London-based music and culture freelance journalist The Guardian | i-D | Dazed | Narrative.ly | RBMA | Bandcamp | Wired UK/Japan | FACT | Mixmag | The Vinyl Factory | Ransom Note Sound Engineer and DJ - High Fashion Technique Former festival programmer and booking agent Jneedham303@gmail.com
Locked Pro Plan featureFrom 2014 I've been a freelance culture, music, tech and human interest journalist that since September 2016 has become my full-time occupation. I spend my life writing about all that I find interesting, from Manchester's obsession with Jamaican sound system culture to music in the USSR. Yes, I mostly write about music, but I also delve into how noise pollution makes fish bad parents and the rise of the human cyborgs for Wired UK, and the story behind Britain's most brutal ball game for Narrative.ly. I'm a copywriter for major labels too, avoiding words like 'ethereal' and making artist Facebook bios glisten. You can find me on your phone as Dojo's nightlife editor or hear me ramble on your airwaves as a bi-weekly host on Netil Radio.
I helped book bands and DJs, negotiating artist contracts, planning announcements and managing things behind the scenes for Reading & Leeds Festival and Latitude Festival.
Planned global music tours, negotiated artist booking fees, helped develop sustainable careers, managed artist social media and fixed everything when an artist inevitably missed their flight home. Roster: Daniel Avery, Hot Chip, Andrew Weatherall, Ivan Smagghe, The Rapture, Optimo & more
Managed the global PR campaigns, print and online, for brands such as Russian Standard Vodka and 808 Whisky and festivals such as Parklife, Hideout, Sonisphere, Stanton Calling, Fresh Island and more.
We made Manchester dance five nights a week, bringing Duke Dumont, Disclosure, Kerri Chandler and more grade A talent to our snug basement. We even won an award for it courtesy of the Manchester Evening News, twice.