Back in April 2011 we celebrated the career of legendary reggae radio DJ David Rodigan. As part of this we delved into our favourite live radio shows and podcasts currently airing in the UK and beyond. Below you can read the full article and click the links to listen for yourself. To get involved, please click the Twitter or e-mail links above; with your input we hope to compile a definitive list of the best dancehall & reggae radio shows and podcasts around.
David Rodigan (Kiss FM) Sunday night, 11pm.
Undoubtedly the most important reggae radio show in the UK having spanned for over 20 years. Simply perfect radio from Sir David RamJam Rodigan, and living proof that Jamaican music shows will forever prosper in the UK. You can catch up on his latest show on the Kiss website.
The Heatwave (Rinse FM) Sunday night/Monday morning 1am
Arguably the best dancehall show in Britain, Time Out magazine called it “the forefront of dancehall in London since 2003”. Gabriel has his finger firmly on the pulse when it comes to bashment music and it makes for a brilliant show. All the shows are streamed on the Heatwave website if you’re not able to listen live, as we understand that 1-3am on a Monday morning are hardly the most social hours.
Style & Swagger (Sunday 12-2am; Bi-monthly)
A promising bi-monthly show on London’s NTS radio brought to you by three of the leading dancehall pioneers in London; Suze “The Large” from the Shimmy Shimmy website, Siobhan AKA “Why Delila” (blogger and head honcho of Physically Fit) and Karen “Kazabon” who writes the blog Hipsters Dont Dance and runs the monthly club night of the same name. Get on the Mixcloud and get listening.
Mista Hooli (Monday 7pm)
Big bashment show coming out of London on Bang Radio. Listen live from 7pm every Monday through the website or 103.6FM if you’re in the area. If you miss it, hit the Mixcloud to catch up. Only the biggest riddim, dubplates and interviews.
Deadly Dragon Sound (East Village Radio) Monday night 11pm
Our first input from across the pond, with what is quickly becoming one of new favourites. Hosted by East Village Radio, the guys from the New York record store Deadly Dragon Sound bring the finest classic Jamaican reggae every Monday evening, from 6-8pm Eastern Time, so 11pm over here. Again, all the shows can be listened back too alongside the playlists on the website. An absolute must for old school reggae fanatics.
Joe Grime (Deja Vu FM) Tuesday evening 10pm.
Hot on the heels of Gabriel Heatwave for the prized crown of best dancehall DJ in the capital, Joe Grime’s show is a must-listen on a Tuesday evening. He mixes up the best new riddims with old skool classics alongside some of his brilliant remixes. As with all the best shows, it’s not a problem if you miss it as they’re usually posted up on the DJ’s website to listen again.
Sound Armada (RTV-Arnhem) Tuesday 8-10pm
Presented in Dutch, with sprinkles of English, Wilfman broadcasts every week live to the world via RTV Arnhem (http://www.rtv-arnhem.nl) a selection of the finest reggae and dancehall, old and new. Podcasts can be found at the podomatic links, with a healthy archive for your listening pleasure.
Ital Vibes (Kboo Radio) Wednesday 8am
Going out at midnight Wednesday in the west coast city of Portland, Oregon, Ital Vibes makes for perfect Wednesday morning listening for us in Blighty. Playing the best in reggae & dancehall, link up previous shows through their comprehensive Blogspot, but even better listen live through the Kboo homepage. Heavily riddim focused, you’ll find all the info you need on the website.
Dancehall Vibes (Stads Radio) Wednesday 9pm
Coming straight out of Holland, one of Europe’s more popular dancehall nations, the legendary Danny Pepperseed is on hand to supply the vibes on a Wednesday night. Mixing up riddims with exclusive first plays and interviews from some of Jamaica’s biggest artists, Danny is also on hand to bring us up-to-date with all the latest happenings on the continent. The mixture of Dutch and English, often switching between the two, is a quirk we’ve fallen in love with. Listen live, or download the latest shows through Danny’s Twitter page.
Federation Invasion (East Village Radio) Wednesday evening
Live show from Federation Sound’s Max Glazer on EVR Radio (NYC’s online radio station that hosts Deadly Dragon Sound, above). Bringing you the best new dancehall tracks alongside some of the biggest guest names in the business. Listen live on Wednesday nights, and kop the archives, all on the website.
