"Teklife, Ghettoville, Eski" argues that Black electronic dance music creates sonic ecologies that challenge and reshape contemporary urban racialization, transcending mere geographical and racial contexts. Dhanveer Singh Brar posits that this genre represents a cutting-edge aesthetic project of the diaspora, with its class character enabling a reorganization of urban life. Through a detailed examination of the Footwork scene in South and West Chicago, the Grime scene in East London, and the work of South London producer Actress, Brar highlights how these innovative musical projects experiment with aesthetic forms and social structures. By employing theoretical frameworks, he emphasizes the sonic specificity of 12" records, EPs, albums, radio broadcasts, and live performances, arguing that Footwork, Grime, and Actress challenge the racialized spatial boundaries surrounding Black social life. Brar advances critical discussions on the phonic materiality of Blackness, undercommons, and aesthetic sociality, reinterpreting these concepts through tangible examples of contemporary Black electronic dance music. This exploration reveals how Footwork, Grime, and Actress, through their engagement with Blackness, offer genuine alternatives to the dynamics of urban life under financialized racial capitalism.
