As part of the build up to the 1Xtra Live event the BBC worked in partnership with a number of community organisations across the city to bring grass roots experiences to the young people of Leeds. Studio12 felt it was really important to allow real DJs and professionals to talk, listen and advise our young people in the music they have produced at the studio.
The masterclass involved an application asking people to submit a track and form to explain their track, detailing how it was made and what it is about. This was in line with the BBC submissions process. We selected 13 young people to have one to one mentoring with the artists. DJ Target used his extensive knowledge of DJing, producing music, performance and radio to advise and mentor the young people. Austin Daboh is the Music Manager for 1Xtra. He talked about how to get tracks onto radio, what makes a good track and how to be a professional musician and promoter.
Alan Raw from BBC Introducing West Yorkshire, talked about getting your tracks submitted to the playlist. The 3 artists then spent 10mins with each participant listening to their music, advising them on what they could do to improve their tracks. From this session 1Xtra played 6 people’s tracks that participated in the workshop on BBC radio to an audience of over 1 million. 2 tracks have been the introducing track for the week, which they play on all radio shows and 4 people were also selected for the BBC Introducing stage. The young people gained a lot from the experience, meeting important people and getting real feedback from the industry. There was a real buzz of excitement in the studio and the masterclass brought a sense of professionalism to the studio.
Use #TargetsNoticeBoard to share tracks and find collaborations.
“A great community place with all the relevant software and hardware where young people can hone their skills, singer songwriter skills, production skills…boy I was impressed!” – DJ Target, BBC 1Xtra
“We are really excited to be bringing such an ambitious programme of events to Leeds and Bradford. By working alongside some of the brilliant community organisations in those cities we will offer some real grass roots, inspirational and empowering sessions for the young people of West Yorkshire, and then give opportunities for those people to put their skills into practice with 1Xtra.” – Angie Pitt, Radio 1 & 1Xtra’s Outreach Manager
“The build up to 1Xtra live is going to create a massive buzz in the city. A month-long focus on music for young people is a fantastic opportunity to learn, get creative, nurture their love of music or even help people discover a new talent and sits firmly at the heart of our desire for Leeds to be European Capital of Culture 2023 and a child friendly city.” – Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor Judith Blake
