Introduction Me & Karen, 2021, Tavarus Blackmonster, is an album of eleven tracks where the artist uses the computer reader, ‘Karen,’ to compose the music. This is not his first collaborative effort. Notably, in 2012, Blackmon and ‘Bruce,’ collaborated on Capitalist Americans, a contemporary ‘dozens,’ track where the computer reader critiqued popular culture.
In 2015, Blackmon worked with the computer reader, ‘Fiona,’ on his Master’s of Arts in Studio Art Thesis, The Politics of the Cartoon and Contemporary Art. This challenged Blackmon who had to alter the grammar, spelling and punctuation of the documents for the reader to produce particular pronunciation.
Blackmon would work with ‘Lekha,’ on Here: Black Tongue from Root to Apex, a full recitation of the definition of ‘sprekken.’ Later, again he worked with ‘Fiona,’ and ‘Karen,” on the tracks: MoraLie, an audio track combining the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Definition of Morality and popular music and F’ear, a Definition of Phobias and their Meaning combined with the infamous Wilhelm scream.
In Me & Karen, Blackmonster works exclusively with ‘Karen.’ This time, a popular voice emerges that has been marginalized. The voice of the disabled, Black, male turns rhymes and vulnerable verses over complicated and nuanced synthesized compositions. The result is a complex, whole, authentic experience, both, raw and ‘sick.' ‘Karen,’ emerges as a Computer Girl, and provides space for Blackmonster to rhyme but also backs him on tracks and leads on the track Monsta! There has never been an experience like this: so full of heart and candid discloser. This work unloads bittersweet insight on tracks like Mom’s Holiday, and on Play, Blackmonster implores listeners to put down their guns. The narrative and psychological richness here exists in the complex interaction between Blackmonster and ‘Karen.’ He has described working with her like having a ‘nurse.’
Blackmonster hopes this work can address the issues of “Karen” in our society. Where the phenomenon of cancelling “Karen’s” may also be linked to the silencing of women. Further, Blackmonster believes that ‘Karen,’ the computer reader, provides further electronic access to music through speech generation. Text to Speech technology is now available within audio editing suites making such work possible. And the democratic and free access to this technology is par for our technological future.
Tavarus Blackmon
11/27/2021
https://www.instagram.com/p/CWwhbgoDVmf/
Me & Karen
Blackmonster
3
