Blacktronika: Dexter Wansel's Life on Mars
Johnny Brenda's
1201 Frankford Ave.
Philadelphia
June 24, 2026
Typically, when one thinks of the pioneers of electronic music, a few key names automatically come to mind. From the visionary engineer and designer Robert Moog to composer Wendy Carlos, the story of electronic music’s infiltration and subsequent dominance of popular music is littered with revered figures. Philadelphia-born composer, producer and arranger Dexter Wansel — who passed away last month — may not be as well-known as Carlos and Moog, but his contributions are no less significant. Adding his elegant arrangements and trippy, novel synth sounds to classics on the Philadelphia International Records label, Wansel played a key role in bridging the worlds of R&B and electronica. In 1976, Wansel released an album that would be his magnum opus: Life On Mars. While Wansel was far from a household name, his music went on to shape future generations as Life On Mars was sampled by countless artists ranging from Nas, Wiz Khalifa and J.Cole to Dido, Depeche Mode and Michael Jackson. The album presented an expansive but clear vision of music’s future where R&B, jazz, funk and disco could be weaved together with cutting-edge electronics.
As part of his week-long Blacktronika festival, producer and DJ King Britt assembled a crack band of legendary local instrumentalists and vocalists to pay tribute to Wansel and Life On Mars. As attendees filed into Johnny Brenda’s, a mix of songs that live at the intersection of soul and electronica set the tone with classics like Stevie Wonder’s “Too High," Andy Bey’s “Tune Up” and Carl Craig’s “At Les." The crowd audibly perked up as the band members made their way to the front. With Anthony Tidd on bass, Steve Mckie on drums, Kayla Childs (aka Black Buttafly) on keys and synths, Tim Motzer on guitar, Carlos Izaguiere on percussion and Elliot Levin on sax and flute, the talent on stage was unreal. They were then joined by Tanja Dixon, and Lady Alma on vocals with a guest appearance from poet and vocalist Ursula Rucker. The set started with a cover of Wansel’s soaring, orchestral Disco jam “A Prophet Named K.G.” From the beginning it was clear that the ensemble didn’t come to play around as they brought an aggressive edge to Wansel’s arrangements with Levin taking a particularly “out” solo that alluded to his years as one of Philly’s best avant-garde jazz players.
The tributes to Wansel’s genius didn’t end with the band’s performances.
In between songs, video interviews of Wansel talking about the technical aspects of his sound and the electronic instruments he used to achieve it. The energy jumped to another level when Mckie played the iconic opening drum break from “Theme From The Planets." Mid-song, Britt got on stage and addressed the crowd, shouting out the band and giving a mini history lesson on Wansel’s work, reminding us that “Dexter was going to play with us… his spirit IS playing with us.“ From there, the band launched into Wansel's most well known composition, the utopian disco anthem "Life on Mars" and played it with a lively, gnarly edge. Rucker joined in, offering a poem that felt like a prayer for “peace, justice, kindness, compassion, mercy and grace…” her weighty, powerful voice sent through a dramatic echo effect. Before concluding the set, Britt took to the mic once again to honor Wansel and his family. Wansel’s son, producer Pop Wansel, spoke about his father’s influence on global club culture. Today, the fusion of popular music and electronica is more common than it's ever been. It’s fitting that some of the best musicians in the world combined their powers to pay homage to one of the giants that made that fusion possible.
