Finally by Olicía

“come out of the blue today, will you. Beloved. Beloved. i’m calling. i’m calling. calling on you.“

Sudabeh Mohafez’ text is a multi-layered prose poem with many references to both the literatures of oppression and resistance and the biography of the author herself. The poem acknowledges each individual piece of art represented in the “Out of the Blue”-project with a direct quote, a hint, or a detail and thus bears witness to the process of exchange and creation that eventually led to the record. Resembling a mosaic, it is composed of a multitude of thematic references to topoi such as exile, hope, defiance, love, flight, displacement, or happiness, as well as flashes of memories and sensations from the authors own childhood in Iran. Moreover it can, quite literally, be read as a summoning of examples, inspirations, and elders.
The dedication to a long list of writers at its end and the central quote of Toni Morrison’s „Beloved“ place the text in a vast cultural tradition of works sympathizing, empowering, instigating, cheering, fighting, and grieving with those marginalized and opressed. A shortened version of ”summonings“ merged with quotes from another of Mohafez’ poems (“Finally") led to Olicías’ song “Finally“. The full and unedited version of “summonings“ serves as a manifesto of sorts within the album’s artwork.

The exchange between the author Sudabeh Mohafez and the two women in Olicía was one of the earliest within the process that would become “Out of the Blue”. Fama M’Boup: “’Finally’ was a process, a journey that brought the album to its final form. Anna showed me Sudabeh's ‘zehn zeilen buch’ about ten years ago and I've been reading in it ever since. Getting in touch with her about two years ago was a big step for us, and now it feels like a full circle moment on many different levels.” Sudabeh’s writing picks up themes or images of the other projects within “Out of the Blue” and weaves them into its internal narrative. The piece of cloth from “Bloom” is turned into a metaphor for renewal and growth. The “safeguard cocoon” touches upon the idea of a suit of armor from “Warrioress”. The ideas behind ”Hidden Portraits” resurface in the line “be my portrait of self today […] my question, my dream, my brainteaser queen.”

The “out of the blue” phrase used in the project title as well as in the text refers not only to happenstance and the unexpected, the mystery of creating something out of thin air. It also refers to the “Blues” – the despondence and grief that is inevitably associated with many of the topics. Anna-Lucia Rupp finds it important to emphasize the first two words of the phrase: “I like the optimism associated with an ‘out of the blue’ - something beautifully unexpected but also an emergence from states of sadness, grief or oppression, towards autonomy and a powerful breath of fresh air." It holds true for both, Sudabeh’s text as well as Olicía’s project of dialogue and co-creation: summonings | Finally lay out a genealogy of guiding lights.

it rings, buzzes & booms when two women have more than two voices, you want to burst when loops, synthesizers, basslines and percussion take over when outfits match the texture of sound your eyes and ears fuse when orchestrated voices enwrap you like velvet and gold it clashes, hums & dances

Anna-Lucia Rupp - voc, fx, guit, pocketpno, qarqaba

Fama M’Boup - voc, fx, kora, dr pad, asalato, qarqaba

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