VERSATILITY OF U.K MUSIC IS TOO EASILY IGNORED.

The 21st century ushered in entirely new genres such as grime, garage and jungle. Stemming from The Windrush Generation, introducing Dub and Toasting to the formerly rock-dominated charts.

Today there is an undeniable essence of variety in artists, how has U.K. music transpired into modern day ? Speaking with boundless artists, I start with the cryptic Mancuian but current London-based Ghanaian and Irish artist BRBKO, sharing his personal takes on his definition of today's sonic artistry.

I caught BRBKO ( pronounced Brak ) early on a Thursday morning on Facetime, opening the conversation with his abnormal sleeping pattern of typically going to sleep at 4am.

BRBKO

N.S: Who are you and what do you do ?

BRBKO: I’m Brbko. That’s B R B K O. The B, the A and the O are silent. I’m an artist and music designer.

N.S: How would you describe a music designer ?

BRBKO: Basically I’ve realised as a producer, I’m not just a beat maker. Unlike a lot of producers, I don’t really send beats out to people, but I’m more of a designer. I have connections and if you follow my sound and you hear stuff I’m producing, it’s more like a seasonal thing.

Like I’m working with OBAKXS for instance, he’s from France and the stuff I’m producing with him has a specific sound. It’s kind of bespoke to him. It’s tailored to him. Same with Andy Tyler, Jawnino or L0la and Brazy, like all the people I work with, I have bespoke a sound to them. If you’re spitting on my beats, that's a designer beat you got right there.

N.S: Where (or from who?) do you think the sonic divergence of U.K. music stems from?

BRBKO: I think it’s the internet, rather than somebody, an individual. I think people have big impacts though.

For me, someone like Lancey for instance is having a Lil Wayne impact on the U.K. When Lil Wayne came out in America, that’s when you saw bare rappers called ‘Lil’ and they kind of did the autotune thing. He created that and I feel like Lancey is having that effect, in the U.K. anyway. Where you’re seeing n****’s with dreads and you know, wearing tight leather trousers. It’s a whole culture. Lancey created that culture in the U.K.

But that is just an example. I think there are leaders and I would say he is a leader in that sense because he’s created a lane, you can go in and there are now guys similar to him, whether that’s copying him or sounding similar. They are able to exist in that lane because he’s opened it.

N.S: Do you see yourself as breaking any stereotypes in your music ?

BRBKO: Yeah I do, but I don’t think it’s just about breaking stereotypes. I think it’s just like creating a lane, creating a way where I can actually go this way. You don’t have to do it like everyone else. You can go this way instead.

N.S: Do you see these lanes opening as a larger movement ?

BRBKO: Yeah definitely, I think for myself anyway. I also think when I’m doing NEGROPOP and shouting NEGROPOP, there’s a lot of people shouting it and getting involved in it. Then people gravitate towards NEGROPOP.

N.S: What is NegroPop?

BRBKO: It’s a lane. It’s music that is unique and it’s pushing boundaries, it’s doing something different.

I think what Renzniro is doing is mad, I have a lot of respect for him because it’s very difficult to fit as many messages, affirmations and positivity in his music and it is not corny. I think that’s admirable and something real hard to do. He’s carving out his own lane.

What NEGROPOP is about is carving a lane that is big enough, that shows people in the world and in the U.K. you can do something different. How the industry is, they are afraid of what others think, so people don’t think they can go all the way with their vision or weirdness and ultimately themselves.

N.S: Arguably in the U.K. , we have an ambiguity of culture in comparison to America, how does this shape a U.K. sound ?

BRBKO: I think the U.K. is a melting pot, like there’s so much influence from everywhere. We’ve got American influence as well as U.K. influence we’ve got European influence. We’ve got African, Jamaican and Caribbean. But still something that sounds very U.K.

I think Grime is at the core of the U.K.’s musical identity. You know, because of Garage and Jungle, all these influences there. Even the way it’s influenced pop music in the U.K.

N.S: Where do you see yourself and your lane going ?

BRBKO: Personally, I see myself as a worldwide artist. I think my sound is for the world. It’s a difficult one to answer. I don’t know where my lane’s going. But I do? I know what I’m gonna release and where I’m gonna put my efforts.

For me anyway, my music and sound is a first person perspective, on life as a young black man in the United Kingdom and because of my identity and where I sit, that’s where all my influences come from.

Where the direction and trajectory is gonna come from.

After a long day of filming for Len’s salacious music video ADDICTION, he enlightened us on this stream of divergent music.

LEN

N.S: What do you think has caused this surge of U.K. music ?

Len: Some of it comes from being bored of what you are being fed. You are a mainstream consumer before you start digging deep and there’s only so long before certain people get bored and just want something different. You can’t always wait for something different.

Sometimes you just have to go and do something different.

I feel like some of the bigger people who are pioneers are Lancey Foux, House Of Pharaohs, they are people who went against the grain. Especially back in 2015 onwards, there was a whole different sound and these lot were trying to do their own things. There’s always just shifts, like Chief Keef shifted the game, the evolution happens generally. Just some people wanna evolve faster, people don’t wanna wait.

Still hearing cheers from the crowd, backstage Mama Roux’s Birmingham, I speak with South London, producer-musician ayrtn. Amidst his “I’m So Awesome” Tour, exhibiting his sheer awesomeness, we ponder the future of the U.K’s music scene

AYRTN

N.S: Why did you pursue your own sound ?

ayrtn: I’ve always listened to soft sounds, growing up I listened to J Dilla, Pharrell and a lot of Sade. If you listen to Biggie, all of his samples are smooth.

Very soulful, very smooth sh**, but these rappers will be so braggadocious and aggressive, just give it to ‘em. I guess, I’ve just regurgitated that formula to my music, my beats will be so cloudy, you can fall asleep to them. But my rap style will be the polar opposite.

N.S: Overall, how do you see the future of U.K. music ?

ayrtn: Evolution.

It’s just gonna keep changing, it’s been changing but I feel like more and more people are just accepting more. People are accepting everything and having more fun. Even with music, the process hasn’t been as serious, it’s been more fun. No one’s really in their feelings anymore.

Especially with TikTok, it’s easier for people to come up from a fun song and especially in the U.K. like PinkPantheress and Central Cee with Doja.

PIONEERS OF THE NEW U.K SOUND

VERSATILITY OF U.K MUSIC IS TOO EASILY IGNORED.

BRBKO

LEN

AYRTN