Solid Steel (12th January) As we enter our 30th year of broadcasting, it's timely to feature the legendary Kevin Saunderson as our guest in Hour 1. An artist whose music appeared many times, including the first Solid Steel show in 1988, which also featured an interview with his fellow 'Belleville Three' member Juan Atkins. Alongside Derrick May they changed the face of electronic music and the genesis of today’s enormous techno scene can be retraced straight to Kevin, Derrick and Juan, as their formative experiments on rudimentary hardware sketched a blueprint for a genre that was yet to exist. Along with his successful project Inner City, Kevin Saunderson is the man behind the excellent KMS label that started in 1987 and has releases from Chez Damier, Carl Craig, Ron Trent, MK and Bicep, as well as a number of his own aliases.
In Hour 2 we hand over to Sunil Sharpe, one of Europe's most renowned and well-loved techno DJs, with a mixing style that is distinctly his own. Gaining an enviable reputation for his DJing in the early '00s, he was soon invited to play at Berlin's Tresor Club, marking the start of an intensive involvement in the scene. He has recorded for labels such as Black Sun Records, Rave Or Die, Mord, Trensmat, Inner Surface Music, Violet Poison and perhaps most notably Blawan & Pariah's Sheworks. His latest release is a split 12" with Minimum Syndicat called 'Joyless Euphoria' and his collaboration with fellow Dublin-based producer DeFeKT saw the release of Tinfoil 6 last month. He told us;
"My aim with DJ mixes like this is to make something that'll stand up in the long-term, kind of like a good record. The majority of records I played here are new or recent while the rest are mostly made up of music from the '90s, and a few from the '00s. There was no set theme but as it came together I guess it was about representing techno and some surrounding styles through a range of rhythms, moods and eras."
Today on your bFM Breakfast: we seek out Mike within Auckland City's Limits; special announcements; The D4's Dion drops by to talk reunions, ceiling vomit, and farewelling the Kings Arms; Kiran hearts grunge; and Ange hearts clay.
Tina's live from Splore soothing some sore heads and amongst the beauty of Tapapakanga Regional park paying tribute to grungy inner city bar & musical sanctury The Kings Arms ahead of it's closure Wednesday
Amelia takes over! And after some initial *technical difficulties*, we end up with a show filled with ringing telephones, mournful ballads, and warbly mod stompers.
In Hour 1 we welcome Sassy J who has a colourful and charming sound informed by her simple and honest love of music and emotion. She runs her own Patchwork night, does the art for each party and has a passion for sewing one off pieces of clothing that marry many different textures and styles in compelling ways, much like when she mixes records. She has also done artwork for Eglo and did an excellent cassette for The Trilogy Tapes. Sassy J has been passionately doing her do for 20 years now. In that time she has kept a focus on forward thinking electronic and analog sounds, has been a consistently exciting DJ and has earned a reputation amongst esteemed artists and fans that appreciate her unhurried style. Driven by a feel for the occasion, a passion to present new sounds and desire to leave a mark on her audience, Sassy J has played everywhere from Eglo Dance and Dekmantel to OHM and De School. She had this to say about her mix;
"I love to create sonic journeys through sounds, vibes and words. Setting moods, visiting places in the imagination, expressing my feelings and thoughts. I like to let the music speak for itself on the 90 minute ride. "
In Hour 2 Belfast producer Jordan takes over who has a busy festival season coming up over coming weeks, sharing bills with everyone from Larry Heard & Saoirse to Space Dimension Controller & Kink. As well as that he continues to run his weekly party, The Night Institute alongside his friend and mentor, Timmy Stewart. He had this to say about his mix;
"Italo, electro & oddball house all represented in the hour plus a few samples nicked off Youtube. I've dipped my toe in to as many of my musical influences as possible within the hour, from old Warp Records and Beggars Banquet output right up to what are, in my eyes, some of the most exciting imprints of now - Deewee, Futureboogie and Life & Death."
Today on your bFM Breakfast: we're broadcasting live from the Ellen Melville Centre!; live sets from Carb on Carb and Bernie Griffen and the Thin Men; coffee and food aplenty thanks to Karajoz and Chuffed; and giveaways galore courtesy of our generous new sponsor. Thanks Orcon!
Today on your bFM Breakfast: Mikey's off the clock; support for unethical fashun wears thin in France; Saraid and Amelia talk Cult Show at The Basement; Jenna wraps up another successful Writers Fest; and Ange gets a whole lotta questions about that gooooood H2O. Choice.