Binary began from a chance meeting between Lee Millar and Wilson Logan in 2013. Musically, the pair can be quite diverse in their range of sounds, playing everything from sunshine house music to 135 BPM techno melters and everything in-between.
“To be able to share the skills I have learnt over the years…with people who reminded me so much of myself when I first started was an amazing experience. The more I look back at the programme the more I see how important these types of things are for women, queer and gender minority artists in our industry.”
Cape Town producer and record label owner Rose Bonica reflects on her experience for the past 6 months. A beautiful period where a new international collaboration programme came to life and the 4 track EPMutualism was born.
Mutualism EP is a joyous moment, which sees two communities reach out across continents to experiment and empower. A journey that spans African percussion, tinges of jungle, and beautifully sublime vocal performances.
The seeds of this EP were planted early last year. South African community organiser shesaid.so connected with Reform Radio, record label Rhythm Lab Records and Rose Bonica, to create an online space where 3 musicians from underserved communities in the Western Cape of South Africa collaborate on a track with 3 established Manchester producers. Alongside this collaboration, Rose worked with the selected group of young musicians aged between 18 and 35 to help develop new skills, knowledge and connections within the music industry.
The Manchester heavy hitters in question were Murder He Wrote, Obeka and Ellen Beth Abdi. The experienced artists mentored the South African participants, guiding them through the process of creating, structuring and releasing music for a label.
Vocalist and music maker Ellen Beth Abdi paired up with electronic artist Singlemotheroftwo. The two’s production style and instruments played didn’t align, but Ellen celebrated this as the “difference actually lent itself really well to the creative process as we filled in the blanks for each other when creating the track.” The track created from this collaboration is Teething Problems, an etherial breaks track filled with atmospheric vocals and out of this world sounds and piano chords that sew all elements together beautifully.
ELLEN BETH ABDISINGLEMOTHEROFTWO
Me Gusta resident Obeka joined forces with singer songwriter Chulu to produce Alone, a track inspired by one of their very first conversations on the feeling of longing to be around family but being distanced by circumstance. Chulu talks on how they wanted to create “something that felt like a siren call to home…placing it in sounds people often turn to when looking for release.” “We created a narrative to the song which communicates togetherness and understanding of unification through music” Obeka adds, “if we harness this and take care of the people around us you’ll never be alone!”
OBEKACHULU
And finally, we have UK funky legend Murder He Wrote and house enthusiast Shanzo making the third duo. The two created Lemons, a track that radiates positivity and good vibes with its warm melodies and dynamic yet chill percussion pattern.
“Working with an established artist was very exciting,” Shanzo reminisces. “I saw it as an opportunity to elevate the current place my art is at…The collaboration, while a little outside of my comfort zone, felt very natural and helped me engage with my writing in particular in a new and exciting way.”
MURDER HE WROTESHANZO
The exchange of skills was not just a one way street. Seasoned producer Murder He Wrote shares how the collaboration encouraged him to see producing in a new light. “Shanzo brought real positivity, creativity and good vibes to our zoom sessions and also a different way of working to me – more melody led (and in different software too). It’s definitely inspired me to switch up my way of approaching a track.”
A monthly session based on opportunities for the future. The session includes 1-1s, both CV and cover letter support, and invites several speakers to discuss various opportunities available.
The next online session will take place on Thursday 9th March – from 15:30 – 17:30.
Ever wanted to learn the production side of radio? Or have the chance to test your hosting skills live on air?
Our two week fully funded Radio Course is returning on Monday 13th March, with a taster session taking place on Thursday 9th March from 12:30PM – 2:30PM.
See flyer below for more details & how to get involved.
The latest Music Course finished with an absolute bang, wrapping up with a live radio show showcasing every participants’ production. This group definitely brought versatility and energy, with genres spanning from heartfelt indie rock to euphoric downtempo afrobeat.
We sat down with Peter to get glimpse into his experience for the past 2 weeks!
Can you please introduce yourself?
My name is Peter, and I’ve been part of a music course at Reform Radio where they help you become an artist and develop your sense of art.
Who inspires you as an artist?
Who inspires me the most? I would probably say an African artist named Davido. They create African type Afrobeat music. I grew up listening to that type of music a lot, so take a lot inspiration from that.
