Soundspecies is the alias of brothers Henry and Oliver Keen, London-based producers, musicians and DJs who have grown up making music together. Their collection of musical instruments for toys set the tone for a playful approach to music and sound manipulation that continues to be at the heart of their creative process.

Their self-titled debut album was released on Burnt Progress Records, London. ‘Can We Call It Love’ from their follow up 12″ EP topped record of the week charts on various polls and was included on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Bubblers vol.4. They also recorded for Gilles Peterson at the legendary BBC Maida Vale studio and count Mary Ann Hobbs and Ras Kwame among their supporters.

Bamana Project

Oliver Keen wrote the music for the Bamana Project after a musical pilgrimage to West Africa in 2006.

“I arrived first in Dakar, Sengal and spent a month in that crazy, hot, dusty, choking, diesel-fumed air, chilling by day and waiting for the nightly feasts of Mbalax and Salsa,” he says. “Amongst other adventures I got to sit in on bass a few times with a top Dakar band and somehow ended up as a backing singer at the famous St Louis Jazz Festival! After Dakar I crossed overland to the famous musical metropolis that is Bamako (Mali) where I stayed for another two weeks before moving onwards down to Accra (Ghana) where my trip ended.”