List of Demands marks Locks’s first foray into creating an entire album based off of his poetry and texts. But the signature sonic collage work heard in his recent 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼 and ongoing Black Monument Ensemble output is distinctly present in this new 12-song cycle of bite-sized Nikki Giovanni-meets-MF DOOM-style rhythm experiments.

The album’s deluxe vinyl package comes with a 16-page newsprint booklet featuring Locks’s liner notes, lyrics and texts. The package also includes an A3 insert poster print of the “Artist Constitution” that was forged by Locks’s students during his time as a teacher for incarcerated artists at 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 – an experience that influenced the title and concepts of 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴.

“𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 is not just my list,” says Locks. “The list is in conveyance, in response, and in honor of all of those great Black speakers that turned a phrase to generate movement and change. It owes as much to Rammellzee, Fred Moten and Sun Ra’s oratory excellence as it does to Kwame Ture/Stokely Carmichael and Angela Davis, to Michael Smith and Linton Kwesi Johnson (across the pond), to Ruby Dee’s spoken recordings, and to others too numerous to mention.”

releases January 31, 2025

LP & DD out January 31st, 2025

Available in black and Hot Signal Red

All songs/lyrics by DAMON LOCKS

except "High Priestess" lyrics by KRISTA FRANKLIN

Players:

DAMON LOCKS - voice & electronics

KRISTA FRANKLIN - voice on "High Priestess"

RALPH DARDEN - drums on "Isn't It Beautiful" & turntables on "Meteors of Fear"

BEN LAMAR GAY - cornet on "Holding the Dawn in Place" & melodica on "Click"

MACIE STEWART - violin on "Distance" & "Isn't It Beautiful"

Album Art by: Damon Locks