Bido Lito June 2021 Issue 114

MAKING
WAVES
Adam Noor highlights the essential work of the Noise Project and LIMF Academy which came
together to support young artists in a recent collaboration.
Faced with a decade of austerity and budget
cuts, organisations in Liverpool have worked
tirelessly to promote the artistic development
of young people and create spaces that
encourage individuals from all backgrounds to explore
their passion for music. However, the global pandemic
which took hold in March 2020 served to create a more
unforgiving landscape for young artists and musicians.
More positively, in the months that followed, it has also
seen adaptation from a wealth of organisations meeting
the demands of the new normal. One of the more recent
initiatives taking root here in Liverpool sees a collaboration
between the Noise Project and LIMF Academy.
The project began as the brainchild of local creative
consultant Yaw Owusu and practitioner Joe Carroll
(aka Amique) who each represent the scheme’s parent
organisations. Owusu is the creative force behind the
Liverpool International Music Festival and its artist
development scheme the LIMF Academy, which focuses
on artists at an industry level. He shared how the idea
for this group was conceived – during an hour-long,
impromptu conversation between the two men on a
street corner after they collaborated on the Levi’s Music
Project in Anfield earlier that year.
“We talked about doing something like [the Levi’s
Music Project] but a little bit more grassroots with artists.
[Amique] came back and said, ‘Well, let’s do something
as a partnership between the Academy and Noise’,”
Owusu explained. “I must give credit to Amique, it’s very
much his vision, but with me bringing what I do to the
table, it’s been a wonderful partnership.”
Amique is a successful musician himself. After having
performed at Wireless Festival and opening for artists
like Snarky Puppy and JP Cooper, he’s accustomed to the
harsh but alluring reality of the music industry. Alongside
this, Amique works as a music development worker at
the Noise Project on Hanover Street, which is where I
was introduced to him more than three years ago.
As a teenager, I’d been looking for a way to develop
my interest in music without the financial
pressures of private tutors and
expensive equipment. I
stumbled across
Noise
and, after meeting the team there, I felt completely
welcomed and comfortable exploring something I’d
always kept strictly within the confines of my bedroom.
The project manager of Noise, Garth Jones,
summarised what they do: “Noise is for young people
aged 11-25 from all areas of Merseyside. We offer free
tuition in guitar, piano, drums and voice, along with artist
mentoring sessions covering song
writing, music production and industry
insight.” The time I spent at Noise,
working closely with Amique, helped
me immensely with my confidence
at a time when most teenagers feel
unsure about what they should do
with their life and what they are
capable of. Amique has a true knack
for showing young musicians what
they can achieve and an almost
magnetic quality of drawing their
talents to the surface. When I heard
about his new scheme for emerging
artists, I knew it had to be something
worth looking into.
Unfortunately, before the project got a chance to
welcome its inaugural cohort, the Covid-19 pandemic
put a swift halt to all collaborative schemes within the
community, shepherding the group into an uncharted
digital workspace. This proved tricky to begin with for
those involved, like 20-year-old rapper and spoken word
artist DAYZY. “[It was difficult] due to everyone having to
work from home because of the pandemic, we can’t just
go to the studio,” he said. “One specific challenge was
recording and trying to fix any errors with
the sound.” Like many of us, the
artists have had to adapt
to a new way of
working with
“Music will
always find
its way”
technology but, luckily, they had the expertise of Amique
and Owusu to help them through it. “The project leaders
have been amazing with handling this,” said Dayzy, “and
also teaching us to solve the issues ourselves.”
The Liverpool-based artist spoke about his
upbringing around family and friends involved in the
city’s creative scene, whom he credits for inspiring him
to harness his music and teaching
him to grow into the artist he is
today. He also pinpointed the aptly
named Catalyst Performing Arts
programme as the birthplace of his
musical career – a project based in
Liverpool 8 which provides young
people with the opportunity to
express themselves through drama,
writing, dance and other activities.
Regarding the collaborative nature of
the LIMF Academy x Noise Project,
Dayzy said: “For me, personally, I
helped contribute to the project with
my rapping ability, however it has
pushed me to explore my skills in
music production much more than I thought it would.”
When asked about the most rewarding aspect of being
involved, he responded, “Using our creativity to create
sounds together with the other artists on the project, that
have a big meaning behind them.”
It appears Amique and Owusu place a huge
importance on encouraging an environment of shared
creativity and a mutual respect for all the artists’ work
within the group. The former elaborated on how this
translates into their weekly meetings. “Sessions
regularly feature group song evaluations
where the young artists
evaluate one another’s
music and
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