AudioActive: Autumn 2020 Newsletter
"Keep the music playing."
Amongst all the unusualness, there was a familiar ‘back to school’ feeling this Autumn.
Prior to this second lockdown, we’ve been able to get in the same room as young people once again. Room to Rant has expanded into new parts of Sussex and the Rule of Six has allowed for some tailored musical production meet-ups across Equaliser and our returning regular Sessions.
"Every day my head is music. Since doing the sessions it's even more so. I wanted to be a rapper since I was 6 but it'd always been a fantasy that didn't seem possible. Going to the studio for me was like a spaceship for a kid who wants to be an astronaut."
The sight of young people behind music production software or budding rappers holding microphones is a sight that we certainly do not take for granted. A grant from Youth Music has supported us with keeping Sessions going and will continue to help as we move these productive sessions online to provide valuable escapism for young people whilst so much of the world is on hold.
Lockdown II: “We’re still here, we’re not going anywhere.”
The latest instalment of lockdown regulations have of course required some problem-solving. However, in general, our staff and music leaders are upbeat and readily prepared for the challenge on this occasion, with some of the positives reported in our Summer newsletter being carried on.
“It's been a difficult year and its clear that both young people & our musical community need our support now more than ever. I've been amazed by the resilience and creativity with which our team have been able to adapt to this challenging new landscape and to continue to have an impact in the lives of young people. Keep the music playing.” - Adam Joolia, CEO at AudioActive
One-to-one support with young people that need some extra help can continue at this critical time, support groups like Room to Rant are free to crack on as well under government guidelines. While Rap Sessions in person are temporarily invite-only, the chance to give certain young people more attention and invite the wider music community to online alternatives is an unexpected positive that we enjoy.
EMERGE: Congratulations to dereck d.a.c. & Casper the Ghost 👏
This Autumn saw us announce the successful candidates for EMERGE, our artist-led development programme funded by PRS Foundation. Following an incredibly competitive series of interviews and live trials that reassured our judges of the potential that this local music scene has, we eventually came to a decision.
Local lo-fi underground hip-hop hero dereck d.a.c. and rapping bedroom pop producer Casper the Ghost came out on top. 23-year-old Dereck first attended our rap sessions when he was 17 and Ellie (Casper) is a regular at Equaliser - our weekly music production workshop for young women. We’re so excited to be working with them both.
“I didn't think I'd get very far without my GCSEs but…”
Formal education is not the best fit for everyone, that’s something that informs the work that we do. Practising creative skills helps creative young people get closer to making creativity their career.
With that in mind, we were particularly pleased to hear what one of Gizmo’s mentees has going on this term…
“I've just been accepted into BIMM to do a fast track course then to hopefully get on to the degree in a year. I'm doing Music Production and Live Sound. I sent them (BIMM’s admission team) 2 songs I'd made with Giz for my application. I didn't think I'd get very far without my GCSEs, but the head of the course asked for a video call with me and said he thought I had the right skills - so I'm happy about that."
Our second mixtape is out now! 🎉
Basic Standards Vol. 2 is up on our Soundcloud for your listening pleasure.
Once again, tough decisions had to be made to whittle down our tracklist to just one tape, so a big thanks to our judges who made that happen. Special thanks also go to Sumgii who mastered all the tracks from our young people, something that is bound to look good on their musical CVs
The Kustom Vibes continued online… 📺
Sticking with the above, we launched what is only our second-ever AudioActive Mixtape with a special edition live stream version of Kustom Vibes. Over a thousand people tuned in to see Ophelia’s Eden, Oxomo, FAR and Miri FLC absolutely smash it.
Making good use of Bottega Rooms, over a thousand of you tuned in to watch our young line-up of local talent. Keep an eye on AudioActive’s Facebook page for future live events, too.
Three more years (and three more towns) for Room to Rant… ⛅️
The news of a second lockdown has not curbed our enthusiasm for the future of Room to Rant.
Our rap and spoken word workshops dedicated to men’s mental health have launched in new towns across Sussex, with funding coming from Comic Relief. In partnership with YMCA, anyone aged 16-25 who identities as male or non-binary are welcome to our weekly sessions in Brighton, Crawley, Worthing and Eastbourne.
Having run successfully during the first lockdown of 2020, we’re ready to go with online alternatives of Room to Rant, too, ensuring space to vent for young men during what is undoubtedly a challenging time.
‘u k, g?’
We’re also really moved by the fundraising efforts of EOTT earlier this year, as the Brighton-based clothing brand raised over £1000 for Room to Rant with the sale of their mindful merchandise.
AudioActiveFM is three episodes deep! 📻
We’re truly seeing the end result of our partnership with RadioReverb. The Brighton-based radio station named AudioActive as their charity of the year for 2020/21, meaning that young people we work with can curate their own radio show.
With a rotating team of young talent, Nelson Navarro has flourished in his role as producer, and the content has not slowed down across the three episodes so far. Find all the broadcasts via RadioReverb’s Mixcloud.
Joey Deez Memorial Fundraiser
The family of the late Joey Deez very kindly chosen to highlight AudioActive as a fundraising cause in memory of a person who was loved by many in the Brighton music scene.
As a label manager of Village Live, a smiling shopkeeper at Rarekind Records and above all, an avid supporter of good music and independent artists, we were honoured to on the receiving end of donations in Joey’s memory. Exclusive t-shirts, records and more were made by his creative friends to aid the fundraiser, which has raised over £3000.
Our latest AudioActive Mixtape is dedicated to the memory of Joey Deez.
Thanks for reading our newsletter and your support for what we do.
If you want to get in touch with AudioActive in regards to our projects, sign-ups, collaborations or anything else, you can do so via info@audioactive.org.uk.
