Project Platform was selected for a national campaign resource ‘Youth Arts Transforms Lives – Fact’

This accolade demonstrates further recognition for ‘Platform’ amongst youth arts professionals and the youth sector as a whole.

Supported by the voices and views of young people and endorsed by leading national and international arts, creative and cultural figures, ‘Youth Arts Transforms Lives’ -  illustrates the real impact of participation in the arts and culture with, for and by young people.

You can see the Project Platform case study here http://www.enyan.co.uk/article/show/11671. You can also download the complete publication here http://artswork.org.uk/campaign-2011.

The statistics, case studies and articles drawn together from across England demonstrate the highest quality of Youth Arts practice currently being delivered by youth and arts organisations nationally. It includes awe-inspiring accounts from young people who recount their own personal experiences and journeys of learning through participation in the arts.

Amy Martin , Bright Space Creative Programmer and Platform Project Manager said: ‘This is fantastic news for our team of Platform journalists, who have worked so hard to produce a quality arts and culture blog for their peers. This recognition will provide a well earned legacy for the Platform project, which has grown in readership since its inception in 2010. I hope our inclusion in this resource will go some way to ensuring youth arts activities are given greater importance on a strategic level across the UK.’

Project Platform ran from August 2010 – July 2011 and was funded by CCE (Creativity, Culture & Education) delivered by Bright Space.

It’s nice to finally witness a celebration of Birmingham’s experimental music scene, something that SOUNDkitchen have well and truly accomplished.

Their event entitled SONICpicnic, delved further into the realms of crossover art and sound genres, bringing up close and personal experiences for those willing to become consumed by what they could hear.

The immersive listen room held an ethereal vibe amongst the atmosphere, as listeners were encouraged to relax on beanbags and rugs, surrounding the Hear This Space Speaker Tree, with branches full of pulsating amplification.

Close your eyes, and you were automatically transported to another world.

A world intended to replicate precisely the artists mind and mood.

Transforming almost therapeutic sounds into complete horror, listeners became manipulated into multi-experiences.

6pm saw Martin Clarke‘s audio and visuals in the main room of VIVID, his crackles and pops, Earthy landscapes and translucent imagery re-examined the beautification of nature against the man made.

Annie Mahtani & Julien Guillamat came next, driving forward a sense of anxiety with their eerie church bells, crafted against levitating hums.

Their captivating presence held together an illusory rise.

Forget the Ouija Board, the summoning of spirits is already a foot.

Greek composer Panos Amelides brought some cultural vibes to the stage, as his conflicting moods assembled farm sounds with on-edge horns and violins.

Exposing the joys of love and the horrors of death.

The highly anticipated BiLE (Birmingham Laptop Ensemble) swiftly followed, warping the sounds of pots and pans and cowbells through their laptops and handset gadgets, developing a new, tension-building weapon to entice listeners through harshness and hypnosis.

Their project entitled XYZ gave way to noise battles, as each member fought to take over the other’s sounds, in a hands on, court on court tennis parallel.

Thee Moths turn to take over VIVID came next.

His gadgets comprised of wires and synths all connected on one board, which exhumed improvised tribal chants and spiritual journeys.

The rustic lo-fi vibe from Thee Moths home-made equipment oozed in Silver Apples-inspired oscillations.

Rodrigo Constanzo carried on the self-built instrument theme, as he plucked and bowed his box of trinkets and drum kit in screeching entrancement.

Often touching the surface of free Jazz drumming, Rodrigo captured his audience with trails of chimes, mostly portraying hostility through non-traditional instruments such as whisks and melodica tubes.

Bringing the live performances to an end, Simon Whetham & Nic Bullen examined further elements of severity.

As the lights began to dim and the candles flickered, the furnacing sounds of Simon & Nic pulsated through those who had succumbed to the effect.

The audience, eyes closed and sat perfectly still, sank into the otherworldly resonance.

Diversifying its audience and encouraging them to explore different avenues, SOUNDkitchen had widened Birmingham’s music scene, providing the perfect expression of sound art and local experimental talent.

By Ross Cotton

Fresh from the dizzy heights of Glastonbury, Battles return to Birmingham for a much anticipated experience.

