s also that intention and forethought away from the improvisational space that makes it accessible to begin with.

There are quite a few women whose names pop up in the collection — Aaliyah, Eartha Kitt, Octavia Butler’s Lauren Olamina. Do you consider ideas about masculinity/femininity, or gender in general, to be a cornerstone of your music? Not an intentional cornerstone, no. It’s hard to put to words, but the spirits/energies in my songs have a universe they belong to. When I look up

THERE’S SO MUCH INDUCED MYSTERY IN THE RECORDING PROCESS. ... FOR ME, AND PARTICULARLY WITH THE RELEASE OF THESE SONGS I’VE TRIED TO DO AWAY WITH A LOT OF THAT.

You’ve recorded around 300 songs using internal microphones from Samsung, filtering your vocals through guitar amps and the like. Why do you like these specific pieces of equipment, and what sound are they helping you get that you don’t get without them? I think it’s rooted in my incessant and very insistent desire to document. When I first started using the Galaxy Series (yes, I just like saying galaxy) it was simply me trying to keep up with good ideas. Early on I liked the songs but the recordings were often blown out and hard to listen to. I learned to adjust my levels in the room and where to place my phone depending on the instrumentation. Eventually, the recordings went from listenable to enjoyable. They had a quality that I’d already appreciated in lofi, breathy music. I loved all the atmosphere and it became an instrument of its own, one that showed me how I want my music to feel regardless of how it sounds. I leaned into that way of doing things and found a new freedom of expression and recording.

Like most of your fans probably do, I consider you an artist who works with a lot of intention and care and forethought, and maybe that’s why it’s been so cool to hear these tracks where the lyrics were improvised. But improvising is hard. What do you do to get into the mindset where you can conjure up words on the spot? Fans. Teezo Touchdown has a song about being a fan that anyone reading this should get into. You welcome. Video is strange and beautiful like improvisation. I can’t really explain it, I just know that in the moment there’s a great deal into that space for a song or poem or a direction for a shoot, everybody along the full spectrum of gender is there. All kinds of beings of this waking world and also from my imagination. Sometimes they take a more concrete and familiar shape, and I can say this song feels like a good space for Eartha Kitt to throw her head back and cackle. This one feels like Aaliyah is snaking through it. I know you weren’t just asking about these women specifically, but I also have to say that Octavia Butler is a moon in the aforementioned universe so she shows up everywhere in my work.

You have mentioned that there’s another album coming, one you completed last year. So this is both a retrospective and maybe a prelude to what’s coming soon. Anything you want to say about the new record? Yeah, that record is so beautiful. As I said earlier, the songs in this retrospective taught me how I like my music to feel. The studio album taught me so much about how I want the music to sound. It’ll be released on time, I’ll just say that much. I really can’t wait to share it. This project isn’t a prelude to that release, though. I’m sharing them because I have them and I love them. If someone finds them as helpful as they’ve been to me, then it’s on time and we love that.

What’s one thing you try to do every single day, without fail? I make something every day. A design or edit or song. Something. Does it count as trying if I can’t help myself?

FEBRUARY

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IT’S ALWAYS TIME FOR MARGARITAS

COME TO THE WINTER FESTIVAL ON THURSDAY, FEB. 3.

If you were at last year’s Margarita Fest, you know the competition was stiff. Though each station was equipped with the same smooth Milagro Tequila, the resulting cocktails were myriad — watermelon margaritas, vibrantly colored sugar rims instead of the classic salt ring, fiery jalapeño-infused blends and, of course, straight-ahead takes on a classic marg. Presented again by Milagro Tequila and benefitting the Little Rock Zoo, this bonus winter edition of the festival from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 3, takes the competition to Little Rock’s newest event venue, The Hall, at 721 W. Ninth St. The event will be complete with live music, copious amounts of lime and catered food for purchase provided by Tacos Godoy and La Terraza Rum & Lounge. General admission tickets for $30 each include margarita samples from the following restaurants:

Skinny J’s

Toasts in Tow Mobile Bar

Mockingbird Bar & Tacos

Cypress Social

Purple Onion

Brick & Forge Conway

Chepe’s Mexican Grill

La Terraza Rum & Lounge

Graffiti’s Italian Restaurant

You could also sample high-end Milagro Tequila and specialty cocktails from Ciao Baci and enjoy food from Tacos Godoy and La Terraza in the exclusive upstairs mezzanine with VIP tickets for $100.

Why margaritas in February, you ask? Because time is a human invention and so is tequila, so mark your calendars and start making your plan for getting home responsibly. You must be 21 or older, no exceptions, and proof of vaccination with booster will be required. Buy tickets at centralarkansastickets.com.