King Britt curates Blacktronika parties in Philadelphia · News ⟋ RA

  • Published

    Mon, May 4, 2026, 19:51

  • The series will feature performances, workshops and discussions on the city’s musical influence.
  • King Britt curates Blacktronika parties in Philadelphia image
  • King Britt will curate a week of events in his hometown of Philadelphia.

    Slated for June 23rd through 29th at venues across the city, “Blacktronika: Philadelphia Now and Then” will feature performances, workshops and discussions centered around the former US capital’s communities of colour and their influence on global dance music.

    Live tributes will be held for Dexter Wansel’s classic space-funk album, Life on Mars, on June 24th and the feminist music collective Black Lily, which influenced the neo-soul movement in the 1990s and 2000s, on June 28th. Various parties will be held throughout the week with hosts such as Moor Mother and King Britt himself.

    The programme is part of a larger festival, What Now: 2026, organized by the nonprofit ArtPhilly in commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary.

    Originally the name of a course taught by King Britt at the University of California San Diego, Blacktronica has since evolved into an exhibit and, most recently, a music festival in New York.

    For more information on the upcoming parties, check the website and read about Philadelphia’s queer nightlife in No One Magazine’s latest issue.

    Photo: B+