SPOTIFY HAS teamed up with artists including Koffee, The Marleys and Little Mix’s Leigh-Anne Pinnock to bring Notting Hill Carnival to life for fans as it goes virtual for the first time in history.

The music streaming platform, an official partner for 2020, has announced the full line-up for its dedicated microsite at www.spotify.com/carnival. 

In an unprecedented year which has meant carnival can’t take place on the streets of West London, Notting Hill Carnival and Spotify will be taking the party from the streets to your home with: playlist takeovers from big names; a chance to explore over 40 of the official Notting Hill Carnival sound systems and on the road DJs – from dub, reggae, and soca to soulful house and everything in between; an exclusive portrait and film gallery from renowned photographer Ekua King; podcast episodes covering carnival life, its rich history and a look forward; and ways to tune into live events throughout the weekend.

Transporting Notting Hill Carnival straight into living rooms across the UK, Spotify has enlisted the support of some of the UK’s leading Black creators from the fields of music, film and entertainment to guide fans through some of its most popular playlists which will be dedicated to Notting Hill Carnival:

• Lockdown success story No Signal (creators of the wildly popular NS10v10 format) take on Who We Be, the UK’s biggest Hip Hop, Afrobeat, Dancehall and R&B playlist;
• The legendary Marleys will help fans jam along to One Love;
• Little Mix’s Leigh-Anne Pinnock is compiling tunes for Throwback Thursday
• Koffee will help fans discover new reggae from legends to the new school on Irie;
• Jamaican dancehall artist and star of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, Spice takes over Dancehall Queen

The site will also host podcast episodes covering everything from Notting Hill Carnival’s rich history to current issues facing the Black community, including:

• A special Carnival edition of Who We Be TALKS_
• The Black Curriculum: Sound System Culture
• BBC World Service Witness Black History Month: The Notting Hill riots
• Windrush Stories: Matthew Phillip, Notting Hill Carnival
• Streetmic podcast: The Beauty of Notting Hill Carnival

Leigh-Anne Pinnock said: “My favourite place in the world is Jamaica and I love Carnival because for two days out of the year you arrive in Notting Hill and your soul feels like it could be at home. For me, it’s important because it’s one of the biggest celebrations for Caribbean heritage and Black culture in the UK.” 

In addition to the playlist takeovers, Spotify will give fans the chance to explore over 40 of the official Notting Hill Carnival sound systems and on the road DJs. Check in with King Tubby’s, Carnival’s oldest sound; Rampage Sound, one of Carnival’s most coveted spots, the prince of UK soca Martin Jay, and even Carnival’s only all-female sound system, Seduction City Sound.

King Tubby said: “Notting Hill Carnival is special because, personally for me, I get to hear the sound go wider: they come and they feel the vibe and wha gwan. Notting Hill Carnival, King Tubby’s every time – people all over Europe and all over the world. I think we’re the oldest sound out there still.”

‘An important celebration of Caribbean heritage’

Lady Banton, Seduction City Sound, said: “Last year I celebrated 25 years of being the only female sound system in Carnival. J’ouvert is very much built on the symbolism of slavery – so it was very poignant this year because there are always challenges for us. The struggles we’ve had for hundreds of years, we still have those challenges today. I’m a woman and a Black woman, and I’m proud to be a Black woman. I’m also a child of the Windrush generation so we never forget. I thought what a relief I am here again.”

Ekua King, the renowned London-based photographer of Jamaican heritage who shoots for the likes of i-D, Paper and Vogue, has created an exclusive photo and film gallery which will feature on the site, with stunning portraiture of the over 40 sound systems and on the road DJs bringing their stories to life through her shots. And to further underpin the celebration of Black talent in the UK, Spotify has brought on an all-Black creative team with design and production led by culture curators Portia Clarke and Elliott Jack, as well as creatives from the Black-owned design house Paq Works, and interviewer and assistant to Ekua King, Kwesi Dean.

Sulinna Ong, head of music at Spotify UK and Ireland, said: “Notting Hill Carnival is such an important celebration of Caribbean heritage for communities in London and beyond – enriched in tradition and activism and lived through music and dance. While it can’t take place in its usual way, it’s key that the celebration continues – in homes, living rooms and gardens – especially given the current climate. As the UK’s biggest audio platform, it made perfect sense for Spotify to partner with Notting Hill Carnival to bring the party from the streets to online, so that people can enjoy Carnival from home this year.”

Matthew Phillip, executive director of Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, said: “We are delighted to have Spotify as an official partner this year. As an organisation, we want to connect with and educate a wider and younger demographic to learn about the culture and history of Notting Hill Carnival. Spotify’s engagement with the artists and the playlists that they have created is the perfect platform for so many to start that journey of learning and appreciating what an incredibly important event Notting Hill Carnival is. Carnival is loved by so many young people, and that love will be even greater when they understand its legacy and cultural significance.”

To find out more head to the dedicated Spotify and Notting Hill Carnival microsite at www.spotify.com/carnival.