BLVCK+WHITE
In short
Audiovisual music curation platform, record label & event series
ROLE
Founder, Curator & Producer
SKILLS
Cultural Curation & Production
DATES
2015
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Audiovisual music curation platform, record label & event series
Founder, Curator & Producer
Cultural Curation & Production
2015
Born from a longing to reconnect with my love for music and experiment with new ways of discovering and sharing it, BLVCK+WHITE emerged as a community-driven platform dedicated to championing new and independent artists. What began as a YouTube curation channel pairing emerging music with black and white visuals, quickly grew an engaged following, before expanding into newsletters, playlists, a small record label release, and a sold-out live event series. Across each format, the project explored how thoughtful curation, collaboration, and physical gathering could create deeper, more lasting relationships with music beyond disposable listening culture.
BLVCK+WHITE was founded at a time when it often felt necessary to look backwards to find high-quality music. The platform set out to highlight the remarkable work emerging from new and independent artists, giving their music a space to be heard and valued. We chose to meet listeners where they already were and began on YouTube, drawing inspiration from influential channels of the time such as Majestic Casual. Our use of black and white imagery expressed a sense of timelessness, the belief that good music endures - while also serving as a provocation to reconsider the disposable, consumerist habits that often shape how we engage with music.
I conceived the idea and, eager to begin, invited two fellow music lovers, Andy and Theo, to join me. Jessica later joined the team to support PR and communications.
We launched a YouTube channel, regularly sharing new music we discovered and loved, each track complimented with a black and white visual. Within a few months the channel grew to over 5,000 subscribers. We received a high volume of submissions from emerging artists, while also actively searching for new releases from both upcoming and more established acts. However, major labels, many of which owned or controlled smaller imprints, did not support YouTube curation platforms promoting their artists. The channel received repeated copyright complaints and was eventually permanently shut down. In response, we shifted our strategy to a weekly newsletter and SoundCloud playlists, curated by us and guest artist curators, allowing us to continue championing underground music for dedicated listeners while also reaching a broader audience through editorial content.
We released the debut EP of a local artist, supporting both the distribution and promotion of the record and extending our role from tastemakers into artist development.
Inspired by New York brunch parties, which at the time had not yet taken off in London, we launched a hip-hop and R&B daytime party combining DJs, live performances, and tasty food. We partnered with Clutch Chicken, a restaurant in Hackney, East London, whose quieter daytime hours made the collaboration mutually beneficial. Tickets were all-inclusive, covering food and a limited number of drinks, and every event sold out in advance.
