To help run the series of four classes, BAD organizers teamed up with German hardware and software producer Ableton. Each session will be taught by a Black producer as well as an Ableton instructor, and they will run from February to May 2022. Black-identifying producers from around the globe are free to sign up.

Classes begin on February 22nd at 5:00 PM GMT, with DJ and producer AceMo hosting a stream called “A Production Seminar.” Other classes include “Drum Programming & Creative Production Techniques in Ableton Live 11” hosted by Kessler and “How to Make Techno Music” with Zvrra. Each class has 300 open spots and those interested can sign up here.

Launched during 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests as “Black Bandcamp,” the organization rebranded to BAD in 2021. What was originally a small spreadsheet of Black music producers has since then expanded into a crowd-sourced platform elevating visual artists, publishers, curators, and other creative professionals.

This is the second time BAD launched a series of masterclasses. Back in August of 2021, BAD and Ableton ran a series of four classes covering a large swath of music production, all hosted by prominent Black producers.

With the mission of “increasing visibility, work opportunities and pay for Black creatives globally,” the new database allows users looking to enlist creative collaborators to filter its talent pool by discipline and location. Listed professionals include journalists, photographers, videographers, designers and curators.

“The purpose of Black Creative Database is to surface the richness of creative talent from the global Black diaspora in pursuit of wage equity, transparency and stable employment for our extended creative communities,” reads a press release.

BAD is a collaborative effort between team members across four continents as well as volunteers worldwide. In addition to its flagship music release database, the platform provides editorial content, podcasts, and special features promoting racial equality in electronic music.

Explore the Black Creative Database here and find a submission form to be listed in the directory here.

First launched as a small community of like-minded music enthusiasts called Black Bandcamp, the group relaunched on May 5th, 2021 as BAD. Formed as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement, BAD aims to address the “structural mistreatment of Black folk in the underground electronic industry,” according to their website.

Colour Factory, a Black-owned club, will host B.A.D. Presents… on Friday, October 1st. The London-based club, much like BAD, formed during the pandemic. “They love and celebrate Black culture in the musical realm,” reads the show’s event page.

About the show, BAD wrote, “B.A.D. Presents… will be a celebration of Black culture, bringing our wonderful community to finally take part of the shared experience of dance, sound, and togetherness, featuring and celebrating the finest Black DJs and artists.”

The party will take place in the venue’s Main Room and Garden areas. Johannes-born, Berlin-based house DJ Lakuti will play the Main Room along with Tash LC and Errol. The Garden area will feature more bass-centric beats with DJs such as Danielle, Otik, and BAD founder DJ NIKS.

Partygoers have the option of opting for the “Ally Ticket” option, which helps provide heavily discounted tickets for community members.

Leading the courses are Black artists Loraine James, Russell E.L. Butler, KMRU, and rRoxymore. Along with established artists, additional support is provided by Ableton-certified trainers. Subjects range from field recording to live production:

• “How to turn your production into a live performance” with Loraine James – Tuesday, August 24th at 1:00 PM EST
• “Bus processing premasters” with Russell E. L. Butler – Tuesday, Septeber 28th at 1:00 PM EST
• “Field recording as a compositional tool” with KMRU – Tuesday October 26th at 1:00 PM EST
• “An intro to live” with rRoxymore – Tuesday, November 23rd at 12:00 PM EST

Established in June 2020 under the name “Black Bandcamp,” BAD began as a spreadsheet curated by music enthusiasts. Run by a team of paid administrators and volunteers, the database was a “response to the structural mistreatment of Black folk in the underground electronic industry.” It has grown into a “community-based platform, hosting a wealth of international Black-owned record labels, artists, producers, and bands,” rebranding itself as the Black Artist Database in order to expand its scope and provide a more accessible format.

Find more information about the Black Artist Database masterclasses, including how to sign up, on this Google Form.

The crowdsourced community platform is an international database of Black-owned record labels, artists, producers and bands. What started as a simple spreadsheet has now evolved into something much greater: an accessible resource to help further leverage and support Black artists, labels, and producers in the music industry, and subvert the systematic mistreatment of Black industry figures that’s taken place for years.

Black Bandcamp’s evolution into the Black Artist Database will build on the 3,500-profile-strong list even further. It will now incorporate professionals outside the music industry, including publishers, visual and digital artists, curators, media producers, and more. The platform has launched just before this month’s Bandcamp Friday, and it  continue to provide direct links to all of its artists’ Bandcamp pages, as well as their social media and professional profiles.

Users can now search by location, field, genre, and name through Black Artist Database’s new functionalities after the shift, opening them up to Black industry figures in the ever-growing globally inclusive list. The database is accepting submissions from creatives around the world to be included. Those interested can apply at this link.