Music / Feature
Charity, community and empowerment is the priority at just Be collective
just Be is a record label and event series that champions underrepresented artists in the electronic music industry.
Beginning as an event planning platform in 2020, the platform has expanded to become a record label which covers mastering, artwork and guest mixes for those who need the support.
Run by Lauren Louisha alongside her friends, just Be is, first and foremost, a community.
Between a day job, DJ’ing her own music, studying at BIMM Institute and running the platform, Lauren juggles it all. However, their committement to challenging the social norm in the music industry is what keep them striving.
From attending events with an all male lineup to looking at festival posters with all white headliners, Lauren seeked to disrupt this by creating a platform that not only empowers but also creates a safe space for women and non-binary artists.
The platform hosts free monthly events at The Bell for allies to attend. photo: courtesy of just Be
The music label is currently working with nine artists, a mix of producers and DJs. Despite the platform being Bristol based, the label is keen to work and partner with artists from across the UK.
Despite their being a focus on electronic music, Lauren promises that the label is genreless and instead the team focus on an artists energy, vibe and passion.
While the organisation can also be heard featured on radios, dropping guest mixes and hosting free monthly residencies at The Bell.
Each year, the brand selects a charity they want to curate a project around, with the intention of raising funds for them.
Last year, just Be parternered with Freestyle Bristol, a youth charity that helps people get involved in the creative industry. The event, held at Dare to Club, saw half of the proceeds go to the charity organisation.
This year, the team selected SARSAS, a Bristol-based organisation that supports those affected by sexual violence.
The project was launched on International Women’s Day, a charity EP with three artists who donated their tracks which cannot be re-released.
It was the team’s first paid release and was inspired by the study which found 97% of women between the ages 18 – 25 have faced unwanted advances.
All proceeds from the EP were donated to SARSAS. photo: courtesy of just Be
just Be has progressed rapidly in the three years since its inception, including a takeover at Balter Festival in Chepstow in May, their debut outing in Manchester earlier this month and collaborating with collective Full Spectrum for events in the city.
But don’t let their mammoth list of accomplishments already achieved fool you.
The team are working on hard on releasing more music from underrepresented artists, planning even more events for their community and continuing their empowerment of minority groups throughout it all.
Main photo: courtesy of just Be
Read next:
- Full Spectrum: The d’n’b collective that aims to diversify the genre and champion inclusivity
- From bleak folk bands to electronic music, Tikoda isn’t afraid to try something new
- The anonymous rapper taking on the patriarchy
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