Whitehouse were an English noise music band formed in 1980. The group is largely credited for the founding of the power electronics genre. Whitehouse was founded and ended as a duo consisting of electronics player Philip Best and vocalist William Bennett, however the group is perhaps best–recognized for their 20-year-tenure as a three-piece with synthist Peter Sotos as a member, who joined the band in 1983 and left in 2003.
Damballa, also spelled Damballah, Dambala, Dambalah, among other variations, is one of the most important of all loa, spirits in West African Vodun, Haitian Voodoo and other African diaspora religious traditions such as Obeah. He is traditionally portrayed as a great white or black serpent, but may also be depicted as a rainbow. Damballa originated in the city of Wedo in modern-day Benin.
Ogun or Ogoun is a Yoruba spirit that appears in several African religions. He attempted to seize the throne after the demise of Ọbàtálá, who reigned twice, before and after Oduduwa, but was ousted by Obamakin and sent on an exile – an event that serves as the core of the Ọlọ́jọ́ Festival. Ògún is a warrior and a powerful spirit of metal work, as well as of rum and rum-making. He is also known as the "god of iron" and is present in Yoruba religion, Santería, Haitian Vodou, West African Vodun, and the folk religion of the Gbe people.
A Simbi is a Central African water and nature spirit in traditional Kongo religion, as well as in African diaspora spiritual traditions, such Hoodoo in the southern United States and Palo in Cuba. Simbi have been historically identified as water people, or mermaids, pottery, snakes, gourds, and fire. Due to the forced removal of Bantu peoples from Africa to the Americas, the veneration of simbi exists today in countries, such as the United States, Brazil, Cuba, and Haiti.
Dutty Boukman was an early leader of the Haitian Revolution. Born in Jamaica, he was enslaved to. He eventually ended up in Haiti, where he became a leader of the Maroons and a vodou houngan (priest).
Bois kay Iman was the site of the first major meeting of enslaved blacks during which the first major slave insurrection of the Haitian Revolution was planned.
Homosexuality in Haitian Vodou is religiously acceptable and homosexuals are allowed to participate in all religious activities. However, in West African countries with major conservative Christian and Islamic views on LGBTQ people, the attitudes towards them may be less tolerant if not openly hostile and these influences are reflected in African diaspora religions following Atlantic slave trade which includes Haitian Vodou.
Come Organisation was a record label started by William Bennett in 1979 as a way to release albums by his own band, Come, when he was unable to find a label willing to release them. It released the work of Bennett's subsequent band, Whitehouse.
Christianity is the most widely professed religion in the Dominican Republic. Historically, Catholicism dominated the religious practices of the country, and as the official religion of the state it receives financial support from the government. About 60% of Dominicans identify themselves as Catholic.
Max Gesner Beauvoir was a Haitian biochemist and houngan. Beauvoir held one of the highest titles of Voudou priesthood, Ati or "Supreme Serviteur", a title given to Houngans and Mambos who have a great and very deep knowledge of the religion, and status within the religion. As Supreme Serviteur, Max was seen as a high authority within Vodou.
Haitian Cubans are Cuban citizens of full or partial Haitian ancestry.
Frisner Augustin was a major performer and composer of Haitian Vodou drumming, and the first and only citizen of Haiti to win a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in the United States, where he resided for forty years.
Afro-Haitians or Black Haitians are Haitians who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. They form the largest racial group in Haiti and together with other Afro-Caribbean groups, the largest racial group in the region.
Birthdeath Experience is the debut studio album by power electronics band Whitehouse. It was originally released in 1980 through Come Organization. It was released on CD in May 1993 through Susan Lawly, then reissued in 2007 on vinyl through Very Friendly. The original edition was limited to 1,250 copies on vinyl format; 850 with pink/white labels, 400 with Spanish text on the labels.
Total Sex is the second full-length studio album by power electronics band Whitehouse, which was released in November 1980 through Come Organisation, only a few months after the band's debut, Birthdeath Experience. The album was reissued twice, first on CD in 1994 through Susan Lawly, and again in 2008 on double vinyl format through Very Friendly. The original release was limited to 1,200 copies on vinyl, the first pressing consisted of 800 copies, the second consisted of 400 copies on translucent green vinyl.
Erector is the third full-length studio album by power electronics band Whitehouse, released in February 1981 through Come Organization. The record was reissued twice: once in 1995 on CD through Susan Lawly, and again in 2008 on vinyl through Very Friendly.
Great White Death is the ninth studio album by power electronics band Whitehouse, released in February 1985. It was the last Whitehouse record to be released through Come Organization, a label which dissolved after the band went on hiatus after the record's release. The album was reissued on CD format in 1991 through the band's new label, Susan Lawly. A special edition was issued in 1997 which came with a bonus track, an extended version of the song "My Cock Is On Fire". In 2010, a vinyl reissue of the album was released through Very Friendly.
Quality Time is the fourteenth studio album by power electronics band Whitehouse, released in 1995 through their Susan Lawly label. The cover art was illustrated by Trevor Brown, who made artwork for the band's previous album, Halogen, and their 1991 album, Twice Is Not Enough. The album was reissued on vinyl format in 2009 through Very Friendly.
Mummy and Daddy is the fifteenth studio album by power electronics band Whitehouse, released in early 1998 through Susan Lawly. The album mostly focuses on domestic violence and is considered by many to be one of the band's darkest recordings. The cover art was illustrated by Trevor Brown, who previously worked with the band for their albums Quality Time, Halogen, and Twice Is Not Enough.
Pierrot Barra (1942–1999) was a Haitian Vodou artist and priest, who was president of a Bizango society. He was well-known for his use of diverse materials to create “Vodou Things,” which functioned as charms or altars for the Vodou religion.
