If you enjoy sticking on a good playlist just as much as a great podcast, then this is the series for you!
We’re proud to have produced this 5 part series recognising Black artists’ contributions to Britain’s best loved music genres. Packed with music that you know and love, we spotlight the stories of instrumental people whose legacies have been sidelined, but without them British music would not be the same.
Hosted by Northerner and creative Mia Thornton, each episode she delves into a different music genre, exploring classical, punk, folk, dance and pop. Mia takes us on a journey within each, using intriguing storytelling, high profile interviews with contributors such as Craig David and Jaguar Bingham, and rich archival content to touch on important themes such as erasure and re-telling, breaking stereotypes plus legal and economic challenges. Listen to the full series on BBC Sounds.
We had a lot of fun recording with many contributors, often travelling across the UK to capture visual content too…
In the pop episode, broadcaster Clara Amfo discusses stereotypes, colourism and what is considered ‘desirable’ within pop’s power structures. Check out a snippet below.
In the punk episode, Benji Webbe, lead vocalist of Skindred, reflects on how being brought up by his Rastafarian brother shaped the sound he creates today.
Mia spoke to DJ Paulette, a trailblazer who played at Manchester’s iconic Hacienda nightclub, who discusses overcoming sexism, ageism and racism in the dance episode.
Instrumental also made history, being the first podcast for the BBC to make use of a new music rights agreement called SORP, allowing us to feature longer music extracts than the usual BBC documentaries you hear!
This podcast was produced under the Audio Lab 2024 scheme, an annual programme aiming to amplify the next-generation of audio creatives. You can learn more about Mia and her experience here.
The Early Career Promoter Fund is open again for applications after a successful first year of the programme. For the latest advice see the ‘How to Make a Strong Application’ webinar with Grants & Programmes Manager Ben Price on the PRS YouTube channel here.
Early Career Promoter Fund recognises the vital role independent promoters play in supporting the talent pipeline across England, and offers grant funding and capacity building support, with the aim of bolstering the local, regional and national ecosystems.
Grants of up to £3,500 will be available to support a range of activity, including:
The booking, programming and promotion of gigs, concerts, club nights, showcases, tours and other performances
Costs associated with those activities (including venue hire, production, artist and/or DJ fees, crew fees, administration and other related costs)
Capacity building (including mentoring, coaching, shadowing, workshops, masterclasses, and other skill building and networking opportunities)
Other expenditure which helps grantees to programme a diverse range of artists, develop new audiences and build their skills
The fund aims to help emerging promoters to do what they do best – book and promote shows to develop scenes, support artists and DJs and to reach and engage audiences locally, regionally, and nationally, and build sustainable careers in the grassroots music sector. Those receiving support will be able to step up to book and promote talent at a scale beyond their current level, and build their capacity, skills and networks.
Managed by PRS Foundation and supported by Arts Council England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the Early Career Promoter Fund also helps to address under representation, ensuring support reaches a diverse range of promoters, and proactively encourages grantees to support a diverse range of artists and music genres nationwide.
Change 100 is a flagship programme of paid summer internships, professional development and mentoring.
Alongside your paid internship, Change 100 provides support and guidance in sharing your disability and identifying and requesting workplace adjustments.
It’s also an opportunity to develop a peer network of fellow Change 100 participants, as well as accessing a wide ranging alumni community.
Consider yourself to have a disability or long-term condition as defined in the Equality Act 2010.
Be in your penultimate or final year of university level study, or have graduated within the last five years.
Have the right to work in the UK for a summer.
Still Not Sure If You’re Eligible?
If you’re still unsure if you can apply for our Change 100 internship scheme, you can find further information on eligibility criteria to help you check.
Peshkar are seeking artists across disciplines under the age of 30 who have an interest in working in a participatory way and an interest in digital practice, although experience in these areas is not essential, this is an opportunity for you to explore, develop, learn and accelerate.
There are no limits to artform, and they are interested in anyone from theatre, dance, music, visual arts, digital arts and beyond. All you need are some big ideas and are looking to develop your practice in participatory and digital environments.
This is a rolling opportunity and prospective candidates are contacted on a roughly quarterly basis.
This opportunity is for artists who would like to explore socially engaged participatory practice, identifying key target groups in the communities of Oldham, Bolton and Blackburn to explore themes and issues that are important to society in 2025/6.
This is a 10 day paid engagement including access to mentoring to develop concepts and ideas, training, support to develop digital content to profile your work across Peshkar’s social channels, time to develop and deliver a participatory piece of work with a target group and the chance to showcase work created at Peshkar’s annual flagship event, the Young Digitals Festival 2026.
The full value of the contract to the artist is £1665.
Peshkar are actively seeking under-represented artists so would particularly welcome applications who possess protected characteristics. We are also actively seeking artists who currently reside in Greater Manchester, Pennine Lancashire or West Yorkshire (Calderdale and Kirklees).
