Arts Fest Preview: DJ Spooky's Rebirth of a Nation

Image copyright Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Photographer: Michael Raz-Russo

A still from D W Griffiths' Birth of a Nation

Paul Miller is a New York-based conceptual artist and, as DJ Spooky, a turntablist and producer. His current album, Drums of Death was recorded with Dave Lombardo of Slayer and features Chuck D. of Public Enemy and Vernon Reid of Living Color.

Rebirth of a Nation sees DJ Spooky remixing the 1915 film Birth of a Nation, known both for its technical innovation, setting many of the standard techniques of cinema, and as pro-Klu Klax Klan propaganda.

Miller spoke to Scoop about Birth of a Nation, how he uses Rebirth of a Nation to explore how it resonates in the present day and to confront the past, and his personal approach to remixing.

DJ Spooky's Rebirth of a Nation is on at the Wellington Opera House on March 17 and 18. The DJ Spooky Party is at the Festival Club on Thursday 16 and Miller will also feature in the panel discussion Writing May Be a Little Retro... for the Writers and Readers week today (Wednesday 15) at 12.10.

Scoop Audio: Paul D Miller aka DJ Spooky (9 minutes, 2.61MB)
Click to download the file (MP3)

Arts Festival: DJ Spooky's Rebirth of a Nation

Writers and Readers Week: Writing May Be a Little Retro…

DJ Spooky website

Scoop Full Coverage: Festival 2006

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