What happened inside Abbey Road on Friday?
On 19 June, the rooms around Studio Two at Abbey Road Studios filled with a cohort the studio world has spent decades keeping out. Trans+ Future Sounds, a new series from the Trans Creative Collective and the nonprofit We Are Moving The Needle, ran its first edition from 3pm to 8pm, free to attend. The shape of it was hands-on and unfussy: 15 trans+ songwriters and 15 trans+ producers, paired with 15 industry professionals, moving through songwriting and production workshops, mentoring sessions and live sets.
Fred again.. took one of the production sessions, but he was a long way from the only name in the building. Sans Soucis, MESSIE, Satch, the choral collective Trans Voices, Emily Green and Fuzz Chaudhrey all mentored, alongside Trans+ Future Sounds founder and TCC co-founder charlieeeee. Sign-ups ran through the project's Instagram, and the day was open to everyone, with priority given to trans and queer creatives.
Why does it matter who sits behind the desk?
Because the desk is where the power sits. We Are Moving The Needle, founded by Grammy-winning mastering engineer Emily Lazar, puts the number bluntly in its Fix The Mix report: only 2.3% of producers identify as women, trans or non-binary. That is not a talent gap, it is an access gap, and it quietly decides what records sound like and who gets paid to make them. A free day at the most famous studio on earth, run by and for trans+ producers, aims straight at that.
"We want every trans+ producer, songwriter and creator who walks through those doors on Friday to feel celebrated," said charlieeeee.
Is this a one-off or a real programme?
A programme. Trans+ Future Sounds launched with more dates already booked through 2026, and that is the part that counts. A single afternoon of good headlines changes very little. A recurring pipeline that keeps putting trans+ producers in real rooms, with real mentors and real gear, is how the balance behind the board actually moves.
