Dams (GB)

Born and raised in London music was always a central component of family life
for DaMystri1 (DaMs); with the soundtrack for any weekend including artists from Grynner, Charlie Pride, Millie Jackson to Owen Gray, The Supremes, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Skatelites and Jim Reeves. A short spell in the USA and an immersion in rap music and hip-hop culture was a life-changing road to self-discovery and self-acceptance. Recognising lots of the samples in the music being played on the block from her mother’s vast collec-tion, piqued an avid interest in the manipulation of sound further fuelling a strong passion for music. London’s illegal raves and vibrant club scene of the early 90’s was her introduc- tion to the UK’s electronic dance music scene, which, unlike the US scene where to hear rap music in a club you also listened and danced to house music. At that time the London house scene was more segregated, and the audience was pre-dominantly white. It was an exciting time for the underground scene as African House music was emerging as its own sub-genre with the likes of Joe Claussell, Ron Trent, Osunlade and a raft of South African artists at the forefront of this new sound sweeping across London’s underground club culture. For DaMystri1 radio came much later. A chance encounter with an old friend, Jennifer Ogole OBE founder of Bang Radio, one of London’s leading urban radio stations kick-started a passion for radio. As the manager of a station, unafraid to take risks Bang Radio introduced afro house as part of its daytime schedule, was the first legal station to have a dedicated show to the genre in the UK and the first station in the country to play Amapiano. As the music evolved DaMystri1 with Mr Silk, an Afro house Dj whose radio show she produces, created and manages Drums Radio, an online platform dedicated to African electronic music 24/7, predominantly Afro House and Amapiano with contributors from all around the globe.