Mykaell Riley

Director, Black Music Research Unit

University of Westminster

Speaker Biography

Prof. Mykaell Riley is a pioneering musician, academic and curator. In 2024 he initiated and co-curated the first national exhibition on Black British music with the British Library, the National Sound Archive and the Black Music Research Unit (BMRU). He is Music Director of the BBC drama Boarders (on iPlayer), currently working on series three, and Principal Investigator on Equalize with Young Sounds, researching access to electronic and Black music in schools.

A founder member of the British roots reggae band Steel Pulse, Mykaell has performed, produced, managed and consulted across TV, film and theatre, achieving 11 UK Top 20s and three No.1s. He founded the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra—Britain’s first Black pop string section—and has composed widely for BBC One/Two, ITV and Sky.

He established the BMRU in 2004, co-authored landmark jazz reports, and has secured over £1m in competitive research funding. Awarded the AHRC “Bass Culture” grant in 2016, he led research on Jamaican music’s impact in Britain, championed the Grime Report that informed policy change in 2017, and produced the Bass Culture exhibition (2018) and film (2019).

Mykaell serves on the academic board for the London Museum and Leeds Arts University, and is a trustee of Tavaziva Dance.

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