Future Bubblers introduce the brightest undiscovered music talent across England
- Text by Alex King
- Photography by Nina Manandhar
London’s grip over the British music industry often squeezes the air out of the rest of the country, leaving many regional scenes under-appreciat
Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Music knew there was a ton of talent hiding out in bedrooms and basement venues around the country, so they hooked up with Arts Council England to launch Future Bubblers, a three-year talent discovery programme.
Using local partners in cities around the country, they went offline to discover the next generation of artists, producers and DJs, through demo drop boxes at record stores and open session nights.
In keeping with Brownswood’s progressive ethos, the Future Bubblers team went after artists who are doing something new, a bit radical, eclectic or just off the hook!
After a lengthy selection process, they’ve just announced the nine artists for the project’s first year.
To guide the emerging talent through the programme, Brownswood have reached out to their extended family and arranged a solid roster of mentors to share their experiences: Swindle, Sway, Alex Patchwork, Will Horrocks from LV and Victoria Port from Anushka and Brainfeeder and Ninja Tune execs.
Check out the full list of new artists on the Future Bubblers website.
To give a small taste of what’s to come, here are three mentor/mentee collaborations we’re most excited about.
Yazmin Lacey x Victoria Port (Anushka)
After years of writing and bedroom performances Yazmin took to the stage late 2013 and hasn’t looked back since. Born and raised in East Ham and residing in Nottingham, her music’s been described as featuring, “Sultry tones and dynamic melodies” with a diverse range of influences from jazz to funk, soul to lovers rock, folk to electronic.
Snowy x Sway
Snowy has been one of the prominent figures in the growth of the Nottingham grime scene. Starting out in youth clubs with fellow MCs, he’s gone from strength to strength and now has developed a high profile within the local scene.
Munro x Will LV
Soulful, relaxed, rhythm-focused jams whatever the weather. Brewed in North London, matured in South Melbourne, spilt in Manchester – now bubbling…
Find out more about Future Bubblers and how you can be a part of the programme in the second and third years.
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