When Words Meet Rhythm - Chino VV’s Obama x Jesse Jackson Reflection

Mar 8

Sometimes inspiration arrives unexpectedly.

For Chino VV of the Vinyl Vandals collective, it came while listening to a powerful speech delivered by Barack Obama at the memorial for civil rights leader Jesse Jackson. The speech reflected on Jackson’s legacy — a life dedicated to justice, equality and the belief that change requires courage.

But it was not simply the tribute that struck a chord.

It was the message about the moment we are living in.

While reflecting on the challenges facing society today, Obama spoke about the difficulty of holding on to hope:

“We are living in a time when it can be hard to hope. Each day we wake up to some new assault on our democratic institutions, another setback to the idea of the rule of law, an offence to common decency. Every day you wake up to things you just didn't think were possible.

Each day, we're told by those in high office to fear each other and to turn on each other, and that some Americans count more than others, and that some don't even count at all.

Everywhere we see greed and bigotry being celebrated and bullying and mockery masquerading as strength. We see science and expertise denigrated while ignorance, dishonesty, cruelty, and corruption are reaping untold rewards.

Every single day we see that, and it's hard to hope in those moments. So it may be tempting to get discouraged, to give into cynicism. It may be tempting for some to compromise with power, and grab what you can, or even for good people to maybe just put your head down and wait for the storm to pass.

But this man, Rev. Jesse Lewis Jackson, inspires us to take a harder path. His voice calls on each of us to be heralds of change, to be messengers of hope, to step forward and say, ‘Send me.’

Wherever we have a chance to make an impact — whether it's in our school or our workplaces or our neighbourhoods or our cities — not for fame, not for glory, or because success is guaranteed, but because it gives our life purpose, because it aligns with what our faith tells us God demands, and because if we don't step up, no one else will.”

For Chino, hearing those words sparked an immediate creative reaction.

Turning a Speech into Sound

The speech stayed with him.

Within hours, he downloaded the video, extracted the audio, and began experimenting with ways to weave the spoken message into music. The aim was not simply to remix the speech, but to allow its meaning to breathe within a track that carried equal emotional weight.

Finding the right record became the next step.

The Record That Carried the Moment

The track Chino chose was E79” by Kink, a deep minimal techno production released in 2010 that has remained a staple in his DJ sets for more than a decade.

It is a record that moves between tension and release.

At certain moments the keys strike sharply through the rhythm — almost like sonic fragments of unrest. The track carries a subtle sense of urgency. Yet when the breakdown arrives, the energy opens into something unexpectedly euphoric.

Calm emerges from chaos.

That contrast felt perfectly aligned with the message in Obama’s speech — the idea that even in moments where hope feels distant, there remains the possibility of something better.

Music as Reflection

Living in the Middle East while global tensions continue to unfold has been emotionally complex. Like many people navigating uncertain times, Chino found himself surrounded by a constant stream of headlines, narratives and competing perspectives.

The mash-up became a form of release. A way to channel that energy into something creative rather than allowing it to be consumed by the noise of the world. Music has always been a coping mechanism. A language that allows emotion, frustration and hope to exist in the same space. This piece became exactly that.