IN-SPIRE SOUNDS: OXFORD'S YOUTH MUSIC HUB
Picture Credit: Patcam
An interview with Kingsley "King" Pratt-Boyden, Director of In-Spire Sounds
The new Park End Street studios feel like somewhere you'd want to stay. The soft glow of sunlight shining through the windows, deep sofas, the warmth of a room that's already made room for everyone. Since 2018, Oxford based In-Spire Sounds has created a second home for more than 250 young people annually, through songwriting, mentoring, and live performance.
Founded by producer Kingsley "King" Pratt-Boyden alongside co-founder and videographer Sam Mansell, whose credits include Warner, Adobe and Soho House, the organisation has grown into one of the UK's most impactful youth music projects. The wider team includes veteran youth worker and artist Kema Daley (better known as Kemastry of CMPND and High Focus Records) and Lucian Dunlop, aka Evolucian, a name that carries weight in the corners of UK hip hop where golden era boom bap never went out of style.
Picture Credit: Patcam
Despite supporting hundreds of young people every year, In-Spire Sounds has largely operated outside the spotlight. With the release of IN THE MIX: Volume 1, a 12-track mixtape written and performed entirely by the young people involved in the project, and its recent accreditation as an Alternative Education Provider, now felt like the right time to tell that story.
We spoke with Kingsley Boyden about the origins of In-Spire Sounds, the impact music can have on young people's lives, and why a recording studio can be much more than a place to make records.
Before In-Spire Sounds, before the director title, there was just you and music. Where did it all start and when did you realise this could become something bigger than your own career?
It started with Inner Peace Records. We were a collective of about ten artists who had nowhere to record, so we wanted a hub for ourselves. That was the first seed. But very quickly, we were all already doing community work in pupil referral units, schools and youth groups. So we thought, why not formalise this as In-Spire Sounds?
Going back further, in 2010 I went to Bogotá, Colombia, and worked with a project called La Familia Ayara. They supported young people affected by the drug trade, most had lost parents and many were orphaned. They used hip hop's pillars, graffiti, breakdancing and a studio. The guy who set it up realised that if these young men did not have a positive network, they would find a negative one, gangs, violence, the same cycle. So creating a family, a support network, became the core of what we do.
I grew up going to youth clubs. I know how beneficial that was. And my brothers within Inner Peace, those friendships took us on tour and took us places. So that is where it started.
Picture Credit: Patcam
Your new Park End Street facility has received significant attention recently. What has it been like seeing the project gain that visibility?
It is funny, we have never been outward focused. We never really advertised because we were always fully booked at our smaller studios and we never wanted a waiting list. Kids already wait six months for other services. We will not do that.
So this is the first time we have properly advertised and it is exciting. Especially for the team. We do this because we love it, not for recognition, but it is positive to have it come full circle. I am really proud of the young people and the staff. It has been a struggle with funding over the years, so to see success and reward feels good.
We moved to the new site with about 76 kids who come regularly once a week. Going from the old studios to this bigger, better space has been massive for them. They are hanging out, collaborating and making friends. We never had a communal area before. Now they see articles on the BBC and Oxford Mail and it makes them proud. It is their space and it is a space to be proud of.
Picture Credit: Patcam
Last year you and Kemastry released Kema Vs Kings: Revolutionary. Tell us about that record and what is next for you as an artist?
That album was something we had been working on for a long time. We started without a real purpose, just making tunes. But over the years, as things happened around us in society, the music found its purpose. And with Kema facing potential jail time for political action, that backdrop made it even more relevant.
On a personal level, putting out music like that is cathartic. I hope people feel that when they listen. As for what is next, I am making a lot of 140, UK bass and other weird stuff. Working with the young people keeps me from just making golden era boom bap forever.
Picture Credit: Patcam
How does your experience as an artist influence the way you work with young people?
Honestly, it is often the other way around. We have got really talented young people coming through and I learn from them. The energy is circular. When I show passion for a beat, they feed off it. When they make something they are excited about, that makes me want to do the same.
The studio is a symbiotic relationship. You could not justify buying this level of equipment for a youth project, charity trustees would not allow it. But because it is paid for by commercial work, the kids get that professional standard. And because of the youth project, the studios are full all day every day, hundreds of people a month. Most recording spaces are clinical. Ours is homely, lived in and full of people. That is the special thing, it is a creative space, not just a functional one.
