Capsicum

Capsicum
Capsicum: music against racism
Musical Essay
(September 30th 2025)

Capsicum is an album created by a collective of immigrant artists and cooks living in the UK, led by David Vélez. Through a combination of food sounds and musical performances, the album honors the resilience of diasporic communities as they challenge racism, xenophobia, and other forms of discrimination. The musicality of food sounds underscores the political significance of food for immigrant communities in the UK—the subject of research of this project.

To bring capsicum to life, David Vélez combined food sounds of Chicken Tikka, cooked by Ruchi Singh from India, and Jerk Chicken, prepared by Sandra Allen from Jamaica, paired with musical improvisations by Supriya Nagarajan, Maria Sappho, Cyanching Wu and Colin Frank.

Concept

Since the 1950s, Asian and Caribbean immigrants in Britain have faced violent discrimination, often targeting the rich, aromatic presence of their food. Acts of vandalism against restaurants and home kitchens by white individuals have been documented, alongside persistent discrimination from landlords contra diaspora tenants. In some cases, these immigrants have replied to prejudice and hostility by sharing their cuisine as a peaceful yet powerful response, evidencing the political prowess of food, capable of disarm the intimidator without the use of violence.

Paradoxically, as Asian and Caribbean dishes gained popularity, British politicians have attempted to claim intellectual authorship over some of them, exemplifying how colonialism undermines the cultural heritage of colonized communities to strip them of autonomy.

Buy CD or Digital at

https://marginalfrequency.bandcamp.com/album/capsicum-music-against-racism

Video clip of Labour, fourth piece in the album

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David Vélez: research, recordings, composition – Col/UK
Supriya Nagarajan: voice – India/UK
Maria Sappho: piano and objects – USA/UK
Cyanching Wu: cello and field recordings – Taiwan/UK
Colin Frank: percussion – Canada/UK
Sandra Allen: cooking sounds – Jamaica/UK
Ruchi Singh: cooking sounds – India/UK

Joanne Mansley, David, and Dalston market traders: shouting

Graphic design, layout, and photography: David Vélez
Mastering and produced by: Alan F. Jones

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