MEET THE TEAM
Meet the people behind Sound Progression
Our team brings together musicians, producers, DJs and creative industry professionals with extensive experience across music, youth work and artist development. Together, we create welcoming spaces where young people can develop their creativity, confidence and skills.
Our delivery team is led by Paul Lyons who is one of Wales most respected DJ’s and is an award-winning music producer. He played an important role in the birth of South Wales’ club culture and opened Cardiff’s first dance music shop ‘Looney Tunes’ and Dance Label ‘Hazardous Vinyl’. He regularly has featured tracks within the global dance charts under his label Soul Good and is a signed artist to Quantize Recordings and distributors MN2S. Paul worked with the Youth Service for over ten years and has vast experience working with young people and enabling them to develop a life-long passion for music.
Sound Progression is managed by Carole Blade, who has over 30 years of experience working in the arts sector. She started her career as a dancer and later became an arts manager and producer. Between 1997-2011 she was the Artistic Coordinator for the national umbrella organisation, Welsh Independent Dance, and in 2012 led the Creative Producer for Dance in Wales initiative, Coreo Cymru where she was responsible for designing, delivering and managing the programme including leading ambitious international projects. She joined the Sound Progression team in 2018 and achieved a Master’s in Arts Management from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama graduating in 2020.
Chris has been a part of the Welsh Music since 1991 having worked as an engineer/producer for Catatonia, Super Furry Animals, Gorky’s, Cate le Bon, H Hawkline, Texas Radio Band and more recently produced an album for Gruff Rhys alongside Durban based on Afro House. He engineered and produced 9Bach’s Radio 2 2016 Folk album of the year and countless tracks with critically acclaimed emerging Welsh language record label Libertino. He is also a two-time Bafta nominated composer and is is currently completing a MSc Engineering and Production at University South Wales.
Kyle aka Farra the Producer specialises in the urban styles of Hip Hop, Trap, Grime and R&B. He graduated from the University of South Wales in 2015 with a degree in Music Technology and has since established himself as a music producer who regularly collaborates with well-known USA rappers. He takes an entrepreneurial approach to making music and has built a strong business selling beats online and has developed a recognised brand in this area of the music industry. Kyle is a qualified Youth Worker and is currently developing his teaching skills through a PcET at Cardiff and Vale College.
Lynise is a veteran in the music biz and has worked as a session musician and songwriter for many high-profile clients including co-writing music for Fox Network The Simpsons. He has mentored on many youth programmes including IMMTECH and Barry based project Vibe and has set up music studio’s with the Vale Youth service in Barry and Llantwit Major. Lynise is currently running a music studio in Grangetown, Cardiff helping to support and encourage young people to express themselves musically.
Karl was born and raised in Cardiff and spent his entire life either performing, writing or recording. He grew up listening to music ranging from Ray Charles to Eminem and started by covering popular songs and then added songwriting and production to his arsenal. ‘Running’; ‘Your Way’; ‘We Don’t Care’; ‘Spiritual Love’ and ‘Tastebuds’ are just a few from the plethora of songs that he has written and recorded over the years. Has also featured on tracks with popular local artists such as ‘Reepz’ and ‘Starvz’ to name a couple.
Tyrone aka “T-RKX ” is a self-taught Producer, Lyricist & Mixing Engineer, with over 20 years’ experience, specialising in Grime, Hip-hop and Urban music but likes to keep a toe in other genres like EDM and Metal. Tyrone comes from an SEN/Support/Mental Health/Youth Work background. He is a manager and deliverer of multiple music programmes at Cathays Community Centre and also has a Music Production/Beat Making business. He is community focused and has experience working with people with a wide range of abilities and tries to make everybody feel encouraged and supported.
Self-taught musician and singer/song-writer, Leighton Jones, has been a key player in Cardiff’s music scene for over three decades, performing regularly at clubs and events across Wales and beyond. He has created and performed with many bands and was the support act for Bob Dylan playing to a crowd of over 160,000. He writes is own music and co-writes with others including Pino Palladino of The Who. In 2016 he shot to fame as a contestant on BBC’s The Voice taking a place on Boy George’s team. Leighton offers a great mix of skills including vocal coaching, songwriter, music production, keyboard and guitar.
Paul is a veteran with an array of experience in all sectors of the music industry, from Production, Sound Engineering, Management, Promotion and Tuition. Paul attended the School of Audio Engineering in London and gained a diploma and successfully went on to freelance engineer for some of the UK’s top recording studios and artists. He was employed by IMMTECH as General Manager/Head of Music Technology of which his duties were to develop and deliver the OCN curriculum for students, that led to some of them being employed by educational institutions throughout Wales.
Owen joined our team in November 2023 as an apprentice and currently supports our Grassroots programme and sessions at St Mellons. He is passionate about the music industry and enjoys making music digitally or composing on his favourite instruments. He is a self-taught guitarist and has been playing for over nine years and is particularly interested in developing his sound engineering skills. Prior to joining Sound Progression, Owen was a regular participant who could often be found helping others record tracks. He also worked as a producer for a music of all genres school, creating music to promote the school and their clients using software programmes such as SoundTrap.
Richie ‘ViBE’ Vee, also known as TRiBE of ViBE, is a pioneering Cardiff DJ and music producer and a respected figure in the UK Garage scene. With a career spanning UK Garage, 2-step and speed garage, Richie has been a regular presence on the DJ circuit and was the host of BBC 1Xtra’s first dedicated UK Garage show, The Blueprint. Richie first mentored with Sound Progression in 2019–20, and we’re delighted to welcome him back to the team. He brings a wealth of music industry knowledge and experience, supporting young people to develop their DJing, production and creative skills while sharing insight gained from a long-standing career in music.
Jay-RBeatz (Jack) is a skilled Urban Music Producer and DJ with extensive experience across Newport’s vibrant nightlife scene. He has DJ’d at multiple prominent venues, including Courtyard, Rooty’s, Mojos, and Bar & Boujee, delivering high-energy sets across genres such as Hip Hop, R&B, Afrobeats, Dancehall, and Reggae. With a Level 2 Diploma in Music, a Level 3 Diploma in Music Production, and currently completing a BA (Hons) Degree in Music Production at the University of South Wales. He has experience in teaching DJing, using his real life experience from within the Nightlife Club Scene.
OUR TRUSTEES
Sound Progression is supported by a voluntary Board of Trustees who provide governance, oversight and strategic support to the organisation.
Matthew Parry (Chair), Ian McAndrew (Treasurer), Emma Clark, Kaptin Barrett, Ian Diment, Michelle Alexis and Timileyin Adeyemo.
English 
Welsh