Built by Sound is a mixed-reality experience exploring how British South Asian communities in the 1970s and ’80s found joy in defiance, in community and in music – from the thump of dhol drums in community halls to pirate radio buzzing through bedroom walls.
Created by No Ghost and Dialled In with Bradford 2025, this immersive experience uses archival footage, personal testimonies and a stirring soundtrack to recreate a momentous era for South Asian communities in the UK – and particularly in Bradford. It takes us back to a time when young South Asians carved out new space in society, soundtracked their resistance against oppression, and stood up to the fascist rhetoric of the National Front – not in silence but in celebration.
Scripted by Nikesh Shukla and directed by Shehani Fernando, Built by Sound is a tribute to the power of collective memory as a force against racism and erasure. For anyone who’s ever felt unheard – and turned the volume up anyway. Whether you lived it, or it’s the first time you’re hearing it – this is your invitation in. A story of resistance through rhythm, told in a way that feels close, urgent, and alive. Come for the bass. Stay for the truth.