What are you favourite genres?
Hip-hop, Afrobeat and … maybe classical? I listen to a lot of orchestral music from movie soundtracks.
What was your knowledge on music production before the course?
I would say I had a decent knowledge because I had previous experience in producing music. So it’s not like I had no sort of clue what I was doing. Obviously you always need help in certain things, but the basics I had.
Why did you decide to join the course?
I’ve always had an interest in music. It was more of a hobby and I didn’t know whether to take it seriously. So I was like, ‘Let’s try this out.’ And if it goes well, who knows? Who knows what might happen after.
I also joined for the environment and to develop my sense of style, because back when I used to make music, I just created whatever seemed good in the moment. I wasn’t focusing what might be unique to me.
Let’s throw it back to your first day at Reform versus now, tell me a bit about your first impressions/feelings/emotions in comparison to how you feel now. What has changed?
The first day was exciting. You’re looking forward to the challenge in a way. People are really welcoming, they care about how people are feeling. And two weeks on, with the show coming up, I felt a different kind of excitement. You’ve put in the work and waiting to see whether the hard work has payed off.
Finally, what was the most memorable moment from the course?
We played a warm up game called Empire where you have to build your own empire. I won and I’m still the Emperor to this day…!
You can listen to the full project show below!
If you would like to get involved or find out more about any of our projects, please drop us an email at projects@reformradio.co.uk.
It’s time to kickstart your comedy career with our first ever comedy course!
Starting on Monday 20th February, this fully funded 1 week course will give you the chance to learn with like-minded artists, and get to grips with the industry through work experience in the following week.
There is an exciting opportunity to join the Reform Radio team in Manchester, as our new Engagement Assistant. We’re a growing community interest company and award-winning online radio station, dedicated to supporting young people to access cultural opportunities and career pathways in the creative industries. As part of our Engagement Team you’ll be a part of engaging with young people and organisations around Greater Manchester to support participants on to our variety of creative programmes and workshops.
Our ideal candidate will have experience of working with young people in an outreach or community environment, with a commitment to the work of Reform Radio, but we are open to considering applications from people with a range of relevant experiences. We’re committed to supporting young people from underrepresented and underserved groups within the creative industries, and therefore encourage applications from individuals from these groups.
ROLE DESCRIPTION:
The role of the Engagement Assistant will be to;
Discover, reach and recruit new participants from Greater Manchester / North of England to attend workshops, and to ensure the correct eligibility of participants
Develop new community links, build new relationships and networks on behalf of Reform Radio
Increase the awareness of the work of Reform Radio within communities and across JCP+ across Greater Manchester
Support the journey and smooth transition of a young person starting on a Reform Radio programme
Complete all necessary paperwork, and follow all systems relating to the Engagement Assistant’s role on time and to a high standard
Follow all safeguarding procedures
Attend all training as requested by Reform Radio
Correctly log, systemise and organise recruitment for Reform Radio projects
Comply with our policies
Be flexible to working evening and weekends
Deliver taster workshops and presentations
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential skills, knowledge and qualities required:
Excellent email and telecommunication skills
Excellent organisational skills
Experience of work within community settings
Experience of working with young people
Confidence in public speaking
Desirable skills, knowledge and qualities required:
Experience of running creative workshops
Experience of planning and delivering presentations
Good use of any of the following Excel, Google Drive or CPOMs (or other data management systems)
A good knowledge of Greater Manchester’s geographical areas and agencies
Full UK Drivers Licence
JOB DETAILS:
Hours: 30hrs/week – This role is generally Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm, but some weekend and evening work is required
Salary: £11.00 per hour
Annual Leave: 21 days + your birthday
Pension: Nest Pension scheme
Location: This role is mainly office based, with some place based work and some flexibility to work from home when required. Address: Bonded Warehouse, 18 Lower Byrom St, Manchester, M3 4AP
To apply, please send the following to lewys@reformradio.co.uk before 5PM onFriday 10th February:
A CV (max 2 pages) and cover letter (max 2 pages)
Or a video/audio file (max 5 minutes) telling us about your relevant experience and why you think you’re a good fit for this role
If you have any other access needs/requirements or if you are facing barriers in applying that we can help remove then please get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you.
