Watch a documentary on Sheffield’s community-focused music space Gut Level

In celebration of the success of Studio Monkey Shoulder, a new grassroots music initiative with Monkey Shoulder, Gilles Peterson, and Worldwide FM, we caught up with Gilles’ chosen community Gut Level, an essential queer-dedicated space based in Sheffield, to find out more about their journey so far.

In just a short few years, Gut Level has built a dedicated community in the heart of Sheffield – one that celebrates queerness and people from marginalised backgrounds, bringing the city’s creatives under one roof hosting parties, workshops, and community-based activities. The non-profit music and art space has grown each year through its membership scheme, now boasting more than 2,500 members who help bring the community project to life. Today, Gut Level hosts everything from club nights to workshops and film screenings, giving a much-needed space to Sheffield’s creative, queer youth.

“If the space can contribute a little bit towards making our members’ lives more exciting in Sheffield, then it will have succeeded,” say the team behind Gut Level. “People need space for loads of different reasons – to meet friends, discover new music, learn new skills, flirt with strangers, share food, bask in electronic drones, be visibly trans without fear, play daft Italo records, start mosh pits to hyperpop, and imagine new possibilities beyond heteronormativity – our small patch in Sheffield hopes to fill these desires.”

Studio Monkey Shoulder is the new initiative from Monkey Shoulder, dedicated to empowering and celebrating innovative grassroots music communities. Travelling all over the world to countries including Nigeria, USA, Taiwan, India, and now the UK, Studio Monkey Shoulder has helped to bring joy to music communities globally with a successful track record.

Along with Worldwide FM boss Gilles Peterson, we met the crew behind Sheffield’s non-profit community project and documented Gut Level with some exclusive interviews, behind the scenes footage, and snippets of the antics at a typical Gut Level event. Check out the short film below.

Editor: Dan Moss at Colour It In
Producer: Magdalena Moursy
Local production team: White Teeth with Jashan Walton and Ella Barrett
Footage from We Out Here Festival with Ganesha Lockhart
Music by Lazy H, Sam Bhok & Alex Arcoleo, DJ Subaru, Boss.d, and Wilroy