Latest News

We are excited to announce that we have some new Trustees joining our Board who are all alumni of Kinetika Bloco. Femi Koleoso will become our new Co-Chair and Mark Kavuma of Banger Factory Records, and Bukki Ojo of Seventh are joining as Trustees. 

Sadly, the amazing Nicholai La Barrie who has been with us for 11 years has had to step down due to increased work commitments. He has led us so well through a period of growth and development, and we are incredibly grateful for all his support over the last decade. He will always be part of the family! 

Our ethos has always been to grow our own leaders and ensure that the people who we serve at Kinetika Bloco are represented throughout the structure of the organisation. This is important especially at a Board level and so we are thrilled that Femi, Mark and Bukki, who all participated in Kinetika Bloco, will be able to bring their huge skills and experience to help in this next season of growth. They are all incredibly passionate about young people having access to creativity and opportunity and over the last few years have already helped us in many ways from speaking on our Leadership programme, to recording our albums and inviting us on to their stages! Now as we formalise their support, we are excited to add their skills to our existing wonderful Board members to help us create, strategize and take accountability for the future of Kinetika Bloco. 

Statement from Femi Koleoso: 

Beyond playing on big stages and releasing records, I think my deepest passion lies in seeing young people have the opportunities that I’ve had in the world of music. And so, anyone that supports young people making music and achieving things to the greatest of their abilities, I always want to be a part of supporting, helping and pouring my resources into any way possible. That is why when Kinetika Bloco asked me to be part of the Board and be a Chair, it was a no brainer! Kinetika gave all of that to me and I’m just really deeply grateful to see how I can pour what Kinetika poured into me into young people for the future. I’m deeply honoured and deeply proud to be working with this incredible charity to see that happen not just in London but across the UK 

Statement from Nicholai La Barrie: 

It has been an honour to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees. It is with a very heavy heart that I step down, but the time has come to hand over to a new generation of extraordinarily talented and inspiring individuals who will carry Kinetika Bloco into its next era. Over the years, I have watched Kinetika Bloco place instruments into the hands of thousands of young people, transforming lives in the process. I have seen those young people grow in confidence, skill, and artistry, with many going on to become professional musicians who are helping to shape the sound of London today. 

I have also witnessed the wider evolution of music itself. In the 1970s and 80s, young people in New York, without access to traditional instruments, turned record players into instruments and created hip hop. In the 2000s, Mat Fox (rest well) placed instruments into the hands of young people who might otherwise never have had the opportunity. Today, we are all able to witness and celebrate the beauty of that legacy. What these young artists are now creating is something truly special—tender and powerful, beautiful and fierce—and I am excited to see what comes next. 

I leave Kinetika Bloco in the capable hands of the diligent and deeply committed Trustees it has been my privilege to serve alongside. It is also with great pride that I welcome Bukki Ojo of Seventh Clothing, Mark Kavuma of Banger Factory Records, and new Co-Chair Femi Koleoso of Ezra Collective. 

I cannot wait to see what the future holds for Kinetika Bloco. It has been a profound privilege to be part of this family. I am deeply grateful—especially to Tamzyn, who is truly a force of nature (though don’t tell her I said that). To have played even a small part in creating change for so many young people and their families is something I will carry with me always. I will hold onto the music, the dance, the energy, and the sense of family for the rest of my life. Thank you all! 

Statement from Tamzyn Marchev, CEO: 

Nicholai has led us so well and inspired an era of growth and development in Kinetika Bloco over the last few years. He has encouraged us to dream bigger and be ambitious in our plans, and I am truly grateful for his support. Whilst it is sad to see him go, we know he will remain one of the family, and it is testament to how much he cares for Kinetika Bloco that he has been so enthusiastic about Femi, Mark and Bukki joining the Board. This feels like a new season as we welcome them to a strong Board of passionate existing Trustees. I am looking forward to working with them to continue impacting young people positively to be creative, equipped, supported, ambitious, and hopeful for their future.