A monthly session based on opportunities for the future. The session includes 1-1s, both CV and cover letter support, and invites several speakers who discuss various opportunities available.
The next online session will take place on Thursday 9th February – from 15:30 – 17:30.
A new year can be exciting for some, daunting for others and a mixed bunch of all kinds of emotions for many. January is a whole melting pot of doubts, aspirations, joggers and reflection.
We asked all our lovely staff to share their January experiences and how they deal with the obstacles that come with a new year.
Cal
Cal – January can feel unusually heavier than other months, but I have used it as a fresh start to re-align with my aspirations for the year ahead. I am doing new things, keeping fit and setting affirmations which has all helped me hit the ground running.
Lewys – I have set myself some challenges for the new year and feel optimistic about these. I also scheduled in to re-connect with old friends which always helps keep my spirits high.
Farwa – My birthday is in January, so I always have something to look forward to. This always takes the edge off what can sometimes feel like a slow month.
Olivia
Olivia – Although it was so nice to catch-up with university friends, I have felt drained of energy and motivation. However, I have been able to turn this around by sleeping earlier and trying a new hobby! I finally tried rock climbing for the first time and although I was nervous, I really enjoyed it and would recommend trying new things to kick January into the shape you need it to be.
Ciara
Ciara – I find January an alright time of the year. I do feel a bit deflated having just left home after a nice break and getting back into my regular routine. I always take full advantage of January’s discounts at restaurants, a good excuse to try nice food.
Alice
Alice – January was a bit of a rough start. I was so busy with the lead up to it that it felt like a bit of shock crossing the NYE line. I feel like there’s a lot of pressure around re-focusing and reassessing your lifestyle from the get go of the year. I realised that I hadn’t done that in a while, so it felt like a monstrous task and onset a lot of anxiety. This year, I used the start of the year to just stop and relax when I could. I fought the urge of forcing myself to get stuck in straight away and its honesty made me feel so much better! Take your time and don’t feel pressured by the other flows around you!
Jo
Jo – I always feel pretty exhausted in January, and the Christmas holidays never quite do the job of making me feel re-charged as I hope they will. It’s a dark and rainy month. I do love that January is all about new beginnings and fresh-starts, but that comes with the pressure of new healthy habits and feeling like you need to make positive change. As though last year was never good enough. For me, the best way to take on January isn’t to set myself challenging goals, but to focus on doing kind and enjoyable things for myself. The only New Years resolutions I’ve ever kept are ones that bring enjoyment.
Jemma
Jemma – I navigate it by reminding myself that Jan is a whole month not to be written off, but to be used well and try to remember to be grateful to have the chance to be here.
If you or anyone you know is in need of urgent mental support or help, please check our blog post with plenty of resources.
As part of our Employment Team, you’ll be engaging with young people and organisations around Greater Manchester to support participants on to our variety of creative programmes and workshops. Our ideal candidate will have experience working with young people in an outreach or community environment, with a commitment to the work of Reform Radio. However, we are open to considering applications from people with a range of relevant experiences.
We’re committed to supporting young people from underrepresented and underserved groups within the creative industries, and therefore encourage applications from individuals from these groups.
If you’d like to chat about this opportunity, please contact Lewys, Head of Programmes, on lewys@reformradio.co.uk or on 0161 806 0879. The job description and person spec are also available as an audio file, and we’re happy to accept applications in written format, audio or video.
ROLE DESCRIPTION:
The role of the Employment Assistant will be to;
Support participants engaged with Reform Radio, through key activities which include: action planning; IAG/coaching; barrier removal; referring and signposting to support & training organisations; transition and exit support for each participant on their caseload.
Support participants towards education, training and employment that’s right for them.
Support participants in signposting them towards mental health and wellbeing support, boosting their confidence, resilience and motivation.
Provide support to all participants on a one-to-one basis and in group settings dependent on the needs identified by the diagnostic assessment.
Support CV writing, cover letters and job applications to a high-quality standard
Coach and prepare participants for job interviews and assessments
Use digital systems to complete, maintain and review participants’ Action Plans, record all activity and share information appropriately.
