Most of us who haven’t been living under a soundproofed rock somewhere are aware of Gilles Peterson. A man who would probably drop dead if told that he couldn’t listen to music for a week and appears to have made it his life’s mission to let as many sounds from myriad genres, backgrounds, influences and regions of the world pass through his eardrums. A proponent of getting new music heard, it’s of no great surprise that he, along with Brownswood Music, is part of the Searching for the Perfect Beat: Future Bubblers competition.
What they’re looking for are artists who lean towards the leftfield, the electronic, the soulful and the experimental. Basically, if you don’t feel that what you do quite belongs in any genre or place, you’re well in with a chance of grabbing these guys’ attention. It’s also not just for musicians - spoken words artists, rappers, DJs, producers, poets, you name it, can enter and be heard. It’s also all about grass roots, so any of you cheeky oiks who’ve already bagged a contract, shoo.
If you think that the shoe fits, don’t let this one pass you by. Nottingham and Salford are the two focus cities that they’ve picked to start the whole thing rolling, and they’ll be picking up to ten candidates from this year’s entrants. Not a bad shot. If you are one of the chosen ones, you will get to drive what you want from the experience, from recording to live music experiences to music industry know how, all with a mentor who’ll stick with you throughout the process.
Submission deadline is Friday 7 August and the successful applicants will be notified by Monday 14 September. All you need to do is go to the website and scroll down to the Apply section or, if you like to get physical, drop a USB or CD off at either Rough Trade, Mimm or CRS. Plus, if you know someone who you think could be in with a chance but they’re too dim or shy to sort it themselves, you can recommend them via the website.
Go forth, create and apply.
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