Charlie Dark loves playing records, it’s been in his blood since he was a kid and from the age of 13 he knew that the turntables were one of his callings. 80’s pirate radio was his teacher and as a teenager he spent hours in his bedroom taping shows off the radio and trying to replicate what he had heard on his mums stereo. Luckily for him, one of his friends somehow managed to convince his parents to buy him decks and sixth from was spent playing at birthday parties of friends and at their own events across South London. From his time on Mo Wax records with Attica Blues in the 90’s, the subsequent major label deal on Sony and the plethora of remixes and productions, Deejaying has been at the heart of everything he does. These days most people know Charlie as the running guy, the founder of the Urban run collective "Run Dem Crew" and an advocate of mental health and wellness alongside all of his community work. If you attended or heard about his  Blacktronica parties or sets at the legendary Plastic People then you’ll know that 'all forms of music in one room the way it used to be’ has always been his motto and his record collection spans various genres and the crates are deep. He grew up as a hardcore hip hop kid with a love of all music but Jazz, Funk, Soul ,Reggae, House and Disco are his first loves. Uplifting energy filled genre jumping sets, rotary mixers, quality sound, dusty vinyl, hosted by a true selector who is not afraid of the mic. Since lockdown Charlie has pivoted into radio with his weekly Friday morning show on Worldwide FM and the creation of his own internet station Run Dem Radio. A platform for unheard voices, untold stories and music to uplift the soul and a homage to the pirate stations that set him on his path all those years ago.

The music of 2024 Guggenheim Fellow, composer, and pianist Aruán Ortiz dives across multiple musical contexts, as his continuous research leads him to write for chamber ensembles, orchestras, dance companies, and feature films, incorporating contemporary classical music, Cuban-Haitian and Afro-Caribbean rhythms, spontaneous composition, and improvised music in his works. He has recently received prestigious accolades, including the Goddard Lieberson Fellowship in Music Composition from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2025) and the Guggenheim Fellowship in Music Composition (2024).

As you can imagine we are under huge pressure at the moment and are working flat out to ensure Cafe OTO survives this. The impact of this situation is extremely acute for small venues like ours and we need all the support we can get to pull through. Please donate what you can, if you can. Thank you. 

Cafe OTO opened in April 2008 with the aim of providing a home for creative new music that exists outside of the mainstream. It comprises one large cafe/performance space open during the day serving food and drink with an evening programme of live music almost seven nights a week. 

OTOROKU is part of OTOProjects - a not-for-profit Community Interest Company (CIC) that has been set up to manage the programme at Café Oto. Any profits from OTOROKU are put back into supporting what we do and will help us to continue programming the best musicians and performers from all over the world.

www.cafeoto.co.uk

Une école, un centre d’art, des résidences, des éditions, une bibliothèque.

Studio Voltaire is a leading not-for-profit arts organisation in London, dedicated to supporting emerging and underrepresented artists. Through our diverse programme of exhibitions, commissions, and public events, we provide a platform for risk-taking, interdisciplinary practices. Our onsite studios house a dynamic community of over 45 artists, fostering collaboration, creativity, and innovation. We are committed to making contemporary art accessible to all, engaging audiences locally and globally. Join us in celebrating artistic innovation and inclusivity at Studio Voltaire.

The Ensemble intercontemporain is a music ensemble of 31 soloists dedicated to the performance and promotion of music from the 20th and 21st centuries.
For almost 40 years, this permanent ensemble of highly professional musicians has been performing a demanding repertoire of orchestral music in all its diverse forms. Under the artistic direction of Matthias Pintscher  they are united by a shared passion for new music. 


now posting on https://soundcloud.com/user-202286394-991268468 
https://www.nts.live
https://www.instagram.com/nts_radio/

reeceIII is following