Bernard Farley, also known as Outputmessage, is an experienced artist and founder of Black Techno Matters. Starting in 2003 with the release of “Bernard’s Song” on Ghostly International while still in number theory and algebraic topology, his artistic career spans nearly twenty years covering a wide array of genres from ambient electronica to electronic pop music to hard-hitting techno and experimental music.
Originally born in Queens, NY, Bernard finally settled in Washington, DC in 2006 where he applies his relentless creativity to his passion for community building, particularly in the electronic music scene. Through singing, dancing, photography, video, and lighting, he creates familiar, yet subversive, multi-faceted experiences that explore themes of queer and Black identity.
His recent works include the queer video/mix series FAMILY, the experimental drum machine music and accompanying dance moves of BLACK (which launched the Black Techno Matters record label and is a 2022 Wammie award finalist), the 8 hour album Love & War, the explosive protest techno music video “Wake the Fuck up!”, live ambient jam sessions as Smoke & Tea with Patrick Blinkhorn.
In 2019, Bernard founded Black Techno Matters, a collective whose mission is to reclaim techno as a manifestation of Black expression in a society that has oppressed it by creating spaces, both virtual and IRL, that celebrate the Black roots of techno. Since its inception, BTM has highlighted hundreds of Black artists and fostered a community space for Black creatives to celebrate each other.
