LADBROKE GROVE STATION
Early Carnival appearances took place close to Ladbroke Grove Station, alongside TWJ, as Mastermind established its place on the Carnival route.
THE STORY BEHIND THE SOUND
BUILT ON MUSIC.
MADE BY COMMUNITY.
From late-Seventies London to Canal Way, Mastermind has grown from a pioneering Soul, R&B and Hip Hop sound system into a two-day Carnival institution.
LATE 70sFounded in London
40+ YEARSOf Mastermind culture
2 DAYSAt Notting Hill Carnival
01
THE FOUNDATION
A UNIQUE CHAPTER IN UK BLACK MUSIC.
The Legendary Mastermind Roadshow was formed in the late Seventies, becoming one of the early UK sound systems to specialise in Soul, R&B and Hip Hop.
At a time when those sounds were still finding their place in the UK, Mastermind built a reputation around music, presentation and a party atmosphere that brought people together.
Soul, Funk and R&B have always remained at the core of the Roadshow, while Hip Hop became an equally important part of the Mastermind story and its influence on generations of London DJs.
LADBROKE GROVE • WESTWAY • CANAL WAY
THE ROAD TO
CANAL WAY.
Carnival has been part of Mastermind almost from the beginning. Each move became another chapter in a story that is still being written in West London.
THE CAGED AREA
The Roadshow then moved beneath the Westway. The now-legendary “caged” area became one of the places to be for Mastermind at Carnival.
CANAL WAY
At the beginning of the Nineties Mastermind relocated to Canal Way, at the top of Ladbroke Grove — the home that defines the modern Carnival era.
THE STAGE TODAY
Across two Carnival days, the stage continues to showcase established names, emerging and unsigned UK talent, with an international flavour woven through the programme.
NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL
MORE THAN A STAGE.
A HOME AT CARNIVAL.
Mastermind at Carnival is about the music, but it is also about the people around it: friends, families, artists, DJs and generations who return to Canal Way year after year.
SEE WHAT'S ON →
02
ROOTS & REACH
SOUL AT THE ROOTS.
HIP HOP IN THE DNA.
Mastermind never left its Soul, Funk and R&B roots behind. As Hip Hop developed in the UK, the Roadshow became part of that movement too.
Over the years Mastermind has worked alongside and shared space with major names including Grandmaster Flash, DJ Whizzkid and Afrika Bambaataa, while continuing to give UK artists and DJs a platform.
The result is a sound and identity that has always looked both ways: respecting where the music came from while making room for what comes next.
PAST • PRESENT • FUTURE
THE STORY
IN PICTURES.
The Mastermind archive holds the sound-system years, Carnival memories and the generations that have grown up around the Roadshow.
MASTERmind REWIND
THE ARCHIVE KEEPS GROWING.
Explore photographs, video, performances and Roadshow memories from across the years.
