Chapter 1: Ìfẹ́ - a first soundsystem offering from no.name.sound

Soundsystems play a vital role in social justice organising in the UK. From small-scale static rallies in local neighbourhoods to national demonstrations with thousands of people moving through city streets, soundsystems are always present, and always in need.

Over the past few years, we've observed a number of limitations in how soundsystem infrastructure serves UK social justice groups. These limitations can be said to fall into the categories of organisation, finance, equipment specifications and accessibility.

Organisationally, soundsystems are mostly stewarded, maintained and operated by one person/group. This tripartite labour demand often makes them unsustainable in the long-term due to individual burn-out and the inability of small groups to meet the demands of the wider community.

In financial terms, soundsystem equipment is often expensive, and many individuals/ collectives are unable to commit to investment when they don't know if they will use the equipment regularly or in the long-term.

Equipment specifications also hold back soundsystem use in the social justice context. Commercial sound amplification equipment is not specifically designed for the environmental contexts in which it is being used. At present, social justice groups largely use two forms of sound amplification - hand-held megaphones and portable PA speaker boxes. While hand-held megaphones benefit from lightweight portability, they provide insufficient power to broadcast sound widely in open space. Conversely, while portable PA speaker boxes can be capable of providing suitable volume levels, their weight and size makes them difficult to transport and limits their effectiveness in all protest contexts.

Finally, we have observed how many types of soundsystem are completely inaccessible to physically disabled people. Through correspondence and collaboration with disability justice groups over the past few years, it is clear there is a need for new kinds of soundsystem infrastructure, tailored to the specific needs of disabled folk.

The above observations have led us to question – how could design address the current shortcomings?

In February 2025, the no.name.sound team came together to design new kinds of soundsystems which could be governed and stewarded by community through a lending scheme. We realised that one single soundsystem would not be able to serve all of our needs, and that instead, a number of soundsystems would need to be developed over time. Ìfé is our first offering.

Ìfẹ́ seeks to answer the organisational shortcomings of current soundsystem infrastructures by being held by a collective of people. It will be housed in a central London location easily accessible by public transport. Ìfẹ́ will be available on a hiring basis, freeing up social justice workers from having to invest in equipment themselves. The fees will be accessible to low-income workers, and all funds raised will be shared between a collective of people maintaining the system, on a not-for-profit basis.

Ìfẹ́ is housed in a wheeled duffel bag, transportable by those who are able to. Lenders are supplied with an easy-to-follow PDF manual, guiding them through assembly, usage, and disassembly. The design sees high-power megaphones attached to poles, elevating them above head height. A wireless microphone system attaches to the megaphones, and a pre-amp amplifies the signal beyond the capabilities of standard megaphone mics. In its accessibility class, Ìfẹ́ can transmit sound further than any other soundsystem in London social justice networks. Since late 2025, this agile, body-worn system has been used at national demonstrations for Palestine, Sudan, women’s and renters' rights, as well as protests outside prisons and courts.

We acknowledge that Ìfẹ́ is not accessible for wheelchair and mobility device users to steward themselves. Our priority going forward is to work alongside physically disabled activists to design a system/s suited to their needs. This is one of the next chapters of our work.