+essay.

In (between) Space: The accidental marriage between electronics, sound text and the wannabe linguist
+Latasha N. Nevada Diggs

Writer, vocalist and Harlem denizen, Latasha N. Nevada Diggs is one of those forces of nature that makes juggling art forms, ideas and word play seem like child’s play. A fellow of the Cave Canem Workshop for African American Poets, LaTasha has completed residencies at Caldera Arts Space and Harvestworks Digital Media Arts Center as well as received a Zora Neale Hurston scholarship from Naropa Institute and New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship. In addition, she is the lead electronic vocalist for two bands, the Yohimbe Brothers, fronted by Vernon Reid and DJ Logic and The Beat Kids, fronted by Guillermo E. Brown. (whew, getting tired just writing this)

At the Yari Yari Pamberi Conference Latasha gave a presentation that broke down sound through macaronic verse, language and electronic vocal processing. What she had to say was so brilliant that we had to present it in the cyber pages of Nat Creole.

Macaronics and Globalization

Track #1 (Duke Ellington, Afro Eurasian Eclipse, 1971)

At the very beginning of this album, Mr. Ellington speaks of how the entire world is becoming oriental. Quoting Marshall McLuhan, he mentions that this “universal compulsion of rhythm”, is occurring worldwide and that the mixing of cultural influences is profound. Mr. Ellington, through his travels, accepts this as portrayed in this piece and by definition my favorite album, The Far East Suite. Thus, if we are to look at what Mr. Ellington saw in McLuhan’s definition of orientalism, we should look at another term often used to illustrate the damages of multi/corporate expansion, free trade, war, and globalization. I use this term loosely to examine what I do within sound text. More important, I think, is the method through which I have chosen to explore globalization through — the literary form called macaronics.

Macaronic verse, a form developed in the 15th century Italy and later popularized in Germany, was constructed in four simple ways. One, the writer used two or more languages with one language used for conjunctions. Second, the language was not restricted to “pure” dialect but open to the language of law, newspapers, the vernacular, etc. Thirdly, words may contain an ending from another language. For example if I were to combine Japanese and Spanish, words would sound like this: Cohi(a), wakarimas(amos), toke(ska). Lastly, the form was often used as satire, as a means of critiquing the political atmosphere for that time. No line limitations. No meter involved. Just word play.

Aside from their literal definitions, I focus on the sound quality of various dialects with a means to generate a discourse with the senses. Within the framework of performance, each word is “performed” rather than delivered. This notion of performing the text falls within a switching of codes that deals with physical mannerisms and how we talk to one another through daily performance. Thus, translation is unnecessary because it is rather the inflection in the voice conveying the message. “Hon-to” has the same meaning as “Word” when poised as a question. “Fuck” the same as “Chi-ku-shoo” as “Dang” as “Aye Dio!”

Tangible examples of non-pure macaronics are those individuals who mesh two languages in conversation. Particularly in the Latino community, it is common to hear “Oye” begin a statement and “you know” end it.  Even better, in the growing culture of hip-hop, it is the norm for a male mc to kick a line in Spanglish for his butter pecan mamasita. Thus, language proliferates the notion of code switching and how it is ingrained in many cultures. If we are the children of a Northern migration, a trans-Atlantic migration past and present, a Pacific migration, or even one that moves within class, code switching is a natural occurrence in one’s identity. Macaronics should be seen as a literary offspring of this.

Language is erected on sound and sound is the bearer of emotion. The sounding of phrases is performance — and this performance is often presented by the human voice, our seventh sense. All three provide an ample supply of sounds otherwise wordless, a textual puzzle to solve. Dependant only on the voice, the listener must transcribe what appears unsolvable through the fluency and mis/annunciations of the text. It is this process, the invention of a language that “uses the sinews” other languages that I am driven toward. This Babelish jargon — “the first day after divine chastisement, the language of primeval confusion,” according to biblical text — is where I conjure my muse.

Track #12 (Abbey Lincoln’s People in Me 1973)

What this song resonates is the same message the language, Papiamento, native to Curacao does. Both are what my work (within the tradition of satire, disobedient poetics, and cultural discourse) expresses. They introduce my personal ideology, my desire to include everything my ears takes interest to. They disregard American societal rules that more than often deny its history as one of hybrid. If the entire world is oriental according to Sir Duke, then all of me is Pan-Hyphen. Said better, the batidos de leche representing the subsidiaries of my generation.

Culture, Technology & the Human/Feminine Voice

Track #9 (Eric B. & Rakim “Paid in Full”, Seven Minutes of Madness Cold Cut remix, 1987)

Now of course, there may be better examples to select from. However, it’s my mix tape…so there. What made this a classic for me was one item…the Ofra Haza sample. It was familiar enough in its feminine quality but foreign enough in its vocalization to cause a buzz. Now of course, no one knew what she was saying, as is the constant problem that arises from sampling lyrics in another language. The recent tune by Truth Hurts, “Addictive” (produced by DJ Quik), contains a Hindi sample that literally describes “wedding flowers that are beautiful but bittersweet." This is a shy different than Miss Hurts and Rakim’s lyrics dealing with returning pages, rough sex, love, high fashion brands, and a half a gram. However, aside from copyright issues, American/European chauvinism, what both tracks did was merge cultures in a creative manner. Sonically both the Sephardic vocals of the late Ofra, the lyricism of Rakim were a seamless mash-up. Be a politically correct hater but admit it…you liked it.

When listening to “Paid in Full,” you may not read into the textual quality of the lyrics because meshed together, they contradict each other on paper. However, in the context of sound poetry, the determinate negation of its performance, like “Addictive”, holds up to finding an equity that defines emotion through sound. I present this only to generate a tonal transition from language to the use of the affected/unaffected voice in popular music.

Latasha Diggs is the author of three chap-books, Ichi-Ban: from the files of negríta muñeca linda and Ni-ban: Villa Misería (MOH Press), and Manuel is destroying in bathroom (Belladona Press) as well as the producer and writer for the conceptual audio project, Televisíon. She enjoys writing, yodeling, tinkering with delay pedals, digital effects boxes, drum pads, cooking salmon cakes and watching TV.