A new multi-city initiative, Art of the Crossfade, is turning to a piece of DJ equipment as a model for democratic engagement. Co-founded by cultural historian Josh Kun and hip-hop DJ/producer J.PERIOD, the project uses the crossfader, a tool that blends two audio sources without silencing either, as a metaphor for bridging social and political divides.
The tour launches with a free event, The Live Mixtape: Crossfade Edition, at Grand Performances in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 11. Billed as a “live remix of Los Angeles itself,” the show will feature national and local artists including D Smoke, Mumu Fresh, Fatlip (of The Pharcyde), and The Pocket Queen, among others.
How the Crossfader Inspires Civic Imagination
Kun, a MacArthur Fellow and Vice Provost for the Arts at the University of Southern California, explained that the crossfader serves as both a practical tool and a conceptual framework. “It allows him to mix different tracks together without erasing either of them,” Kun said of J.PERIOD’s approach. “It allows him to slide the crossfader to land on points of connection and create new, unexpected conversations between sounds and songs.”
The project extends that idea into community settings. Each stop includes a DJ-driven musical lecture, a hands-on storytelling workshop with local organizations, and a live mixtape performance that incorporates the stories and favorite songs of workshop participants. The Los Angeles workshop will involve groups such as:
- ALMA Backyard Farms
- CHIRLA
- Miry’s List
- Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory
National Tour Targets Divided Cities
After Los Angeles, the tour will visit Phoenix, New Orleans, and Lincoln, Nebraska. Kun said these cities were chosen because they are grappling with conflicts over immigration, refugee resettlement, and demographic change. “In places where polarities are prevailing and where difference is seen as a threat, we believe the crossfader is a useful tool for embracing difference, connecting across polarities, and telling new stories.”
Music’s Role in a Polarized America
Kun acknowledged that music alone cannot end political polarization or hate, but argued it can help communities imagine alternatives. “Can music be a tool that helps us imagine ways out of those things and rehearse new political futures, that helps communities see themselves in the histories of others, that reminds us that it is in difference that we thrive, that the way music moves us can lead to new social movements? Yes, absolutely.”
For those unable to attend, the project’s website, artofthecrossfade.com, will offer livestreams, updates, and the resulting mixtapes from each city.
