Drake Music

22/05/2026

🗯️ Looking for plans this Sunday?
Discover music and accessible instruments at Rich Mix London, Shoreditch at DMLab Festival!

🔗 Free & low-cost tix: https://richmix.org.uk/events/dmlab-festival/

📅 Sunday 24 May
⏰ 10am till 10.30pm
📌 Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London, E1 6LA OR live stream

A full day of exploring music, instruments, and technology by and for Disabled and Non-Disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent musicians and makers. Prefer to join in virtually? Book an online ticket and join our YouTube livestream. Tickets: Please note: this event takes place in 3 parts. Book your tick...

18/05/2026

🌞 DMLab Festival is accessible to the d/Deaf Community!

📅 Sunday 24 May
⏰ 10am till 10.30pm
📌 Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London, E1 6LA OR live stream

🖇 FREE & low-cost tickets: https://richmix.org.uk/events/dmlab-festival/

🖐 All presentations and performances will have BSL interpretation, as well as live captioning. This includes the live stream.

🔥 Deaf Rave are providing the vibrations, with DJ sets courtesy of DJ Jeffo

🦺 We will also have Woojer haptic feedback vests available for you to try out during the gig, DMLab: Live. Email [email protected] to reserve yours!

❔ More access:
- Step-free access
- Accessible toilets
- Changing Places
- Quiet space available

Email [email protected] to discuss specific access requirements

*note - the voiceover in this video is not Troi Lee

ID: A BSL video of Troi Lee, a man with short hair and black frames glasses. Troi is signing in front of DJ decks and artwork posters.

14/05/2026

🔔 DMLab Festival: Sunday 24 May | Ticket update

❗️Afternoon passes just added: https://tinyurl.com/358jdtyj

DMLab Festival is an all-day event running across 3 parts:

🔨 Instrument Building Workshop
- 10:30am to 12:30pm (SOLD OUT) ❌
- Email [email protected] for waiting list

💭 Exploring Accessible Music Tech
- 2pm to 4pm
- TICKETS AVAILABLE ✅
- Presentations from instrument designers, with instruments on display until 6pm

🎶 DMLab Live
- 7pm to 10.30pm
- TICKETS AVAILABLE ✅
- Gig: Live performances from Disabled artists using accessible music tech

🎫 TICKET TYPES:
- Individual tickets if you only want to join for Exploring Accessible Music tech or DMLab: Live
- Afternoon ticket if you want to join for both

HOW TO GET TICKETS:
- https://richmix.org.uk/events/dmlab-festival/
- Free & low-cost options available

ID: Black text against a neon green background. Text reads: 'DMLab Festival, Ticket Update'.

08/05/2026

🔌 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT | DMLab Festival - Sunday 24 May

Completing our line up of guest speakers and artists is the incredible team behind our DMLab programme in Colchester, CLIP!

Made up of Steph Massuci, Frazer Merrick and Simon Keep, the CLIP team will share about their first 6 months of DMLab Colchester, the community, and the new DIY MIDI breakout board that has been developed in collaboration with the group.

The MIDI breakout board is a circuit board that can be used to create a custom MIDI controller with no need to solder- we've used it with a range of controls including buttons, potentiometers and ultrasonic distance sensors.

📅 Sunday 24 May
⏰ 10am till 10:30pm
📌 Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London, E1 6LA

*presentations from 2pm
*available to watch via live stream

🖇 FREE & low-cost tickets: https://richmix.org.uk/events/dmlab-festival/

❓ Access:
- Step-free access
- Accessible toilets
- Quiet space available
- Changing Places
- Presentations & performances will have BSL interpreters & live captions

Email [email protected] to discuss specific access requirements.

ID 1: A neon green flyer with text reading ‘CLIP Sound and Music, Presenter Announcement, Speaking at DMLab Festival. Sunday 24 May 2026. Tickets via Rich Mix. Free & low-cost tickets at www.richmix.org.uk’. Features 3 images of Frazer Merrick, who has brown shoulder length curly hair. He is is sat in a workshop surrounded by machinery. Simon Keep is wearing all black, leaning with hands in pockets against a graffiti covered wall. Steph Massuci is smiling and gesturing with her hands. Steph is white and has brown shoulder length hair. She is sat in a wheelchair and wearing black jeans, a black shirt and tinted glasses.

ID 2: The MIDI breakout circuit board is sat on a table plugged into a laptop. A hand is reaching out to use a connected distance sensor. There are various craft items on the table.

