Black History Month 2025: “I want to give a voice to people who wouldn't otherwise get represented”

Published on 30, October, 2025

Meet the University of Sunderland graduate who is using his entrepreneurial skills and passion for music and storytelling to make a lasting social impact.

Name: Edwin Ssekabira

Age: 33

Current job: Freelance music consultant

Course studied at the University of Sunderland: Graduated MSc Applied Data Science in 2023 and is now a PhD researcher at the University of Keele

City/town of origin: London

Current location: Stoke-on-Trent

Social media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwinssekabira/?skipRedirect=true

https://www.instagram.com/djswoosh/

https://www.djswoosh.co.uk/

Built By Bass

Tell us a little bit about your job/career and what it involves day to day

I wear many different hats on many different days. I pride myself on being able to provide solutions for different creatives. I have a very vast network within the music and hospitality space. So, this has aligned me with working with radio stations and out in the community. Sometimes I might be working with young people doing outreach days, so I'm supporting them with the music element of that. I could be in a shopping centre teaching DJ skills, or I could be in a community hub working with people who are not in education and employment, and sharing my skills and knowledge with them.

Outside of that, I DJ doing club sets and festivals. I recently performed at the Ministry of Sound, which is was amazing because that's a world-class venue. I've been involved in a lot of behind-the-scenes production, so helping people to record and produce content, content that advances and creates critical moments for the culture.

As an event manager, I have curated different things in and around London and beyond. I also had my own company where I was providing creative solutions, so basically, people would hire equipment, or I'd do the production for loads of different events. I think that's just the nature of freelance life, you're very adaptive and responsive, and you get involved in a wide range of different things. It’s been an amazing field to be in.

You are currently building your own platform BuiltByBass – can you tell us more about that?

I realised that there was an alignment between my skills as a presenter and a broadcaster, and I wanted to find a medium within which I can give my ideas a voice, to give other people a voice and use my skills.

I feel like in traditional radio, I was struggling to find a place to fit in and articulate what I want to do, which is document stories and history. I've come to understand that everything comes from somewhere and we need to archive the stories and contributions by various different people. If we're going to understand and retain value of the things that we enjoy – because everybody enjoys music, everybody loves innovation – we're sometimes guilty of erasing how we got there and what put it together. So, that’s what the BuiltByBass podcast is about. I’m now in a space where I'm providing entertaining, critical and exciting discussions.

The focus is specifically on Black British music because that's been a space that has given the UK and beyond so much. It's birthed grime music, garage, jungle and dubstep. Obviously, it's got contributions from everywhere, and what this particular platform does is give the listener an insight into people making those contributions, and this gives them perspective and grounding, because sometimes we consume content and art, but we don't understand the underlying fundamentals for how the art was created or how sounds are imported and how movements and genres all come together. So, BuiltByBass is giving me an avenue through which I can understand that more deeply.

I’ve been speaking to artists, social commentators, ethnographers, people working in music academia, DJs, artists, and a whole range of different contributors. So, lots of different titles and perspectives, and different ways of looking at and critically analysing things – there's a rich cultural value in being able to do that. So, I feel BuiltByBass strongly speaks for itself, especially because I have a passion for equality and I really want to give a voice to people who wouldn't otherwise get represented. So, I want to speak to more women, more people across the gender spectrum – every single characteristic matters to me, and it's about giving them a platform and a voice.

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What has been the highlight of your career so far?

I've been working really closely with a DJ called Mak 10, who specialises in grime music and creates a lot of viral freestyles and content. I’ve come to realise that, as DJs, when we work together, we can build amazing things. I think at the start of his journey it was just experimentation of being out on the street DJ-ing but collectively, through his brand, we've now seen a whole cultural shift and audience attention. Brands, listeners and consumers are paying attention to what he's been building. So, for me, it's been brilliant to just be involved in that from behind the scenes.

I think BuiltByBass is really important. I see it as being a hub within which I'm going to continue to shape and capture stories. I think it's something for me to keep working on and the other stuff I'm doing, like research, will give me a strong basis to keep developing BuiltByBass. I want people to be able to come here and extract value and information, whether it's about grime, garage, R&B. For me, it’s come out of a natural affinity and love of music. I love talking to artists, I love sharing artists’ stories with audiences. Previously, I would’ve done that on the radio but now I have a new way to reach people.

I've performed at Wireless Festival, Reading and Leeds, I've worked with a lot of big artists like S-X and KSI, artists that people love and respect within the music industry. So, for me, it's like I'm living the dream as a fan because yes this is my job and I'm working, but I would do this anyway.

Do you think your time at the University of Sunderland helped you move into your chosen career?

Sunderland has been the cornerstone and foundation for everything I've achieved in my career. I would encourage anyone to do a Masters because it teaches you to push through any limits you've set for yourself. You're going to be a more confident individual; you’re going to be great at project management and time management. With that type of skill set you can naturally just apply yourself to so many different situations, so for me I feel like it really built me up with all the fundamental skills that I needed as an individual that then allowed me to coincidentally do everything I'm doing now.

Prior to studying data science, I never had exposure to science, technology or engineering. I connected with other students, and we still have a network community to this day, and my lecturers were really supportive. I picked up a lot of experience through my Masters that I don’t think you can naturally get elsewhere because in other situations you might operate out of a safe space, and you never push yourself and see what you’re capable of. My Masters also made it a lot easier to make my PhD application.

I also applied for the Futures Fund Employability Award to help fund the development of BuiltByBass. The award supported both my professional growth and broader ambitions in social entrepreneurship and research.

As student moving up from London, did you find the University/city welcoming?

Well, my headmaster from secondary school went to Sunderland. I'm from inner city East London so a complete change of scenery and immersing myself in a new environment encouraged growth. It’s a place of opportunity and innovation, and the University is really forward-thinking in terms of the course and the type of content they deliver.

I enjoyed walking and seeing the architecture of the city. The natural design of Sunderland can be really therapeutic and a great place to escape to, and there are lots of people inside and outside of the institution that you can connect with and build a community with.

I have a lot of love and respect for the staff, colleagues and students in Sunderland – and the north-east – because it's a great place. I would always encourage people to look further afield for study if necessary.

What are your hopes for the future in terms of your career? 

I want to build a community around BuiltByBass. I think we're going to be like a proper archive for people to connect with. I would love at some point down the line to possibly convert what we're doing into a book because I feel like the stories are so important, interesting and unique.

I'm doing a PhD in researching equality within music and music technology, so I am currently immersed in that for the next couple of years.

What you're going to see from me is more community-led actions. I think success is great but only relative to the point where you're able to help and support others to come through and access opportunities. So, I'm just going to try and contribute as much as I can within that space.

Whatever it takes to get more diversity and inclusion within the music space and beyond, I feel like that's my purpose.

You can find BuiltByBass here.

The Futures Fund Employability Award provides up to £3,000 financial support to help students kickstart their career or turn their entrepreneurial dreams into a reality.

For more information on the Employability Award, and the other scholarships available at the University of Sunderland, click here.