StreetLevel ReDefined - The Podcast

In this episode I talk to Jeordie Shenton, a trailblazer in music industry related academic research.

Jeordie is currently undertaking a PhD and his current work focuses on substance use among working musicians. I was very honoured to be able to dive into this thought-provoking conversation with him, where we explore the complex factors that contribute to musicians' increased susceptibility to substance use. From personal characteristics to industry specific pressures, we discuss how neurodiversity, class, race, gender, disability, and mental health intersect with drug use patterns. It's a deep dive into topics that have a profound impact on musicians' journeys and the industry as a whole.

Beyond his exciting research, Jeordie also made significant contributions as a contributing author to various music industry publications. The most recent of these is the book 'Touring and Mental Health: The Music Industry Manual', edited by Tamsin Embleton and released earlier this year.

Jeordie is also the coordinator of the Tonic Rider program which provides bespoke music industry-specific training and mental health support for music industry professionals.

Jeordie is an exciting conversationalist and his in-depth analysis and thought-provoking perspectives offer a deeper understanding of the complexities of substance use within the music world.

I am truly honoured to have him as our guest today. His expertise and dedication are fascinating and he truly is paving the way for more positive change and better support systems for working musicians in this challenging industry.

To find out more about Jeordie, check him out on:

As we kick off the 2nd season of the podcast, I talk to the wonderful Sophie Matera, known by her stage name Sofi Mari.

Sophie is a highly respected singer, MC, lyricist, and songwriter and she has been making waves in the music industry since 2003.

She is a truly multifaceted performer and entertainer with an original genre-crossing style, with performances spanning across drum and bass, hip hop, and jazz fusion.

With a degree in music business, Sophie is not only a seasoned performer but also a vocal instructor and coach, and has a deep understanding of various aspects of the music business, including event planning and music editorials.

She has released music on prominent labels such as Funktion Records, V Recordings, and Eloisa Records, among others. She released her first EP ‘Sundance’, a collaboration with the jazz instrumentalist Septabeat, in 2020, on the Dutch dnb label Fokuz Recordings.

You are in for a real treat as we dive into Sophie's journey and experiences and we talk about courage, authenticity, creativity, successful collaborations and the importance of sometimes taking a step back and giving things the time they require.

To find out more about Sophie go to:

In this episode I talk to Phil Stanley, better known as MC Fokus who is a Hitchin based drum and bass MC, signed to Dispatch Recordings. He has been active in the scene for decades and is highly regarded for his versatility and for his lyricism that is infused with meaning and substance.

As you will hear, he is a truly fascinating, inspiring and authentic character who has been a real pleasure to chat with.

During our conversation he really lives up to his moniker, as much of our conversation revolves around the importance and consequences of what you choose to focus on.

We talk about his music career, some of the significant milestones and challenges that he has overcome. Then, we dive deep into his experiences with low self-esteem and body image and the road he took to transform these challenges into fuel to help and support others.

I feel this is an important conversation, as men's mental health challenges are rarely talked about.

We covered a lot of ground and I really admire Phil for his openness, authenticity and honesty about his experiences.

I encourage you to check him out on social media. He also has a free wellbeing workshop coming up, on the 2nd of August, so this Tuesday that you may not want to miss.

For more details go to:

In this episode I speak to Andy Easton, founder of the London based club night called Launch.

Andy is a veteran of the drum and bass scene, having been a DJ since the 1990s and one of the most well respected independent promoters in London, where he regularly puts on Launch since 2007.

You are in for a laid back conversation about Andy's journey as a raver, DJ and promoter. We also discuss the challenges and the satisfactions of being an independent promoter in London as well as the factors that you may want to consider when planning to put on a club night of your own.

This is an important conversation because small promoters are the backbone of the electronic music scene, they always have been. They were the ones putting on the first nights, and they are the ones that provide the platform for new talent to break through. Their events are always a labour of passion and love for the music. Despite this, they get little support from the industry, including venues and agents with fierce competition from label nights and, more recently, club residencies. Therefore, small, independent promoters need as much support as they can get from the people, from the ravers so that they can survive.

It has been an honour to talk to Andy and his humility, drive, passion and overall positive attitude is inspiring.

If you are in London or nearby, you can come and support Andy's next Launch night this weekend, the 8th of July at Electrowerkz.

My next guest is the amazing Enada, an awesome dubstep DJ and killer selektor, hailing from Bristol.

She is someone who, with an idea and a real passion to help bring about positive change for women and non-binary artists in the wider bass music scene, has created a huge database and platform, called Dynamics, to help showcase them. Dynamics features artists from across the globe so that promoters and labels can more easily find them and have a place to research and discover them.

Dynamics is open for new applications at all times, so if you are a female or non-binary artist, wherever in the world you may be, you can apply now and get featured.

The platform is full of amazing talent so, if you are a promoter or A&R, I invite you to check them.

In this episode we discuss Enada's journey within the dubstep scene, the dubstep scene itself and the influence that drum and bass had on it.

