Global Academics to Present Research on Black British Music at First Annual BMRU Symposium

27 June 2024 - Press release

 

• Black British Music: Past, Present and Futures takes place at the British Library on 12 July
• Keynote from PRS Members’ Council President + academics, DJs/musicians and writers from SOAS, The University of Liverpool, Florida State University, and more
• Part of the first-of-its-kind Beyond the Bassline exhibition (until 26 August)

 

The University of Westminster’s Black Music Research Unit (BMRU) will host a symposium on 12th July, reflecting on the historical context and legacies that define Black British music. 

Black British Music: Past, Present and Futures is the result of ongoing research carried out by UK and US universities, as well as a broader partnership between the BMRU and the British Library on Beyond the Bassline: 500 years of Black British Music – the first major exhibition to document the 500-year musical journey of African and Caribbean people in Britain. 

Michelle Escoffery, President of the PRS Members’ Council and Ivor Novello Award-winning singer, songwriter and composer, will deliver a keynote session on the nuances of being a Black woman in music, as well as the challenges facing Black British artists.  

Other sessions will trace the geographic landmarks and cultures that have driven Black British music, and unpack Black British music’s representation of women and other genres including grime and drill. The event will also host a music and publishing roundtable considering how Black British Music has been depicted in media. The full programme is listed below.    

The speaker lineup, which is predominantly made up of women and covers a diverse range of expertise, includes E. Falade, a Black queer feminist DJ, ethnomusicologist and author of Queering Black British Music, and Estée Blu, an R&B-Jazz Singer, writer and Founder of BLU WAV artist wellbeing, as well as cultural historian Dr Holly-Gale Millette, and more.

Dr. Mykaell Riley, Director of the Black Music Research Unit at the University of Westminster and guest curator of Beyond the Bassline, said: “The Beyond the Bassline exhibition, known for its groundbreaking approach, was inspired by BMRU research, so it’s only fitting for the British Library to host our first annual symposium. This conference will distinctively highlight early-career female researchers with a focus on black British music.” 

Tickets for the symposium are available to purchase here, which includes refreshments and a sandwich lunch, as well access to the Beyond the Bassline exhibition at a special evening party event running from 18:30 – 21:30 Carnival Warmup and Soca Special with live performance by Triniboi Joocie plus DJs, costume and conversation. Curated by Lin Kam Art.

The BMRU aims to decolonise UK arts and culture, making the study of Black British music’s historical narratives more accessible and representative of the Black community. Previous work includes its landmark research which contributed to halting the Metropolitan Police's controversial Form 696, its 2019 Bass Culture exhibition which explored the evolution of UK music post-Windrush, and a student-led soundtrack for the BBC hit series ‘Boarders’.

Inspired by the British Library’s sound archive, Beyond the Bassline explores the people, spaces and genres that have transformed the landscape of British music. It is the first major exhibition to document the 500-year musical journey of African and Caribbean people in Britain and celebrates music as a form of entertainment and vehicle for community, as well as a source of liberation, protest and education.