After receiving mixed responses from their latest album, expectations were a little unhinged, yet it wasn’t long before a wealth of rapture hit all four walls of the venue in clear-cut impact.

The ever-evolving Africastle brought progressive build-ups of orchestral waves, teasing fans into awaiting frenzies, as John Stanier broke through tensions with his euphoric beats.

Triumphant crashes drained the crowd into dancing deliriums, as Stanier stole the audience and kept them hooked on every tap and thud.

While Inchworm carried on with John’s ecstasy plays, this time fuelled by William’s and Konopka’s alien keyboard and guitar effects, trickling against a racing thunderstorm of chaos.

Though the realms of experimentalism were not limited to the boundaries of album number two, as each song oozed over the edges in a whole new depth and warmth, sky-rocketing Gloss Drop into life through vibrant, violent tatters.

My Machines fused hard rock with avant-tipples, as Stanier’s thump-hitting aggression shook the ground into disorder once again, supported by a creepy hologram of Gary Newman, enlightening an otherworldly encounter.

An experience that would carry on through Roll’s Boyce, which presented a trippy amusement-ride affair for those space-ridden in gazing wonder.

Highly entrancing, Battles exhaust their fans into oddball confusions that bask in progressive rock, exhuming electro-dance and ever astounding personal-remixes.

If the new album is not quite what you were expecting, be sure to catch Battles live to enter a new cultural explosion.

By Ross Cotton

Hackney based Ghetto Lounge DJ Koichi Sakai explores the bond he holds with black music and culture, and describes exactly what it means to perform at Soul of the Movement, the closing night for BASS Festival.

“When I came to the UK in 1999, it was the time that Drum ‘n’ Bass started fading out”, explains Koichi.

“Broken Beats were taking over the music scene in West London.

“Then I started digging the roots music as well, to find out where those beats and rhythm were coming from”.

Though there’s a clarity that Koichi’s passion lies within all genres of black music.

“I am promoting not only reggae, but also Afrobeat, Afro Funk, Jazz, Latin etc.

“But I must say that reggae is always my roots of music,” he says.

“When my friend in Japan introduced me to reggae first time, I was only sixteen and I could not understand very much.

“I started digging it, Bob Marley influenced me a lot in terms of the history of slavery, discrimination as well as the style of music.

“Soon after, my room became full of Bob Marley posters!”.

By now, Koichi begins to reveal exactly how much reggae culture has touched him, with an indication of main influences, he continues to say, “I respect all the creators of soulful music, but I would like to pay tribute to Gil Scott-Heron who has just passed away.

“I was fortunate to catch up with his concert in South Bank last year.

“People respect him as a musician, poet and activist, I believe he is one of the most influential black artists in the world”.

Not only would Koichi like to pay his respects to such a multi-talented pioneer, he also has plans to collaborate with local Ghanaian musicians.

“I’d love to go to Ghana”, says Koichi.

“I am very much interested in traditional African drumming to create something new”.

While the Japanese-born DJ has a couple of other projects set on the way, it is evident that music is more than just a hobby for Koichi.

“I am currently working with Jamaican MC Clapper Priest to produce his album.

“Our second single Derby/Party will be out this summer from Ghetto Lounge recording.

“I also have another project called Afrobuddha with Japanese producer Kay Suzuki to produce progressive style African music”.

And finally, what does BASS Festival mean to Koichi?

“It is a great opportunity to present the rich street culture of black music in the UK, I am pleased to get involved!”.

Catch Koichi Sakai performing at PST, the closing party for BASS Festival. Soul of the Movement. 25th June, 11pm – 5am.

By Ross Cotton

After just finishing a tour of Spain, Birmingham’s very own Prince Jamo is finally getting the worldwide recognition that he has worked so long and hard for in the Reggae scene.
Now, he returns home to perform at Soul of the Movement, in collaboration with Wes Bowen, as part of BASS Festival.

“To say music runs in my veins is an understatement”, exclaims Jamo.

“When I was six years old, I was in choirs, but my love affair with reggae really took hold when I first picked up an instrument.

