The Power of Radio
With dancefloors, festivals and concerts disappearing from our agendas for the foreseeable future, it seems like every DJ is trying to convince you to tune in to their techno livestream at the most awkward of hours. We know not everybody wants to hear club music whilst making their weeknight dinner and even trying to remember when your favourite sound selector is going live is an almost impossible task when every other element of routine has been disrupted by the physical restructuring of our lives. Sometimes zoom calls, online classes and digital deadlines take up so much of your day, the last thing you want when your warped work day is over is more screen time however in this isolating age, community radio has offered a lifeline to people stuck in their houses to communicate with another person in real time. After almost a year of the same old Spotify playlists, the recommended page can only take you so far and with music labels investing in these streaming services to push their artist to the top of each list and you only see a fragment of contemporary music and forgotten classics. Online radio has become more important now than it ever was. It's the holding together underground music scenes by providing a space for curators and creators to provide new music on a regular basis whilst we can’t be together and all music venues are at risk of not surviving another year of lockdown.
Elias Mazian - Private Hearts
Broadcasting out of his Amsterdam home since the death of Red Light Radio’s platform, Elias Mazian has been providing a weekly selection of soulful dreamy sounds from synth pop, R&B, hip-hop, shoegaze, jazz and ambient tracks new and old. When he hasn’t been busy with his last two releases Vrij Van Dromen, an LP out on Job Jobs’s De Vlieger, and All Night, an EP out on DGTL, he has found the time to provide a calming intro to your Thursday each week, occasionally with guest such as Meetsystem, Darling and Jens Thomas. Occasionally taking to the microphone to chat to the audience, he broadcasts every Thursday on his Twitch Page at 10am (CET)
Hör Berlin
Described by many as saving techno during the pandemic and broadcasting out of what appears to be a typical nightclub toilet, been broadcasting a six day a week program of label showcases and DJs based in Berlin showcasing a plethora of unreleased future club classic and leaving the taste of techno dust in your mouth. If the underground could have ever wished for a platform to call home, this certainly is it. So far they have featured musicians DJ Stingray, VTSS, Call Super and provided a space for collectives to show new talent such as Raider Records, Spandau20 and Mothers Finest. Expect to hear the most expansive uptempo curations from a breeding ground for new talent backed by many industry legends. They broadcast on their Youtube Page every Monday to Saturday.
Future Intel
Entering the airwaves just weeks before the pandemic hit Europe in January of 2020, Future Intel sought to combine a love of eclectic club music along with their passion for art. Each week they broadcast on Thursday and Friday evening with a cocktail of music and art and a spectacular view of the Den Haag skyline as a backdrop. This young community radio has filled up gaps left in the Dutch dance scene by giving a space to a collection of residents, as well as some relatively newcomers to build their own unique identity. After a successful online edition of ADE streams featuring the crews from Doka Studio and Garage Noord, they have carried on to provide a weekly breath of fresh air with their sublime visuals and hard-to-shazam selections. They broadcast weekly on their Website and archive regularly onto their Soundcloud.
RRFM
Amsterdam’s eclectic music scene has had a rift in DJ led community radio stations so Vincent Reinders, the owner and programmer has filled the gap with his new platform. With United Identities' head honcho Carista taking the role of Head of Music, they have recently started to produce two days of programming out of Westerpark’s intimate venue Radio Radio. Several established members of the local music community as well as up and coming artists have already hosted on the platform such as Cinnaman, Slimfit & Suze Ijo as well as guest mixes from international acts such as DJ Tennis, Lefto & Russel E.L.Butler. To tune in to the broadcasts, go to their Website every Wednesday and Thursday from 5PM until 10PM CET.
Just Vibez Dinner Series
An interactive experience that brightens every Saturday evening is the goal for this zoom chat. Each weekend they provide a retrospective blend of back catalog tracks from a featured hip hop artist. As of late they have hosted Notorious B.I.G, MF Doom, J Dilla as side dishes to your Saturday dinner. Whilst their resident DJ Shortee Blitz hosts, scratches and spins some golden classic and forgotten B sides, guests are encouraged to show off their dinner plate, lip sync along and converse in the chat room from 7pm [GMT] till late. They offer a lot more zoom parties throughout the week, but this stands out as a room with hundreds of people that isn’t an online class or multi department zoom call is rare these days. To join in on the action check their social media for the zoom codes and bring your masterchef skills to the stream
Revolt TV’s “Verzuz”
If headliners are what you’ve been missing, Revolt TV have been hosting listening parties as America’s finest Hip-Hop acts and R&B acts battle it out for supremacy. Presented on instagram live so plenty of fighting talk between Stan’s on each side of the battle as well as constructive back and forth between artists trying to prove that they are worth their salt. Artists featured so far have been Rick Ross vs 2 Chainz, Brandy vs Monica, Alicia Keys vs John Legend and Snoop Dogg vs DMX. The interactiveness of these community events really stand out when compared to all other radio experiences and the star power of these line ups give you a chance to see a roster of artists typically reserved for the biggest festivals. The series was started by producers Timbaland and Swizz Beats and now they are working hard to provide more live streams between Hip Hop & R&B’s superstars.
Lovelee Radio
After launching a club at the start of an unpredictable year, Lovelee had a booth and knew how to make it work, they have been programming half a week of Dutch DJs out of their live music venue in the city centre of Amsterdam. Adapting at every step, they have even adapted to the new country wide curfew by doing all night sets that start at 9pm and run through to 4:30am. Curated by Julian Simmons, formerly from Claire, they have hosted Amsterdam dance music broadcasts that feature all the sounds of this city with a diverse range of music so each week you can get everything from hip hop to techno and everything in between. They are great examples of how clubs can convert their spaces to provide platforms for culture even during a pandemic and make the most of the resources at their disposal. They stream a few times a day from Wednesday until the early hours of Saturday morning and lineups are announced weekly on their social media.
With this guide of the digital landscape of regular livestreams perhaps it will be easier to swift through the overwhelming amount of livestreams, find new music that you will learn to love and escape monotony of listening to your own music until the venues reopen and we can be in a physical crowd again.
