HQ CAN

24/10/2024

November 14th as part of the Leicester Business Festival we have the Official Launch of the Leicester Music Board!

We are thrilled to announce the official launch of the Leicester Music Board and also invite you to take part in an important public consultation on the future of Leicester's music scene. This is a unique opportunity for you to help shape the vision and direction of the local music industry.

The event will be followed by an evening of networking and live music performances, offering a chance to connect with local musicians, industry professionals, and other key stakeholders.

Whether you're an artist, industry professional, or music lover, your voice matters. Let’s work together to strengthen and grow Leicester’s incredible music community!

https://lbf.ticketleap.com/leicester-music-board-official-launch/

21/05/2024

I've got a few spaces left for this if any aspiring musicians or artists want to come let me know

Fraser T Smith is a multi-award winning, internationally acclaimed artist, producer, songwriter and musician, who has co-written, mixed and produced seven Number One singles in the UK, and has spent his career working with some of the biggest artists in the world, including Adele, Stormzy, Sam Smith, Florence and the Machine, Drake, Gorillas, Kano, Dave and more.

Hear about Fraser’s journey, from the beginning of his interest in music and his first gigs as guitarist and band member, through to his entry into writing and production.

12/04/2024

Last nights Open Mic / Showcase was sickkk! Massive thanks to my team, the featured acts, everyone who performed and everyone who came and vibed with us 🙌
Special thanks to Arts Council England for supporting these nights too 💙
Next up 23rd May at 2Funky Music Cafe with something BIG! 🤩

13/03/2024

The DMU Made Creative Industries programme is a mix of practical workshops by industry experts, which will take place in Leicester, and international online workshops, open to students and recent graduates across the UK and overseas!

Catch me live and direct on the 9th May 👀

Details here: https://www.dmumade.com/news/registration-opens-for-dmu-made-creative-industries-programme

12/02/2024

Are you looking to progress your career in music? Or do you know someone who dreams of building a future in the industry?

The inaugural Leicester Music Conference takes place this Friday with a packed line-up of panels and discussions, which are sure to inspire. We caught up with HQ Recording Studio Leicester's Dr Yasin El Ashrafi, who is behind organising the event, to find out more in our latest Weekly Music Guide.

Music updates every week from us and PPL PRS Ltd.

➡️ https://www.coolasleicester.co.uk/weekly-music-guide-09-02-2024/

12/02/2024

Leicester-based social enterprise HQ CAN CIC are hosting Leicester’s first music conference with support from local music licensing company, PPL PRS, and De Montfort University (DMU). The conference is expected to bring music and creative sector professionals together to support the music, arts, and media industries in the East Midlands.

The event, which will be held at 2Funky Café on Friday 16 February, promises a programme of discussions, knowledge sharing, creativity and live music – with a schedule packed full of industry experts and artists.

Follow the link below for further information about the incredible opportunities on offer at the Leicester Music Conference:
https://bitly.ws/3cYX5

Dr Yasin El Ashrafi BEM De Montfort University Leicester (DMU)

07/02/2024

INNOVATION FESTIVAL / CREATE CREATIVE GROWTH EVENT @ LMC

Join Dr Yasin El Ashrafi BEM and Scott Ashby from unchained music for a talk & conversation on growing your music / creative business.

We will be exploring different funding & investment models and how local support may help your business go to the next level.

Leicester native Scott Ashby is a music industry and tech entrepreneur. Starting out as a guitarist and producer, he went on to work with Oxjam Festival, Metropolis Studios, Warner Bros Records & Universal Music Germany during his early stage career.

After starting his artist management company, Ashby Projects in 2015 whilst living in Germany, the management roster went on to sign with both Sony Music UK, Universal Music Germany, Avex Japan along side multiple leading independent labels. Roster releases resulted in multiple gold and silver records, alongside YouTube gold creator awards being presented to artists. Scott has overseen artist & brand partnership deals with LG Electronics & Puma and throughout 2024 has artist tours planned in the UK, Europe, USA, Japan and Australasia.

In 2021 he co-founded the USA based fintech platform Unchained Music and oversaw a large investment into the company. Unchained Music now offers digital distribution, royalty advances and innovative label services to over 30 thousand independent artists and labels across the globe. Unchained works with the latest financial, marketing and AI technology to provide first class scalable systems to artists and label teams of all sizes.

