Rhythm Lab Records have been working on an extremely insightful project over the past month. Our sister label brought together two artists to create multiple tracks and explore themes of race and music through a group interview.
In order to explore how the music scene has changed over the years, the two artists were chosen with the aim to bring an individual who has vast experience in the music scene and another who is newer. Representing the younger generation was Ethan Hill, a Manchester based Hip Hop producer who, through his production, focuses on bringing soulfulness to the British Hip Hop scene. Completing the duo was legendary MC Madrush, one of Manchester’s leading DnB artists with a career spanning over 20 years.
The documented production process and conversation has resulted in the creation of Episode one: “I Just Love How Black It Was!”. The short documentary focuses on the interviews led by Rhythm Lab press officer Iyun (LINTD), which explored the history of Shebeens, scared Jungle promoters and the restrictive violence of the home office.
Watch the full documentary below.
Also out now is Corrupt Clarity, the 3 track EP created during this project. The EP brings together the past and the present of the magic that Manchester’s black music scene offers. Listen to the full EP below.
To coincide with National Mentoring Day, a group of high profile Manchester-based youth organisations organised a series of events to launch Manchester as the UK’s first city of mentoring.
‘Manchester Youth: Get Ahead with Mentoring’ was a youth panel discussion part of this series, created to promote the benefits of mentoring and the different mentoring offers in Manchester. The live streamed discussion hosted by Aisha Williams featured One Million Mentors Mentee Reece, EY Foundation Mentee Adeeba and Power2 Mentor Dylan.
Watch the full event below.
CEO of One Million Mentors Alveena Malik talks on the importance of having mentoring opportunities. “The pandemic has disproportionately impacted young people’s life chances, and especially those from disadvantaged communities. The time is right to invest in and strengthen Manchester’s existing mentoring provision, so that there is a clear pathway of support that enables young people, via trusted adults, to access local opportunities, and increase social mobility.”
Building on this point, Regional Manager of Greater Manchester Sara Belhay explains why they decided to hold this event in our space. “It was important to host the youth panel discussion at Reform Radio, one of the members of Manchester’s Mentoring Network, to amplify youth voices, demonstrate the impact of mentoring, and showcase the collaborative spirit amongst mentoring providers in the city.”
If you are interested in hosting your event at Reform Radio, please get in touch. We offer video/audio recording and live-streaming services.
Raise the Bar is a video series that showcases artists delivering freestyles or live performances on our resident’s shows.
For their last show Jorgy & Cheech invited RnB singer Fliss to perform one of her intoxicating melodic singles live in the studio. This time they’re diving into the world of drill with an exclusive freestyle from SK-47. The artist only released his first track 4 months ago and is already carving his way in the scene. Listen to his latest track below.
Aside from the freestyle, Jorgy & Cheech sit down with SK-47 to have his first live interview. Listen to the full show to learn about the artist’s production process and hear an exclusive play of his unreleased track.
This is Positively, Passionate Personalities, a show born out of a project funded by The Prince’s Trust and Manchester City Council. Positive Frequencies is a week long project focusing on personal development, creative writing and self-expression.
The show delves deep into major Manchester organisations, including The Factory Academy (MIF), Bearded Fellows & SharpFutures. From access and education to inspiration and the practicalities of employment. Listen to the full show below.
On the 28th of Oct we broadcasted the live launch of the Sickbabe Podcast from Contact Theatre.
Created by artist Suriya Aisha, Sickbabe is a podcast series of funny, frank chats with fellow #Sickbabes who exist and resist everyday with invisible physical health conditions.
This brand new podcast series droped on Thursday 28 October as a special release alongside Black Gold Arts Festival. To celebrate this, Suriya and friends hosted a relaxed and friendly in-person launch event at Contact. This event was captioned using Otter.ai.
Sickbabe Podcast is produced by She Wants a Dog, a new podcast producer, and supported by Contact and Arts Council England.
Every month we are promoting events hosted by our very own residents. Scroll down to find out what events are taking place this October.
