Owl Theory by DJ DanceAlone

BLACK TECHNO MATTERS releases its 17th digital album, Owl Theory, by Memphis-based producer and DJ, Darnell Stewart, aka DJ DanceAlone. DanceAlone, previously known as Dakuan, elevates his unconventional approach to conventional music with this release. Using his quintessential sample-based production techniques melted over enjoyable grooves, he crafts a complex story of Black history in America. The concept of “owl theory” comes from Kathleen Peterson’s murder in 2001, where, despite evidence that Kathleen was killed by a large owl, the state prosecuted her husband instead. The album Owl Theory explores this “guilty until proven innocent” treatment that many black people face in America—on trial and in everyday life. This 11-track journey intends to represent the parts of Black culture that make America resent Black people in a way that deems Black people “guilty” by simply existing. The intro track, “Sliced Ice,” is a scintillating opener that begs the listener to understand the message of the album. Almost every track that follows uses an intentional use of samples from films, speeches, and conversations that dissect “vignettes” of Black American culture.