D’Angelo and The Vanguard’s Black Messiah 10-Year Anniversary at Pitchblack Playback

We’re now approaching the ten-year anniversary of D’Angelo’s third studio album, Black Messiah (with The Vanguard). The surprise release came after his fourteen-year hiatus, a response to the mass sexualization of himself in the “Untitled (How Does It Feel?)” music video. Having the spotlight turned to his physique instead of the music sent D’Angelo into a spiral of uncertainty and subsequent addiction.

Fast forward to 2016, when Ben Gomori launched Pitchblack Playback, a project stemming from the bastardization of sound quality in the 21st century, with the goal of keeping albums as an art form alive. Attendees are given an opportunity to hear the music they love on quality sound systems, completely distraction free. A simple idea, yet executed to perfection.

Pitchblack Playback ‘Black Messiah’, photo by Helen Jones

Tonight’s event was held at Homerton’s Castle Cinema, an early-20th-century style picture house boasting some of London’s comfiest seats. If I said that the loss of sight enhances your listening experience, it would be true; it’s also incredibly obvious, and I think this is much deeper than that.

I must’ve heard Black Messiah a hundred times by now, yet it took being blindfolded to really break down some of the creative processes made throughout the record. Leading up to the event, I re-familiarised myself with Brown Sugar and Voodoo, both of which D’Angelo is at the forefront of the entire runtime. However, it feels as though they took D’angelo’s vocals and threw them as far into the back of the mix as physically possible. Occasionally, The Vanguard will mimic his voice as a form of torment, which I found amusing. At first, this came as a shock. I was embarrassed I had never noticed before.

I can’t speak for D’angelo, but I’m pretty certain that this creative decision was 100% intentional and most likely in response to the aforementioned wrongful perception of his previous work. Taking a step back both literally and sonically in pursuit of showing the world his musical genius. This realization makes the album even more special, in my mind, anyway.

These are just theories I conjured up in my head while engrossed in the music. The experience really made me think about how I consume music; when it’s so readily available, it’s incredibly easy to take for granted. Sitting in that room totally immersed is such a beautiful thing and something that doesn’t often happen in modern life; it’s rare to get time away from the noise (ironically).

D’Angelo and The Vanguard ‘Black Messiah’ album artwork