Supernature on Sunday: 6th Birthday Party
Supernature Disco is a DJ collective that is truly dedicated to the party, playing everything from disco to house. When listening to their shows on Reform or being at their parties, expect to start throwing shapes without realising it. Listen back to their latest show via the player below.
Supernature is celebrating their 6th birthday this Sunday. The free entry event will be taking place at the Kable Club on 24th October from 3PM-8PM. Head down this weekend to catch house and disco tunes provided by Supernature residents and Matthew Rothery (Kiss Me Again). Head to Supernature’s socials to hear about their other upcoming events.
Emfor (M4) Launch Party w/ Walton
Tom2Trax‘s newly launched Emfor (M4) events is hosting a night at Stage and Radio this Thursday from 11AM-4PM.
Aside from co-running M4, Tom2Trax runs the ALLTRAX event series and has a show on Reform where he takes you full width across the dance music spectrum, showcasing forthcoming releases, just-pressed records and forgotten classics.
Headlining this event is Manchester’s very own Walton, a DJ that has released countless low-end, high-energy and earth-shattering tracks on Hyperdub, Tectonic and German heavyweight Ilian Tape.
M4 residents Tom2Trax & Nat Fanuel will open and close the night, bookending the main performance with plenty of varied, exciting and cutting edge UK sounds.
Steam Radio 1st Birthday ft. Mina & Bryte (Live), Skittles (Live) Murder He Wrote, Cartridge & More
Host of A MENINA DANÇAHannah O’Gorman is the Programme Director for a community radio station called Steam Radio. The radio station based above the Old Abbey Taphouse is turning 1, and to celebrate this Birthday they are hosting a day and night event on Friday 29th October.
Kicking off at 7PM and closing at 4AM, the birthday event’s line up is packed full of amazing artists and genres from across the UK and globe. Afrobeat queen Mina will be linking up with Ghanian vocalist Bryte to bring you a full live set delivering gqom, funky, afro house and amapiano. Canadian-born, Manchester-based AYY DEN will be providing UK Funky and garage influenced beats alongside Murder He Wrote.
See the flyer below for the full line up and purchase tickets here.
A 6 week programme for those who are interested in learning all things DJ related, and want the chance to play out.
Led by DJ, producer and record label manager Joe Roche, the programme will focus on DJ workshops, how to self promote and learn about DJ opportunities.
The remaining 5 weeks will involve shadowing live shows and promo activities at Reform’s studios every Wednesday evening. The programme will wrap up with a gig opportunity where participants can showcase their DJ skills.
See flyer below for more info and to get involved.
Reform resident Tom2Trax has released Finding My Sound, a short documentary film reflecting on his recent endeavours to find his own unique sound in production.
Tom2Trax is a Manchester DJ and producer, who runs his eclectic ALLTRAX event series, and co-runs his newly-launched EMFOR (M4) events. You can listen back to his latest Reform show Full Width W/ Tom2Trax via the player below.
Despite nailing down his gritty, bass-inflected sound for his DJ sets, he felt that he hadn’t quite achieved this in his productions. Tom explains, “Ever since playing in bands as a teenager, and later recording into software and making music, I’d always dabbled in production. More recently, I had gotten my own material near complete, but I never had the knowledge to get my tracks ‘release ready’ through proper mixing and engineering.”
Tom decided to apply for the Arts Council DYCP funding programme to take his production to the next level. This funding programme offers grants to cultural and creative practitioners who want to take time to focus on their creative development. He found out about this programme through one of Reform’s regular social Zoom calls organised during lockdown. This particular one was hosted by Tom Northey, the director of Con Brio, who has a background in arts education, charity management and social enterprise, having worked for a number of national arts organisations and charities.
In Tom2Trax’s words, “Reform had been really good at keeping all their resident DJs connected. We had social Zoom calls and were always kept up to date with the latest opportunities that might benefit us. It was during one of these Zoom calls that I heard about DYCP. When I went away and looked into it properly I knew I had to apply, even though it was going to be incredibly competitive. Reform held a call with all the residents who wished to apply, and this knowledge sharing session helped me understand the types of ideas that the Arts Council were looking for.”
