PRS for Music Foundation and Steve Reid Foundation announce the five artists receiving the Steve Reid InNOVAtion Awards

21 January 2015 - Press release

 

• Moses Boyd, Sarathy Korwar, Wu-Lu, Hector Plimmer, Lady Vendredi have been selected to receive the new bursaries and mentorship

• Gilles Peterson, Four Tet, Theo Parrish, Floating Points, RocketnumberNine, Emanative, Charlie Dark and Koreless to mentor the new artists

 

PRS for Music Foundation, together with the Steve Reid Foundation announce today (Tuesday 20^thJanuary 2015) the five boundary pushing unsigned artists to be receiving the new Steve Reid InNOVAtion Awards.  This support will include cash bursaries from PRS for Music Foundation and from Steve Reid Foundation. They will also benefit from invaluable support and mentorship from the Steve Reid Foundation trustees.

The five artists who will be receiving the creative development awards are:

 

Artist name	Project
Moses Boyd	Recording and live innovation
Sarathy Korwar	Album recording
Wu-Lu	Recording
Hector Plimmer	Immersive live audio visual piece
Lady Vendredi	Limited run concept EP on 10” vinyl

 

About each supported artist:

Moses Boyd

Alumni of the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and of the Tomorrows Warriors young artist development program, Moses has established a growing reputation as a drummer, composer, producer and bandleader. Born in south London Moses began playing drums at age 13. Now 23 Moses continues to perform frequently around the world.

Sarathy Korwar

Sarathy Korwar is a percussionist/composer born in the US, raised in India and now based in London. Trained as a classical tabla player under the guidance of Sanju Sahai (current head of the Benares gharânâ), Sarathy is equally at ease on the tabla and drum-kit. Sarathy still continues his tâlîm (education) and work as a classical tabla player along with his interest in other forms of improvised music.

Wu-Lu

Wu-Lu aka Mileage is a producer / DJ from south London hailing from Brixton. He has been producing soulful intelligent music since the age of 15, and over the last 9 years has taken his music across the globe with his experimental look on music.

Hector Plimmer

Hector Plimmer blends a mixture of samples, recordings & synthesisers to create organic, unpolished sounds. His music is often largely focused on different percussive & rhythmic elements combining to result in complex patterns.

Lady Vendredi

Lady Vendredi is the Neo-Punk Blaxploitation alter-ego of performer and producer Nwando Ebizie. Combining traditional Haitian rhythms and Global Bass, to create a secular ecstatic experience, fired by the power of animality, soaked in punk spirit and driven by an evangelical desire to dance.

Sarathy Korwar says about receiving the Steve Reid InNOVAtion Award,

“I feel extremely privileged to have the opportunity to create music under the experienced and creative watch of the mentors involved with the Steve Reid InNOVAtion Award. The award has made it possible to not only setup my own project but also help me make crucial decisions that will ultimately influence the final resulting music and how it is received.”

Executive Director of PRS for Music Foundation Vanessa Reed says,

“The response to this first edition of the Steve Reid InNOVAtion awards reflects the inventiveness and imagination of the UK's next generation of music pioneers. Congratulations to the five artists who've been selected. I look forward to seeing how their work develops as they receive mentorship and support.”

Founder of the Steve Reid Foundation, Gilles Peterson says,

"Steve Reid was passionate about new artists and experimental music and would have loved this!"

The award is open to applicants who are writing and performing their own music and are currently unsigned.  Artists applied by sending links to their music as well as a three minute video explaining their career to date, and how funding and mentoring would help with their creative development.

The Steve Reid Foundation was set up by Gilles Peterson, Brownswood Records and a collective of Trustees who worked closely with and were inspired by legendary jazz drummer, Steve Reid. Steve’s musical career was marked by innovation, experimentation and breaking frontiers and he is well known for his work with Miles Davis, Fela Kuti, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Sun Ra and Kieran Hebden (Four Tet).

PRS for Music Foundation is a natural partner for the Steve Reid Foundation because of its long standing commitment to supporting new music and artist development across all genres.

To find out more about Steve Reid InNOVAtion Awards visit PRS for Music Foundation’s website: www.prsformusicfoundation.com