06/05/2026

💫 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT | DMLab Festival - Sunday 24 May

Also presenting on the day is artist, designer and long-term DMLab collaborator, Gawain Hewitt.

Gawain is a pioneer in accessible music technology with over 20 years' experience in alternative education. He founded Drake Music's R&D program, creating instruments like the Kellycaster and Touch Violin for Disabled musicians.

Winner of the 2024 BRIT Mastercard Trailblazer Award, Gawain's work seamlessly blends technology, music, and education to break barriers to music.

Gawain will present his latest invention, the Mugo, a distance-sensing musical instrument integrated with Sounds of Intent pedagogy.

The Mugo is an affordable gesture-controlled musical device enabling children with physical disabilities to create and perform music through simple movements, promoting inclusion and musical development.

📅 Sunday 24 May
⏰ 10am till 10:30pm
📌 Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London, E1 6LA

*presentations from 2pm
*available to watch via live stream

🖇 FREE & low-cost tickets: https://richmix.org.uk/events/dmlab-festival/

❓ Access:
- Step-free access
- Accessible toilets
- Quiet space available
- Changing Places
- Presentations & performances will have BSL interpreters & live captions

Email [email protected] to discuss specific access requirements.

ID 1: A neon green flyer with text reading ‘Gawain Hewitt, Presenter Announcement, Speaking at DMLab Festival. Sunday 24 May 2026. Tickets via Rich Mix. Free & low-cost tickets at www.richmix.org.uk’. Features an image of a man holding a boombox in front of him. Red backlighting sets the stage behind him, and he looks serious.

ID 2: A photo of the Mugo, a black rectangular device with several blue, red, black and gold dials and buttons. It rests on a tripod, set on grass.

05/05/2026

💥 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT | DMLab Festival - Sunday 24 May

We're super excited to discover the work of musical instrument designer, researcher, and classical musician, Cheryl Hui!

Cheryl works at the intersection of accessibility, technology, and community music-making. With a background spanning classical performance and computational arts, her work has been showcased internationally.

Cheryl firmly believes that music-making is for everyone, and that every voice deserves to be heard and celebrated.

Cheryl will present her latest project, The Joy of Sound Mat. The JOS Mat is a modular interface co-designed with London-based charity, JOY OF SOUND (JOS), built on the philosophy of "inclusive design without reduction."

Rather than stripping away musical expression, the physical instrument instantly adapts its shape and resistance to fit the user's unique physical needs.

Designed with the entire care ecology in mind, it aims to provide full musical agency while ensuring a reliable, effortless setup for support workers.

Cheryl was also one of the recipients of Drake Music's 2025-26 Accessible Instrument Development Fund grant.

📅 Sunday 24 May
⏰ 10am till 10:30pm
📌 Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London, E1 6LA

*presentations from 2pm
*available to watch via live stream

🖇 FREE & low-cost tickets: https://richmix.org.uk/events/dmlab-festival/

❓ Access:
- Step-free access
- Accessible toilets
- Quiet space available
- Changing Places
- Presentations & performances will have BSL interpreters & live captions

Email [email protected] to discuss specific access requirements.

ID 1: A neon green flyer with text reading ‘Cheryl Hui, Presenter Announcement, Speaking at DMLab Festival. Sunday 24 May 2026. Tickets via Rich Mix. Free & low-cost tickets at www.richmix.org.uk’. Features an image of a woman with glasses and a black cap sitting with her face resting against her chin. She looks off to the side, and appears to be deep in thought.

ID 2: A crescent-shaped plywood base with handles. Attached to the base are four grey tactile pads with varying surface textures, including smooth, ridged, and concentric patterns. Above the wooden base sits a pair of white over-ear headphones, and below it rests a pair of black earphones connected to a small electronic interface and cables.

30/04/2026

🪩 Disabled DJs & Dance Music Culture

This study explores how Disabled DJs experience dance music culture, using interviews and media diaries collected by researchers at University of Birmingham and Drake Music, in collaboration with Disabled DJs.

It finds that disability can both support and challenge DJing. For example, some DJs feel a deep emotional connection to the dancefloor, while also having mixed feelings about dancing itself. Their experiences can also challenge common ideas about what a DJ should do and look like.

DJing creates a space for Disabled people to take part in dance music culture in their own way, often focusing on creativity and connection through sound rather than physical presence in the crowd.

