Black History Month may be drawing to a close, but here are five events to help keep the celebration going.
Black history is EDM history. The music we all love, groove to, and get inspired by is deeply rooted in the culture. Emerging from underground scenes in Detroit, Chicago, and New York during the late 1970s and ’80s, Black pioneers created house and techno by experimenting with drum machines and synthesizers in the wake of disco.
House music was heavily developed by DJs like Frankie Knuckles, also known as the Godfather of House, along with fellow Chicago artists like Ron Hardy and Jesse Saunders. In the early ’80s, the Belleville Three pioneered techno in Detroit, mixing funk, electro, and futuristic sounds. This history matters. It continues to influence how dance music evolves through the present day.
Even though the culture may be intertwined with Black people, uplifting the very voices that sparked EDM culture continues to be a rarity. As a Black raver myself, I can tell you that encountering another one of us at a rave is such a beautiful moment of feeling seen and recognized, a feeling that can be hollow in the EDM scene at times. Here are five festivals and events to help you celebrate the contributions that the Black community has made to electronic dance music beyond Black History Month.
Five Festivals and Events Celebrating Black Culture Year Round
Liber8US 2026 Tour
Black Techno Matters is on a mission “to reclaim techno as a manifestation of Black expression.” The group is doing so through creating spaces, both virtual and IRL, in celebration of the black roots of techno. The Liber8 tour is an extension of that mission.
In previous iterations of the tour, the innovative collective threw multiple Liber8 US events in numerous cities during the week of Juneteenth. This time around, the celebration is being spread out throughout the year. The Liber8 US 2026 tour kicked off in Washington, DC on January 16 during Martin Luther King Jr. Day Weekend, and it will be in Richmond, Virginia today, February 28 followed by other cities in later months…