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Pandemic forces many Detroit artists to take new look at their craft

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It’s dark out and Matthew Naimi, the owner of Detroit Recycles Here, stands shirtless in Carhartt overalls, flanked by a drummer behind a simple jazz…
It’s dark out and Matthew Naimi, the owner of Detroit Recycles Here, stands shirtless in Carhartt overalls, flanked by a drummer behind a simple jazz set. Naimi stands next to what appears to be a huge torch emblazoned with the words “Death of the American Dream.” Its flame sputters, perhaps, a dozen feet above him. Four bicycle riders, on bikes in ascending order of height, from rather conventional to one that puts the rider at head level with the torch, orbit Naimi, the drummer and the flickering votive in what looks like some sort of ritual observance.
“Midnight in America, the Death of the American Dream, Day 95, July 4th,” Naimi says, addressing his Instagram followers. Naimi muses about freedom and exhorts his audience to “do something today to make this day a better day. Be loud as ****.” He then turns his back on the camera and heaves open the valve at the bottom of the torch. A fireball explodes from the Death of the American Dream and dissipates into the dark skies of Detroit above; the drummer takes a solo.
Across the country and the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has upset the social and economic order in ways that have forced those from all walks of life to re-evaluate how they live, make money and move about the world. That fact is doubly true for artists of all stripes and has forced some Detroit area artists to take a step back and make changes in how they approach, distribute and market their work. This has meant that many have had to thoughtfully migrate their work to online or hybrid models of display or presentation, while others have had to put work (and their paychecks) on the back burner.
Showing work online has been particularly challenging for Naimi, saying, “All of the projects that I involve myself in are about bringing people together, not about reaching out through digital means. Sure, you can keep in touch through digital platforms, but face-to-face contact is how you actually build a connection and build community.”
The Detroit-based musician and producer Asante is unsure about even attempting to bring his work to digital platforms. Asante, an American of Ghanan parentage, works largely in the Afro-Beat, R&B and jazz genres, and is also the creator and emcee of a Caribbean music and food celebration called “Jerk X Jallof.” He says, “I was supposed to perform at Movement, I was also supposed to perform at the annual Allied Media Conference as their (Saturday) night event and I’m not necessarily interested in a virtual performance.” Instead he is concentrating on pushing his last album, « Sleek Boy, » and getting work done in the studio.
Obviously, this is a setback for Asante and others, “This summer was definitely shaping up to be one of those times when I could grow my audience outside of Detroit through my touring, shows and other businesses and now that’s pretty much gone,” he shrugged. “I have to go back to the drawing board. Whether it’s just to film some music videos and some content then just sit on it until 2021.

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