Tue Nov 18 09:00:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary and rewrite as a news article:

Summary:

Experimental band Xiu Xiu has accused the musical project “African Imperial Wizard” of being a white man engaging in racist appropriation of Black African culture. Xiu Xiu alleges the artist, who obscures his identity with a Klan-like hood and gloves, uses sampled music and projects a fabricated image of involvement in a pan-African armed struggle. Concerns and criticisms have been circulating for some time prior to Xiu Xiu bringing attention to the matter.

News Article:

Band Xiu Xiu Accuses “African Imperial Wizard” Project of Racist Blackface

Bratislava, Slovakia – November 17, 2025 – Experimental band Xiu Xiu has ignited a firestorm of controversy by publicly accusing the musical project “African Imperial Wizard” of being a “middle-aged white man” engaging in extreme racial appropriation. The band made the accusation on Instagram after performing at the Hradby Samoty festival in Bratislava, where “African Imperial Wizard” also appeared.

According to Xiu Xiu, the individual behind the project conceals his identity behind a patterned hood, described by some as Klan-like, and gloves to hide his race, while simultaneously projecting imagery associated with Black African tribal culture. The band claims the project’s music relies heavily on Ableton samples and promotes a fabricated narrative of involvement in a pan-African armed struggle, allegedly inviting fellow Africans to play on the records.

“In the great and horrible tradition of Western music, he is taking the art and lives of Black people and crazily perverting them for his own bizarre edification and profit. This is extreme blackface and a profound level of racist appropriation,” Xiu Xiu stated in their Instagram post.

Angela Seo of Xiu Xiu told Consequence, “There is an additional layer when you’re probably the only person of color in the festival…It goes beyond ‘Damn, this is not ok. Maybe he should just stop doing that,’ to bigger online trolling and viciousness that is damaging to everyone.”

Evidence of the project’s imagery, including album art depicting African tribes and promotional videos featuring stock imagery of armed African tribe members, can still be found on platforms like Bandcamp and Spotify. While claiming to originate from Angola, those known to be associated with the project, signed to German record label Tesco Records, are European. French electronic music producer Andrew Claristidge has been linked to the project, though his precise role is unclear.

Prior to Xiu Xiu’s public accusation, some users on social media had already raised questions about “African Imperial Wizard’s” authenticity.

“African Imperial Wizard” has not yet responded to requests for comment. The controversy raises broader questions about cultural appropriation in music and art and the responsibility of artists to engage respectfully with cultures outside their own.

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