Levi’s Music Project have announced they will expand to Manchester and Birmingham, collaborating with artists Everything Everything and Mist and online live music broadcasting platform Boiler Room.
The project launched in 2016, seeing the brand partner with Skepta to establish a community youth music studio in Tottenham in London.
The new initiative in Manchester and Birmingham is set to provide access to music education and to introduce young people to the music industry. As part of the project, Levi’s is creating fully equipped music studios at The Pump and Z-Arts community centres in Birmingham and Manchester respectively. To launch these new spaces Everything Everything and Mist will work alongside the young musicians and a team of dedicated professionals from each community group to create original material that will be played at a performance at the end of the project.
Speaking about this next phase of the project, Levi’s VP marketing Europe, Anit van Eynde said: “We’re incredibly excited to expand the Levi’s Music Project to Birmingham and Manchester in partnership with artists of the calibre of Everything Everything and Mist. Not only does their involvement pay testament to the importance of this initiative, but also enables us to provide a platform for music education that supports the local community with artists who have a strong connection to these areas”.
The brand will also organize workshops on topics such as the song writing process, the art of creating demos and how to break into the music industry. Levi's has also partnered with online music broadcasting platform Boiler Room, who will be launching an exclusive series that documents the participants’ and artists’ journeys throughout the programmes.
Dean Bryce, head of music programming at Boiler Room commented: “At Boiler Room we're motivated by the potential music has to bring people together and to provide solutions to some of the problems facing young people today. This is why we are excited to be a part of the Levi’s Music Project; through our content series, we will be telling the behind the scenes stories that demonstrate the impact that music has on young people's lives, as well as showcasing the best in emerging talent from music scenes across Birmingham and Manchester.”
In Manchester, the project will run from August 29 to September 9 in partnership with Z-Arts, Manchester’s primary venue for youth and families, covering all art forms and creative activities. Participants will be mentored by Manchester’s Everything Everything, the critically acclaimed four piece whose roots are cemented in the Manchester music scene.
Following Manchester, the project will move to Birmingham from October 2-15 at the city’s leading community centre The Pump, which provides access to a variety of services including education, skills training and career advice.
Rapper and Birmingham local Mist will be working across the project offering participants the chance to learn from his experiences in the industry and his journey from grime into hip-hop.
By Charlie Macnamara
