Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music

with BRITISH LIBRARY & UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER

Launched in April 2024, Below the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music was the first major exhibition to document a 500-year musical journey of African and Caribbean people in Britain. Forming part of a partnership project between the British Library and the University of Westminster, the exhibition, book and programme of events explored the people, spaces and message that formed part of a British soundtrack.

Moving between the sensorial, intimate and living spaces where Black music has been felt, embodied and sustained, Beyond the Bassline captured the moments in time as well as the enduring sounds and imaginations of Black musicians and creatives who have transformed the landscape of British music.