Bleep

Originally initiated by Chicago-based multimedia artist and activist Damon Locks as a vehicle for sample-based sound collages, the project he dubbed Black Monument Ensemble has since morphed into a collective affair, absorbing the talents of musicians, singers, dancers and poets to undergo a formidable expedition for joy. Evidently, joy was needed in summer 2020, as a pandemic resurged and the gulf of inequality grew ever-larger. In the midst of all of it, NOW came together as a response and a balm — thrashing out a sonic protest with snippets of dialogue (by turns melancholic and rousing), drum circle exchanges and threads of spiritual jazz.