Swing Dash is a pretty cool space. Where did the inspiration for it come from?
I’d been in Nottingham for 10 years but hadn't really had any sustained success with anything music-wise, so I decided to have one last throw of the dice. After COVID, the city was crying out for a community dance music space, so I went through Prince's Trust and the idea of a studio community came about. I built everything in there by hand – I was a DIY novice in this warehouse space, so I tried, failed and succeeded… it was a tough time, but luckily things took off from there, with thanks to our Nottingham community.
Great name – where does the term Swing Dash come from?
The name comes from a swung dash (~), aka a Tilde. The Matilda (Tilda) was a squat in Sheffield, where my 13-year-old self played my first punk gig. This was a formative experience for me, both in terms of music and community. I also love music with swing where everything goes a bit off-grid and wonky... people swing by the studio, DJ and make tunes, and then dash.
What's your background and what are your passions? Music and otherwise.
I'm from Sheffield, and I’ve worked since I was 14 years old. I have two self-employed parents – they taught me my graft. I learned dubstep from my brother, bought a pair of Kam 500 turntables and did vinyl mixing. Then I came to NTU, got involved with Trent Bass Music and put on a few nights here and there…
I love getting out of the city when I can, walking in the Peaks. I mainly listen to 60s and 70s stuff in my spare time.
It's great that you feature up-and-coming Nottingham artists – who were the first to get involved with Swing Dash?
Some of the first were artists called Raheel Khan, Beaabea and Habgud, also the Gyals in Notts and Hunnisuckle crews were some of the first in too! They're all very exciting and talented people, and they really helped to launch the studio. Brad, who’s head of community at Swing Dash, and Matt Woodham also built the acoustic panels with me, so a lot of kudos goes to them for their help they gave at the beginning.
Tell me about the event on 5th May. What are you celebrating and who's going to be playing?
It's a day and night party on the early May Bank Holiday Sunday at the Golden Fleece to celebrate our second birthday. We’ll be featuring 20+ DJs from the Swing Dash radio roster. We've got an outdoor and an indoor stage which will run simultaneously from 3pm-9pm. Indoors will be going until 3am!
What are your visions for the future?
This year is a biggy! The 2nd birthday is a website 2.0 launch, our second radio channel – and our livestreaming room launch. This year I'm also hoping to open a Swing Dash in a new city, as well as a new venue... keep ’em peeled!
How do prospective artists get involved with Swing Dash?
Everything is done via me – just hit me up on Instagram @swingdash and click link in bio to contact me.
Anything else to add?
I just want to say thank you to everyone who's got involved with Swing Dash this past two years. I love you Nottingham!
@swingdash
Buy tickets for the Swing Dash 2nd birthday party here
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