THE ILLUSTRIOUS BLACKS
Once upon a time in a galaxy not far away, there lived two kings. Each was the ruler of
his own deliciously glorious planet. The first king, Manchildblack, was well known
throughout the cosmos for his ethereal vocals, celestial sonics and earthy musical
messages. The other king, Monstah Black, was a star in the solar system for his gravity
defying performances, gender bending fashions and spacey disposition. One magical
night, an inexplicable ultramagnetic pull forced the two planets to collide. A
technicolored explosion occurred, turning night into day, with a feast of aural and
visual delights. It was then that the universe was changed forever. Manchildblack and
Monstah Black united and became The Illustrious Blacks.
“Self-proclaimed Afro-Electro-Disco-Space-Punks, DJ/Music duo The Illustrious
Blacks are unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Part DJ set, part dance performance part Studio 54, party Berlin underground, this NY couple know how to put on a
SHOW!” -YoHoMo
With inspiration from artists like Prince, David Bowie, Grace Jones, Depeche Mode and
George Clinton, The Illustrious Blacks have arrived with a mission to fuse futuristic
funk, hypnotic house, space disco and synth-pop into pulsating positivity for the
planet. The real life married couple are not only co-pilots on their artistic voyage, but
are united in their fantastical journey through life.
In 2017, the duo The New York Times called Bed-Stuy’s “favorite creative couple,”
released their highly anticipated debut EP, Neo Afro Futuristic Psychedelic Surrealistic
Hippy, on Concierge Records. The EP featured the high energy single "Blast Off," the
seductive "Red Light," the thought provoking "Delusions of Grandeur" and the
anthemic "Black Like Jesus,” whose music video premiered on Billboard.com. In the
same year, the dynamic duo found time to work on a remake of the 90s dance floor
classic "Funk That!," which spawned a popular music video.
Subsequent singles followed: The joyous “Revolutionary Love” was released to major
praise from Paper Magazine and Out.com. “The Void (Let the Music Set U Free)” is a
dancefloor filler and one of the most popular songs performed in their electrifying live
performances.
As the result of a viral and soul-stirring DJ set on Facebook live for the Questlove (The
Roots) founded music platform Okayplayer, The Illustrious Blacks garnered
international fame and found themselves touring to Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand,
Asia, Europe, UK, Canada and being booked to perform in major music festivals such
as Roskilde, Splore, Clockenflap, Beyond the Valley, Return to Rio, Pitch Music & Arts,
Elements, Latitude, Format, Milkshake, Fusion, Robot Heart, Garden Beats and the
iconic London nightclub Ministry of Sound. Back in NYC, the globetrotters took their
live shows to respected venues like Apollo Theater, Central Park Summerstage,
Lincoln Center, The Shed, Joe’s Pub, Le Poisson Rouge, House of Yes, Good Room,
Avant Gardner, Brooklyn Museum, Le Bain, Elsewhere, Knockdown Center, C’mon
Everybody and performed opening sets for respected musical artists like Chaka Khan,
Big Freedia, Cakes da killa, Kevin Aviance, Nakhane and Cupcakke.
2020 saw the release of their celebrated sophomore EP, Technegrocolor. Of their lead
single, “Step Back,” Gaytimes raved, “The Illustrious Blacks have delivered one of the
most unapologetically queer anthems of the year.” To follow up Technegrocolor, The
IBs put out two synth-pop singles “Gravitational” and “Love Is Love Is Love” as well as
provided guest vocals for a song by popular singer/songwriter Bright Light, Bright
Light. By the end of the year, The Illustrious Blacks were the subject of a VICE News
piece and collaborated on a stunning visual clip for Phillips Auction/Gallery.
In 2023, The Illustrious Blacks released the Pandemonium EP to great fanfare with
producer Seven Davis Jr., featuring remixes by Osunlade for Soul Clap Records. The
year has also seen a steady stream of musical collaborations with Nickodemus for his
album Soul & Science, Toribio for his Tongue in Cheeks EP, as well as their own trippy
dance music single “Kaleidoscopic Planet” on Classic Music Company/Defected.
Currently, The Illustrious Blacks are working on the final touches of their debut album
and on various musical collaborations with notable dance music producers Luke
Soloman (Beyonce), Russell Small (Freemasons), KDA and more, while simultaneously
touring Europe, the UK, Australia, Asia and North America. The hardworking couple
also took Ibiza by storm as part of the Glitterbox Hi Ibiza residency. More recently in July 2024, The Illustrious Blacks joined forces with NYC’s Tedd Patterson for a celestial house heater on SoSure Music, “Let The Music Set You Free”.
Individually, Monstah Black and Manchildblack illuminate the galaxy with equal
magnitude. As The Illustrious Blacks, they have combined their superpowers to save
the world one beat at a time and encourage all to LIVE THE HYPE LIFE!