Moving the Crowd — Live Mixtape

The Art
of the
Crossfade

Who gets to tell America’s story?

See the Tour What is Crossfade?

The Project

A multi-city tour of concerts, workshops, and community dialogues that uses the DJ crossfader as both method and metaphor — to confront polarization and reimagine democratic belonging at America’s 250th.

Crossfade is a project led by cultural historian Josh Kun and hip-hop DJ / producer J.PERIOD. Each stop blends a Live Mixtape performance featuring national and local performers, storytelling workshops, and oral histories — a way of bridging divides without erasing distinct voices.

The series seeks to energize audiences across the country by connecting their own music to the civic imagination — turning the crossfader’s blend of two records into a model for how a country might hold more than one story at once.

Anatomy of a Stop

Three Movements,
One Room

Every city gets the same architecture and a different cast — the local voices are the variable, the form is the constant.

01

Live Mixtape

A J.PERIOD performance that splices national headliners with local performers in real time — the crossfade made audible, one record bleeding into the next without silencing either.

02

Storytelling Workshops

Hands-on sessions where audiences and artists build the narrative together — surfacing the songs, scenes, and memories that make up a place’s sense of itself.

03

Oral Histories

First-person accounts gathered on the ground and folded back into the work — distinct voices kept distinct, archived as part of how this country tells its own story.

The Tour

Where We’re Headed

A multi-city run building toward America’s 250th. Cities and dates are rolling out — join the list to hear them first.

AnnouncingSoon
Stop 01
Inaugural Live Mixtape · venue TBA
Dates TBA
AnnouncingSoon
Stop 02
Concert · Workshop · Dialogue
Dates TBA
AnnouncingSoon
Stop 03
Concert · Workshop · Dialogue
Dates TBA
2026
Full Route
Multi-city national tour
On the way

Routing in progress — placeholder stops shown. Send me the confirmed cities, venues, and dates and I’ll drop them straight in.

The Voices Behind It

Curator & Conductor

Cultural Historian

Josh Kun

A cultural historian, author, and curator whose work explores the intersection of music, politics, and cultural connection. Professor at USC Annenberg and the Norman Lear Center.

JoshKun.com
DJ & Producer

J.PERIOD

A DJ and producer known for innovative musical storytelling and high-profile collaborations across genres and culture — the architect of the Live Mixtape form at the heart of Crossfade.

jperiod.com

“A way of bridging divides without erasing distinct voices.”

The Art of the Crossfade

In Partnership With

The Coalition

Presented By
USC Annenberg
Host Institution
The Norman Lear Center
Foundation
The Hearthland Foundation
Music Partner
Newport Festivals Foundation
Incubator
Salt Lick
Advocacy
Black Music Action Coalition

Stay in the Loop

Be in the Room

Cities, dates, and the first Live Mixtape are being announced soon. Get them before anyone else.

Contact
Josh Kun — Professor, USC
kun@usc.edu
Booking & Press
jperiod.com
Follow
@jperiodbk  ·  @joshdkun