“The first thing I learnt to play was a reggae track, I’ve always had a strong connection with dub music and roots; my generation of kids, that was the in thing”, says Jamo.

Though he feels that the times, and more importantly Reggae, has changed drastically for the worse since growing up in the 70s, something that he hopes to change in the long run.

“There’s a lot of evil shit in music that makes me feel uncomfortable nowadays”, he says.

“Reggae frequencies are getting more dark, and sometimes the core structures don’t make sense, it’s missing hooks.

“Reggae was born out of rebellion, it reports on what happens on the streets, always has done.

“I think nowadays it doesn’t and that’s the sad thing about it”, continues Jamo.

“It’s all very superficial gone for the Jay Z, bling-bling kind of west thing, which doesn’t represent me.

“It was all about the music, but this is the war that’s going on, its about taking a side.

“Are you going to get the money, sing about the sex and the cash, or are you gonna struggle, sing about realness and inspire people”.

Revealing a clear indentation on which side Jamo has taken, performing from the soul and about real life has definitely not been a walk in the park for him.

“My recent success comes from a long time of hard work, a long struggle, even a gap of not doing it and helping others, watching, waiting and being patient.

“Now, finally its started to take hold”, says Jamo.

“I sat there and had an open objective of where the music is going, especially my genre, it’s more square and empty.

“I’ve had to rival that philosophy, and I’ve had to offer up a better alternative to win them back.

“A new production form and an old mind set, challenging what they are putting out, I think I’m giving it a damn good go”, exclaims Jamo.

And finally, what are Jamo’s plans for the future?

“My mission is to bring back a balance.

“I want to bring a concept album out. I want to make it hard for you to pick the needle up and move it somewhere else.

“You have to listen to it all and it reads a story”, says Jamo.

“I hope to be right at the forefront, kicking ass and bringing back (proper reggae) into the hands of the DJ, where the love of it is more important than the cost of it”.

Catch Prince Jamo performing along side Wes Bowen at PST, as part of BASS festival. Soul of the Movement.25^th June, 11pm – 5am.

By Ross Cotton

Imagine a story…told in any medium you want and think of that one unique thing which makes your pulse beat faster as the story gets deeper and deeper, that one thing that makes this piece of text different to any other… well imagine no more Find Me has landed.

Local lad Wes Bowen has always held a huge passion in making reggae beats, and it comes as no surprise that he will be collaborating with legendary vocalist Prince Jamo for Soul of the Movement, a night for BASS Festival.

“It’s an interesting project”, says Wes.

“I’ve been sat in here [studio in Digbeth] getting the music together and I’m only really gonna have a few rehearsals with Jamo.

“Because of what he does and the nature of his ability to improvise, even if he didn’t hear the music beforehand, he’d just turn up and you know it’d be good”.

The project will explore the dub and bass heavy movement as well as paying tribute to those that pioneered the sound, through an array of Birmingham musicians including Bongo Damo and Olbi Iyah.

“With my live engineering and dub mixing, I’m trying to pay homage to the skills and techniques used by early dub artists”.

Wes continues, “you can’t mention reggae without mentioning dub, which in terms of technique and approach to writing has informed so much electronic and dance music since it’s inception”.

Making it clear that he is very keen to present the origins of most music genres, Wes prepares to share a feel-good celebration of meditational reggae.

Though it seems that he owes a lot to his mother for reggae roots.

“Reggae was my mom’s main staple”, says Wes.

“As far back as I remember I was dancing to it”.

“I grew up listening to a lot of King Tubby and Scientist, and I guess they were the first people who took the role as the engineer and developed that skill.

“I was lucky that I had my mom at the time.

“A lot of my mates were happy to listen to pop”.

Bowen’s set with Prince Jamo will take dub and reggae back to it’s basic techniques.

Normally usedin a studio, Wes and Jamo will explore the ideas in a live setting.

“You don’t have to have a good in depth music knowledge in terms of theory to be able to play reggae, you just have to feel it”, says Wes.

“It comes across as really raw music.

“You’re putting what the music demands rather than having to impose your will on top of it.

“It makes it really honest”.

And finally, what does BASS festival and Soul of the Movement mean to Wes personally?

