On Saturday 21 September 2024 Young Sounds UK hosted an Industry and Artistry Day in Nottingham in partnership with Confetti Institute for Creative Technologies. Our venue was Metronome, a world-class music and events complex, home to a large music venue, 10 recording studios, Mac and synth labs and much more.
The day built upon our previous Industry Awards days at London College of Contemporary Music and Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, and was open to young songwriters, producers and rock, pop and jazz instrumentalists from our Thrive programme (previously known as the Awards programme).
With guidance and support from Confetti’s staff and student ambassadors, as well as Young Sounds Alumna guitarists Maddy Salter, the young people worked in small groups across the three of Metronome’s state-of-the-art studios. Responding to a real industry brief, they wrote and produced a demo.
The day also saw a drumming masterclass with renowned percussionist Lee Allatson. Six drummers spent the day exploring compositional skills and creativity. Drawing from a selection of classic songs, ranging from rock to rap, they were encouraged to consider the musical and narrative needs of their chosen song and to explore contrast and narrative through the instrument. Lee was supported by a former student and Young Sounds Alumnus Jake Freeman.
At lunch the young musicians heard from a panel of music industry professionals, exploring the current musical landscape and how to build a career in the industry. Chaired by Confetti’s John Meredith the panel saw insight from experienced A & R and Artist Manager Spencer Wells, the head of Earache Records Tim Bailey and the band ALT BLK ERA, a genre-bending sister duo, who unapologetically merge the musical boundaries of Rock by incorporating Rap, DnB, Electronica and Operatic sounds.
The day finished with a ‘playback session’ with each group sharing their demo. Despite all three groups choosing the same brief, they created wildly different demos, all of them impressive. The drummers also had the opportunity to perform their pieces. This included a reggae infused rendition of Stevie Wonder’s Superstition.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. It was very enlightening and I had an amazing experience working with the other musicians. The facilities were extremely useful and high end quality.”
We’d like to thank Confetti, Metronome, Lee Allatson, Earache Records, Spencer Wells, ALT BLK ERA, Maddy Salter, Jake Freeman and all of the young people for a special day.
