The Root is a three-part series on Worldwide FM, delving into the root of community archiving in Sheffield, UK. Inspired by a central theme in Zadie Smith’s White Teeth, this series dives into generational identity through the sonic heritage of Sheffield’s marginalised communities.
Curated by Sheffield-based archivist and producer Ella Barrett and fused together by sound artist and producer Callum McMillan Rice, The Root aims to showcase the cultural significance of sound in shaping cultural and urban identity. Think archive meets techno, oral history meets ambient textures. It’s about hearing the city differently and asking what sound can tell us about who we are and where we come from.
This inaugural episode is grounded in the sounds surrounding nightclub spaces which were central to Sheffield's Black communities from the 1960s to the 1990s, including interview clips with General Levy, Dom Heslop, Audrey Gunter, Robert Cotterell and Oris Jay.