Friday, November 16, 2007

Radio: Live Transmission

I was talking to part-time colleague/friend/partner-in-crime/birthday-doppelganger in his car on the way home.

Basically he was complaining how radio these days bore him. There was a time (long ago but not forgotten) when it was all a little less commercial. And he was talking about the Capital Radio 95.8, Yes 933 and other local chinese stations.

Radio meant a lot to me about 15 years ago. But it probably diminished in importance over the last 8 years when I started in uni. I had brought my entire CD collection, complete with the inlay sleeves (but without the jewel case) to York. That was before I had my laptop and converted all of them to lousy 56kbps mp3s.

15 years ago. . .

That was when radio had exciting programmes. X'ho and Paul Zach were playing really excellent non-mainstream sounds. Usually they don't overlap as X'ho's Hip Parade on Perfect 10 Sunday nights at 9pm (before Say It With Music) featured mainly Kruder & Dorfmeister, Jhelisa, Underwolves, Fila Brazilia and Boymerang. His Earwax top ten list each week sorted out the essential listening jewels. Really cool sounds that I still love till this day. Now sound of the future was the tagline. Mainly electronica, which includes anything, from hip-hop derivatives like Massive Attack (Protection album) and DJ Shadow (Endtroducing.....) and the banned in Singapore Tricky's Maxinquaye. I had to ask my aunt to get Tricky's album from the US Tower Records store. She was having a holiday and asked if I wanted any holiday gift. She had a long weird conversation with the salesperson. She wasn't sure what it was all about, probably the entire history of the Bristol sound and trip hop.

Paul Zach's Zach's trax was on Heart 91.3. Now the station is called WKRZ. Probably to reflect that is was set up by NTUC - the 4-letter combi looks like workers. Paul Zach was on Monday night and I usually missed it. Paul Zach hated the "bachelor-pad music" that X'Ho was promoting btu there was a time when both of them embraced Beck's Odelay! album.

I still haven't got that album.

What happened to radio?

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