“Finding Raw Was A Revelation. It Gave Me My Life.”

As a schoolboy with dreams of making music, Naz grew his wings at Raw Material. Now, after 14 years, he’s leaving the nest.

Naz, seen speaking at our recent summertime End of Term Showcase.

When we heard news of Naz’s intentions to move on from Raw Material, we all agreed on the need to tell his story. For over a decade now, Naz has been instrumental in shaping Raw into the fully-fledged charity it is today, with intimate ties to the community and a highly specialised and diversified range of creative-health programmes. Throughout this journey, which at times has included massive organisational changes, Naz has played a vital role, bringing a deep understanding of Raw Material’s history, its role within Brixton and the needs of our community. After sitting down with him for an hour to discuss the contents of this article, it became obvious to me just why Naz is so cherished by everyone at Raw. Growing up, Naz’s opportunities in music were limited by a lack of means which sheer passion and determination would have to make up for. In the life that he has since created for himself, I believe that Naz represents the success that we would say is possible for everyone who passes through our doors, the same doors which accepted him over fourteen years ago and set him on a path to self-realisation. As we prepare for what feels like a new era, not only with Naz leaving but also with our Capital Development project nearing completion, now feels like an apt time to take stock of his long and fruitful journey with Raw which leaves us feeling deeply proud of our history and eagerly optimistic about our future. Let’s start at the beginning.

In secondary school I was really into beat-making using computers. At that time we did a lot of battle-rapping in the playground. I was the person who liked the tech side of things so I would record my friends using the computers that we had.

Like so many of our members, music has been a central component in Naz’s life. Growing up, it was rap music that captured the imaginations of him and his friends. While he did enjoy rapping himself from time to time, even at the tender age of 14, he was beginning to show an affinity for sound engineering, being the one in his friendship group to take on the role of advising others on how best to deliver their bars and choosing the right beats to supplement them with. Fortunately enough, their school had basic music tech facilities equipped with iMacs which could be used during break times (Naz recalls fondly how they used to record bars into the iMac’s inbuilt computer microphone.) Music tech classes were a particular highlight for him in school, so much so, that when his school was threatened with their discontinuation, Naz wasn’t going to sit back and do nothing!

Near to the end of Year 9, our music technology classes just stopped and that was really heartbreaking… I thought, “How do I get this back?” I spoke to my teachers, went on Word, got some names and signatures and took it to my headteacher. I got about 100 signatures and we got music tech back.

Always the change-maker. If people who work in our sector have any qualities in common, it is perhaps the ones that Naz showed here at age 14: a community-minded mentality coupled with a strong sense of justice. He understood, on the one hand, just how important music was for the people around him at the time, and on the other, he didn’t accept, as so many others would have, the supposed inevitability of it being taken away. This was the essence, especially in the early days, of Raw Material’s work as well. Back then, Raw’s focus was entirely on Artist Development: supporting financially disadvantaged members of the community and bringing industry-standard production to their music. It seemed that Naz’s instincts made him the perfect match for our charity, something which time would later come to prove. It was actually that year that, completely by chance, Naz would happen upon Raw Material and find all those people with the same passions for community and music operating right on his doorstep. There would be no going back.

What is this place?

Living locally, Naz would pass the Raw Material building on Robsart Street all the time, without ever learning what was inside. It only took one encounter with J.B, Naz remembers, for him to discover that behind the iconic yet terrifying metal grate of our main building, lay a fully-equipped music studio that could be his to use. He’d always been especially fascinated by studio equipment, he tells me, remembering fondly how he used to download PDF manuals in order to learn the ins and outs of tech that he could only dream of owning. The internet, combined with occasional visits to older relatives, offered Naz glimpses into the world and a way of life that fuelled his deepest ambitions.

I was particularly inspired by one of my cousins. His name is Mr Kay - a DJ and a music producer. He was the first person I saw who was Bengali who was making music, DJing and presenting on the radio. I used to listen to him and see his room with all his decks, vinyls, keys, and I was like: this is the dopest thing ever.

Naz providing tech support at this year's Lambeth Country Show.