Over the course of his career he as worked on projects with / had support from artist and artist teams such as Snoop Dogg, Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance), The Kelly Family, Zero 3, David Guetta, Rufus Du Sol, Paul Okenfield

His recent projects have been featured in Forbes, Rolling Stone. Entrepreneur Magazine, Yahoo Finance and NASDAQ.

Scott has recently relocated back to Leicester, UK, to grow the Artist & Label services division for Unchained Music, with the future plan to make Leicester the base of operations for Unchained’s global operation.

Dr Yasin El Ashrafi BEM is a multi award winning mentor and entrepreneur. He is the Founder and Owner of HQ Recording Studio, HQ Familia record label and Director of HQ CAN (Community Arts Network) Community Interest Company. Yasin has worked in various roles in the music industry in Leicester for over a decade and has experience as a music venue owner before starting HQ Familia, he has put on hundreds of events showcasing artists from the around midlands as well as national and international acts from a wide range of genres.
Yasin was awarded a British Empire Medal by the Queen for his services to young people, music and mentoring and also recently awarded an honorary doctorate in music from De Montfort University for supporting students and the local creative industries.
Yasin currently manages 4 artists who are being developed by HQ Familia

This event will be from 10-11 in the 2Funky Lounge and attendees will be welcome to stay for the Leicester Music Conference and showcase event.

05/02/2024

More supporters and more performers added too 👀

Looking like it’s going to be a sell out so get your tickets asap to avoid disappointment 🤓

01/02/2024

https://leicestertimes.com/leicester-news/unmissable-music-conference-to-debut-in-leicester

The owner of a Leicester recording studio has organised an “unmissable” event in the city, where aspiring musicians can network and learn how to build a successful career in the industry. The Leicester Music conference - the first of its kind in the city, will be held at 2Funky Cafe on Friday, F...

23/01/2024

First LMC Performer announcement 📣

We are delighted to announce the performance of award winning alto-saxophonist and MC, Soweto Kinch at the Leicester Music Conference

Soweto is one of the most exciting and versatile musicians in both the British jazz and hip hop scenes. With a degree in Modern History from Oxford University, he has amassed an impressive list of accolades and awards on both sides of the Atlantic. Kinch is the main presenter for BBC Radio 3’s Jazz Now, fronted BBC Four documentary Jazzology (2018), and been awarded Honorary Associateship at Hertford College, Oxford (2018) and The Royal Academy of Music (2020).

With an impressive discography that has covered a wide range of themes from the Seven Deadly Sins to slavery and emancipation – Soweto’s music has seen him tour extensively with his own ensembles as well as forging lasting collaborations from the globally. In 2013, Kinch presented a stage performance of his concept album The Legend of the Mike Smith at Birmingham Repertory Theatre – which toured at The Belgrade Theatre (Coventry), The Albany (Deptford), Banlieux Bleues (Paris), and Chat’s Palace (Hackney).

Kinch’s last studio album The Black Peril is a politically and racially-engaged body of work, drawing historical inspiration from race riots which erupted across the western world throughout 1919-21. The album explores the sounds of ragtime, proto-jazz, West Indian folk music and the classical works of black composers of the period, revisiting a time of momentous social change, while also exploring connecting strands to modern forms of dance music including hip-hop and trap.

Kinch’s latest release, White Juju featuring London Symphony Orchestra debuted on 19th November 2021 to a sold-out Barbican Centre, London. White Juju is a groundbreaking symphonic work which reflects on the past three years of culture wars, lockdowns and social upheaval. Similarly the piece was performed to a sold-out Printworks in Surrey Quays last spring. Now in development for its second phase White Juju will tour in Birmingham and internationally in 2024/25.

11/10/2022

This is a great opportunity for artists & producers in Leicester / Leicestershire!

Places are very limited though so send your email asap if interested, final decisions being made Friday!

Big thanks to Arts Council England for funding the project and making this possible 🙌🤩🙌

07/10/2022

Big up Brijesh Pandya on his first ever official release! 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Brij has been on a few of our community music projects over the last few years working on his production and I can’t lie, he’s made some bangers!

Big thanks to PPL PRS Ltd too for sponsoring him to ensure he can keep his sessions up 🙌

Check it out - link in comments 👀