To truly understand Spring Opara, you might need to understand a bit of optics.

“Visible light” is just a part of the vast spectrum of electromagnetic energy. But there are other kinds of light that we can't see, like ultraviolet and infrared.

Opara is living in the observable world, but she's also consciously operating from the metaphysical plane.

(Editor's note: Our continuing series that looks at Oakland Local's picks for people/organizations to watch in 2011. See all profiles in this series.)

In the club, in the streets, in corporate towers … the steady burn of corruption eats our world. Flames of shame and disrespect climb higher.

But wait, what’s that? Bursting through cerebral dams – dj fflood’s sound saturates, washing dancing masses clean of preconceived limits. His musical potions are healing waves of reverb and swirling pools of quick and tender tempo.

Asking an Interplay artist to describe his or her work is similar to asking a Buddhist to describe the great complexities of his or her religion - it is not an easily articulated concept.

A huge controversy has run through the entire history of the institutional church regarding what kind of music is acceptable. Today, some object to certain kinds of Contemporary Christian Music as sounding too “secular” for church, yet others support it. The controversy has sent mixed messages to the world.