Deliver services across Greater Manchester to meet the needs of the Young Person.
Ensure that the Health and Safety needs of individuals and groups are appropriately met.
To complete all necessary paperwork, and follow all systems relating to the Employment Assistant role on time and to a high standard.
To follow all safeguarding procedures.
To attend all training as requested by Reform Radio.
To correctly log, systemise and organise support given to Young People
To comply with our policies.
To be flexible to working evening and weekends.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential skills, knowledge and qualities required:
Excellent email and telecommunication skills
Assertive communication skills
Excellent organisational skills
Experience of work within community settings
Experience of working with young people
Confidence in public speaking
Experience of supporting young people in a pastoral or careers setting
Experience of mentoring
Knowledge of safeguarding policies and legislation
A good knowledge of Greater Manchester’s support organisations, employers and opportunity providers
Good use of any of the following Excel, Google Drive or CRM systems (or other data management systems)
Desirable skills, knowledge and qualities required:
Experience working towards monthly individual and team targets and goals
High level of attention to detail
Full UK Drivers License
JOB DETAILS:
Hours: 30hrs/week – This role is generally Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm, but some weekend and evening work is required.
Salary: £11.00 per hour
Annual Leave: 21 days + your birthday
Pension: Nest Pension scheme
Location: This role is mainly office based, with some place based work and some flexibility to work from home when required.
November 2022 welcomed the first ever instalment of DJ Sessions for experienced DJs. Last Friday the course finished with a bang, bringing together and shining a light on all the artists with a high-energy showcase!
This two-week advanced course invited seasoned Disc Jockeys to take their craft to next level. Learning advanced digital & vinyl DJ techniques, getting support on their promo assets, and strengthening their network. All working towards grabbing more gig opportunities!
We spoke to Omar, a participant from this session who started their DJ journey with our beginners DJ Sessions course!
Please introduce yourself…
My name is Omar Bala. I’ve been going through this DJ course, which is massive. I studied sound engineering and over the past few years, I’ve been mostly spending my time doing hospitality work. I met lots of musician friends through that, and they introduced me to a lot of new genres I’ve never heard before, which excited me about DJing.
What are your hobbies and interests?
I’ve always been interested in arts. I studied interior design for three and a half years, a year of industrial design, then three and a half years of graphic design. My biggest passion was photography since 2008. I became obsessed with it. I participated in a lot of workshops, exhibitions, and facilitated a course on graphic design and photography while I was living in Malaysia before moving to Manchester.
I paused [creatively] due to a lot of reasons. I kind of disconnected from myself for a very long period and couldn’t really get creative in any way until very recently.
Describe your personality in 3 words!
Fluid, dynamic and ever changing.
If money wasn’t a thing, what would you like to be doing full time?
I’d be making art. Also helping people to be more in touch with themselves and fitting with what they want to be.
What prompted you to get involved with DJ Sessions?
A friend of mine knew about this course and mentioned it. He took a Radio Course before and told me about what kind of an organisation Reform is and what kind of courses they do. It seemed really interesting and suitable for me.
DJing is something that I never imagined actually getting into but I’m so glad that I did.
How did you first get involved with DJing?
Reform Radio! I DJ’ed for the first time [at the beginners DJ Sessions course]. It was the first time I ever touched a deck. I was nervous throughout, to be honest. But, as I learned more, my confidence built up slowly. The facilitators helped me massively in this department. They gave me constant guidance and also some encouragement and validation, which really helped.
What’s your favourite thing about DJing?
Lifting people’s emotions up with the music that you play. It just connects people. It’s similar to why I love cooking for people. It brings them together, connects them, puts them on the same level, and good things happen.
Let’s throw it back to your first day at Reform versus now, tell me a bit about your first impressions/feelings/emotions in comparison to how you feel now. What has changed?
I still experienced some anxiety today at the final showcase. It’s something constant for me. I struggle with making mistakes even though I know everybody makes mistakes. First day I was astronomically nervous. Today I was much less, like 5% of that. But yeah, I gained a lot of confidence. I also was socially a bit more open today in comparison to my first day where I was completely shut.
What was the most memorable moment from the course?
