and saxophonist Jason Yarde who artistically directed the project. We wrote the opening and closing pieces for the show together over the course of 5 days before the concert. Singing in front of 2500 people has got to be a massive highlight for me.  I performed a new track called ‘Burn’ with the choirs Pulse and Voicelab and a samba band. We also had a full orchestra playing as part of the event which was a totally new experience for me. Being up on that stage in such a beautiful venue was a natural high and I felt really blessed to be given the opportunity. It was also a real honor to perform alongside the other Emerging Artists in Residence, we have become a very close-knit network and a lot of collaborations have taken place over the course of the 18 months. I have made some really close friends including Renell Shaw and Kaz Hussain who play in my band, I met them both during Aftershock and I owe a great deal to their support and talents. The artists I have shared this residency with definitely keep me motivated and inspired.

Your eponymous debut album was released last year. What has the response been like so far?

Aruba Red:  I released my album digitally through iTunes back in September 2008, I also pressed up some limited

edition physical copies for the people who still appreciate something they can hold on to. The response has been great. iTunes featured the album in their ‘Best of 2008 so far’ category and on the front page of their Reggae section next to Bob Marley. ‘It’s Time Now’ which features Deadly Hunta was selected as ‘Hottest Homegrown Track’ on BBC Radio 1 and ‘Who Am I?’ was chosen as ‘Alternative Jam of the Week’ on BBC 1Xtra. I may not have sold millions of records but I’m happy with how the project is progressing. Growing strong and sustainable roots takes time. I receive sincere and heartfelt messages on myspace about my songs and I am truly grateful to the people who have supported a fully independent project. We had no budget for a PR campaign or radio pluggers so everything that has happened is purely down to people supporting the music for what it is and that means a lot to me. I don’t want to say too much too soon but there may be a re-release in the pipe-line with some exciting extras.

You have your own residency and new music night at The Roundhouse ‘Strange Brew’.  Can you describe the ‘Strange Brew’ vibe?

Aruba Red:  I co-founded Strange Brew with Darius Malik last October, our ethos is all about mixing up genres and styles in a beautiful and inclusive environment. We aim to introduce people to artists and styles that they may not have come across before. There are so many talented musicians and bands around who often get overlooked or deemed

‘underground’ because they don’t have industry backing. We provide a prestigious stage in one of London’s most iconic venues to enable lovers of innovative live music to be inspired and to support art that deserves to be heard. We let true talent shine.  After performing at a lot of showcase nights in London I realized that a lot of promoters treat bands and artists pretty badly. Often there’s no money, no refreshments, no guest-list and an expectation to bring in a certain number of fans. We wanted to combat the venues and nights who make artists feel this way. Another aspect of this being that many of the most sought after venues and showcase nights reserve their slots for artists who are signed to a management team, booking agent or label. None of that matters to us, we understand that often having these things in place just means someone was in the right place at the right time, not that their music is necessarily amazing. We seek out the best in the freshest talent and strive to make our performers feel respected and celebrated.  We focus on live music and visuals as well as contemporary dance and DJs who merge their sets with live performance. We’ve been getting a wonderful response; the last Strange Brew sold out in record time and

unfortunately over a hundred people couldn’t get in. The reviews have been glittering and it just shows that there is a big demand for fresh organic musical talent. It’s a real good feeling to be involved in Strange Brew, I feel lucky to get to help source the artists, co-produce the event and host the night. I also perform a set showing the new stuff I’ve been working on… it’s all about the brew.

You’ve said you want to push your sound beyond the boundaries of London in 2009.  How’s this going so far?

Aruba Red:  It’s going well but I always want more!

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