Gen1-3 is the London based brand developing art, resources and experiences to feed the hearts and souls of the people. We spoke to the brand’s co-founder – Khalil Madovi – about the inspirations behind the brand and their new event ‘Buttermilk!’

Tell us a little bit about Gen1-3, what was your thought process behind starting the brand?

Gen1-3 is all about being light in a dark place. It’s all about pushing the envelope, feeding people’s hearts and souls, expanding perspectives and pushing for enlightenment. We aim to do all of these things through the arts.

Your event ‘Buttermilk!’ took place last month – how did it all come together and what did you want people to get from it?

It’s funny because although we used to operate primarily in making artworks, our first active piece of work, back in 2016, was an event. Now, four years later, events are what we seem to be giving the most activity to. For now at least. Things have pretty much come full circle.

The concept of having a ticketed jam night simply came from us trying to expand our fundraising campaign for a studio that we are opening in Netil House in the coming months. As stated earlier, Gen1-3 is all about pushing the envelope and expanding perspectives, so when I thought about how this would translate to a jam night, ‘buttermilk’ was born.

‘buttermilk’ is all about breaking from tradition, departing from the status quo, in order to take a step closer to fulfilling one’s potential. The concept initially came from a moment that Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock shared on stage, in which Miles told Herbie to not play the “butter notes”. Long story short, at that moment, you have one legend, telling another to depart from tradition, status quo, and expectation, in order to attain more and become a greater version of himself. Also – when you churn butter, and you remove the butter (let’s take butter as a metaphor for tradition, status quo, etc) from the churn, you are left with buttermilk. That’s it. It’s all about redefinition and evolution.

Back in December, we managed to turn our first one around in just 7 days and it was a real success. We had the privilege of doing it again in January and it seems to just be getting better month by month. We can’t wait for our February edition on the 27th!

All we ever want from ‘buttermilk’ is for people to create memories and enjoy moments that they wouldn’t typically get from a jam night. To shift the preconceived notions behind what a jam night is. Music is a beautiful gift to be explored, and we want to share it with people in new ways for the “urban” (I hate to use that term but it has slyly become effective communication) jam night format.

How did the event go? Were there any standout moments or performances?

At our first buttermilk, we had the pleasure of playing with one of my favourite musicians ever – MckNasty. Few people connect to music as he does, so that was a personal moment for me. Just as importantly, I am ridiculously spoilt to be able to share the stage with my crazy talented friends. As I said earlier, music is a gift, but being able to share that gift with people who know how to create it well? That’s another level. Shout out to Jeremy Wilson, Manny Bass, Dom Carmelo, KmxRu, Tahn Solo, Alyssah, Ben Harker, Daniella Bernard, Kadeem Tyrell, Taliwhoah and NK-OK. Much love to Tamiya, Murima, Theo, Tancia, Dami, Decarla, Seun, Josh and everyone at NT’s who has helped make it happen thus far too. I’m blessed to have people invested in what we’re doing in bringing these visions to life. Every buttermilk has been special because of these guys.

So what are the plans for Gen1-3 going forward? What do you see for the brand in say 5-10 years?

The plan for Gen1-3 is to take over the world. Light work (pree the double entendre pls I’m too sick ^_^ ).

In 5-10 years – both through the network of workspaces we will develop, and the artworks that are to come from them – we will be seen as cultivators of unique, influential, integrity led art. Deeply connected with a network of practitioners who prove that – from an industry standpoint – commercial success does not mean creative compromise, but who also, from an inspirational standpoint, champion living in your own honesty, truths, and integrity. This is to happen on a global scale.

What can we expect from you coming up? Have you got any more events planned or personal projects?

There is plenty in the pipeworks for 2020, but for now:

buttermilk vol3 is coming on the 27th of Feb. Follow us on instagram @genonethree to stay connected. Don’t play yourself. Grab your tickets.

Gen1-3 Ateliers (your new favourite music studio) is opening very soon. We’re redefining what the studio experience is for creators. Widening access so that every idea can have the necessary tools to recognise full potential. We are still crowdfunding for that too, so feel free to check out our campaign video and donate at gofundme.com/f/gen1-3ateliers!

Where can everyone find you online so we can all keep up to date!

Follow me on everything @khalilmadovi.

Follow us on instagram @genonethree.