Sonic Sounds of East London

Project
Sonic Sounds of East London

Funder
Foundation for Future London

Project team
Gain Ctrl

Location
East London

Music is often used as a response to the challenging economic, political, and physical environments many young people grow up in. Drill and rap music often get negative attention for the violent content of the lyrics - but what is often overlooked is the lived experiences that the young people are expressing through their music, the storytelling of their lives and the environments in which they live.

Through our Sonic Sounds of East London project we used the power of music as a vehicle to open a dialogue with young East Londoners, connecting their creative expression and storytelling to cultural placemaking.

This collaborative project between Beyond the Box and Gain Ctrl used the arts as a vehicle for skills development, creating employment opportunities for young East Londoners in the creative sector.

Working with young East Londoners we developed their skills in cultural production, music production, artist development and live performance, broadening their networks and connections. We also created paid employment for the young people total part in producing cultural events.

The young participants worked with both organisations to gain technical and sector-specific skills. Working closely with the Gain Ctrl team, the aspiring artists accessed an industry-leading music production & artist development programme. The young artists worked alongside in-house music producers to develop original tracks which they performed at the opening of the People’s Pavilion.

In addition, Beyond The Box worked with young East Londoners co-produced a series of industry events, talks, masterclasses and career networking experiences, connecting creatives across the sector - enabling a wider network of young people to engage with the programme.

The live event series saw us produce events that aimed to grow young people’s networks, raise awareness of career routes into the creative sector and provide tangible outcomes and opportunities.

Event Production

The young cultural producers curated a series of events as part of the programme. The first saw a collaboration with Stu Fish, who are a team of entertainment architects with ambitious and pioneering work, exploring new ways to inspire audiences and visitors, from musical experiences to theatrical shows, exhibitions, and buildings. Designer Zarya Vrabchecva discussed their work with Stormzy, Madonna, ABBA and more.

The second event titled Exchange East saw conversations between the young cultural producers and Founder of Dialled In Almass Badat whose purpose is to spotlight and platform the wealth of South Asian artistry by building long-term self-sustainable spaces. Almass was joined by Cultural Curator Nate Agbetu. The event saw film screenings and market stall holders selling products and exchanging ideas and skills.

The cultural producers accessed a special behind the scenes tour of The Old Vic with architectural practice Haworth Tompkins and the team at the Old Vic, exploring how cultural spaces are designed to create world leading live and immersive experiences.

Further events were designed as part of the People’s Pavilion festival including DJ workshops with Mya Mehmi and industry talks with East London based creatives and musicians.

Music Production & Performance

The young musicians and music producers worked with our partners Gain Ctrl to create original tracks which they performed at the opening at the People’s Pavilion in Leabridge, East London.

The young aspiring musicians worked with Founder Sem, a multi-platinum music producer that has a number of top 10 charting credits and has worked with the likes of One Direction, Wretch 32, Lily Allen and Professor Green. Dan, who is the main producer for Eric IV, with production credits for Ramz, Sneakbo, Squeeks and more. Tash, regular host for Camden Roundhouse's events and studio session engineer for the likes of Joe Black, Mowgs and more