Picture Credit: Patcam
IN THE MIX: Volume 1 is a 12-track project written and performed entirely by young people coming through your doors. Why is that a bigger deal than people might realise?
We make tons of music with talented young people, but that does not help with the next stage, actually getting it heard. The mixtape gives them something to work towards, something to collaborate on and something to be inspired by. And it helps other people see what they are doing, whether that is understanding their story or just appreciating the music.
It is the next step of being an artist. You have mastered making music and working on your mental health, cool. Now what? Are you going to launch yourself as an artist, become a freelancer? A lot of these young people do not go to school. This is a real, tangible thing, look, you did that, you can achieve, so what is next?
Picture Credit: Patcam
For many young artists in Oxford, In-Spire Sounds has become a significant creative space. What impact does that environment have when they first walk through the door?
There is a huge problem with engagement in youth services. Post-COVID, young people do not go to community centres anymore. Projects are closing because they cannot get kids through the door. But we are first and foremost a professional recording studio. We all work full time in the music industry. When kids walk in, they see it is not a gimmick. It is not a funded project that will disappear. It is real.
Kids are discerning. They cut through the noise. If you want them to engage, you have to make a genuine offer. And part of the multiplier effect is when one young person gets a success, big numbers on TikTok or a music video, other kids see that and think, I want to do that. For young people at risk of criminal exploitation, seeing someone else do the right thing makes them want to do the right thing.
We have had so many say, if I was not doing music, I would be doing something stupid. So seeing the progression of other young people is huge.
Picture Credit: Patcam
You recently became an accredited Alternative Education Provider. In practical terms, what does that mean for a young person who feels like mainstream education is not working for them?
It means a young person can come to us as part of their education, either alongside mainstream school or because they really struggle to be in mainstream provision. We help them re-engage with education and life and give them a pathway to further education.
There are record numbers of young people who are school refusers, I do not love that term. School is prohibitive for them. It is not that they just refuse, they struggle to be on campus. Imagine you have been out of school for a year. How hard is it to step back on that campus when everyone else has progressed without you?
We ease them back in through rap, lyric writing and beatmaking. You are doing English, maths, history and analytical skills through music. Schools do not have the resources to go to every household where a kid is not showing up. Our job is to be the bridge between those young people who have dropped off and getting them back into education, back into society, happy and creative.
Picture Credit: Patcam
You have supported more than 250 young people every year since 2018. What is the moment that reminds you why you built this?
It is not about the numbers, every single number on that page is a young person whose life we hope has changed for the better. We have spoken to so many who said their anxiety or mental health was so bad that without intervention they do not know where they would be or if they would even be here.
The ones that hit different are the kids who came to us having not left the house for years. They did not go to school and could not look anyone in the eye because of their anxiety. And then watching them become happy, laughing with groups of friends and getting jobs. That is what it is about. Pushing someone back into a path they can be proud of.
Picture Credit: Patcam
For any young person reading this who feels like the music industry is not for people like them, what would you say?
You have got to be your own producer, lyricist, marketing agent, PR person, manager and social media manager. You have got to be all of those things until you make it. It takes hard work. Things that are good for us often take work, so go in with that mindset.
Do music for the love of it. But do not stop pushing your career forward. You never know, you might be the next one who gets picked up, the next Central Cee, the next Stormzy. Keep doing it, do not get jaded. Do it for the love first. If the money and success comes afterwards, that is a bonus.
Picture Credit: Patcam
Lastly, give me three things you cannot run a session without.
Most people would say MacBook, microphone and interface, and yes, that is what you technically need. But I am going to say: A pen, because you can run a whole session with just the ability to write.
Your voice, because the point of the sessions is conversation. Rapping and singing is an addition to that.
Energy, because youth work, recording sessions and working with artists is dead if you do not have that. You give energy, you get energy back. That is the whole thing.
With a new mixtape, expanded facilities and accreditation as an Alternative Education Provider, In-Spire Sounds is entering a new chapter. But speaking with Boyden, it is clear the organisation's focus remains unchanged. Whether helping a young person release their first track, return to education or simply find confidence through creativity, the goal is still the same, building community through music. Outside, Oxford's evening traffic builds. Inside, a 16 year old presses record for the third time. This time, collective celebration. The perfect take.
Interview: William Hedges
