Tag: London

Spotify’s Virtual Notting Hill Carnival Microsite Amplifies Black Creators Like Never Before

August 19, 2020

London’s annual Notting Hill Carnival is a 54-year-old celebration of the United Kingdom’s Caribbean community, and it’s often filled with parades, food, and, of course, music. Due to this year’s social distancing recommendations, the Carnival’s in-person events are on hold, but the art and culture of the U.K.’s Black creative community can be heard just as loudly as Notting Hill Carnival goes online. As an official partner for Notting Hill Carnival 2020, Spotify is excited to share our dedicated Carnival microsite, with a full virtual musical lineup, playlist takeovers, art experiences, and more.

That’s right: The party isn’t stopping; it’s just moving from the streets into your home. Our new microsite is filled with playlist takeovers from big names, and it gives fans a chance to explore over 40 of the official Notting Hill Carnival sound systems and on-the-road DJs who spin dub, reggae, soca, soulful house and everything in between. Plus, we’ll be featuring an exclusive portrait and film gallery from renowned photographer Ekua King, podcast episodes covering Carnival’s rich history and a look forward, and ways to tune into live events throughout the weekend.

“Notting Hill Carnival is such an important celebration of Caribbean heritage for communities in London and beyond—enriched in tradition and activism and lived through music and dance,” says Sulinna Ong, Head of Music at Spotify U.K. and Ireland. “While it can’t take place in its usual way, it’s key that the celebration continue—in homes, living rooms and gardens—especially given the current climate.”

Learn how you can celebrate Carnival through some of Spotify’s microsite features.

Playlist takeovers

We’ve worked with some of the U.K.’s leading Black creators in music, film, and entertainment to help guide fans through some of our most popular playlists, which will be dedicated to Notting Hill Carnival for the long weekend event. Fans can enjoy:

  • Lockdown success story No Signal’s take on Who We Be, the U.K.’s biggest hip-hop, Afrobeat, dancehall and R&B playlist
  • The legendary Marleys, who will help fans jam along to One Love
  • Little Mix’s Leigh-Anne Pinnock’s compilation of tunes for Throwback Thursday
  • Everything from reggae legends to the new school as Koffee introduces our Irie playlist
  • Spice, the Jamaican dancehall artist and star of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta’s Dancehall Queen takeover

Notting Hill Carnival sound systems

Our microsite also gives fans the chance to explore over 40 of the official Notting Hill Carnival sound systems (aka large DJ booths) and on-the-road DJs. Check in with King Tubby’s, Carnival’s oldest sound; Rampage Sound, one of Carnival’s most coveted spots, the prince of U.K. soca, Martin Jay; and even Carnival’s only all-female sound system, Seduction City Sound.

“Last year I celebrated 25 years of being the only female sound system in Carnival,” says Lady Banton of Seduction City Sound. “I’m a woman and a Black woman, and I’m proud to be a Black woman. I’m also a child of the Windrush generation, so we never forget. I thought, ‘What a relief I am here again.’”

Exclusive photo and film gallery from Ekua King

Just as the in-person Carnival has music and art to boot, so will the microsite, thanks to exclusive work from Ekua King. The renowned London-based photographer of Jamaican heritage who shoots for the likes of i-D, Paper, and Vogue, has created an exclusive photo and film gallery on the site. Check out her stunning portraiture of the over 40 sound systems and on-the-road DJs, whose stories come to life through her shots.

The Wave of London Musicians Making Jazz Their Own

April 22, 2019

“I was 19 years old and got to travel Europe with a rapper—a dream come true,” says Femi Koleoso, drummer and bandleader of Ezra Collective, one of a growing number of London-based jazz groups bringing newfound global attention to the genre. Speaking by phone, he shared the story of his first big gig, when he was spotted at a jazz club and asked to support the acclaimed Queens, New York, rapper Pharoahe Monch on tour six years ago. Today, Koleoso is gearing up for the release of Ezra Collective’s debut album, You Can’t Steal My Joy (out April 26), while on tour drumming for Brit Award-winning singer Jorja Smith.

Like many of their peers on the UK jazz scene, Ezra Collective have been making their way to increasingly bigger stages of late. The quintet were included on last year’s celebrated We Out Here compilation, a project organized by DJ and broadcaster Gilles Peterson and released through his label, Brownswood Recordings. The album is a sweeping collection of offerings from across London’s vibrant jazz revival, from the cosmic sounds of Shabaka Hutchings, member of the Mercury Prize-wining band Sons of Kemet, to the Afrobeat-influenced grooves of eight-piece band KOKOROKO, whose self-titled debut EP was released earlier this month.

With Hutchings as its music director, the critically acclaimed compilation serves as a pivotal document of the scene, and Peterson recently announced a festival of the same name taking place on August 15-18 in Cambridgeshire. The fest is yet more evidence of the growing interest in new jazz in the UK, especially among young people. Just last year, the number of UK users aged 30 and under listening to Spotify’s Jazz UK playlist increased by 108%.

