Simple Things EXT. A conversation with Ninja Tune

Panel Discussion: Independent since 1990, a conversation with Ninja Tune featuring Coldcut & The Bug

To celebrate over 25 years of independent operation, seminal artists and key behind-the-scenes figures from Ninja Tune will talk about the history of the label and its place in the modern music climate at this panel discussion as part of Simple Things Festival EXT.

Since 1990, Ninja Tune has provided an alternate route for artists producing experimental music that sits outside of major label frameworks. Through groundbreaking releases with artists like The Bug, Wiley, Coldcut, Bicep, Helena Hauff, Bonobo and many more – they’ve sustained an agenda of exploration – offering a platform to music which defies classification.

For this panel discussion, four key figures from the past, present and future of Ninja Tune will discuss the history of the label and consider the ways in which it’s managed to maintain credibility, integrity and viability in a turbulent industry.

Panelists

The Bug (Kevin Martin)

Kevin Martin is a writer, composer and producer better known under his most prominent recording alias, The Bug. Since the 1990s, his caustic blend of industrial dub, hip-hop, dancehall and noise has won critical acclaim and a reputation as one of the most electrifying live acts in British music.

Matt Black (Coldcut / Ninja Tune)

Along with Jonathan More, Matt Black founded Ninja Tune in 1990 to celebrate, promote and support independent underground artists. It is a manifesto of boundary-pushing which he also brought to Coldcut – an innovative electronica project which helped redefine the fabric of electronic music in Britain.

Theresa Adebiyi (Big Dada / Ninja Tune)

As Label Manager for Ninja Tune subsidiary Big Dada (Roots Manuva, Kate Tempest, Young Fathers) and as a Project Manager for the main label,  Adebiyi is responsible for assembling promotional teams, strategising rollout campaigns and coordinating marketing for a wide range of acts across the full Ninja roster.

Vidhi Gandhi (Ninja Tune)

Vidhi Gandhi is an A&R whose work spans the full depth and breadth of the Ninja Tune operation – keeping a firm eye on the future, spotting ascendant talent and finding a home for it across Ninja Tune and all subsidiary imprints.