This is a shout out to your childhood friends – the ones you used to spend hours on the playground or roaming the streets of your hometown with. Maybe get together, form a collective, produce a DIY-zine and also start DJing together? Sounds crazy? Well, that’s exactly what Adelaide, Stephanie, Abigail, Olivia and Chika of south London crew BORN n BREAD did in 2013 – and it seems to have worked out pretty well, to say the least. After seeing how gentrification changed their community of Peckham the five girls decided to take it upon themselves to shape the place they were born and brought up in. And shaping it they did: The BORN n BREAD girls started their own eponymous magazine, using it as a platform to highlight local talent, and also secured a spot on the radio as DJs.
With music and creativity being at the core of all their projects it doesn’t come as a surprise that’s also exactly what holds the girls together: “Usually, it’s always music that starts our conversations and gets our vibes ready for a night out or if we’re playing a set. Music allows us to express ourselves and how we’re feeling. It’s almost like an ‘unspoken’ form of communication”, the girls say, even comparing themselves to a TLC song: “Crazy Sexy Cool”. When asked what sets them apart from other collectives, their answer is as simple as powerful: “We always try to focus on the positive rather than negative, and believe in embracing imperfections and making the best of what you have. That allows us to learn from each other and develop our own individual styles which when put together gives us an eclectic mix.”
And as that mix can best be experienced in form of an actual mix, we asked the five girls to put together a playlist for INDIE. They’re advice for listening to it? “Music should just be felt!”
All images via Instagram
Header Image © Joanna Catherine Schröder
By Trisha Balster
