Danish audio brand Aiaiai has teamed up with London-born DJ Sherelle and her record label Beautiful to launch a free music production studio for Black and queer artists. Located in North London, the kitted-out space will act as a hub for community members to record their work without being harnessed by constraints relating to finances and accessibility.
This is not the first time these two musical change-makers have joined forces. In October last year, they developed a series of free workshops, hosted by Sherelle, teaching 15 students how to navigate the music industry and the significance of Black and queer artists in its development. Beautiful and Aiaiai also joined forces with Fynn Studio last summer to develop a week-long exhibition entitled move/002, spotlighting the role of Black and queer voices in rave culture. Since then, the collaborators have been carefully refining their focus and this studio aims to act as a solution to some of the roadblocks faced by Black and LGBTQI+ musicians, giving them the necessary tools to create freely.
Commenting on the opening, Sherelle highlighted that “In the current climate that we are currently in, many things are getting more expensive, and people need to divert their money elsewhere. It’s fantastic to have an initiative like this alongside Aiaiai, which also believes in the same principle of allowing people to create more freely. Hopefully, we can make more of these and do this internationally!”
Similarly, Aiaiai’s founder Frederik Jørgensen commented that “Increasing access for artists is a key focus for Aiaiai. After seeing the impact of our studio partnership with Beautiful over the past year, we are expanding our set up and moving into a larger studio, as well as opening the space for even more artists through an open application process. Through this we hope to remove more obstacles for developing artists in the community.”
This project is far from a surprising undertaking for Sherelle’s Beautiful. Founded in 2021 as a response to the erasure of Black and queer involvement in the history of electronic music, the label has since been actively platforming a slew of different artists, releasing an acclaimed 18 track compilation, Beautiful Vol. 1, featuring a range of artists from Nia Archives to Taahliah. Aiaiai’s commitment to change is no less vehement. Alongside its dedication to environmentally responsible production — recently launching a lifetime trade-in service to combat electronic waste — the audio company has also partnered with artists such as Trakgirl to develop a four-week initiative to highlight and empower emerging artists.
With applications opening on May 16, Black and queer artists are encouraged to apply for a space in the studio. You can submit your form here.
