Concealed by a looming iron door, where the lines between Dalston and Stoke Newington blur into one, lies an oasis for London’s most exciting musical talent. The inconspicuous brick building first opened as a chocolate factory in 1904, but today it is known as Total Refreshment Centre, an ex-live music venue turned community hub.
Like a classroom, there are wooden desks, whiteboards and musical instruments scattered in each corner — plus stacks of records to dive into. Though the walls are plain, you can tell they hold colourful memories. I’m meeting the community that finds sanctuary here, 50-person jazz-rap/hip-hop collective The Silhouettes Project, on the eve of the release of their sophomore album, Volume 2. Not all of them, unfortunately, just co-founders Jaden Osei-Bonsu and Asher Korner, who use the artist monikers Eerf Evil and Asher Kosher.