Overall, the research questions traditional assumptions in both dance music and disability studies, especially ideas about the importance of dancing and stereotypes around neurodivergence.

🔗 Link: https://tinyurl.com/2nyta6rn

This article builds on earlier work from the project, which looked at Disabled DJs’ experiences with DJ equipment and software: https://tinyurl.com/7un67bru

ID: A purple/ pink graphic with disco balls in the top right corner. Text reads 'Disabled DJs & Dance Music Culture. A report exploring themes around social and emotional experiences of Disabled DJs. By Maria Witek, Caro Cooke, Gemma Nash and Lisa Heywood.'

28/04/2026

💭 What are we doing to ensure that DMLab Festival is accessible to our communities? We have the following access features in place throughout the day:

🏢 Step-free access
- Ramp at main entrance
- All festival events on ground floor
- Lowered area at bars

🚾 Toilets
- Accessible toilets
- Gender neutral toilets
- Mobile Changing Places unit

🦻 Hearing and d/Deaf access

- BSL
- Captions
- Hearing loop
- Woojer vests (performances only)

🫂 Sensory access
- Quiet room
- No strobes or flashing lights

🦮 Assistance dogs
- Assistance dogs welcome
- Water bowl available
- Staff can give directions to nearest toileting area

🔗 Fully comprehensive and interactive access guide: https://drakemusic.differentbreed.events/~/guides/en/dmlabfestival

🚧 BSL interpretation can be arranged for the instrument building workshop with at least 2 weeks advanced notice. Email [email protected].

Please contact [email protected] to discuss specific access requirements.

Event details:

📅 Sunday 24 May
⏰ 10am till 10.30pm
📌 Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London, E1 6LA OR live stream

🖇 FREE & low-cost tickets: https://richmix.org.uk/events/dmlab-festival/

ID: Black text against a neon green background. Text reads: 'DMLab Festival, Access Guide, everything you need to know about access on the day'. All additional text described in caption in full.

24/04/2026

📣 ARTIST ANNOUNCEMENT | DMLab Festival

3⃣ Completing the lineup for our evening performances is the incredible Clarion Trio.

Started in 2024, the Trio brings together 3 talented Disabled musicians, who met through the National Open Youth Orchestra around the sound of a new instrument, The Clarion. They perform across the country and collaborate to encourage access to music for all.

📅 Sunday 24 May
⏰ 10am till 10:30pm
📌 Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London, E1 6LA

*performances from 7pm
*available to watch via live stream

🖇 FREE & low-cost tickets: https://richmix.org.uk/events/dmlab-festival/

❓ Access:
- Step-free access
- Accessible toilets
- Quiet space available
- Changing Places
- Presentations & performances will have BSL interpreters & live captions

Email [email protected] to discuss specific access requirements.

ID: A neon green flyer with text reading ‘Artist Announcement: The Clarion Trio, playing DMLab Festival. Sunday 24 May 2026. Tickets via Rich Mix. Free & low-cost tickets at www.richmix.org.uk’. Features a video of the trio sat down, rehearsing with their instruments in a auditorium setting.

22/04/2026

📣 HEADLINER ANNOUNCEMENT | DMLab Festival

💥 With a live House music set that will feel 'unmistakably human', all the way from Stockholm, is producer, artist and live performer, Tim Palm.

Rooted in Deep House, Tim's sound has grown to encompass ambient and experimental territory - always shaped by a philosophy of authenticity over perfection. Raw, unfiltered moments define his work.

Signed to Fashionpolice Records, Tim has performed in Stockholm, London, Helsinki, Seoul, and beyond. His live-focused approach and ability to create emotionally resonant moments on stage has earned him a dedicated international following.

📅 Sunday 24 May
⏰ 10am till 10:30pm
📌 Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London, E1 6LA

*performances from 7pm
*available to watch via live stream

🖇 FREE & low-cost tickets: https://richmix.org.uk/events/dmlab-festival/

❓ Access:
- Step-free access
- Accessible toilets
- Quiet space available
- Changing Places
- Presentations & performances will have BSL interpreters & live captions

Email [email protected] to discuss specific access requirements.

ID: A neon green flyer with text reading ‘Artist Announcement: Tim Palm, playing DMLab Festival. Sunday 24 May 2026. Tickets via Rich Mix. Free & low-cost tickets at www.richmix.org.uk’. Features a video of Tim Palm performing a live set in an intimate, softly-lit room. Tim is sat on a stool, and moves around various devices and tablets, using his tongue and nose to press them.