Black History Month 2025: Rob Davy: 'I Am an African'
- Rob Davy
- Feb 27
- 2 min read
A guest editorial by UK-based music producer, Rob Davy.
My father would play music constantly in our house. He communicated his thoughts and feelings to us through music, from Jazz to Blues to Pop to Funk to Reggae and everything else which made him who he was.
“I am an African,” he used to say to us, beaming with pride.
He served in the British army and had his share of struggles due to who he was, but he often said that music helped him overcome.
Music was a massive thing in our house growing up. It shielded us from a complex world, gave us a way to celebrate life, and communicate our deepest thoughts and strongest feelings.
For me growing up in the 80s was a special time. It was the birth of so many exciting genres of music, especially in the UK. We were free to listen to whatever we wanted and felt we belonged to something special–a community of like-minded individuals who loved the same kinds of music.
There’s wasn’t much that connected me with the world of say, the birth of Electro or Hip Hop in the US, but as soon as I caught a glimpse of these new exciting forms of music via a television show called Tops of the Pops, my life was never the same. It was Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit” in 1983 and Malcolm McLarens “Buffalo Girls,”
After that, I became a fan of Hip Hop, Jazz, Pop, Reggae, and Funk, which eventually pushed me to become a writer and producer of one of the most influential forms of Black music: House.
My story could have been quite different if not for the gift of music that my parents gave me. It is music that completes our existence and proudly highlights who we are.
Rob Davy is a UK-based musician and DJ, best known as one half of the electronic music duo Mutiny UK, alongside Dylan Barnes. Emerging in the late 1990s, Davy became a key figure in the house music scene, producing a blend of deep, funky, and tech-infused house.
Mutiny UK gained recognition with tracks such as Secrets and The Virus, with their music receiving support from top DJs worldwide. Beyond Mutiny UK, Davy has collaborated with a range of artists and has contributed to the evolution of electronic dance music through his DJ sets and productions.
Davy’s releases under Sonoton capture the very essence of House music and accurately depict the iconic club scene of that region. Visit his website.
Celebrate Black History Month 2025. Listen to the music now.
Comments