Digging into his family archive, Founder of Midlands-based MIMM Studios and Host of the Our Yard podcast Nate Coltrane Wilson (he/him) reflects on the influential legacy of Sound System Culture on Black British identity, creativity and sound.

This article features in The Quick + The Brave Journal 003: ‘Advocates + Allies’ out February 2025.
Pre-order yours from our shop on Ko-Fi from Monday 27 January.
It was the year of 1952 when my grandparents, Vincent and Betty, took a bold leap from the tropical shores of Prospect, Portland, Jamaica to the streets of Erdington, Birmingham. Their story mirrors that of countless others from the Windrush Generation who arrived on British soil with hope in their hearts and a mission to rebuild a post-war nation.
Delving deeper into my family’s history through old VHS recordings of an interview my Dad did with my Grandad when I first visited Jamaica aged 11, I unearthed a treasure trove of anecdotes that traced back to a time when Vincent Sr. was just a child in Jamaica. His aunt, who ventured to the US in the 1920s, would send money and barrels filled with treasures back home.
In a tiny parish in Prospect, Portland, Grandad Wilson’s home stood out as a beacon of community spirit, where neighbours gathered to soak in the latest tunes and sports broadcasts emanating from the lone radio in town.


Music is the language that has bound my family together through the decades. From lazy Sunday afternoon with the Jazz melodies of Miles Davis and John Coltrane (hence my middle name) to the bass heavy beats of Bristol’s Massive Attack and Roni Size on Friday Nights.
Our home was a diverse array of sounds and influences. My brother’s turntables spun tales of UK Garage, while I immersed myself in the raw energy of bootlegged Lord Of The Mics video tapes and dubstep pirate radio shows, eagerly awaiting the next dubplate to hit airwaves.
Like music, my Jamaican heritage is something which has shaped both my personal and professional life. During lockdown, I had the time to look inward at my roots and also what connected the music genres that I listen to.
This is when the idea of Our Yard emerged.

The project is two fingers up to the anti-immigration rhetoric which was being spouted by the government at the time. The starting point was a guerilla fly poster campaign ‘What Has Immigration Done For The UK?’ – a bootleg of a government poster designed by myself and Alex Black, a frequent collaborator with shared Jamaican Heritage.

Our Yard champions the narrative of resilience, creativity and unity which immigrants have woven into the cultural fabric of the UK. Our Yard does this through the chronological story of Soundsystem Culture from the Windrush Generation to present day. The project connects the musical dots so that generations to come can see this legacy.

Sound System Culture, once confined to the walls of Shebeens and Blue Parties, now stands tall as a monument to the enduring legacy of immigrant communities. It transcends boundaries of race and nationality, embracing all who seek solace in its bass lines, rhythms and melodies. Sound System Culture is bigger than ‘Black British Culture’ and is part of British History as a whole. It is impossible to deny the impact Sound System Culture has had on the country as a whole.
Through oral history, Our Yard is connecting the dots of past, present, and future in a harmonious celebration of diversity and inclusion. Season One focuses on the foundation laid by the first and second generation of Windrush with interviews from Don Letts, Dennis Bovell, Mikey Dread (Channel One), Lady V (V Rocket), Mad Professor, Dubplate Pearl and Lloyd Coxsone which are available via our channels.


Over the next few years we will be hosting many events alongside a host of interviews through the decades with key figures influenced by Sound System Culture covering Pirate Radio, Trip Hop, Acid House, Jungle, DnB, Garage, Grime, Dubstep and UK Funky.

Culminating with an exhibition in 2026 taking place at leading Global Majority arts centre New Art Exchange based in the Midlands.

When I look at the mainstream today, we are in a Renaissance for Black creatives.
We still have a way to go and I believe there is a lot to be learnt from the DIY mentality which was synonymous with the sound system of the 1970s. The mentality to persevere even in the face of prejudice and discrimination is still as important today as it was back then. If it wasn’t for the determination of the Windrush Generation we would be without the legacy that me and so many others are part of.
This is Our Yard!

A spoken word piece by Nate Coltrane
Inspired by Linton Kwasi Johnson
Laying the foundation for sound boys and girls,
The Dub diggers,
Blues party innovators,
2tone Black and White,
Working class integration,
Free Party Ravers,
CoOp Brukin’ out
Jungle on the dial,
The pirate station generation,
Blue Note Sunday Sessions,
Moschino wearing, Garage Nation,
2 stepping to the Master Of Ceremony…an MC’s Persuasion,
‘If your chest ain’t rattling, it ain’t happening!’
Dmz, Lean FWD, Deep Medi…tation,
THIS IS IMMIGRATION!

Listen in to Our Yard’s in-depth interviews with pioneers of Sound System Culture in the UK at www.mixcloud.com/ouryarduk.

This article features in The Quick + The Brave Journal 003: ‘Advocates + Allies’ out February 2025.
Pre-order yours from our shop on Ko-Fi from Monday 27 January.
Follow Nathaniel Coltrane Wilson: @natecoltrane
Follow Our Yard: @ouryarduk
Follow MIMM Studios: @mimm.studios