2012 sees BACARDI celebrate its 150th birthday – that’s 150 years of throwing legendary parties, bringing people together over great music and great drinks.

Throughout the past 150 years BACARDI parties - both in the UK and all over the world - have regularly introduced new artists and musical styles to wider audiences.  BACARDI rum’s on-going commitment to new music talent is reflected in the launch of BACARDI Beginnings, to tie in with this landmark anniversary. BACARDI Beginnings sees established artists mentor the best up-and-coming music talent and showcase their sound to wider audiences. The campaign features three of the UK’s most exciting and credible artists in Friendly Fires, Mylo and Joe Goddard – all of who have selected an up-and-coming artist to mentor. Friendly Fires will be working with twisted-pop duo AlunaGeorge, Mylo will be showcasing Ronika, a singer, songwriter and producer from Nottingham, and Joe Goddard will be mentoring vocalist Jessie Ware, who is due to release her debut album in August 2012.

The first opportunity the established artists will have to showcase their selected acts will be at a legendary 150th birthday party thrown by BACARDI in London on 10th July. Both sets of artists will perform on the night and the established artists will use the party as an opportunity to introduce their acts to influential music industry insiders who can create all sorts of possibilities for them. Following the campaign launch the established artists will each be given a £10,000 BACARDI Beginnings bursary that is to be used to mentor their chosen artists and create a world of possibilities for them. 

Joe Goddard – of Hot Chip and 2 Bears fame – hit the studio this week with one of the UK’s hottest vocalists, Jessie Ware, to remix her track ‘Night Light.’ Joe called on myriad dance music influences to turn Jessie’s soulful original into a disco-influenced track, which is destined to be a huge club hit and will be released as a B-side to the single from her much anticipated debut album, ‘Devotion.’ Joe and Jessie got together to work on the remix at Club Ralph - one of London’s most well respected studios where Joe previously mastered the 2 Bears and Hot Chip albums.

The Friendly Fires also went into the studio with one of the UK's most exciting new bands, AlunaGeorge, to remix their track 'Your Drums, Your Love.' In the words of Aluna Francis, vocalist in AlunaGeorge, the ambition was to turn the track from a song about ‘unrequited love’ into something you could ‘dance and cry to’. The remix – which will be part of the ‘Your Drums, Your Love’ single release later this year - promises take AlunaGeorge’s trademark r n’ b sound in a completely new direction. The two acts got together to work on the remix at the Miloco Studios in Bermondsey, which has seen the likes of Block Party, Foals, The Horrors, as well as Friendly Fires record and remix there.

Photos and story by Digital News Agency.