Mykaell Riley, Reader, Director for the Black Music Research Unit (BMRU) and Principal Investigator for Bass Culture Research at the University of Westminster, has overseen the creation of The Top 20 playlist on Spotify, compiled by the Windrush 75 Network.
The project is part of the Windrush 75 Network’s initiatives to bring organisations together for the 75th anniversary celebration on 22 June. The Network aims to broaden public recognition of the original Windrush Pioneers, as well as increasing public understanding of the history of race and migration to Britain across the decades. The playlist showcases the contribution and the impact the Windrush generation and their descendants had on music and popular culture in the UK.
The chronological list includes tracks from 1948 to 2021, starting with Lord Kitchener’s London Is the Place for Me, and concludes with Islington-born rapper Little Simz, singing Woman. The playlist features songs from other influential artists, including Stormzy, Craig David and Boney M.
Talking about the playlist in a Windrush 75 Network press release, Riley said: “It is a great list which scratches the surface of a hugely important cultural contribution. In many ways, it is a teaser to what lies beyond the beats, melodies and songs that have found their way into so many lives.”
In addition to the playlist, Riley will be holding a speech about the influence of the Windrush generation on British music, as part of The Windrush 75 Celebrations event at Brent Civic Centre on 22 June.
Riley is a musician, and one of the founding members of Steel Pulse, a British roots Reggae band of the 1970’s that originated in Birmingham and was the first non-Jamaican act to win a Grammy for Best Reggae Album.
As an academic, Riley has created revolutionary work, including his 2017 research about Bass Culture, the curation of the 2018 Bass Culture 70/50 exhibition at Ambika P3 Gallery, and The Bass Culture Documentary and Grime Report in the same year. Scheduled for 2024, and in partnership with the British Library and the National Sound archive, Riley is currently working on the first national exhibition on Black British music.
Listen to the Windrush 75 Top 20 playlist on Spotify or on Virgin Radio, hosted by Mykaell Riley.
