Billy Ocean, Kes curate playlists for Notting Hill Carnival

The physical 2021 Notting Hill Carnival has been cancelled but audio streaming and media company Spotify is hoping to give a taste of the Carnival experience through its microsite.

Billy Ocean, Kes and DJ Private Ryan are among a group of Caribbean artistes and creatives assisting with content for Spotify’s microsite in support of Notting Hill Carnival this year. Legendary Trinidadian-British recording artiste Billy Ocean will curate the Gold List playlist while Kes and DJ Private Ryan will curate the existing Massive Soca Hits and Carnival playlists respectively.

A microsite is, “a small website containing more detailed information that can be accessed from a larger website,” oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com says.

The microsite will feature a range of playlists, sound systems and podcasts that are curated to open the public's eyes to the Caribbean music and cultural scene, the company said.

The site went live on Thursday and Spotify is an official partner of the carnival for the second consecutive year.

“As part of the collaboration, Spotify has created an all-new Carnival Sounds experience, in collaboration with Notting Hill Carnival, with a virtual curation of everything we love about carnival,” it said.

The release said, “New for 2021 will be exclusive essays on the theme of carnival from some of the UK’s most renowned black writers and creatives.

“The Carnival Sounds microsite for 2021 will once again give fans a chance to explore 42 of the official Notting Hill Carnival sound systems and DJs playing a mixture of dub, reggae, soca, soulful house and everything in between.”

It said Spotify worked with some iconic creators to curate the soundtrack to carnival through some of the most popular playlists on its Caribbean hub.

Leroy Harris, Spotify UK and Ireland, artist marketing lead said: “At Spotify, we are committed to supporting the black community and elevating black voices. Notting Hill carnival is a monumental part of British and Caribbean culture: Spotify’s online platform and curation of carnival provides an avenue for existing fans and those new to the experience alike, to continue to experience some of the utter joy of the weekend’s celebrations and what makes carnival so special.”