I would say the showcase. The beginners course had a bigger group with music that varied to a ridiculous degree. This time the group was a bit smaller, which helped with the flow of learning.
I also learned a lot more than the beginners course, even though I didn’t know anything when I attended that one!
But the most memorable moment from the advanced course, I’d say were the tips and guidance from Gregor and Niall, and the two sessions where musicians came to show us their skills, like the fundamentals of vinyl scratching and the basics of music production.
If you would like to get involved or find out more about any of our projects, please drop us an email at projects@reformradio.co.uk.
Ever wanted to create your very own podcasts? Have ideas, but not sure how to bring them to life? Or are you simply curious?
Come and design your very own podcast, whilst learning production and audio editing skills in our award winning studios!
The two week long course will run from Monday 5th to Friday 16th December, kicking off at 10AM and wrapping at 4PM everyday. If you’re uncertain whether this is the right course for you, drop into our taster sessions on Wednesday 30th November.
Every month we spotlight our lovely residents’ events. Here are a few ways to spend your weekends in some of Manchester’s most adored night-time spots this November.
DOCTORS AT WORK WITH RUBY SWALLOW [FREIGHT ISLAND]
Reform resident Levi Love will be playing along side Douglas McConachie, Yadava Campbell and curator of the night Ruby Swallow.
Catch the crew at Freight Island on Saturday 12th November.
Great Danes are back with another instalment! Showcasing the people behind the collective, with the sounds of residents CONE, Lucian and MBB, as well as DJ Shuttlecock making his long awaited return.
Hit up XLR on Saturday 19th November for an energetic fusion of Leftfied Bass, UK Techno and all things 140.
BASEMENT BOOGIELAND X ALEX VIRGO
Coming in extremely hot off the success of last years event, Good Custard bring in demand London DJ, Producer & Remixer, Alex Virgo to YES Basement!
On support is groove merchant, Hodgey who has had recent success with hits on RePlay Records and Late Ninety. Josh has since relocated to Manchester to showcase his funky inspired grooves and we can’t wait to see him in the booth.
Head down to Brew Tang in Manchester November 26th to enjoy some of the cities best vocalists including acts like Ten23, Via, Prima, Mo Othman, Soul31 & Dj Squal will be dropping 90’s RNB classics.
Tickets are only £9.05 and are available on the link below.
4 day course dedicated to learning about facilitation, funding, taxes and what it takes to be a freelancer.
If you’ve ever thought about setting up your own business, it’s important to understand your audience, self-employment and taxes. Facilitating workshops and delivering socially engaged projects in your community will require you to know how to write funding bids, work with partners, plan sessions and evaluate their success.
Creative Leadership will be running on the 3rd, 4th, 10th and 11th of November from 10 AM – 4 PM.
Please see the flyer below for further details & how to get involved.
Do you want to take your DJ career to the next level? Then this 2-week course is exactly what you were looking for.
This November, in partnership with Do As You Please, we invite you to Reform Radio to learn about advanced digital & vinyl DJ techniques, work on your bios and artist assets as well as to network and take part in various industry talks, hosted by local legends.
The programme will wrap up with a showcase where you will be able to show off your skills and secure future gig bookings.
The course is absolutely free and we cover your lunch and travel.
See flyer below for more info and to get involved.
If you are interested in music production, radio production, social media and creative writing, we have the perfect workshop for you this September.
Music course is a 2-week programme with a focus on music production and creating a radio show that showcases your original creations. Funded byManchester Adult Education Service, the project runs from Monday 3rd – Friday 14th of October, with a taster day on September the 29th.
See the flyer below for further details & contacts to get involved.
Come and learn about facilitation, funding, taxes and what it takes to be a freelancer during our four-day workshop Creative Leadership this September.
If you’ve ever thought about setting up your own business, it’s important to understand your audience, self-employment and taxes. Facilitating workshops and delivering socially engaged projects in your community will require you to know how to write funding bids, work with partners, plan sessions and evaluate their success.
Creative Leadership will be running on the 1st, 2nd, 8th and 9th of September from 10 AM – 4 PM.
Please see the flyer below for further details.
If you are interested in this project, drop us an email at projects@reformradio.co.uk.
