In 2016 I became the producer of polymath group Soul Labels. Our focus was on experimental excursions into art, design and live performance. To get a better sense of our mission, vision and values, you can watch a few vlogs we made while on Creative United’s Prosper programme.
One of the events we were most proud of was Palm Wine Beats Live, a celebration of creativity in Africa and the diaspora. The panel discussion about archiving was particularly fascinating – an intergenerational conversation about heritage, identity and preserving one's culture. This short film by Dan Fontanelli will give you a real sense of the occasion. It was a great day in Dalston.
Then there was photographer Eddie Otchere's Icons of Wu, a one-day symposium of hip-hop culture focusing on the career of legendary group the Wu-Tang Clan. You can watch a short film about the project here. I curated and chaired the panel, organised a production workshop with CDR in association with Native Instruments, provided general project management and assisted on the PR campaign.
Here we are speaking about social enterprise and the importance of sustainability as a small business in the creative industries.
We were fortunate to be part of a supportive community of like-minded changemakers in London. Companies such as Teardusk have run lots of fun and informative sessions including Digital Drop Ins, where you can network, team up and gain practical advice on developing a business.
Basement Soul circa 2007: Amar Patel, Graham Luckhurst and Simon See
In 2007 I helped to launch monthly club session Basement Soul, together with Graham Luckhurst (aka Greymatter) and Simon See, at Jazz Place in Brighton. Our aim was simple: to reinvigorate the music scene on the south coast by championing "proper music for the headz, hips and feet". All styles: from Brazilian to broken beat, from hip hop to house.
Building on the success of the night, I compiled the following album with the boys – Sounds from the Floor Volume 1, which featured exclusives from Aroop Roy, Soulphiction, Andreya Triana with Kid Kanevil and Kid Sublime among others. Graham, Simon and myself also guested on DJ Culture host Jeannie Hopper’s WBAI radio show in New York.
A year later we helped Tokyo-based Aroop Roy, who appeared on our first release, to compile an album of progressive sounds collected from friends and associates in Japan. Graham and I DJ'ed at Aroop's highly influential Absolute! club night in Shibuya, the culmination of a life-affirming two weeks in the Far East.
Graham and I toured Estonia and Latvia a few years before, appearing at the legendary Mutant Disco night with Raul Saaramets and Rhythm Doctor. You can listen to us in the mix, peppered with brief moments of inaudible chatter, on Raul's radio show here.