Tom’s successful application led to a 6 month long project of learning and experimenting. Tom built a home studio, connected with mentors including Chris Massey from Sprechen, and learnt the ins and outs of mix downs, engineering sounds and arrangement tips. The project resulted in the creation of Tom’s first ever single, which will be released next year on Sprechen Records.
Finding My Sound documents this process through 1-1 interviews with Tom himself and his creative mentor Chris Massey. While Tom opens up about his production history and musical influences, Chris Massey brings an interesting perspective as a teacher.
The reflective interviews are accompanied by shots of Tom’s new home studio and his musical influences, one being Manchester’s cityscape. Multiple panning shots capture Manchester’s post-industrial buildings and cultural landmarks such as Piccadilly Records.
Reform residents Juke Joint are finally back in the club space bringing you a night filled with 160bpm rhythms at YES.
Juke Joint are Manchester’s first dedicated footwork and juke promoters, bringing you the very best news, mixes, releases and events from the world of these genres. Their monthly show on Reform Radio provides the very best in juke/footwork and everything 160bpm. Listen to their latest show below.
The first to grace this line up is Itoa, a producer that has been releasing footwork, juke and jungle informed club tracks since 2013 – most recently with a number of 12’’s on the legendary Exit Records. Itoa will undoubtedly be bringing his deadly energy to the basement of YES.
Next on the line up isReform’s resident Ani Klang, an artist that really needs no introduction. She is a true pioneer in experimental club music, creating apocalyptic soundscapes packed with tension, mystery and sudden bursts of chaos.
The final artist to wrap up this line up is Harka. He is most known for his Hybrid footwork productions, pulling influence spanning across the ocean of the UK’s bass music scene and melding them with the Chicago Footwork sound.
Of course, the Juke Joint duo will be warming up the dance floor with their usual 160 sets. The event is tonight (15/10) from 11PM – 4AM in the YES Basement.
The crew from last week’s Positive Frequencies have done it again, providing us with a show dedicated to mental health. For #WorldMentalHealthDay, the members from the well-being focused project guided us on a journey of exploring the human condition through the character of X.
Creative MCR was born out of the Salford City College traineeship, Reform’s third partnership with them. The programme brought together a really fantastic group who’s support for each other was really unrivalled.
The group wanted to explore and discuss their own creative endeavours and their support for one another can be heard throughout the program. Listen below.
We are excited to announce our newest programme in partnership with the Prince’s Trust and Manchester City Council – Manchester Futures.
Manchester Futures is a 6 week programme providing bespoke support to young people 16-25 who are looking for work.
The programme includes an exciting 2 week Podcasting Bootcamp – You will learn how to develop and script a podcast, creating relevant and interesting content, learn the ins and outs of audio production, social media and creative writing. You will also get experience of producing and presenting in a live radio show.
The next 4 weeks are bespoke and offer opportunities to access workshops and 1-1 support in: wellbeing, CV writing, applications, interview prep, work placements and other flexible support to fit around you.
See the flyer above for contacts to get involved.
If you’re an employer and currently looking for new talent – We are looking for organisations who are seeking to recruit new talent or who frequently work with freelancers/contractors, and those that can offer placements and interviews for our young people.
Employers must commit to between 1-5 days for young people to get hands on experience in their organisation and meet their teams.
“The ambition of the Sustainable Futures Fund is not only to support young people at a time of great need, but to enable Greater Manchester to come out of the pandemic looking confidently into the future – aligning with a clear plan for growing industries providing sustainable, good quality, ‘future-focused’ jobs in the region.” – The Prince’s Trust
Please contact mike@reformradio.co.uk if you are interested or would like more information.
Free Range Youth (F.R.Y.) is a collective of aspiring creatives who have produced a radio show through Reform Radio’s Music Course that took place in our studios in September.
During the course, the group had an opportunity to take part in the creative writing, radio and music production workshops ran by Reform’s very own facilitators.
The participants used the skills learnt to create a live show showcasing their original music, spoken word and interviews with one another.
