THE BEGINNINGS

‘Punch Records’ was founded in the Perry Barr area of Birmingham in 1997 by Ammo Talwar MBE. The agency began as an Black music record store, and quickly became a major hub for artists and DJ culture, pioneering sales for vinyl and mixtapes of various genres such as UK Garage - tapes like Sun City, La cos Nostra and Harmony were very popular in the late 90’s

In its early days, Punch hosted legendary DJ competitions in the region and organised large scale events. This led to working with major labels including Def Jam, Bad Boy, Island and Rawkus supporting global artists in UK campaigns. At this time Punch was also a pioneer in the UK Garage scene, hosting regular events at Birmingham's legendary Que Club.

In 2002, the success of the record store led Punch to relocate to Birmingham's Creative Quarter, the Custard Factory complex in Digbeth and following on from its early success, Punch began to host events for young people as part of what would grow into Punch's famed outreach programme to develop talent within the city.

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS

Today, Punch continues to produce groundbreaking events and develop talent within Birmingham and further afield, working towards the 2022 Commonwealth Games and beyond. Major recent highlights have included:

Collaborating with Chicago-based After School Matters to reboot Gallery 37 in the West Midlands; which has led to us supporting and developing 150+ artists and counting since 2016
Celebrating black music and art with our yearly BASS Festival, beginning in 2006 and continuing ‘til this day
Creating the world’s first dedicated Bhangra book & touring exhibition that went onto host in over 75 venues in global cities from London to New York
Producing Jamaica Live which celebrated the Jamaican team at the London 2012 Olympics with 30,000+ people in attendance

BASS Festival 2014

what we do now

Punch is the UK's leading creative development agency for young people from diverse backgrounds, especially those working outside the mainstream.

In 2018, Punch worked closely with over 150 young musicians, filmmakers, artists and writers to sharpen their talents and build sustainable careers. Punch can do this thanks to our backing from leading UK industry investors, including the PRS Foundation, Help Musicians UK, Arts Council England, Arts Connect, the British Phonographic Industry, the British Council and the British Film Institute.

Punch is a lead partner in a range of game-changing initiatives including Global’s Music Potential (2017 Arqiva Commercial Radio Bronze Award winner) and the USA-developed Gallery 37. Our own programmes, including BACK IN, Next Level, Move On Up, Desi Moves and The Lowdown have won a range of awards for innovation and diversity. If you are ready to move to the next level, or to back the UK’s creative future with your expertise and resources; the PUNCH team are listening.

Samory I & Mortimer: Meets Tippy I-Grade, 2024

VISION

TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH MUSIC

MISSION

champion excellence, diversity and innovation

We will commit our resources to achieve by:

Positioning Black arts as an industry that will make meaningful and measurable contributions through events, Tours, produced & commissioned work.
Initiate and deliver learning opportunities and artistic endeavours that have a practical impact e.g. job creation, skills development.