British Underground Music Visual Research & Archive Brief

BRITISH FREQUENCIES VISUAL RESEARCH & ARCHIVE BRIEF PROJECT OVERVIEW British Frequencies is an independent publishing project exploring the visual culture surrounding Britain's underground music scenes. The project is not a history of music itself. Instead, it focuses on the graphics, artefacts, identities and visual systems that helped shape underground culture. Areas of interest include: • UK Hip-Hop • Jungle • Drum & Bass • UK Garage • Grime • Dubstep • Pirate Radio • Rave Culture • Independent Labels The final outcome will be a visually-led archive and design publication. WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR This is not an academic research project. The goal is to collect, organise and catalogue visual material that can be used for editorial design and publication. Please prioritise imagery, artefacts and visual references over written history. 1. LOGOS & IDENTITIES Research and collect: • Artist logos • Crew logos • Label logos • Pirate radio logos • Event and club logos • Independent brand identities Please provide high-resolution examples where possible. 2. LABELS & INDEPENDENT CULTURE Research visually distinctive British labels. Potential starting points: • Mo' Wax • Big Dada • Metalheadz • Reinforced • Hyperdub • Boy Better Know For each label collect: • Logos • Record sleeves • Merchandise • Advertisements • Promotional graphics • Posters • Printed material 3. MERCHANDISE & OBJECTS Research and collect: • T-shirts • Jackets • Hoodies • Record bags • Slipmats • Stickers • Membership cards • Promotional items • Dubplate sleeves • White label packaging • Event merchandise Please prioritise visually interesting and rare examples. 4. FLYERS & PRINTED MATTER Research and collect: • Event flyers • Club posters • Handbills • Magazine advertisements • Record shop promotions • Event programmes • Printed ephemera Particular interest in material from: • Jungle • Drum & Bass • UK Garage • Grime • UK Hip-Hop • Rave Culture 5. BROADCAST & DISTRIBUTION Research visual material connected to: • Pirate radio stations • Tape packs • Cassette culture • Independent DVDs • Forums • Early websites • Music magazines • Independent broadcasting Examples may include: • Rinse FM • Kool FM • Deja Vu FM • Flex FM • Sidewinder • Risky Roadz • Lord Of The Mics Please focus on graphics, branding and visual material. 6. CITIES & SCENES Research visual material connected to: • London • Bristol • Manchester • Birmingham • Sheffield • Glasgow The goal is to identify distinctive regional visual styles and cultural differences. 7. CREATIVE VOICES Research visual work connected to: • Trevor Jackson • Mo' Wax creative output • The Designers Republic • Independent label designers • Flyer designers • Anonymous graphic creators working within these scenes Please collect imagery, articles, interviews and examples of work. 8. SURPRISE DISCOVERIES Please include a folder containing at least 25 unexpected finds. These might include: • Rare merchandise • Unusual flyers • Obscure logos • Forgotten labels • Interesting packaging • Experimental graphics • Strange promotional items The goal is to uncover material that may not appear in conventional archives. DELIVERABLES • Organised Google Drive folders • Clearly labelled categories • High-resolution imagery where available • Source links where possible • Brief notes for particularly interesting discoveries The primary objective is to build a rich visual archive that can be used to create a printed design publication.