“What was it like coming back to America after fighting in Vietnam?” asks an off-screen narrator. A 22-year-old black man nods and begins to talk, his weary expression suggesting this is a question he’s prepared to answer, but one he dreads. “It’s almost the same as when I left, ” he begins. “I say this because when a man goes to fight for his country and then comes back over here and almost have to fight for his life in certain parts of the country, get ridiculed and discriminated, you know, and be less than a man. I don’t think it’s right, you know.” It’s 1967.  This early scene sets the stage for Göran Olsson’s terrific documentary, Black Power Mixtape 1967-195, which premieres on Independent Lens on 9 February. Specfically, it lays out the film’s premise, that the Black Power Movement, building and then suppressed from 1967 to 1975, emerged out of needs to resist injury and endure trauma, and also, to make visible what was going on in America, what remained unknown to people who didn’t have to know. The film features interviews with civil rights figures like SNCC’s Stokely Carmichael and Angela Davis, as well as today’s activists (Talib Kweli, ?uestlove), tracing how the Panthers resisted oppression (see especially, the FBI’s COINTELPRO) and also built a lasting sense community. Looking back, it looks forward, observing from the outside (the Swedish reporters’ footage that makes up the bulk of the film), it reveals what goes on inside.

See PopMatters’ review.

Watch Looking Back at the Black Power Movement on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.

Joachim Dyrdahl, known in the music scene as successful producer and DJ “diskJokke”, has debuted the latest video for his new single “Now Dance”. Initially reaching fame for his imaginative remixes of songs by the likes of David Lynch, Lindstrøm, Foals and Bloc Party, the Oslo-based artist is now coming into his own, creating original, funky sound mixes based in electronica and infused with hints of house, disco and pop.

Below is the most recent video, designed to accompany “Now Dance”, a single that has also been reworked by UK artist Bright Light Bright Light. The song is one of many singles featured in the limited edition 7” series, produced by Oslo-based label Splendour, a brand that has collaborated recently with high profile artists such as His Highness and Shimmering Stars.

Released on vinyl in early 2012 as the b-side to a DJ Hidden/Broken Note collaboration, “Obey” sees Ad Noiseam producers Niveau Zero and Balkansky come together for one brief, dirty moment. While the North American mainstream struggles with the cycle of dubstep hype and backlash, this track falls not into its spiral. Rather, “Obey” huffs and puffs and blows down the house with its uncompromising bass and meticulous production. This is not your basic club single. It doesn’t ask you to like it. It commands you to obey, and can smell your fear.

Photos by Nicky Digital / Makeup by Erin Green

POPMATTERS SPONSOR—Some in the music industry have labeled the musical style of the three-woman band Au Revoir Simone, started in 2003, as “folk”. Though this may be at the heart of their sound, many layers of other elements combine, making it impossible to categorize their music strictly in this way. Vocalist Erika Forster herself once described the vibe of the band’s album Still Night, Still Light by saying, “It’s a folk album without folk instruments”, implying that though folk music is an influence on the band, they utilize other tools and sounds to embellish it beyond this categorization. Similarly, the sweater Miss Forster sports here, part of GAP’s spring collection, acts as a base for the overall look, but is transformed depending on the accessories she pairs with it.

Photos by Nicky Digital / Makeup by Erin Green

POPMATTERS SPONSOR—Erika Forster, pictured here in a versatile leather jacket from GAP’s upcoming spring collection, represents one third of the talented all-female band known as Au Revoire Simone, which broke onto the musical scene in 2003. Along with bandmates Annie Hart and Heather D’Angelo, Erika is responsible for creating a musical style that is perhaps best described by British Vogue as “dreamy synth-pop”.