Meet the Talented Tech Minds Building Spotify in London

April 17, 2019

It’s no secret that London is one of the most vibrant cities in the world, but with Spotify UK’s move to a new office building this month, the conversation around London as an innovative tech epicenter has been growing. “Spotify in London has to be part of Spotify globally, but also must embrace the individuality and uniqueness of London,” says John Hayes, Director of Engineering. “No matter where you are from, you’ll find something going on in London that interests you and that you can learn from. There is a culture of top talent seeking the most interesting opportunities here.”

Late last year, Spotify announced that London would become the location for the Swedish company’s new tech hub. In the months since, Spotify has been busy building up a diverse and talented team of developers, data scientists, product managers and designers from around the world, people eager to add their stories to the company’s ever-evolving narrative. “We did a ‘getting to know each other’ exercise with the team,” John says. “To show where we were from, we all placed a pin on a map of the world. We had such a large mix of backgrounds that we ran out of pins and had to improvise with paperclips.”

And that’s just the beginning. “We spend time bringing the right people into the company who want to change the industry from a personal perspective,” John says. “It’s humbling to work with people who bring so many ideas from so many backgrounds.”

Like London itself, our newest office reflects many different cultures and experiences, but is equally connected to Spotify tradition. We’ve even put our own spin on the fika break: Sweden’s take on afternoon tea.

But who better to tell our story than London Spotifiers themselves? Below, meet a few of the many talented tech minds building out Spotify’s engineering team in London.

 

Name: Madalina Sicoi
From: Romania
Title: Software Development Engineer

Madalina Sicoi

I work on awareness and conversion for Spotify Premium. My day-to-day work is an exciting blend of coding, testing, liaising with stakeholders and supporting the rollout of various initiatives.

I had been keeping a close eye on Spotify long before the company established a tech presence in London due to my love of its product and the stories around its tech and culture. Spotify is a fun place to work, and I’m always surrounded by talented people that get the best out of me. Spotify brings a transparency that’s rare among large tech companies.

 

Name: Daniela Estevez Fernandez
From: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Title: Senior Product Designer

Daniela Estevez Fernandez

I love the idea of working with a product that is used by millions of people every day. Every single person that you encounter here at Spotify is insanely smart, and most of us come from completely different backgrounds. I think that’s a perfect fit for the London talent pool.

From a user experience perspective, it’s interesting to think about how we prepare ourselves for the future of audio streaming in a truly connected world with hundreds of different types of devices (mobile, web, smart speakers, consoles, smart watches, etc.). How can I deliver a consistent and seamless experience to all users? I’d love to think that everyone listens to audio in the same way that I do, but the reality is very different, so that’s why I need to pay extra attention to what are our users are telling me. I focus on trying to deliver the best experience to all users, regardless of their device and where they are in the world.

 

Name: Jon Hare-Winton
From: Berkshire, UK
Title: Quality Engineer

Jon Hare-Winton

I work as an engineer in a small team, helping my team to ensure quality in everything we build. I’ve played drums in bands since I was 12, and have always wanted an opportunity to combine my professional life with my biggest passion.

The ever-changing nature of software development is kind of mirrored in the evolution of music streaming. It follows the patterns of early adoption, through to becoming mass market, followed by disruption. It’s a fascinating time to be involved in both fields, as nothing is going to stand still for long.

 

Name: Dimitrios Klimis
From: Greece
Title: Software Engineer

Dimitrios Klimis

I listen to lots (and I mean lots) of music. Spotify has been a big part of my life for a few years now after a former colleague suggested I give it a go about six years ago. The ability to instantly have access to almost every album ever produced and discover new music was, and still is, mind-blowing. So naturally, when given the opportunity to become a Spotify team member, I couldn’t resist. Spotify is like a dream job to me.

It’s evident that technology has conquered most aspects of our lives today and, as we evolve, we ask more from it. We as users need ubiquitous, less-intrusive technology which assists us to achieve our goals. For example, to discover music without actually looking for it. I believe Spotify has made considerable steps in this direction and we’ll see more and more in the future. I’m excited to be part of that journey.

 

Name: Riccardo Buzzotta
From: Padua, Italy
Title: Senior Product Designer

Riccardo Buzzotta

My role entails delivering elegant design solutions for Spotify Premium’s conversion funnel, with the help of my design team, now spanning across several time zones. Furthermore, I support my teammates in shipping quality work that contributes to a long-term vision.

London was already on my radar as a city to work and live in. Spotify coincidentally came along and when it was clear we both liked each other, I simply could not say no. I strongly feel that Spotify will make for a killer presence in London. Not just as a renowned consumer brand, but also as an incredible powerhouse of ideas and excellence on many fronts, as it’s been known to do worldwide.

