Hennessy celebrates 60 years of Notting Hill Carnival with record archive showcase

Cognac house Hennessy has launched a month-long programme in London to mark the 60^th anniversary of Notting Hill Carnival, centred on an archive of 60 records selected by three figures connected to the iconic occasion. The project, produced in partnership with the Notting Hill Carnival Trust, will be showcased throughout August at Jumbi in Peckham, and aims to document the music that has shaped Europe’s largest street carnival since its beginnings in the mid-1960s.

The 60 records were chosen by the celebration’s chief executive Matthew Phillip, Rhythm Section and Jumbi founder Bradley Zero, and the Mercury Prize-nominated producer and artist Nia Archives. Their selections span the genres associated with the event over six decades, including reggae, calypso and soca, as well as jungle, UK garage and grime. The full list is also available to stream as a playlist on Spotify, giving the archive a digital counterpart to the vinyl collection housed at Jumbi.

“For 60 years, Carnival has been powered by its music. It’s part of how its story has been told, generation after generation. That sound belongs to a whole community: the sound systems, the steel pan, the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes and everyone who’s carried it forward and kept it alive. Protecting that heritage is one of the most important things we do, and Hennessy Carnival 60 celebrates it in a way that helps these records reach new ears for years to come,” said Phillip.

Archives, who released her second album Emotional Junglist this summer on Island Records, said: “I grew up around sound system culture and it’s shaped everything I make. Carnival’s always been a big part of that for me. Being part of Hennessy Carnival 60 and selecting records that have shaped my own sound and those of Up Ya Archives is really special to me.”

Alongside the collection itself, the Jumbi residency includes listening sessions, crate-digging opportunities and live programming. There’s a Heartless Crew terrace party on 12^th August to mark the group’s 30 years of UK garage, jungle and dancehall, and there will be a free-to-attend Jumbi Jamboree on Peckham Rye Common on 15^th August, with south London DJs, live performances and food, plus an appearance from the British reggae musician and producer Dennis Bovell and an afterparty at Jumbi to round off the night. On 20^th August, the Grammy-nominated producer Juls and Jamaican artist Projexx will host a listening party for their collaborative album Junction, and on 25^th August Linett Kamala, one of the first women to DJ at Notting Hill Carnival, will be part of an evening of conversation and music.

Zero said: “Jumbi has always been about music selection and deep listening, so having the archive live here for the month feels really natural. Notting Hill Carnival taught a lot of us that a record isn’t just something you play but it’s something you carry, share and pass on. Digging back through these 60 records was a reminder of how much of London’s sound has been shaped on those streets.”

The venue will also serve a range of Hennessy cocktails made with a limited-edition Spirit of Carnival bottling (sold in local convenience stores ahead of the carnival weekend). Options include the Henny & Ting (Hennessy, fresh lime juice, pineapple juice and Ting grapefruit soda), the Hennessy Cooler (Hennessy, lime juice, simple syrup, strawberry purée and ginger ale) and the Henny Mule (Hennessy, lime juice, vanilla syrup, Angostura bitters, ginger beer and mint and lime). The brand has had a presence at the carnival for several years, including running a scheme in which London artists have designed boardings for Notting Hill corner shops that close during the event.

Julie Nolet, managing director for the UK and Ireland at Moët Hennessy, said: “For over 250 years, Hennessy has lived alongside music as a ritual, a reference and a shared creative language and written into the moments that bring people together. For the last 60, it’s been poured on sound system stages, sipped on the streets of Notting Hill and celebrated alongside mas band performances.

“This year, Hennessy returns to Notting Hill Carnival to mark a momentous six decade milestone, and the musical legacy that it’s amassed. Honouring the sounds that have shaped Carnival over 60 years, Hennessy’s 60 Years of Notting Hill Carnival Sounds celebrates the artists, selectors, sound systems, steelbands and communities who have carried that legacy from the streets of Notting Hill to stages around the world.”

Food Desk

60 Years of Notting Hill Carnival Sounds is available via Spotify here, and will be showcased throughout August at Jumbi Peckham, Unit 4.1, Copeland Park, 133 Copeland Road, London SE15 3SN. For further information or to book a table, visit the bar’s website here.