Erica “Twelve45” Blunt
Composer, DJ, and Sound Designer Erica “Twelve45” Blunt is a rising force in the music industry. Erica has established herself as a sought-after DJ, performing at prominent events like Essence's Street Style Block Party and venues such as Ace Hotel, The Highline Ballroom, Baby’s All Right, and the Brooklyn Museum. She has brought her unique style to events for Google, Spotify, LinkedIn, and The Shed. She started her video mix series Day by Day as a way to bring peace and introspection through music and nature visuals. Using music as her medium, Erica cherishes creating a body of work that is both entertaining and edifying.
Her dynamic career spans various music genres and artistic mediums, showcasing her versatility and creativity. Most recently she composed and designed a composite score for Dance Theatre of Harlem’s ballet Sounds of Hazel based on American Pianist and Activist Hazel Scott. Sounds of Hazel had its New York premiere at City Center on April 19, 2023. Soon after on April 27th, Erica premiered an evening-length work, The Path, as a composer and audiovisual designer for modern dance company EMERGE125 under the direction of her collaborator, Executive Artistic Director and Choreographer, Tiffany Rea-Fisher.
In 2023, Erica was chosen as a Toulmin Fellow by The Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University and National Sawdust, with support from the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. This fellowship promotes equity in the fields of choreography and musical composition by supporting women and other artists who are traditionally underrepresented in both fields. She is using the time and resources provided to explore spatial sound technologies and create immersive experiences.
In 2022, she was awarded the John Brown Lives! Fellowship for Artists, Activists, and Scholars and held an artistic residency at Craigardan in Elizabethtown, NY, where she gave an audiovisual presentation of original compositions using recorded sounds and video from Craigardan’s farm and surrounding areas. Later that year Erica joined John Brown Lives! as a Board Member where she continues to contribute as a member of the arts community to connect the lessons of the past to the present in order to bend the moral arc of history towards justice and equity.
As the Resident Composer and Music Coordinator for EMERGE125, Erica has collaborated with Tiffany Rea-Fisher on several works, including After Dark, Emerged Nation, and the dance film Rights of Renaissance. She performed with the company for their 3-story takeover of the National Gallery of Art (D.C) in 2018 including a performance by Chris Brubeck, a night that set the record for highest event attendance. Returning with them in 2019, she performed alongside a classical ensemble commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing designing a soundscape that was out of this world while feeling right at home. In 2021, her composition for Emerged Nation was featured as E125 kicked off the NYC Mayor’s Open Culture Program which opened up city streets for outdoor cultural performances and events throughout the five boroughs.
Starting Scratch DJ Academy’s Certification program in March 2014, she blazed through the curriculum, finishing top of her class in October 2014. Not wasting any time, she quickly followed up that achievement by receiving certification in Scratch’s Music Production program in January 2015. From playing the drums in high school to now programming them in Ableton, Erica has personally benefited from music education and aims to share her knowledge with future generations of musicians. A former mathematics teacher with a Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration, she enjoyed relating to students through their passion for music. Through her work with the non-profit program Building Beats, she was able to support students throughout New York City building their creative confidence and furthering their skills both in music and life.
Portfolio
Rights of renaissance (Excerpts)
Film Score Composer + Sound Design
Released in June 2021 with EMERGE125 Presented by Harlem Stage as part of the celebration of the Centennial of the Harlem Renaissance, Rights of Renaissance is a dance film that explores the untold stories of three Black Queer Women Playrights who were pivotal figures of the Harlem Renaissance.
Dance Theatre of Harlem - Hazel Scott Ballet
Composer + Sound Design
A world-premiere ballet commission celebrating the life of renowned American pianist and activist Hazel Scott.
Planned Parenthood x R29 Unbothered x R29 Somos
Composer
Tone: the self-care experience inviting Black, Latina, and nonbinary folks to reset, reflect, and Be Seen. Actress and model Isis King leads this series of sex-positive affirmations, created to empower Black women and non-binary folks of every identity and sexuality.
geography of grace (Excerpt)
Film Score Composer
(Currently In Post-Production) EMERGE125’s dance film commissioned by the Lake Placid Center for the Arts and in collaboration with John Brown Lives! Audiences will be transported to the Adirondack Mountains and John Brown's Farm State Historic Site located in Lake Placid, New York. Dancers summon the spirit of the land while paying homage to the abolitionist and dreaming of what could have been in the land of Timbuctoo.
day by day video mix series
Dj
I created this mix series as a way to bring peace and introspection through music. Nature has a calming and grounding effect and while we can’t always commune in a direct way, it is important that we bring it close to us. Because we are a part of the whole.
Nappy Nina
Production + DJ
Mary Speaks (excerpt)
Sound Design
In this play, performer Angela Polite takes us on a journey through monologues, songs, spoken word, and dance to explore the history of black mothers and their sons from slavery to the present day.
Emerged Nation
Composer + SOund Design
The title piece of EMERGE125’s 2020 season, Emerged Nation delves into the uniqueness of Black/Native-American culture in America. The visceral and euphoric work is set to a modern soundscape of house, tribal, and electronic music that interprets the role these cultures play in our contemporary lives.