Steel Pulse bassist Amlak Tafari and broadcaster Satnam Rana present twenty-two conversations with Birmingham musicians, promoters, managers, venue owners and entrepreneurs who have all contributed to local, national, and international music culture.
Join us and our special guests for conversations about their lives in music, their connections to the city, and how Birmingham has inspired or influenced them, personally and musically.
Selected dates also feature free live performances from the artists appearing On Record. The first of its kind, On Record is a multi-artist, multi-genre concept album forming a sonic love letter to the city of Birmingham. Produced as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival, the eleven-track album will be available on a limited vinyl release and across all streaming platforms.
Birmingham based Olalekan Babalola is a Nigerian jazz percussionist, musician and two times Grammy award winner, known for his innovative style, using his native Yoruba tongue infused with traditional music, Afrobeat and funky dance overtones. Our conversation will cover his varied career, from being Fela Kuti’s protégé to working with Spike Lee.
Born in Lagos State, Nigeria, by the age of six Lekan had started playing the conga at his father’s Yoruba Christian Church and later formed a patchwork band with his peers. In 1980, he left Nigeria for the UK to study engineering, but switched to filmmaking before returning to music and working with notable acts including Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Prince, Roy Ayers and David Byrne.
Produced in partnership with B:Music
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