Panelists shed light on decades of UK music and the industry


(Guest panelist Aitch)

LAST night at an exclusive music seminar industry representatives shared their thoughts on the progress the UK has made in Soul, R&B and Hiphop.

The seminar, Looking Back To Go Forward, brought large numbers of young artists, producers and entreprenuers to Stratford Circus eager to discuss how to get themselves out into the music industry.

Those who attended appeared to be inspired and enlightened by the discussion that looked at music forms in the UK that had developed through the 70s, 80s, 90s to present day including Soul, Reggae, Jungle, Garage, Grime, Eski among others.

Panelists on the night included the producer, Fusion, Mick Clark (A&R Higher Ground, Ten Records), Aitch of Soul 2 Soul, Rob Luis (Tru Thoughts Records & Zebra) and Soundbwoy (Artist/producer).

Aitch of Soul 2 Soul talked about the energy that brought Soul 2 Soul's music to the forefront. He said: "There was a unity, we were heading in the same direction, we had similar ideas of what we wanted the sound to be and where we wanted to go. I guess we did that by ceating our own form."

The meeting became heated when the seminar shifted to the stuggle that many artists face to be heard, approaching big record labels as well as the lyrical content some artists use in their work.

Mick Clark claimed: "The biggest challenge for any artist is balancing their integrity and being commercially viable."

One of the key points that all panelists stressed was that you can make it without a major record label and to never stop loving your music.

On a final note Aitch of Soul 2 Soul advised: "Respect and love the art of what you are dealing with." He added: "Believe in yourself and be prepared to learn, master it to the highest degree and be prepared to work hard."