strangequarter – Manchester’s New Queer District
It is undeniable that Manchester is full of cultural gems, well-known and hidden, big or small. Whether you’re into warehouse raves, discovering DJs in a basement or queer garden parties, the city has something to offer you. I have been living in Manchester for exactly 4 months now, and the city has opened me up…
Wolf Music at Corsica’s new venue The Paperworks
With the summer upon us (or as it has been blessing us recently), the idea of submitting to the government’s guidelines of social distancing parties outdoors doesn’t seem too bad. Although, in these uncertain times, it may feel to many that the ‘pub garden party’ is a replacement to raving all-night-long in clubs and bars,…
Unregulated Business, Institutionalisation and Corruption in the UK Underground scene: Interview with Entity London
It is no secret between us in the industry that more than often personal agendas, immoral discrimination and the simple lack of regulations affect the fair trade of music and live events in the Underground scene. Artists and small organisations are influenced and forced into ways of working that have corrupted the community of UK…
Music and The Male Gaze: Being A Woman In The Industry
‘Men act and woman appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at’- John Berger, Ways of Seeing (1972). This outdated sociology of the relationship between men and women in art has infested our modern industry, creating a huge gap between gender roles in music. For decades, the female form has been used…
Inside London’s music scene during Lockdown 2020
A couple of months ago we were frantic. How would creatives in the art and music industries survive through this proposed lockdown scenario? No gigs, no venues, no festival season. There will always be a need for music, however, and there is always a way to provide. We have seen a turning point for the…
MELODIES & BASSLINES: AOB, SACHA YONAN AND IORIE Live at Aures London
A low light, a light crowd and the bass of a herd- heavy and booming- with darts of techno loops. Blanche London’s latest event during their series at Aures, London, Conference of Birds, took over Leake Street last night. The night was set apart by its inspiration from 12th Century Sufi poem by Farid ud-Din…
LOOSE THEORIES LIVE: Sustainability in the Music Industry (The Panel)
Panel 15.01 Emma Cavendish and Alex Brookes [presenters] personal introduction The environmental impact of the music industry has been neglected over the past two decades. There is hardly any research in to the damage caused by touring, CD/Vinyl production, events and venue use, merchandise. Digital platforms for downloading music have of course grown over recent…
WHY BRITAIN NEEDS A MUSICAL REVOLUTION NOW
With the election results putting an even duller dampener on the January blues, Brexit seems to be just around the corner. For some of us, the news of the conservatives continuing in parliament is a devastating way to start a new decade. A union is about to be broken. Whether or not the NHS will become privatised and…
Plastic Dreams by Emanuelle Soum live at the Tate Modern
The Tate Modern opened its doors on Sunday evening (01.12.19) for The Future is Near, a night of talks, art and performances “exploring climate justice and environmental racism.” There were showcases from all industries; Sustainable textiles, film, video, sound, debate, dance. The parade of multimedia attracted all senses, making me really engage with the proposed questions from…
Nomad Live: An Afterthought
The room radiated with red as visual artists Tundra began their performance at Aures London on Friday (22.11.19). The St Petersburg arts collective have been displaying their project NOMAD, ‘audio-visual generative laser projection performances’ across the globe. These installations create a simultaneous multi sensory experience of light and sound using sequences of visual patterns randomly changing in response to audio. Following Tundra,…
Genre as a ‘social power’ with Disco Teq’s Maleekaveli
For part three and the last article on genre studies, I linked up with Disco Teq’s Maleekaveli before they, alongside Birmingham’s Rinse Out Media, took over The Castle with their event ELECTROPARADISO. With Maleekaveli, DJ’s Billund The Kid, Louis A.M. and Trieste took to the decks giving their own flavour to the already very mixed genre event. A night of groovy electro, some freaky breaks…
The Evolution of a Genre: Smile End interview
Welcome to part two of the Loose Theories’ genre studies collection. The focus has shifted to a new scene for this edition- post-punk London. Smile End Music filled Brick Lanes’ Werkhaus last week with an epic selection of punk and indie bands for the ultimate gig. I took the opportunity to learn more about the movement and…
Genre as a ‘social construct’: BUD X AMSTERDAM review
I went to the event with expectations of a dedicated crowd, informality and a lot of introductions. To a degree, that’s what I found. I came, thinking from with the angle of my research question, ‘is genre a necessary social construct?’ With this ambiguous statement in mind, I delved deep into what BUD X Amsterdam…
Loose Theories. 