Jamrock Radio (Jamrock XXL Podcast) Thursday
Not live radio (as far as we’re aware) but a very decent two hour weekly podcast straight out of Amsterdam from DJ Waxfiend. Get the latest riddims, Jamrock chart and news round up; download it from their website to your iPod and listen whenever you like.
Federation Invasion (Federation Sound Podcast) Thursday
Weekly hour podcast from the hottest dancehall & reggae heads on East Coast USA, also behind the magnificent Federation Sound website. Again, not live, but still a worthwhile addition to our list. All the podcasts can be heard on the website.
Robbo Ranx (BBC 1xtra) Thursday 10pm
The Dancehall General Robbo Ranx is unquestionably holding the flag for dancehall music across the country. Having started in reggae music over 20 years ago, he’s now into his twelfth year on the nations leading urban music station. With regular interviews, live guests and coverage of the best dancehall shows across the world, Robbo is still the main man in dancehall music and doesn’t look like budging. Available to listen for a week after it’s broadcast on the iPlayer, there’s no excuse for missing it.
Young Lion (BBC 1xtra) Thursday night/Friday morning 1am
Just when you’re getting ready for bed when Robbo Ranx’s show comes to a finale, the BBC give you a worthwhile reason to stay up just a bit longer. Young Lion continues the dancehall and reggae for a further three hours, seeing you into Friday morning in style. As with Robbo, kop the show on the player.
DJ Calli B (Irie Jam Radio) Friday 3pm
Soundtracking Friday evenings in New York from 8-10pm, Calli runs many NYC dances when not hosting this cracking bashment show. Listen live, or check his website for his exclusive mixes.
Babylon Burning (Saturday 6am)
This two hour radio show out of Melbourne, Australia features guest DJs, news, reviews and the best of reggae and dancehall, new and old. Check out previous shows audio and playlists on the PBS website or listen live if you’re an early morning weekend riser.
Mystic Sound (Saturday 7pm)
Going out live from the East Village Studios (also home of the Max Glazer & Dead Dragon shows, above) on a Saturday afternoon, this roots and dub focused show makes for perfect cooking/dinner music in the evening. As with all the EVR shows, if you can’t listen live make sure you check the archives with full tracklistings, leaving you scrawling the internet for days trying to track down the rare vinyl they play.
Silver Star Presents To Di World
Not entirely sure when this show is “broadcast” as such, these podcasts appear seemingly sporadic on the Silver Star website, one of the most important dancehall websites you need to bookmark. As promoters, they have recently kicked off a weekly London-based dancehall night at Monroes that is, by all accounts, shelling down the capital. As radio show presenters they bring a heavy arsenal of dubplates and new riddims, alongside great chat between Gussy & Randy and news of live shows.
Ghetto Palms
Pretty sporadic but always brilliant, these 10 minute mixes hosted by the Fader website will keep you entertained for hours. Featuring exclusives remixes and brand new tracks, this superb dancehall/Caribbean vibes exposure on one of the webs best music based websites is an absolute must listen.
Riddim Chango FM
After moving from Tokyo last year, DJ1TA and 3RDBALL have produced a number of big mixes (available to stream through the Mixcloud) alongside their club nights in the capital. Check out the website for all the details.
Riddim Express
This monthly podcast is streamable to your iTunes alongside all the older shows, mixing old skool reggae riddims alongside the best in new music. Get on the website for all 50+ episodes from champion selectors Fyah Starter & Jaw Breaker.
Dub Chronicles (Sensi FM)
Fantastic monthly podcast from Disorda, the brains behind the Suspect Packages website. Every Chronicle can be found on their Mixcloud or the Sensi FM website, mixing dub plates with reggae, roots and rocksteady.
Nice Up! Radio
Brand new live show from Nice Up! founder DJ Shepdog on Space Invader Radio. Also available on the mixcloud, featuring the best reggae, dancehall and hip hop-crossover from the UK and abroad.
Bam Bam Sound
Slowly becoming one of our new favourites, juggling a mixture of dancehall, reggae, drum’n’bass and dubstep, you can clock Bam Bam Sound’s monthly podcasts via their Soundcloud and keep up-to-date with their future happenings on the Facebook.
There should be enough to keep you going above, but we want some more: please contribute on the Twitter page or e-mail: snsbldnchl@gmail.com to get involved.
