A podcast hosted by Mykaell Riley, Director for The Black Music Research Unit (BMRU) and Principal Investigator for Bass Culture Research at the University of Westminster, has been featured in an article in The Guardian about ‘Five great Black British podcasts’.
Mykaell’s podcast, Bass Culture UK, features interviews with the likes of Dennis Bovell, Don Letts and Linton Kwesi Johnson, alongside exploring Britain’s soundsystem culture.
The musician and co-founder of reggae group Steel Pulse, Mykaell also provides distinct and deep access to stars, as well as exploring Bass Culture as a creative practice, an independent economy and a source of alternative philosophical and political ideas.
Bass Culture is a research project by the Black Music Research Unit at the University of Westminster with the aim of defining black British music and exploring its historical and cultural significance over six decades.
It is the first major study of the history and impact of Jamaican influenced music in the UK. Mykaell Riley’s research has involved locating, capturing and preserving memories, experiences and ephemera from three generations of musicians, music industry participants, and audience members. The associated communities and networks have played a key role in transforming Britain into a multicultural society. Yet, their contributions have previously remained absent from music education, cultural institutions and museums.
The project facilitated an intergenerational, multicultural conversation about creativity, heritage and legacy. Within the arts, it focused on London's black community and the overlooked impact of their contributions to British popular music. But more broadly to the British way of life. Mapping seven decades of new music genres, the project generated memories, emotions and a change in perceptions, not to mention London Metropolitan policing policy.
Commenting on the article, Mykaell said: “This review is a great example of the ongoing research within the Black Music Research Unit, the home of Bass Culture podcasts. It also signals the sustained interest in the interviewees and the subject area. Stay tuned in, we’re about to release a new set of interviews.”
Find out more about Mykaell Riley’s podcast and the Black Music Research Unit.
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