If you are aged 19-30 and based near Manchester city centre, head down to Reform on August 18th between 12:30 – 2:30 PM for our second taster day. These sessions will run in the space at Reform and kick off from August 22nd – Sept 2nd.
This project will see you learn the ins and outs of what it means to be part of a Radio Production team. Throughout the two weeks, you will alternate between presenter and producer roles, developing skills in music software, script writing and public speaking, as well as other digital and media skills.
See the flyer below for more details.
If you would like to get involved in this project, please drop us an email at projects@reformradio.co.uk.
We’re currently looking for an experienced music Radio Producer to join the team and work on our weekly BBC Radio 6 Music show, The People’s Party with Afrodeutsche. The show broadcasts live from Media City every Friday, 7 – 9pm.
For the right candidate, the view will be to turn this into full-time after this period. We’re looking for someone who is interested in joining us long term and using their experience to help build our team, responding to new briefs and developing new ideas to pitch to partners. We want someone who is passionate about bringing new talent into the industry and has new ideas for how we can do this more successfully.
DESIRABLE SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND QUALITIES:
The right candidate should be able to demonstrate the following.
At least three years assistant producer or higher experience in a live studio environment, preferably at the BBC.
The ideal candidate would have produced in some capacity for BBC 6 Music already.
A serious passion and historical knowledge of music of all genres.
Particular passion and knowledge of club focused electronic music, ideally with experience producing radio shows of this nature.
A good understanding of 6 Music programming, music and editorial policy.
Excellent talent management skills and experience of working with presenters in a live environment
A great communicator and highly organised.
Awareness of compliance requirements for BBC radio and BBC Sounds.
Full of ideas of how we can develop the show further as well as ideas for future strands and programmes.
JOB DETAILS:
Hours: 24 hours per week for an initial 6 month contract. For the right candidate, the view will be to turn this into full time after this period.
Salary: £30,000 / 35,000 a year pro rata depending on experience; 24 hours a week.
Annual Leave: 17 days + your birthday
Pension: Nest Pension scheme
Location: This role has varied locations, either at Reform Radio in Bonded Warehouse, Byrom St, Manchester or the BBC studios at Media City, Salford
To apply, please send the following to sam@reformradio.co.uk before the Friday 29th July:
A CV (max 2 pages) and cover letter (max 1 page)
Or a video/audio file (max 5 minutes) telling us about your experience and why you think you’re a good fit for this role
If you have any other access needs/requirements or if you are facing barriers in applying that we can help remove then please get in touch.
Soundcamp is a 12 week programme that gives up and coming artists the opportunity to develop their performance and music business skills, delivered in partnership with Youth Music. The Soundcamp Spotlight series is a feature that aims to shine the light on Soundcamp artists and share their story with our audience.
Taking the reins for this instalment is Anamelia…
Please could you introduce yourself?
Hey yo, my name is Anamelia aka Ana*meh*lia aka Anamelly aka The Polecunian.
When did your musical journey start?
I was very very young when I first started singing and performing, I’m talking 3/4 years of age. My first ever award diploma for singing and performing dates back to when I was 3 years old.
How would you best describe your production and mixing style?
Production I would say is quite holistic. I much prefer producing in a way where I’m directing someone who’s waaaaay more skilled than me on the sound production side of things and engineering things. I’m quite techy, but making beats isn’t really my preferred way of working as I’m very easily distracted. I can’t seem to sit in front of a computer screen for too long. I’m more of throw ideas in the air type of person and compose and produce through directing sound producers.
You were part of the Soundcamp cohort back in 2019, what were someof your highlights?
Definitely performing at Night & Day, probably having Jenna G as my mentor too, & mostly the confidence I have gained in my own art. Seeing again how different every single artist was and how there were almost no right or wrong answers with music or art. Just fully immersing myself in that particular moment. Soundcamp was probably the first time I had a chance to finish some of my beats and I actually showed them to a room full of people.
Last year, you were recognised by VICE in an article titled: ‘The UK Is Overlooking Its Homegrown Polish Rappers.’ You speak about being a Polish rapper in the UK and the challenges you have faced. What are some of these challenges? How do you think the UK could change, or progress, to support artists like yourself.
