The Sound Chemist
By Val Jeanty
Thursday, June 30, 2022
As a drummer/musician, listening is a big part of the craft, so part of my practice ritual is listening.
I am creating from the space of exploring the unknown, starting from a blank page and improvising from there. A sound chemist shifting reality through sound. Sound (frequencies) being a healing tool. Drummer, Percussionist, sound engineer, and composer. My key influences are Vodou Culture and Africa. My dream project is always about Haiti, bringing arts and technology to many schools in Haiti. The current project is called “Pozesyon,” a creole word for possession. It’s an all improvisational collaboration with sound and body movement. Afro-Electronica, also called Vodou-Electro, is a hybrid of traditional Vodou music and Avant-garde electronic improvisational compositions and sound installations that are performed live to evoke and celebrate the Haitian Vodou Culture and to bring awareness to its richness. In “Pozesyon,” or “Possession,” I strive to explore those limits that are set by the western imagination. I’ve created a self-defined genre, “Afro-Electronica.” Vodou music. I have no expectations from my audience.
I’m grateful and feel blessed to be an artist.
About Val Jeanty
Val Jeanty, also known as Val-Inc, is a Haitian electronic music composer, drummer/turntablist, and professor at Berklee College of Music. Jeanty is a pioneer of the electronic music sub-genre called Afro-Electronica (also called "Vodou-Electro"), incorporating Haitian Folkloric Culture with digital instrumentations. She uses technology to lead listeners into her dream-like expressionism of Afro-Electronica Soundscapes. Jeanty’s performances include The Whitney Museum, The Museum of Modern Art, and internationally at The Venice Biennale, Saalfelden in Austria, and Haus der Kulturen in Berlin. She is the recipient of various grants including the Van Lier Fellow in 2018, New York State Council of the Arts/ New Music USA in 2019, and the Toulmin Fellowship in 2022.
Prospective collaborators can contact Val with details about time frame, budget, location, and inspiration by DMing her on Instagram.
Website: https://soundcloud.com/vjeanty