We talk about music production and DJing, about feeling ready for your first release, and about how to build your confidence as an artist.

We then go into all things Dynamics and cover territory that, I think, neither of us had anticipated.

You are in for an engaging conversation which was a pleasure to have and which, I hope you will also enjoy.

To find out more, check:

Enada:

After having taken a bit of a break, the podcast is back with a very-very special guest, one of my favourite people in the drum and bass scene, Sweetpea.

Sweetpea is a London based DNB producer, DJ, radio presenter and mentor. She released on Hospital Records, Dispatch, Sofa Sound, Spearhead Records and Terabyte Records. Her tracks have been featured on BBC Radio 1, DNBArena and she hosted her own radio shows on Origin FM, RudeFM, RINSE and BBC Radio 1.

She is also one of the founding members of EQ50, an initiative and collective dedicated to achieving fairer representation within the drum and bass scene for women, non-binary people and those from ethnic minorities.

I have so much respect and admiration for her, not only because of her amazing music, talent and her many achievements, but also because of her absolutely positive, supportive and humble personality. She is a true force for good in the music industry.

In our conversation she shares some great insights about the attitude that helped her and may help you deal with the challenges of crafting a lane for yourself in music. We also discuss her work within EQ50, some of the ways to go about achieving fairer representation for female and non-binary artists in music and why this is not only important but also in the interest of everyone in the industry.

In this episode I talk to Existential Life and Leadership Coach and Positive Psychologist Yannick Jacob.

Yannick is my supervisor and one of my mentors.

He’s the Program Director of the Accredited Certificate in Integrative Coaching (ACIC) at the School of Positive Transformation and for a number of years he was the Programme Leader of the MSc Coaching Psychology at the University of East London.

Yannick is part of the teaching faculties at The School of Life, Animas Centre for Coaching and the International Centre for Coaching Supervision.

What is less well-known about Yannick is that he is also a DJ and a HipHopper who has been active in the German Hip-Hop scene.

In our conversation we revisit Yannick's MSc dissertation in Positive Psychology about the study he conducted examining the potential links between Well-being and Hip Hop. We explore two major theories of well-being and examine some of their links to aspects of Hip Hop culture and how music cultures and the science of well-being can complement each other and help us find ways to foster better mental-health.

We also discuss Yannick's own journey with music and psychology, and end with a very brief exploration of existentialism, the philosophical study concerned with the human existence, and look at how this line of thought could inform and support you as you venture on your own creative journey.

It this episode I talk to the American psychologist Todd Kashdan, a leading expert on the psychology of well-being, curiosity, mental flexibility and social relationships.

Todd joins me to discuss his new book, The Art of Insubordination, and we talk about what is principled insubordination exactly, what are the costs, the barriers and the consequences to dissent, whether it is from the majority or from your own group, and some of the strategies that you can use to rebel in a responsible and successful way, with some musicians and bands serving as some of our examples.

I think that the subject matter of the book is particularly relevant to us, to you, to the musicians, creators, artists and the rebels in all of us. Many of you are actively engaged in the important movements of today and are dedicated to improving the music scenes that you are part of while often standing up to the status quo.

Therefore, The Art of Insubordination talks our language as it is about the ways in which we can truly create more justice and more good in the world.

Due to the vast territory that we had to cover, it is very likely that there will be a second episode with Todd, sometime in the future, dealing specifically with the psychological strategies you can use to take care of your mental health and deal with the pressure that goes with rebelling.

In this episode, I talk to the Brighton based electronic music producer Ross Harper. 

Ross has been producing music for over 20 years and has received DJ support from the likes of Martin L. Gore of Depeche Mode and Laurent Garnier, among others. 

You are about to hear a rich conversation. We talk about Ross's creative journey, about special encounters, stories & dreams as catalysts to new life chapters, about God, feminism and mental health, and the evolution and spiritual significance of the rave.

We also explore the importance of figuring out your purpose, dealing with success, overcoming perfectionism in music production and embracing new technology, among other things. 

I hope you'll enjoy our conversation as much as we did and that you'll gain some useful take-aways from it. 

You can check Ross's beautiful music and latest releases at: 

https://www.rossharper.xyz

https://www.ambientgirl.me

https://www.toweroflight.me

In this first episode, I talk to Andrew Ferguson, also known under the aliases Nomine and Outrage, an eccentric producer who has been referred to as a "freestyle genreless bass conjurer" by UKF.

Besides being a DJ and producer, Andrew is an established music industry professional with 25 years in the industry behind him.

He is the founder of the most successful independent music production school in the UK, called Education & Bass, and is going from strength to strength to fulfil his life mission of helping aspiring artists make it in the industry and, ideally, have an easier ride than he did.

We talk about his journey, about using his anxiety as fuel and the attitude you need to have to overcome some of the biggest challenges to becoming a successful artist today.

Andrew is such an inspiration and I hope you will enjoy this episode as much as I did!

You can check him and his work out at the links below:

Education & Bass