listen to the soundscapes by clicking play on the tracks in the playlist below.
for tracklist information, click on the music note to the right of the volume button.
keep scrolling for track and artist information below.
Samatar Gurey
Kilburn/
Black London
The location for this mix may seem blurred but it attempts express Black London areas where we [Black bodies] are densely populated and thrive as communities despite odds being against us. Though I am from North West London (specifically Kilburn), my mix also embodies areas I go to, for safety, community, healing, joy, link-ups and more. Therefore, I hope it catches my area(s).
My mix is an immersive soundscape that captures the sounds of the Black British fact - notably London, comprising of field recordings, voices of Black Britons, musicians, conversations, and opinions from Black and white British that present what society refuses to see. With some digital manipulation, I wanted to provide a basic summary of our [Black Britons] acoustic ecology, making the naked ear a witness to our reality.
The reasoning behind the tracklist is to provide a wide range of acoustics that represents our society, but, from a Black British perspective. Each sound resonates with emotions, experiences, stream of consciousness and more. The tracklist with some soundbites I wanted to curate an acoustic theme that shines on our landscapes' sounds - to create a Black British soundscape.
MVCOKO
Limehouse, E1
Initially, I tried to merge different sounds and songs I'd heard across London through my time moving here back in 2020, but a lot of those songs were very chill and ambient which was a major contrast to my actual experience in the city. I moved here right before the pandemic and lived in a warehouse - it was chaotic. So I wanted this mix to reflect that chaos while also paying homage to DnB specifically because I got so into it when I first moved here, and now it's my favourite genre to play out. I also wanted to showcase some of the films and tv shows that made me look at London through rose coloured glasses. Hope you enjoy xx - MVCOKO
Marina
Charing Cross/
Soho
With sounds of Spanish and English, and everything in between, this mix was born. It aims to be a reflection of my history as a Spanish- Swedish-Venezuelan girl raised in Madrid who is in the process of becoming an adult in London. While struggling with trials and tribulations, music has been the greatest comfort and everlasting friend.
Inaya
South West London, SW
My family settled in South West London in the 60s, and i've grown up around Lambeth and Wandsworth. SW London is my home, and its richly diverse culture is credit to communities of Black and Asian people and the practices they brought with them upon immigrating to the UK.
I chose to capture parts of the social and political landscapes that accompanied waves of post-war immigration and the emergence of diaspora communities in the UK. This mix reflects stories of migration, exclusion, assimilation, resistance and joy through interviews, nostalgic film snippets, music and rhythm.
Sound migrates, too, and the cultural landscape of the UK would be nothing without the contributions of Black and Asian immigrant communities, who continue to enrich this country.
LIV.IA
Crystal Palace, SE19
I approached this mix from a sound design point of view, as I wanted to capture my experiences in London’s nightlife, as if I was scoring a scene of a film. It starts with haunting sounds, such as Arca’s ‘Sinner', and IVVVO’s 'Fuck You', to signify the excitement mixed with slight anxiety that I feel before going out, almost anticipating how the night is going to roll out and what music I’m going to hear. Parts of Dune’s score, by the unparalleled Hans Zimmer, represent the journey to the club, mixed with spoken interludes of overheard conversations by my peers. Aïsha Devi’s Clean Ur Chakras and Lokey’s Inverse symbolise irregular city noise that blends into the more structured music that is being played on the journey, embodied by Evian Christ’s Salt Carousel. As we enter the club, Irreversible’s soundtrack by Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter can be heard, blending diegetic and non-diegetic sounds into one, as distant bass become louder and louder until techno takes over and becomes all I can hear.
