released October 1, 2020
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ARTIST STATEMENT:

I’m not especially interested in writing lyrics but I recognize that music acts as a podium for the voice, and I try to respect that. In my live performances I use pre-recorded texts (e.g. The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes, an interview with bell hooks, a speech by Toni Morrison etc…) in lieu of lyrics. My objective in using these texts is to spark an interest in the listener. I want you to have questions about what you’ve heard and I want you to seek out more information. At the very least, I want some of those words to find their way into your subconscious to resurface years from now as a random thought on a lazy morning. All this to say, I hope this song makes you want to read Marx. – Markus Floats

Video and cover image: Simone “Title King” Schmidt
Music and artwork: Markus Floats
Text: Karl Marx
archive.org/details/capitalcritique00marx
marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/pdf/Capital-Volume-I.pdf
Read by: Manicolaus via Librivox.org
librivox.org/capital-volume-1-by-karl-marx/


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SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL:

Stuart Hall - The Spectre of Marxism
This 1983 documentary written by the "father of cultural studies" provides a great historical examination of the global influence of Marxist thought.
youtu.be/d6TZi9w6j-A

Richard Wolff - Intro To Marxian Economics (1 of 6)
A sketchy-lookin' series of extremely dense, 15-minute videos that cover Marx A-Z. From Marx's personal history to practical applications of Marxist analyses. Personally I find him a little annoying in a way I can't really put my finger on, but he has an academic pedigree a mile long so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
youtu.be/3wkO3qsZY_U

Fred Moten - Living Labor: Marxism And Performance Studies
Like many of Moten's talks, this one requires a certain amount of attention and rewards a certain amount of distraction.
vimeo.com/101565157

Eric Drott - Music In The Work Of Social Reproduction
The original "inspiration" for this piece, this paper employs a historical materialist framework to explore the changing functions of music in the context of digital distribution. It was my own confusion around the term "social reproduction" that led me down the rabbit-hole to the realization of this track.
www.academia.edu/38129770/Music_in_the_Work_of_Social_Reproduction

Claudia Jones: A Woman Of Our Times
A brief history of the black feminist leader who worked in the Communist Party USA. Her writings and activities are fundamental to the contemporary theories of Marxist Feminism and "Intersectionality".
youtu.be/VUMTOwrzgzs

Sidney J. Lemelle - The Politics Of Cultural Existence: Pan-Africanism, Historical Materialism and Afrocentricity
Partly an example of how employing historical materialism can help to re-evaluate, disrupt and re-interpret sticky modes of thought; partly a look at how Marxism can fall short when attempting to tackle issues outside of its original Eurocentric scope. Either way, a great incisive read. Basically a good reminder that "Capital"is a nominally unfinished work published in 1867 and its applications to contemporary life is fraught, contentious and broadly imperfect
bit.ly/2SpJaMw

Molefi Kete Asante - Are You Scared of Your Shadow?: A Critique of Sidney Lemelle's "The Politics of Cultural Existence"
"...neither Hegel nor Carlyle believed in the agency of Africans and both were racists."
bit.ly/2Snxf1V




special thanks to all the punks