 

Name: Ambreen Subzwari
From: Welsh-Pakistani origin
Title: PI Manager for the Conversion Product Area in Ironbank

Ambreen Subzwari

As a female of South Asian origin working in the tech industry, I can say firsthand that the landscape of gender equality has really shifted for the better over the last few years. Spotify, for me, epitomises the equilibrium of opportunities for men and women within the organisation. Not just because of the number of talented women we have in leadership roles, but also in the general company culture. For instance, as a working mother, I have been given full support by my manager and peers to work specific office hours to minimise disruption to my personal life— something that has not always been the case in previous companies. In addition to this, I also feel I have the same set of opportunities and support available to me as my male counterparts in order to climb my way up the Spotify career path. I have seen no distinction between the genders in what is required to achieve the next steps other than skills and performance.

 

Name: Yusik Kim
From: Daejeon, South Korea
Title: Machine Learning Engineer

Yusik Kim

I use machine learning to detect payment fraud. I spend a lot of time looking at payment data from different angles and select appropriate features to feed into the models. It mostly involves statistical modeling, implementing data pipelines, and ML algorithms.

When I was a student, I spent a lot of time discovering new music through buying albums and from what friends recommended. Once I had a job, I no longer had the time to invest in music discovery and I stopped listening to music for a while. Then Spotify came along and solved those problems for me. So I am passionate about making it even better.

 

Name: Muge Ersoy
From: Istanbul, Turkey
Title: Engineering Manager

Muge Ersoy

I was inspired to work at Spotify when I gave a talk at a Women in Tech conference in Amsterdam. Spotify was across from our booth and I had the chance to meet many women in STEM and get to know their policies regarding diversity and inclusion. It amazed me and I immediately wanted to be part of it. Not to mention that I am a big fan of the product itself and its discovery playlists.

I’ve played in amateur bands as a drummer. I have always had a special connection to music creation and am a true believer of the power of music. It makes the world a better place.

 

Name: Nicole Shephard
From: Denver, Colorado
Title: Design Manager

Nicole Shephard

I’m responsible for building and supporting a design team to explore what’s next for Spotify Premium. This means recruiting great design talent, working closely with our Product Insights team to deeply understand our customers, supporting designers in their exploration and testing of new concepts, and telling a great story around our hunches, experiments, learnings, and decisions.

My husband is a full-time musician, so the opportunity to contribute to Spotify’s goal of connecting artists with fans is quite personal. Music is one of the most powerful forces in the world—it has the ability to connect us, move us, and awake parts of us in a way only music can.

Sound Up Bootcamp: London Edition

September 7, 2018

If you’ve ever listened to a podcast and thought, “I could do this,” we want to hear your voice. Spotify is inviting aspiring podcasters in the UK who identify as a woman of colour to apply for the Sound Up UK week-long residential podcasting workshop, which will be held in London on November 5-9. Applicants don’t need to have any prior podcasting experience, just passion for the medium and an eagerness to bring their great ideas to life.

Sound Up UK follows our first Sound Up Bootcamp in New York, which received thousands of applications. Ten lucky finalists were invited to attend the programme, which consisted of a week of mentoring and networking with podcasting and radio greats. At the end of the week, three of the finalists were awarded $10,000 to produce their podcasts.

“The Sound Up Bootcamp in the US was an absolutely huge success, with over 18,000 applicants, showing just how much enthusiasm and talent exists in the field of podcast creation in 2018,” says James Cator, Spotify Head of Podcast Partnerships, EMEA. “The UK is a leading light in the world of podcasts, so we’re expecting to see a similarly enthusiastic response from ambitious podcast creators there. We are hugely excited to be able to support and promote more diverse and talented voices in the field of podcasting, and to give them a creative platform to share their work with the widest possible audience.”

We are hugely excited to be able to support and promote more diverse and talented voices in the field of podcasting, and to give them a creative platform to share their work with the widest possible audience.

James Cator, Spotify Head of Podcast Partnerships, EMEA

The ten finalists chosen to attend the London Sound Up Bootcamp will learn about the art of podcast creation; from learning about their audience and formulating a concept and story arc, to legal and licensing, graphic design, and technical studio skills. The course is designed and facilitated in partnership with the ShoutOut Network, whose company mission is to “find the next generation of voices.” This will culminate in a pitch session to a panel of industry experts, who will select three participants to receive support to further develop and record their podcast idea.

“The US Sound Up Bootcamp has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my career,” says Natalie Tulloch, Director of Content Partnerships, Spotify. “The week was so much more than planned. It was a privilege being in the room with an amazing group of women. During the course of the week, it was more than learning about the business of podcasting—it was therapy, bonding, and plenty of laughter. We could not have done it without the amazing women in the podcast community in New York City who supported the initiative.”

Now women of colour in the UK have an opportunity to shape that community as well. Interested podcasters should apply before midnight on September 17 at http://bit.ly/soundupuk. We can’t wait to hear what you have to say.