Soundroutes
“SoundRoutes. Notes to get closer” is a project initiated in 2017 by Marmaduke, a music agency based in Seville (Spain) in cooperation with the Italian NGO Un Ponte Per…, the Bologna Jazz Festival, WERKSTATT DER KULTUREN Berlin and De vergunnin –De Koer (Belgium) with the support of the Creative Europe Progrogramme of the European Commission.
In the first two years Soundroutes initiative provides an opportunity for international musicians, who emigrated to Europe to perform within local communities and in collaboration with local artists.
In 2023 the new course of Soundroutes begin, supported once again by Creative Europe, this time focusing on hip hop music, under the coordination of Italian environmental organisation A Sud, in cooperation with Marmaduke, De Vergunning -De Koer, and Chios Music Festival.
In 2024 the project will include 12 local hubs in 4 different countries, for hip hop artists, guided by experts in the field; 3 schools and 4 international bootcamps, an online training course and a contest for women in hip hop.
Build cultural bridges, promote inclusion
Building on the success of previous Soundroutes initiatives, this new edition aims to empower the integration of refugees, refugees and migrants through the powerful transformative power of Hip Hop culture. Born in 2016 in response to the refugee crisis in Europe, Soundroutes has evolved into a platform that fosters collaboration between different artists from various backgrounds and cultures. In particular, it has given rise to a network of Hip Hop artists, demonstrating the genre’s ability to cross cultural boundaries.
The proposed project aims to harness the universal appeal of Hip Hop to achieve several objectives: firstly, it aims to develop the professional and social skills of Hip Hop artists, with a focus on disadvantaged contexts; secondly, it aims to establish a European network of Hip Hop artists committed to conveying social justice and climate change messages through their art, thus increasing the visibility and impact of the genre.
The Soundroutes extension project has the primary objective of fostering the integration of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants through the cultural expression of Hip Hop. Its main activities include the creation of local hubs, the establishment of a co-creation school called School for Tribe, the provision of an online course on the music industry, the organisation of international bootcamps, the creation of a collaborative digital platform and the organisation of a specific competition for women in Hip Hop.
The project aims to promote young talents, focusing especially on those from migrant backgrounds, focusing on issues of social justice, active involvement, increased visibility of women and synergetic collaboration between emerging artists and established professionals. At the same time, the project emphasises the transnational circulation of music productions, innovation, audience development, social inclusion, sustainability and climate justice, digital skills and the promotion of international collaboration.
In summary, Soundroutes aims to use the powerful and universal language of Hip Hop to build cultural bridges, promote inclusion and provide a springboard for young talent, while emphasising crucial issues such as social and climate justice and gender equality.
