The tie-in book for the Beyond the Bassline exhibition at the British Library, curated by Dr Mykaell Riley, Senior Lecturer, Director for the Black Music Research Unit (BMRU) and Principal Investigator for Bass Culture Research at Westminster, recently won the Best Publication Award at the Association for Cultural Enterprises’ annual conference.
The innovative Beyond the Bassline book, edited by Paul Bradshaw, began as a companion text to the 2024 Beyond the Bassline exhibition, but quickly developed into a wide-ranging collection of essays from national and international contributors. Introduced by reflections on curating the exhibition from Dr Mykaell Riley and Dr Aleema Gray, the book explores corresponding sections of the exhibition such as The Ocean, The Frontlines, The Stage and Cyberspace, to chart how Black-British music arrived and evolved in the UK. With contributions from Linton Kwesi Johnson, Benjamin Zephaniah, Derek Walcott and Senior Lecturer in Music Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Julia Toppin, the book traverses Bristol, London, the inner cities and suburbs, thinking through genres like reggae, two-tone, drill, garage and jungle, to ask and answer what Black-British music is and why it matters.
It accompanies an exhibition aiming to engage new audiences and share culture. From Tudor trumpeters to Drum and Bass and Afrobeats, six centuries of Black music and stories have been skilfully worked into one comprehensive volume, drawing from communities and personal archives.
The Cultural Enterprises Awards honour outstanding achievements across museums, galleries, heritage sites and other cultural institutions, celebrating excellence in the creation of cultural income. These awards honour individuals and organisations that have effectively created sustainable revenue streams while improving visitor experiences. They do this by highlighting talent, creativity and innovation in fields like retail, catering, venue rental, publishing and digital engagement. The awards seek to encourage the cultural industry to adopt new business models, audience engagement strategies and commercial prospects by recognising innovative projects and best practices.
Dr Mykaell Riley said: “This is most satisfying given the challenges we faced, and all of the incredible work put in by so many contributors, teams and individuals, to create such a lasting experience on both the show and specifically on the book. Congratulations to the entire exhibition team, and especially to all of the writers and photo contributors, curators Aleema Gray and Mykaell Riley, the publication team including all of our fantastic writers and fine photographers, as well as Alison Moss, Maria Ranauro, Steve Russell, Roland Hall, Jonny Davidson, Gary Wigglesworth, Jonathon Vines, Nicola Denny and, of course, the book’s exceptional editor Paul Bradshaw.”
This book directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 4: Quality Education and 10: Reduced Inequalities. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Learn more about the BMRU at Westminster.