HYPE THEM returned with a bang on the airwaves last month. Hosting duo, kaoti & sher, welcomed Salford’s Roukaya B to the show for an incredible live session and chat. Roukaya B has been making moves in the Northern music scene, fusing sounds of jazz, RnB and soul. Therefore, we were beyond excited to share her genre-bending melodies on Reform Radio.
Check out the full live session and show below.
Off the back of the show, we caught up with Roukaya to find out more about her musical journey and inspirations.
Please can you introduce yourself (name, pronouns and star sign)
I am Roukaya B, she/they and a Gemini.
If you had to describe your music in three words to someone who had never heard it before, how would you describe it?
If I had to describe my music in three words – which is very hard for me – I would describe my music as “analog in digital”.
Where did your journey with music begin?
It’s always been a part of me to be honest. I’ve always felt connected to music very deeply and as though I really understood it from an early age. For example, how certain songs would make me feel when you heard them or being able to pick up melodies and lyrics really quickly.
In primary school my older sister and I would make up dance routines to our favourite songs. I would sing, and in high school I did BTEC music which taught me about basic production and music theory. This was where I started to focus on refining singing more. From here and alongside A Levels, I did a little stint in the Manchester United Youth Foundation Choir. This taught me a lot about my higher range and blending with other voices.
After completing my academic college studies aged 18, I enrolled at Access To Music in Manchester to do a vocal artist course. This taught me more about my range and studio workflow. It was where I began developing my writing skills, started busking in the city centre and where I first auditioned for Little Mix The Search.
I think this period in my life was really the solidifying factor of where my music journey began. Having danced with the rhythm for years and swayed with only academics for a couple at an A Level college, my studies at Access opened my eyes to the possibilities of what I could do with music and why I feel it as deeply as I do. It felt like a natural step back into something that was, at this stage, partially unknown, if that makes sense.
Have there been any important figures/role models in your musical journey or any that have inspired your sound/aesthetic?
Diving into that whole “analog in digital” to describe my sound, I’d say I resonate with artists of that similarity, like Amy Winehouse, Joy Crookes, Raye, Erykah Badu and Greentea Peng. I love artists that fuse or blend genres. My sound is definitely inspired by that and I think it’s showcased in not only beat selection, but flow and tone. I take a lot of inspiration from rap styles and love me some early 2000’s hip-hop, West coast and different styles of UK rap. I think it can be seen in even my most contemporary releases.
Where do you find inspiration for your creativity?
Usually it’s something that flows out of me, a melody of something, a flow, or a kind of cadence. My approach to creativity is very holistic. There is no specific knack or place, position, maybe even real reason for creating. It is more about capturing the essence of something. It definitely involves feeling what the vibe of something is too. For example, the track, the room I’m in, or the emotion I’m currently experiencing. I think that, combined with my everyday human experience, is where I find inspiration for my creativity.
How does your music writing process look?
The first steps definitely involve the inspiration for the creativity mentioned in the previous question. Usually from this I have some sort of rough outline of how I want something to feel and sound. Intelligibility on the other hand is different. Depending on what is laid down, some vocal phrases might say words which also contextualise the mood set. Alternatively, the whole take could be freestyle and the rhyming scheme and context may also be there for me when listening back to the voice memo or project laid down in the software.
In terms of collaboration, the process above may be how we work it. However, if there’s a hook or verse already laid down by the collaborator, I have an alternative process. This involves listening to the track a couple times to grasp the overall vibe, cadence, lyrical content and context. Then, either on the second or third listen of the song, I will freestyle something I think suits the track and my vibe.
If you had to recommend a music-centred event, space or venue in Manchester to somebody, where would you point them to?
Do Not Disturb for your intimate vibes. Also, 0161 Spotlight, Savage PnP, Sofar Sounds, Black Creative Trailblazers and Heads UK have an array of creative things to get involved with. Formatt GG also has a cool event coming up at the end of May to keep your eyes peeled for.
I’ll also say keep an eye out for Beyond The Music 2025. There will be so much to explore there and I know Factory International also has really cool showcases and events.
What do you see for the future of your music? Do you have any particular goals you’d like to achieve with your creative journey?
For the future of my music, I see myself being very experimental. I see myself diving in more with the capabilities of the human voice and seeing how it can be communicated through music as an instrument. I have a lot of really cool demos in the mix. These are blending more alternative/indie styles with soul, jazz, blues and rap. I’m really excited to start reworking them later this year to see what comes out of the project.
With my creative journey, my goals are to release music that continuously inspires me to create more. I want to create a community that unites those that have taken a few years to figure out what’s going on and how they truly want to express or communicate that. My goal is to make music that unites the outcasted or those labelled as something other than just being themselves. We’re all just figuring out what life is and my main goal is to capture the journey of chaos and the beauty of life.
Where’s the best place for people to find you on social media and to find your music? Instagram for gig updates and hot pics @iamroukayab. TikTok if you want the real me @badgyalroukrouk. My music is out on all streaming platforms – just search Roukaya B.