“It’s a celebration of black origin and urban artists.

“Whether you’re black or not, black music influences music you listen to, full stop.

“There’s so many dub-tinged classics from the 90s, of course trip-hop wouldn’t have happened without it.

“It really has spawned a lot”.

Catch Wes Bowen and Prince Jamo performing at PST as part of BASS festival.

Soul of the Movement. 25^th June, 11pm – 5am.

By Ross Cotton

Cluttered with wires and gadgets, the MAC’s more ‘relaxed’ seated theatre had no time to prepare for the hysterical onset of spine-shivering lunacy.

Making most people question their own sanity, John Wiese’s chaotic, industrial intensities examined the characteristics of a video nasty soundtrack, delving deeper into the grime of extreme distress.

Sounds of attacking paranoia flung past those who had succumbed to the noise torture, while rumbles and tremors exposed harsh, hell-beckoning depths into a glint of Nurse With Wound’s experimentalism.

Dragged along in agonising vocal delusions, the agitating nightmare just needed visuals to enhance the experience into piercing surrealism.

Though the psychological inducements were not to end here, as Matmos began to set out their own pathway into the bizarre.

The science-influenced duo, plus guest guitarist J Lesser, fuelled the audience into a cult-like state, with a selection of seemingly-hypnotised members of the public, chanting gibberish into their blanked out glasses and headphones.

Think Derren Brown entering the world of Pagan rituals and you’re not even halfway there, as the unnerving encounter grew harsher, subconsciously adapting and embodying its victims.

The mesmerising harmonic samples and resonating triangles gave way to hospital imagery and creepy human reflections, spreading a Throbbing Gristle-inspired outlook into the dark ambience of surgical and mental experimentation.

Photograph of Matmos taken by Kate Fitzgeorge

It seems that the Baltimore-based couple knew exactly how to play with people’s imaginations, as the much lighter-hearted Rainbow Flag brought back a Zen-like state to the MAC.

Crafting psychedelic spirals against electronic swirls, the uplifted mood expelled out from Matmos’s animated facial expressions and bird whistles, allowing a whimsical side to appear from the mentally challenging avant-gardists.

While the exotic funk beats gave a post-IDM feel to J Lesser’s astounding guitar solos, warping together a fusion of electro-rock into a foot-tapping frenzy.

Forwarding what Pierre Schaeffer had once begun, Matmos innovatively break through the musique concrete barrier, with the use of bottled water, scraping singing bowls and ‘anything goes’ percussion, the duo portray abnormality in it’s greatest form of entertainment, both extremely uncomfortable and highly eccentric, the unpredictability provides that thrill ride to anybody who is keen to be pushed to their limit.

By Ross Cotton

So, as the final activity undertaken by a bunch of school-leavers, we decided to watch the above film, Insidious (rated 15). Whether it was worth the 2 hours, is something I am willing to discuss.

This small budget film echoes a familiar haunted house plot, with a few twists along the way. It is the typical tale of a middle-class American family that moves into an old house and after a a few unexplainable events – most notably their eldest son falling into a deep coma - are led to believe by other featuring characters, that they are under siege from otherworldly forces. Devoted parents Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) struggle in vain to uncover the root cause of their son’s condition and to cope with the stress of the situation, which gradually takes its toll on their once-strong relationship. It is clear, as events occur with increasing severity that the frightened parents realise they’re dealing with ‘powers beyond human comprehension’.

I struggled at times to take this film seriously – being that there were only three featured locations, extensive use of fog machines and what appeared to be, a bunch of out-of-work models and entertainers dressed to the T with a wardrobe fit for a local charity shop and body-paint which wouldn’t half rival the skill of a 5-year-old artist. What was most frightening however, was finding myself not knowing what to expect. I suspect it is the suspense, clever camerawork and of course the combined knowledge of thriller veterans (Saw franchisers James Wan and Leigh Whannell and Paranormal Activity writer/director Oren Peli) that saw this film reach #3 in the US Box Office.

My verdict: 6.5/10. Not a film I would readily watch in the dark by myself but one which will keep you entertained  and, at least for a while, remove you from the horrors that await outside of the screening room.

By Jasmine Nelson