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Imogen Heap joins members of Foreign Beggars, Bloc Party, Faithless and Dexy’s Midnight Runners to mentor The Rattle’s experimental music community. Opening in February 2018, The Rattle describes itself as ‘a laboratory for redesigning the music industry’.
The Rattle’s mentor pool (which has a combined experience of 350 years) will help coach a talented community of young artists and entrepreneurs to “DIY” their music careers outside of the traditional label system.
“This is something that has been sorely missing,” says Imogen Heap. “I believe it’s something a flourishing music ecosystem could spawn from.”
“The Rattle reminds me of the early days of Virgin,” adds mentor Steve Lewis (former MD of Virgin Music). “We were hungry, disruptive and passionate that the industry had to change.”
To support their community, The Rattle are building a recording studio complex and startup hub at Tobacco Dock in East London. Members will be able to use the facilities to experiment and collaborate on music and new music startups.
The Rattle was dreamt up by friends Chris Howard and Bobby Bloomfield. Chris’s background as an MIT-trained startup expert and Bobby’s background as member of noughties electro-punk outfit “Does It Offend You Yeah” may seem like an odd coupling. However, they insist their backgrounds have equally been about tearing up the rule books.
“We want to disrupt, but we’re not here to attack the old system, we’re simply using startup techniques to build a new industry.” says CEO Chris. “We want artists to be founders of their own startup companies. We don’t want a slice of their pie. Once members pass the selection process, the mentorship, studios and development are on us.”
Bobby points out that creative communities have dramatically changed the music industry before. “When the industry forgot its responsibility to youth culture, punk came along and rattled the cage. I think we’re in a similar situation today. We’re long overdue a new movement. A strong youth voice needs young artists with the ability to pay the rent. Too many emerging acts fall by the wayside today.”
The Rattle opens at Tobacco Dock in February 2018 and are encouraging talented applicants to sign up via their website www.therattle.space