He’s the DJ with a global reach.

Now world music aficionado Gilles Peterson is bringing his expertise to Southampton in a quest to find the next generation of music stars.

The broadcaster and producer, who co-founded the Acid Jazz label in 1986 signing acts like the Brand New Heavies, has secured an £89,000 Arts Council England funding bid to help develop Southampton’s unsigned talent.

Sharing the cash with Liverpool it’s the third year for Gilles’ ‘Future Bubblers’ project, which has seen dozens of musicians from across England get mentoring from industry experts and a leg-up in their career.

With 12 months of workshops, training and events planned for Southampton, around ten artists will be given a place on the project, and paired up with an industry mentor.

Coordinated with local youth music organisation SoCo Music Project and using Newtown Youth Centre as one of its bases, it will provide an injection of professional expertise into the heart of Southampton’s urban centre.

The grassroots scheme will also aim to build new audiences in the city for ‘left field, boundary-pushing music’.

A spokesperson for the team said: “The logic behind the focus cities is simple: the more opportunities there are for local, open-minded music makers, the more that alternative, experimental music culture will flourish in those areas. “Tapping into those vital local networks there will be a year-long programme of events and opportunities.

“For example, the return of popular staples the Future Bubblers Block Party—with their free-for-all daytime admissions policy, it’s a way of removing barriers to experiencing new music.

“With Gilles Peterson’s roots in underground, alternative music culture, the brief for new. Future Bubblers is wide open”Previous years’ candidates include Nottingham grime MC Snowy, Hull’s sample-heavy ambient experimenter Revenu and soulful, stripped back singer Yazmin Lacey. Future Bubblers is all about things outside of the box — musically.”

Matt Salvage, Director of SoCo Music Project added: “There’s so much talent in the city, and it’s not all visible.

“Future Bubblers is all about bringing that talent to the forefront, supporting artists and taking them to the next level.”

Submissions for new candidates are open from July 3 to August. 18.

Prospective candidates can enter their submission by heading to futurebubblers.com, or by going to a partner organisation in one of the two focus cities.