BUC Updates

Belfast - Belfast Urban Collective and GVRT partner to create new community recording studio

Music Studio Destined for the Village

Greater Village Regeneration Trust went into partnership this week with the British Urban Collective and Windsor Women’s Centre to build a state-of-the-art music recording studio in its new Richview Regeneration Centre on the Donegall Road.

British Urban Collective is a youth music project working in different areas of the United Kingdom: Manchester, Glasgow, Hull, London and Belfast to support 20-30 aspiring artists and producers in each City through funding from the Execution Charitable Trust.

Work in this regard has been ongoing over the summer months. The final part of this process is about leaving behind a “legacy”, whereby a start-up recording studio is to be built and kitted-out with the latest equipment. The recording studio will be used by music producers and artists, and to provide training on the different aspects of producing records.

Harry Leckstein, founder of Urban Collective, said: “In the past four years the Urban Collective project has helped more than two hundred young people across London. Now we have the chance to work across the UK and I’m very excited to work with all the young people out there who are determined to become the new pioneers of our industry. An underlying ambition of the Collective is to positively contribute to wider urban regeneration efforts going on and saw the Village area as an ideal location for the City of Belfast.”

Paula Bradshaw, Director of Greater Village Regeneration Trust, said: “The Trust sees this new facility as another wonderful example of how the Village is being rejuvenated, where more opportunities are provided for the young people of the area to explore their potential. Richview Regeneration Centre, on the Donegall Road, is currently being built to support new and fledging businesses, with some emphasis on encouraging businesses in the “creative industries” sector – this recording studio will be a tremendous addition to the Centre, which will be open from January 2009.”