Mura Masa’s new initiative supports local artists outside the metropolis

It’s often said that if you want to make it as a creative, you have to move to the big city. Year on year, metropolises like London, Manchester and Glasgow are inundated with hopeful singers, artists, directors and writers looking to find a community and get ahead in their careers. Sometimes, though, they move only to find themselves feeling isolated, struggling to make rent in a sea of competition. But moving away from home doesn’t have to be a prerequisite to success.

Just ask Mura Masa, the Guernsey-born producer looking to talents off the beaten track for a new project entitled ​“Local”. The initiative shines a light on homegrown artists outside the major cities. Teaming up with Relentless, Mura will embark on a three-stop tour of the UK in June, collaborating with tastemakers at each stop to program local and mega lineups.

Of course, Mura Masa knows the benefits of growing up in a small place well. ​“When you get to the major cities and in the rooms with people who grew up in these big, connected scenes, they actually value you more because you have a point of view and a style that’s totally alien to them,” he says.

The tour kicks off on 13^th June in Stockton-on-Tees, where Mura will team up with co-curator Boo – a producer, DJ, vocalist and head honcho behind the infamous Ghetec parties. On the 19^th June, Mura will move over to Blackpool to meet DJ and Balamii favourite, Mia Lily. Finally, the tour wraps up in Bradford on the 20^th June where Mura and ZMARAKS will put together one last showcase of local talent.

To wrap up Local, Mura will also be creating a digital zine to document the grassroots communities involved. “[We’ll be] asking the artists, curators and locals to contribute their stories and thoughts about what the art environment looks like for them, and what they need to flourish going forward,” he says. ​“I think it really helps to hear perspectives that are on the ground and real. It’s easy in a place like London to feel removed from the realities – both horrible and beautiful.”

Local is the latest project to come out of Relentless’ Freeform platform, a support scheme focused on grassroots subculture. Mura will also be supporting the Freeform Forum mentorship programme, which levels up artists kickstarting their career in music.

We caught up with Mura to hear more.

Hi, Mura! Why did you decide to take on this project?

Honestly, I’d been searching for a while for a way to put cash directly into the hands of artists and members of the scene who could really use it right now. When Relentless offered me the chance to curate something more detailed, I realised it was also a good opportunity to create movement around these under-sung scenes.

Why did you decide to work with Mia Lily, Boo and ZMARAKS on this project?

The only curator I knew prior was Boo, who’s been a member of my little secret Discord, The Pond. She makes amazing music and is a real positive force. Where she’s from is a troubled but storied and amazing place.

Mia Lily I met recently at an IRL social that we hold for the members of The Pond community, and I’m so psyched to play alongside her. She’s put a lot of effort into curating her line-up.

And ZMARAKS is the only curator I haven’t met yet but was the perfect answer to the question, ​“Who should help us curate these nights in these outside scenes?”

When you were looking for venues to host the shows in, what were your criteria?

Personally, I was just interested in finding great but sometimes under-celebrated venues. It’s kind of personal taste and vibes based, but we mainly just looked for places that we felt were the host to vital scenes of each town.

How do you think growing up in Guernsey shaped your career and what matters to you as an artist?

I think it’s provided me with everything that benefits me. I know what it’s like to have to engineer your own scene and make things from scratch for yourself. It’s given me the unique point of view that comes with growing up somewhere smaller and more disconnected.

There are of course some advantages to growing up in a big city as a creative, but what are the advantages for young creatives who grow up outside of cities like London and Manchester?

I would say when I first moved to London I felt out of the loop in terms of connection. There are so many little cliques and pockets of people, most of whom went to school together or graduated from the BRIT School or Goldsmiths or are connected in some way. I felt a little lost being from a place where nothing of that scale is available, but really, I came to realise that those same people love talking to outsiders because they have a perspective that isn’t spiked by being trapped in this internal London thing.

Is there a different buzz to playing in smaller cities and towns?

I guess there’s a kind of movement, a different willingness to create a moment and a vibe out of thin air. I think when there’s a bit more space and emptiness between opportunities to party or to experience live music, you become more appreciative when it does happen. At least that’s how I felt growing up. All that amounts to crowds being more receptive and vibey than they might be on a Wednesday night in London when there are 20 other gigs on.

Is there anything about regional subculture music scenes that makes them distinctive from big city subculture?

There are all sorts of idiosyncratic things that can develop in smaller places that couldn’t in a large city. Sometimes I feel like the bigger places are saturated with people who are really trying to emulate the original thinkers and trendsetters, which results in a lot of stuff feeling similar. But when there are fewer people, I think there’s more room for innovation.

We’re seeing a lot of cuts to arts funding across the country. Do you think that smaller cities and towns are hit harder by those cuts?

Of course. It’s as simple as bigger towns and cities having the infrastructure to bear those kinds of denials and still have places left. In a small place, if you lose a decent venue or programme, you might’ve lost a third of your opportunities if there are only three decent things in your hometown.

It seems like the governments of Britain have been trying to turn the UK into an anti-arts environment so they can sink more social emphasis into things like finance and trade.

For young people looking for scenes outside of big cities, what would you recommend?

Make your own shit. Nobody’s gonna do it for you, and even if they would, you wouldn’t own it. Don’t get tricked into thinking there’s a bigger show happening in the capital or in the big metropolis near you. It’ll never be as pure or as cool as what you’re doing with your friends.