Interview in Bristol 24/7

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A Fairfield Grammar drop-out, many expected the young DJ Style, then known only as Andrew Hartley, to become yet another uneducated statistic. Little did they know that by the tender age of 18 he would find himself in a hotel suite at the five-star Savoy in London, reflecting on the prestigious Best of British Youth award that had just been handed to him by Princess Diana.

Now a dominant presence in Bristol’s R&B and hip hop scene, DJ Style has always intertwined his musical projects with important community and youth work. Starting his professional life as a co-founder of the award-winning group Real Deal Artists, Style dedicated himself to inspiring and encouraging young people across Bristol to get involved with the positive elements of hip hop, from graffiti art to breakdancing and MCing.

“The whole culture was about people from deprived backgrounds and areas coming together and creating through music and expression,” says Style. “We got funding from the council and permission to put up graffiti murals in certain areas. I’d like to think some of the things we were doing in the early days had some impact on things I’m seeing now – I see a lot of legal street art going up, which was unheard of before us.”

Despite giving up his free time to countless youth training schemes and community engagement projects since then, the unassuming DJ still sees his contribution to Bristol’s cultural makeup as a personal gain.

“I was just born into the whole urban music movement and I love music with a passion, so the opportunity to deliver training and run workshops with young people around DJing and mixing is a blessing for me. I never saw myself as a teacher or tutor – just someone sharing his passion.”

Regularly running his own successful club night Code of the Streets alongside presenting on Ujima 98fm, Style is as central to the city’s urban music culture as he ever was. Now turning his focus to helping promote and develop local artists, he bases his whole ethos on a balance between uplifting young people whilst maintaining a respect for previous generations.

“The most important thing I try to teach kids is to respect those that have come before us. Everything we achieve and everything we’re able to do is because of those older members of the community who paved the way for us. Nothing we do is new – it’s all an artistic legacy.”

 

Code of the Streets Vol 32 Mixtape

Starting out as a mixtape the Code of the Streets series has grown from strength to strength, DJ Style has built the brand into one of the leading RnB – Hip Hop club nights which has been running for over 11 years. Every Saturday night 8pm-10pm on Ujima Radio 98fm you can also tune into Code of the Streets playing the best in RnB – Dancehall – Grime – UKG –  Hip Hop & Old School which has large listenership throughout the city with listeners around the world running in online www.ujimaradio.com.                          Here it is  latest in the series  Code of the Streets Mixtape Vol 32. hear some of the freshest music from this year and the next big hits for 2016.

https://soundcloud.com/dj-style1-1/code-ofthe-streets-vol-32

RISE AWARDS 28TH NOV @ THE MERCURE HOTEL

RISE Awards Dinner & Dance on Saturday 28th November at
Mercure Bristol Holland House Hotel and Spa Redcliffe Hill, Bristol, BS1 6SQ
First 50 ticket’s @ £35.00/ £40.00 after.
3 course Caribbean cuisine, local and national guest artist,s as well as RISE award’s ceremony honouring local enterprise business’s / people from our BME community.
(dress code- cultural / black tie Black / evening /cocktail dress )
Reception 7pm- dinner for 8pm.
Limited discounted room’s. Call the hotel to book on 0333 300 2213 ref: RISE event
Get your ticket’s in advance Tel. 07778932516 – 07799331109 – 07780673336 or email;  risewomen1@gmail.com
Performing Live:
Geoff Schumann – Don Campbell – Celestine – Eva Lazarus – Nia Melody
Music on the night from DJ Style (Ujima Radio)
RISE AWARDS

KEEP THE BEAT THURS 12TH NOV 2015 @ PLANTATION

Ujima Radio CIC – the winner of the National Diversity Award for the category of “Community Organisation for Race, Faith & Religion” is hosting a cabaret information event at the Plantation restaurant, 221 – 223 Cheltenham Road, Bristol, BS6 5QP from 7pm to 11pm on Thursday 12th November 2015 called “Keep the Beat” to raise the awareness of Blood and Organ Donation within all communities especially the BAME communities.

Members of the 100+ strong volunteers at Ujima will be out in force to support Ade O who has four kidneys, because of two failed transplants!!!

Ujima Radio has been supporting the ongoing NHS campaign to encourage organ donor registration within Bristol particularly from local residents from Black & Asian Minority Ethnicity (BAME) backgrounds. We have been successful in signing up many from our community including George Ferguson (Mayor of Bristol)

Ade’s story“I began dialysis at the age of nine years old having been rushed to Middlesex hospital after vomiting continuously.  All I remember is having a neck line inserted for immediate dialysis – a very daunting experience.

After my first dialysis in July 1984, I went on to have my first kidney transplant in September 1984 which lasted two years.  In May 1987 I had my second transplant, donated by a 32 year old cadaver donor who had suffered a seizure. This time the kidney managed to survive almost 20 years. From October 2004 onwards I have being doing dialysis whilst I wait for a suitable kidney donor”.  

The more people who register the more chance for Ade and others like her to receive the valuable organ transplant that they need to survive!

Miss Divine and Mistri are your hostess and host! Makala Cheung – DJ Style – Julius Abraham – Miles Chambers – Dymphna Skehill – Graham Dalby (Music Director of London Swing Orchestra), Dawn Parry + more are the performers!

The cost will be £10 + buffet available at £8.95 per person. If you do a group booking of 10 – there will be the opportunity to do a minute plug to the audience!  To buy your tickets, please email adeo@ujimaradio.com or text 07967 353716

http://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/how_to_become_a_donor/registration/registration_form.asp

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