Mykaell Riley: 500 Years of Black British Music

From Ska and Reggae to Grime and beyond — Professor Mykaell Riley draws on decades of research and a lifetime in music to map 500 years of Black British sound, starting with the bass.

Professor Mykaell Riley (GB) opens the Haarlem Vinyl Festival 2026 with a keynote presentation on his groundbreaking research into Black British music. As Director of the Black Music Research Unit at the University of Westminster, which he founded in 2012, Riley has dedicated his academic career to mapping the history and legacy of Black music in Britain — with a particular focus on the profound influence of Jamaican music and soundsystem culture on British society.

His landmark Bass Culture project, supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, has produced a major exhibition, a documentary film, and research that directly shaped London Metropolitan policing policy. Most recently, Riley served as co-curator of Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music at the British Library.

Riley's perspective is far from purely academic. As a founding member of Grammy-winning British roots reggae band Steel Pulse, he has lived the history he now studies. He has since produced three UK number one hits and formed the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra — Britain's first Black pop string section.

Expect a rich and timely exploration of how Black music has shaped British culture and identity, told by someone who helped shape it himself.

The keynote at PHIL is free and open to all. We warmly welcome everyone to join us on Friday October 2nd for what is sure to be an inspiring start to the program. Starting time: 16:00