Catalytic Sound

2021

"All proceeds raised will go to Black Futures Lab (blackfutureslab.org). "Black Futures Lab works with Black people to transform our communities, building Black political power and changing the way that power operates—locally, statewide, and nationally. The problems facing Black communities are complex. The solutions to these problems will come from our imagination, our innovation, and experimentation. Changing our communities for the better requires changing a culture that takes Black people for granted and changing policies and laws that make us criminals and keep resources from our communities. To get there, we work to understand the dynamics impacting our communities; we build the capacity of our communities to govern; and we engage and include Black people in the decisions that impact our lives. There are three ways that Black Futures Lab is a different kind of project for change: our mission to engage the Black community year-round; our commitment to use our political strength to stop corporate influences from creeping into public policies; and our plan to combine technology and traditional organizing methods to reach Black people anywhere and everywhere we are.""

Catalytic Sound

2021

"All proceeds raised will go to Assata's Daughters (www.assatasdaughters.org), "a Black woman-led, young person-directed organization rooted in the Black Radical Tradition which organizes young Black people in Chicago by providing them with political education, leadership development, mentorship, and revolutionary services. Through their programs they aim to Deepen, Escalate, and Sustain the Movement for Black Liberation.""

Catalytic Sound

2021

"All proceeds raised will go to the Fendika Cultural Center (fendika.org), which "celebrates and renews Ethiopia’s rich cultural heritage. We welcome all creative souls; through exchange of music, dance, art, and poetry, we meditate on humanity’s one-ness, and pray for a peaceful world. Our vision for Fendika is to continue to nurture the artistic community in Addis Ababa, and to grow into one of Africa’s most vibrant centers for artistic innovation and cultural exchange grounded in rich Ethiopian heritage. Funds raised from this campaign will help Fendika pay for basic survival salaries for 33 employees of Fendika, and Fendika Live concert production costs: artist fees for musicians and dancers who perform during Fendika Live concerts that are streamed online, payment for the camera crew for us to stream high-quality programs, transportation costs for artists and camera crew to travel to and from Fendika (They all need to travel by private, contracted cars, as public transit is becoming too risky), monthly wifi cost so we can keep streaming music and other programs.""

2021

"A portion of sales will benefit Fendika Cultural Center and Catalytic Sound. At Fendika Cultural Center, we celebrate and renew Ethiopia’s rich cultural heritage. We welcome all creative souls; through exchange of music, dance, art, and poetry, we meditate on humanity’s one-ness, and pray for a peaceful world."

Alex Kreger / Kevin Bene / Susanna Mendlow / Ryan Ptasnik featuring Ainagul Abdikalikova

2021

"This album documents music of the group Moyindau captured at various live performances and informal recording sessions in 2010 and 2011. It includes two of my settings of Kazakh poetry, framed by several other compositions of mine and arrangements of popular/folk tunes from Macedonia and Tajikistan. The group features saxophonist Kevin Bene, cellist Susanna Mendlow, drummer Ryan Ptasnik, and myself as pianist and composer, plus singer Ainagul Abdikalikova on the two central tracks"

Dan Grzeca

2021

"Designed and screen printed in Chicago by Dan Grzeca"

Federico Peñalva

2021

"Designed by Federico Peñalva in commemoration of the 2021 Catalytic Sound Festival. Screen printed by Barrel Maker Press in Chicago."

Catalytic Sound

2021

"n a very limited quantity of 25 hand-numbered sets, we present the first four issues of the Catalytic Quarterly collected in an envelope designed by our own Federico Peñalva. Get one while the stock lasts!"