The 2013 project ‘England to Ecuador’ was a musical collaboration between urban artists from Knowle West Media Centre and live musicians from the Institute of Visual Arts in Quito, Ecuador.
Both groups created different musical elements, including beats, vocals, instrumentals and raps, which were mixed together to form one unique track, entitled ‘Sound is sounding in my heart’.
The project was documented in a short film, which shows how the young people were brought together by music, even when separated by language and geography. The film also features footage of the music-making process and interviews with the artists, who regularly conversed online via video calling, despite the time differences!
‘England to Ecuador’ not only illustrates how technology can be used to bridge barriers to collaboration – it celebrates a mixing of different musical styles and cultures.
