Life On Mars: The Cosmic Funk of Dexter Wansel

While a producer at Philadelphia International Records (PIR) in the mid to late 70s, Dexter Wansel was among a handful of African Americans pioneering the fusion of synthesized sounds with funk and soul music. Wansel produced numerous successful and GRAMMY winning projects at PIR. However, it is on “Life On Mars”, his first solo project, that Wansel’s genius for crafting, and seamlessly integrating electronic music with the orchestral arrangements of the Philly Sound is best showcased. This achievement, dubbed “Cosmic Funk”, is seen as a hallmark of early synthesis, and influenced the way electronic music was produced.

Coupled with its innovative musical concepts, “Life On Mars” was the first PIR project to feature Afrofuturist themes such as space travel and intergalactic Black love. During those times of emerging Black identity, the intersection of technology and science fiction was as much a political statement as it was musical. Wansel’s “Life On Mars”, like the works of fellow electronic music pioneers, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, and Bernie Worrell (Parliament-Funkadelic), both modernized 70s funk and soul, and elevated its cultural relevance. In turn, influencing electro-funk, house, Detroit techno, and other electronic music genres that evolved in the decades to follow.

The Project –
I will reimagine “Life On Mars” as an original music composition, incorporating various styles of contemporary electronic music. The composition will be edited together with an original video production. Both the music and video will convey her interpretation of Wansel’s Afrofuturistic themes:

I. “Theme from the Planets – Black Life defying stereotypes and convention”
II. “One Million Miles from the Ground – Black Love in the outer reaches of the galaxy”
III. “Life On Mars – Black Power beyond limitations”