My conversation with Naz gave me cause to reflect on the importance of role models for young people. Particularly among BAME communities, creative careers aren’t generally encouraged for children by their parents; this resistance is also reinforced by an education system which gives equally small priority to creative subjects. It begs the question, where would Naz, and many other musically precocious young people be, without certain key role models in their early life? As Raw Material’s Marketing Coordinator, I wonder myself how to reach young people who, like all of us, have a lot to gain from creative experiences but often find themselves isolated from any creative influences whatsoever. Regardless, in the case of the 14 year-old Naz, he had Mr Kay to thank, along with the then director of Raw Material, Tim, who when Naz expressed his desire to work with Raw, was immediately in favour! Tim invited Naz for 2 weeks’ work experience shadowing JB and others in the studio. During this time, a starry-eyed Naz made the Raw studio his second home.

I learned how a studio operates. All the different roles that go into it: engineer, producer, composer, artist and all that. In the studio I was just supporting in any and every way I could. You need a cable? I’ll get you a cable? You need an instrument? I’ll get you an instrument. Because I put the work in, I learned fast.

Tim allocated every Tuesday from 4 to 6 just to me and my mates to record tracks. We used to come in together, (imagine, ten or twelve of us rolling down Robsart Street!). They trusted me to use the studio all alone, and we treated it like our own home.

Picture it. Twelve or so fourteen year olds let loose on a professional music studio! Tim would pop in from time to time to observe this spectacle and would see Naz in full flow, leading his friends and producing track after track. It made quite the impression on him.

One day Tim came up to me said that we should make this into a project. I said, “a project? Like what?”

He said, “You’re facilitating, you’re running a project!”

I said “Whatever man.”

He said “We'll pay you for it as well.”

I was like, “Really? To do what?”

He said, “To do what you’re doing!”

From then I basically became a studio trainee: setting up, recording, mixing tracks, supporting the artists with their lyrics, everything.

I asked Naz what he thought Tim saw in him. He paused and said,

Someone who didn’t have the access, but had the drive and the willpower to find a way by any means necessary.

Naz’s modesty comes across here. Of course he was deserving of such an opportunity, but it seems quite obvious to me that Tim wasn’t just thinking about Naz, but had the community in mind as well. Tim saw saw somebody who had a gift for supporting others and who was a natural leader; somebody who was doing for others what Raw Material, through its programmes and facilitators does for the community as a whole: enabling creative learning and personal growth. In that sense, it was a match made in heaven. Tim’s acceptance of Naz was a seminal moment in his life, with far-reaching consequences Naz will never forget.

If I ever win a grammy… I swear to God, my first ever Grammy will go to Tim Brown. That man changed my life. He is the reason I am able to provide for my family, I’m able to be in a creative career. I’m raising a family the way I want to. From 2010-2024, I’m still here! I’ve been living my dream.

Raw gave Naz the opportunity to explore every creative avenue he could think of (music, photography, videography, graphic design), integrate himself within South London’s creative community, and ultimately, make a living. At Raw we’re very proud of the pathways that we make possible for not just our members but our staff team as well. We are a group of individuals with a colourful range of interests and skillsets which, if allowed to be exercised in our work, does I think bring an increased level of quality and personal touch to our charity’s work overall. It’s easiest to speak from personal experience. I came to Raw Materaial with little or no background in creative facilitation, but was supported in discovering this for myself, firstly through leading Raw’s Young Ambassadors’ Programme and secondly through delivering my own photography course. When it comes to facilitation, Naz and I have followed a similar learning curve, beginning I would say with a natural sociability which we’ve developed into something more informed. I hear Naz’s thoughts on how he approaches facilitation now, after years of experience.

Although it comes naturally, I’ve still learned a lot about the art of facilitation. A lot of people I’ve been delivering projects to come from the same walks of life as me. They were going through the same challenges as I was. Living in the same areas. A lot of poverty, personal struggles, that kind of thing. I would always think: how would I like someone to guide me. I used to speak in a way that was relatable. Along the way, I learned that people have different types of learning needs. That’s what really improved my facilitation. Understanding different ways you need to translate content to work effectively with different people.

As Naz prepares to embark on a new stage in his career, working as a Creative Producer for East London community-regeneration charity, HARCA, it’s clear that he’s bringing a lot with him, not only in terms of fond memories but also extremely formative experiences. Equally important as what he’s taking away from Raw Material is what he’s leaving: a legacy of great community work and an impact that speaks for itself. Consistently, putting others before him in a way that’s exemplary of our best facilitators - Naz has educated and inspired, and invested in others like he invests in himself. Although he will remain involved in some of Raw’s programmes, his constant presence will be deeply felt and sorely missed by all. Good luck to him!

Ollie McKenzie