10K Global Takes Over Colour Factory for Pitchfork Music Festival London 2025

With London’s Pitchfork Music Festival well underway, we headed to Hackney Wick’s Colour Factory for the 10K Global showcase. A celebration of the Label’s relentless conquest to dominate the alternative rap space and beyond. Founded by Brooklyn-based Rapper MIKE, 10K Global started making waves around 2016 as a small collective of friends. Over the course of 9 years, 10K has transcended its humble Brooklyn beginnings, inviting London’s Jadasea, Amsterdam’s Jespfur and Florida’s Niontay to the label. Rightfully earning their “Global” title.

Opening the night was RedLee. This Producer and DJ is the glue of the 10K family, entrusted to set the mood on this special evening. Our first live act came in the form of Duendita, a group that embodies 10K’s non-conformist approach to genre in recent years. Duendita feels like a soulful continuation of Standing on The Corner back in 2016, another collective blurring the line between music and modern art. This performance was a glimpse into the beautiful world of 10K and how each artist informs each other’s work. My first interaction with this group took place on the track “Miss U” from MIKE’s 2025 album Showbiz. A dreamy interlude just shy of two minutes with the spotlight firmly on Duendita.

Following Duendita was one of 10K’s more experimental acts, Jespfur. This Dutch multi-instrumentalist/ vocalist takes a dissociative approach to contemporary folk-rock, pairing King Krule-esque guitar loops with distortive electronic elements. His performance was far from polished, but that’s the whole point. His presence marks an exciting shift in 10K’s predominantly Hip-Hop focused output.

Jespfur hands the baton to Jadasea, one of the label’s founding fathers. A quintessentially-London artist who effortlessly assimilates with the sounds of his peers across the water. Jada’s latest project, Folder 3, markets itself as a throwaway, a collection of unfinished demos buried in a messy USB. But it’s far from that. Tracks like “falling out of the sky,” which he performed tonight, are some of his greatest works.

Tigray-born, DMV Rapper Sideshow was next in line. An activist who chose trap music as his medium, preaching truths on the Tigray genocide and drug issues in the states. Sideshow isn’t one to sugarcoat; each track is packed with horrific tales, yet the hypnotic nature of the music allows said tales to slip under the radar. These stylistic choices aren’t a second thought; they act as a Trojan horse for Sideshow to address real issues. On “01’Beige Camry,” Sideshow reappropriates Giggs’ iconic “Pain is the essence” beat from 2007, echoing themes of the original track yet tailored to his own story. 

My standout performance of the evening, by far, came from Brooklyn’s Anysia Kym. An artist who’s earned bragging rights with my two favourite releases this year. Kym’s breakout album Truest is somehow both soothing and a headache, packed with Jungle-adjacent drum breaks and angelic vocals. Her latest projects maintain this charm whilst leaning into the sonic worlds of UK-based electronic artist Lorraine James and trap producer Tony Seltzer. Kym juggled these three distinct projects during her set, painting an intriguing picture for those unfamiliar with her work. Tracks like “Automatic” from Purity with Tony Seltzer find an unfazed Anysia belting out harmonies, oblivious to the bassy 808 storm raining down on the crowd.

With a hard act to follow, Niontay steps on stage wearing a Jason Voorhees hockey mask, presumably following a week-long Halloween bender. Niontay fills the role of 10K’s Florida baby, bringing bass-heavy shit-talking, which juxtaposes his more introspective labelmates. Tay performed some new, some old and some unreleased. Notably, “Ain’t shit,” an anthem dedicated to his city, packed with wit, featuring one of my favourite bars of his “Cocaine hell of a drug, why the juug look like Rick James?”.

Closing the night was the man who made this evening possible, big MIKE. Just like his label, MIKE’s music is in a constant state of evolution, making his performances beautifully messy, beautifully MIKE. Skipping between the slow-burn poetics of May God Bless Your Hustle and the tasteful arrogance of PinBall 2. This kind of experimentation has kept MIKE at the pinnacle of alt rap since his debut in 2016.