Abdul Hakim Bilal’s new album, Silene Undulata, expands the songwriter’s scope into new sonic zones. Combining drones and ethereal experimentations with more focused song structures, these seven tracks are an immovable force, a cathartic reflection. Bilal explains, “This album is purely Black music—always on the edge, and always intense to a white audience. This is a deep reflection of my form—both my corporeal and spirit body. It’s Afro-pessimism meets Afro-surrealism, with a heavy focus on survival and adaptation of my own personal traumas. This is a dream of coming home to where we feel safe—inside inside inside.”
Silene Undulata will be released tomorrow, September 13, via Blight Records. Pick a copy up HERE.
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I always like to start at the beginning. What are some of your earliest memories related to music and sound? Was there a lot of music around when you were growing up?
My parents were always listening to music. I grew up with R&B, soul, hip-hop… a lot of classics like Earth, Wind & Fire, Average White Band—things of that nature. There was always music playing. My mother even ran a little radio station at one point. So, no matter what, sound was always echoing in my mind. Especially nature sounds. I spent most of my childhood outside, exploring alone, despite having three siblings.
When did you start playing and creating your own sounds? Was there any specific impetus that pushed you to play?
Despite their love for music, my parents heavily dissuaded me from playing instruments as a kid, saying it would take decades to master. I didn’t start playing instruments until I was about 23. At the time, all I cared about was painting and hiking. That shifted when an old friend told me that I wasn’t a painter. Initially, I was hurt by his comment, but he continued, explaining that he could tell I was a musician by the way I painted. He said I could be a visionary, so I bought a bass right after that conversation. I’d always wanted to be a musician, so I really owe him a lot for believing in me. I started teaching myself how to play, and it was hard, but I didn’t care about being good because I just wanted to have fun. Shortly after, I moved to Richmond and met some really incredible musicians. I started jamming with them and going to tons of shows. I spent most of my time in the experimental and noise scenes. Honestly, what drove me to improve was the challenge of competing with some of the best bands at that time. It was one of the most exciting times of my life.
You talk about being called to challenge yourself as a songwriter in 2020. What prompted this shift, and how did it influence the creation of Silene Undulata?
Honestly, I wasn’t feeling challenged with my other projects. At the time, I was performing in Och, Among the Rocks and Roots, Richmond Avant Improvisational Collective, and Faucet. Everything felt stale. I wanted to write an album by myself, playing every instrument, recording, mixing, and eventually mastering. It was a pivotal time in my life. I started rebuilding my body and sharpening my mind once the pandemic happened. I was convinced that to grow my spiritual and emotional fortitude, I needed a bigger and stronger body to house my growing spirit. This album was a reflection of that. My new mindset had to be rooted in joy. All the hate and anger weren’t allowing me to become the person I knew I could be. I wanted to be gentle and calm. I wanted to be as free and beautiful as a child. I wanted to be more connected to my inner child.
Can you share more about your connection to the African dream root, Silene undulata, and how it influenced your creative process? What was the significance of incorporating this sacred plant into your work?
Five years before writing this album, I started growing African dream root and Brugmansia, both of which have a very spiritual nature. As I became more connected with the plants, I felt they began to gift me with lucid dreams. I was able to vividly flesh out ideas and sounds through my dreams. (I highly recommend growing both if you want to enhance your dreaming experiences.) I started dreaming about my childhood…how I felt in the woods of Tacoma, Washington, and rural Pennsylvania. I remembered my curious, joyful, and sensitive nature. The plants helped me work through a lot of trauma.
Afro-pessimism and Afro-surrealism are central themes in this album. How do these frameworks help you navigate and express the personal traumas and experiences of racism you explore in your music?
Using Afro-pessimism as a catalyst, I began exploring unfortunate sad realities. One big theme I was trying to hone in on was the fact that black men and women must be hardened and suppress our emotions. These are what many black children are forced to adopt because of how hostile our environment is. Each track is an honest telling of our stories. Wrapped in a sheet of our dreams, fantasies, and dark realities. I want the listener to be swallowed whole and experience the emotional waves for themselves. That’s where surrealism comes into play. None of this was planned, it’s simply how it was. I’ve become much more accepting of that part of myself than years prior.
There’s a really great balance between heavier elements and sounds that are more spacious or atmospheric – how did you approach creating that ebb and flow in the intensity of the record?
That honestly, is very natural to me. I naturally am very influenced by space and atmosphere because of where I grew up. My intent is to bring you into my world, that swirling torrent of memories and sounds. I really want every track to feel a bit like nostalgia or de ja vu. But of course, Swans have reign over my influences. I really connect to them as well as Fushitsusha. I am driven to push the heaviness; shit is like a second language to me. Keiji Haino is truly a master at creating heaviness without even using drums. This man layers sounds perfectly and crushes all listeners. My earlier works as Grey Wulf really prepared me for this album as well, especially “Seeing Vol 1”. That album, in my opinion, was my atmospheric best.
How has creating Silene Undulata changed your understanding of yourself and your place in the world?
It showed me that I could write from joy instead of rage. Unpacking memories, despite how painful it might be. Being brave enough to wade through the murk and mire to find those beautiful hidden fruits– among those traumas that shaped my younger self. To forgive myself and develop an unconditional love that I was never truly shown until I became an adult. There was a lot of exploring that shaped me, I guess every album is another way to dig deeper. It feels like it’s a natural expression at this point.
What surprised you the most about making this record?
What surprised me was my initiative and focus to create this record. During its inception I worked on this daily for months on end, I barely let it breathe. It felt like this one was pouring out of me and I had the time to engage with it. Initially, this album was a failed experiment, it was never meant for my voice. This album was for someone else, but they decided not to complete it due to personal reasons. This album was destined to live in my google drive until I’d eventually deleted it. But luckily, the story didn’t unfold that way. I had to find my voice and push myself through the various failures. I still have a ways to go, but I am decently happy with how it turned out.
And as always, to close… What are your favorite sounds in the world?
The sound of children laughing, they all laugh so honestly. Adults tend to forget how to truly laugh. Children experience the deep joy of it. Also, the sound of my partner’s voice in any capacity. Her voice feels like a distant memory as if it was there with me throughout my entire life. The sound of my dog Lucian’s whine. It’s never dramatic, it’s more like his own language. It’s unique from any other dog I’ve ever heard. I love the sound of trees bending in a windy forest, I will complete my last days among them.
Foxy Digitalis depends on our awesome readers to keep things rolling. Pledge your support today via our Patreon or subscribe to The Jewel Garden. You can also make a one-time donation via Ko-fi.