The F.R.Y. show explores the participants’ musical influences and passions, their motivation to pursue studying and producing music even after lockdown, as well as an active listening of original electronic pieces created by the attendees.
The High Rise series releases one episode every Thursday on Podfollow and Spotify.
High Rise is a 12 week creative writing radio drama project funded by European Social Fund.
During these 12 weeks, MBE appointed Louise Wallwein guided each participant to create their own episode. All 11 episodes explored Greater Manchester’s gentrification.
Since the last blog post, 4 more episodes have been released. Read on to learn more about each episode.
EP4: Nothing & Everything
Written & produced by Tom Braithwaite.
Guy, abandoned by the world, searching for the man responsible, runs into the arms of fate and a whirlwind romance with his rival’s daughter.
EP5: Same City. Total Opposites.
by Joe Johnstone.
‘Same City. Total Opposites’ follows one boy, who is torn from his mother and is introduced to the tower blocks of Manchester.
EP6: No Power Great Responsibility
Written and directed by Alapelode Oluwatobi.
In ‘No Power Great Responsibility’, a builder fights for the freedoms of his family as a big Construction firm kicks local builders out of business.
EP7: Block 2 Block
Written and directed by Jozef Bryer.
‘Block 2 Block’ is a story of one young adult adapting back to normal life. He encounters many obstacles in his way, as he navigates two different environments.
Reform Radio’s sister label, Rhythm Lab Records, are to host a night on the 21st October from 7:30pm-11:00pm. The event will be filled with sets from previous Rhythm Lab artists and a special guest Samrai from Swing Ting. The gig will take place at Night & Day Cafe, found in the bustling hub of the Northern Quarter.
The first from the line up is Samrai, co-founder of the legendary club night, label and Manchester institution that is Swing Ting . Below is his latest track with Farah Ahmad Khan from their project Planet-People-Power. The project explores Black, Indigenous & South Asian diaspora experiences in relation to climate change, touching on intersectional environmentalism, environmental inequality and the ecological interconnectedness between Manchester and the Global South.
Also on the Night & Day bill is Manchester based Hip Hop producer and flautist Sutty. Check out her soulful encapsulating performance at Reform’s stage at this year’s We Out Here: Online & On Air to get the flavour of what to expect on the night.
Sutty at the Soudcamp Showcase at We Out Here: Online & On Air 2021
Next up we have Kahreign who has been making noise for a while now across Manchester and beyond. They have an eclectic sound that effortlessly ventures into house, synth-pop & GQOM. Kahreign recently combined their hypnotic style with producer and DJ Shauna’s high energy beats on their release Underdog.
Kahreign performing at the Jäger x Reform Stage at We Out Here: Online & On Air 2020
Finally, we have China Lilly and Sindysman completing the line up. The two artists have previously joined forces on Dream Culture, a track created through the label’s Sonic Synthesis series. The series invites two artists that have never worked together to create singles independently and then swap their audio stems to rework each other’s tracks into a unique piece of music.
Purchase tickets for Rhythm Lab’s Night & Day event on the 21st October here.
This month, we have another Online Work Club session packed full of opportunities. The session will take place on Thursday 28th October from 3:30PM – 5:30PM.
Work Club runs on the last Thursday of every month with a full session based on opportunities for the future. It includes a number of speakers who discuss various opportunities available, as well as 1-1s and pastoral sessions, are also available.
Reform Radio and BBC 6 Music’s collaboration has finally been announced. Reform’s new BBC 6 show, The People’s Party, will be hitting the airwaves on 29th October from 7PM – 9PM (BST).
Produced by Reform Radio and hosted by composer, producer and DJ Afrodeutsche, the brand new Friday night show promises to be an energetic celebration for the end of the working week. A place for everyone to enjoy, share their passion for music and enter the weekend smoothly.
The show will reflect Reform’s ethos as a Manchester City Council Cultural Partner, working at the roots to promote and develop new talent.
Please send your music recommendations and ideas regarding possible radio show features to music@reformradio.co.uk.
