A DJ wearing headphones and a cap, mixing music on DJ equipment in a club with pink neon lights and a sign that says 'Click Makers'. There are tropical plants in the background.

We ARE

DJ performing at a festival with a large crowd outside in the background, with colorful flags and trees.

CROSS

FADE

A woman with curly dark hair smiling and DJing at a music event. She is wearing a black top, bracelets, and headphones. Behind her is a colorful striped backdrop. In front of her, there is DJ equipment with various controls and cables.

who,what why are we? 

Crossfade — is a refugee-led platform for DJs, electronic musicians and creatives. Led by and for people from refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant backgrounds. 

We create opportunities to learn, perform, collaborate and lead. But we’re building more than just one off workshops or events.

We’re building an ecosystem where displaced artists are recognised not as temporary beneficiaries, but as artists, organisers, cultural workers and decision-makers. We believe refugee artists shouldn’t have to wait to be invited by someone into the creative sector. They should have the tools, networks and confidence to build their own place within it.

A woman and a man smiling and posing together at a music festival or outdoor event, with a crowd and fairground rides in the background, inside a DJ booth with equipment and purple lighting.

why does it matter?

Refugee artists are often invited into creative spaces to share their stories.

Far less often are they trusted to shape programmes, make decisions, lead organisations or influence culture.

Crossfade exists because representation isn’t enough.

We believe people with lived experience should be designing the spaces they’re invited into - not simply participating in them.

what we are building:

Today

A young woman wearing a red top and a leopard-print skirt is standing in front of a DJ setup with a DJ controller on a black table. She is smiling, sticking out her tongue, and has rainbow-colored face paint on her cheek. The setting appears to be outdoors near a brick wall with large windows, under a black metal roof.

  • DJ workshops

  • Artist development

  • Mentoring

  • Radio

  • Performances

Tomorrow

DJ performing at an outdoor music festival, with a large crowd of people in the background.

  • Creative residencies

  • Paid commissions

  • International collaborations

  • Festival stages

  • Leadership programmes

  • Community studio

The courage we had led us to this very moment. check out our latest “field notes“ to learn more.

Field notes
hi from dima
hi from dima
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want to join?

Most of our programmes are designed for people from refugee, asylum-seeking, migrant and displaced backgrounds.

Click here to learn more about joining us.