I think Polish people, we’re still very much a minority group and I guess we’re still portrayed in our stereotypes. TV shows and programmes very much put us in these boxes where actors are builders or cleaners but there are sooooo many successful business owners or creatives in this country. There’s a whole underground Hip Hop scene of Poles in Manchester, I presume there’s probably one in London, too. I know there’s one in Edinburgh, Peterborough and Brum. This just makes me wonder why these artists never reach the mainstream, or access developmental projects or funding. This is a big topic to break down, I have done some research, but with a lot of this I might be wrong as from my observation so far, I have a feeling there might be people out there who don’t even want to identify as Polish artists (for various reasons) and hence why I haven’t found them – but this is definitely ongoing research that I’m actually looking into as part of my masters right now.
BUT, as per myself, I have a lot of support around me and I think people need to stop being dismissive of how much of expertise I have, and perhaps consciously give someone like myself – a foreign woman – a chance to speak up, showcase music and recognise my ideas and projects as worthy, by giving me help in areas that I might be struggling with. I guess we’re new to this country, or at least I can speak for myself.
This industry is EXTREMELY competitive, I’d even say that it is one of the hardest industries in the world and it is always easier and smoother when you know the right people. I think as a Polish community, we’re still building our contacts database within the British society. I’m not here to play victim, these are just my observations. I’m here to develop and build my community up, if they’re unaware of these projects around the city, I shout about them, I help people with marketing. I basically try to utilise my skills and knowledge to help people, and that’s why I’m a mentor at a University I guess.
You took part in HERchester in 2021 – what made you decide to get involved?
I wanted to develop my rap skills, I always rapped or used melodic rap techniques but never called myself a rapper. That was definitely a moment for me when something flipped and I realised that I’m a full rounded artist, which means – if I wanna do a rap track, I can do that as that’s my art and that’s my expression for that particular moment & I would very much encourage everyone to try that mindset – just be free and don’t allow ‘society’ or the industry to put you in boxes.
What are you hoping your next steps will be?
I’m constantly working on things but I guess it is fair for me to announce that I have started a business, in partnership with someone. We’re doing events, we have a bookings system/agency thing going on & we actually have a recording studio/band rehearsal space out for hire in town. It’s been pretty much word of mouth at the moment. But this is definitely another example of how a bit of funding from the Arts Council has now gone a loooooong way for me. They gave me a couple of grand during Covid to build a home studio, and with my mate, we built acoustic panels from scratch – ordered wood, and specific absorbent material, not gonna go into all the ingredients, but I’m quite proactive and resourceful – knowing that I didn’t have enough budget to buy panels, we purchased the materials and did them ourselves. We measured the whole room to get specific acoustics to know how many panels we needed and in what measurement to get the right sound with advice from some sound engineering pros. I mean, I don’t actually like math but we fully pulled it off. I mention this to give an example of how a bit of funding can go a long way for an artist like myself or other upcoming/emerging artists
Obviously, I’m constantly making music. I’ve just been to Spain last month to film, and Poland last weekend to perform. I’m doing okay. I’m in London every few weeks working on something too, but generally, I’m performing in the Northern Quarter every week, so that’s where Manchester can catch me. As per new music, I pretty much have featured releases every month. Solo stuff is currently in the works.
Anything upcoming that you would like to shout out?
Come see me perform – at Wilson’s Social 8 -11pm every Thursday. We’re also gonna be starting themed dance events like Salsa, Disco or Funk and Soul night with a full band on a Friday, so keep a lookout for these on my socials & hopefully see you there 🙂
What was the last event you went to?
Probably the ones I play, as I perform 2/3 times a week I have very little free time in the evenings but boy, I do have a need to go to see someone soon! H.E.R is coming to Manchester so I’m hoping to get tickets and Tyler the Creator is playing at Parklife so I’m gonna try to hustle some tickets too.
Are there any local artists/musicians/collectives that you would like to shout out?
Yes! My Polish peeps – PPZ and the Slum Dog Crew. My favourite people Guacamaya Latin band who I’ve had the pleasure of working with recently.
And finally… What’s one thing that’s happened recently that’s made you smile?
I have moved into my own flat, as in, this is the first time in my life where I’m living entirely on my own and I’m LOOOOVING it!
