Early this summer, Aluna took a stand by sharing her experiences with racism within the EDM community and the music industry at large. She later penned an open letter to initiate a shift in the field, calling for efforts to support Black artists and make the future of dance music more inclusive.
The esteemed artist isn’t waiting idly for the system to change and is instead using her own platform to curate an all Black, POC, and female virtual electronic festival dubbed “Aluna & Friends: Rodeo Rave.”
The stream will go live via Twitch on November 1st from the Compton Cowboys Ranch in Los Angeles. The festival will feature DJ sets from BAMBII, GuiltyBeatz, UNIIQU3, Lady Bee, Kiddy Smile, and Austin Millz. Aluna will also be performing her critically acclaimed debut solo album, Renaissance.
“Originally, putting together my dream festival line up (Black, POC and women DJs who play dope dance music) was an incredible goal, a chance to show exactly how I see the future of mainstream dance festivals.” Aluna shared in a press release. “Then we found out the Compton Cowboys we’re down to help us put the festival on and all of a sudden you have this parallel of two black people in totally different worlds doing the same thing — re-invigorating the inclusion of black people in a space where we had been erased. Getting to connect like this is really what music should always be about — bringing people together. This is gonna be an epic cultural moment for myself and anyone who is looking forward to the future of dance music.”
Along with Aluna’s announcement of the festival comes a brand new remix of her single “Envious” by Ghanaian producer GuiltyBeatz. Prior to this release, Kiddy Smile also took a swing at the captivating track. The single was a true standout from the debut solo album, which was co-produced by Lido and featured collaborations with Princess Nokia, Jada Kingdom, SG Lewis, KAYTRANADA, Scott Storch, GRADES, Mr. Carmack, and Rema.
You can stream Aluna’s upcoming “Rodeo Rave” on November 1st here. In the meantime, stream GuiltyBeatz’s “Envious” remix below and download Renaissance across all platforms here.
FOLLOW ALUNA:
Instagram: instagram.com/alunaaa/
Twitter: twitter.com/alunaaa
Spotify: spoti.fi/2ZnR4td
