Streamola Archive

When I left the UK for the USA in 1983 I was sure to pack with me a few nuggets of British culture to entertain and amaze the colonists. Apart from reggae disco 12″ers and VHS’s of the Young Ones tv series – as yet unseen on this side of the pond, I had a copy of this broadcast – a Sunday morning one-off perpetrated by Keith Allen and mates such as David Rappaport – using the same transmitter as Dread Broadcast Corp. A visit with northern industrial gay Gerry Arkwright kicks off 90 minutes of segment after segment of ribald and raucous hijinks – some of the most outrageous programming to ever hit the airwaves. American listeners were a little non-plussed but when, in 1984, I visited Vancouver and played it to the Canadians they went nuts for it, playing it over and over til they had it word perfect.

(Thanks to Mike the Bike of DBC for forwarding a copy.)

 Breakfast Pirate Radio: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As we all know the ecstasy and agony of romance drives much of creation, and so it was with this, a mixtape from the late 80s, and the oft-repeated soundtrack to many pinmaking sessions in the early 90s. It starts off warm and easy, becomes enraptured, and then helplessly unrequited..

 Standard Podcast [93:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Here’s another of those short fragments off an old mix tape of mine – includes fav tunes from the likes of Dillinger, Hugh Mundell, Jackie Mittoo, U Roy, Roland Alphonso, and The Skatalites.

 Standard Podcast [21:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is a very brief fragment from 1988 or so, some NYC radio plus a bit of Dominic – a young Ladbroke Grove skallywag who had turned up after making a name for himself in Jamaica – testing his chops on hip-hop played by Dreadbeat Massive’s Woody Dee. One feature of NYC is a large Caribbean Desi population, and the tune near the start is as sublime a combination of the two cultures as you are ever likely to hear!

 Standard Podcast [10:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Yet more DBC. As mentioned early broadcasts, out of necessity, utilized the “plant the cassette player and transmitter on the tower block and retire to a safe distance” method. By 1984 the station’s technology had advanced to the point of being able to, via relays, do live broadcasts. Even to the extent, in the safety of the Notting Hill Carnival celebrating crowd, of coming live from the street. This snippet, hosted by Ranking Miss P, kicks off with the talents of the young MC prodigy Mekka Stephenson, hoarse no doubt due to toasting night and day, and then goes to station manager Lepke chatting up Portobello Road revelers.

 Standard Podcast [43:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A month later than the last posting here we have Traffic Jam in full effect – this time the only thing that’s sped up is the chat, as was the craze of the day. A well-oiled Arrows International crew take turns to show off their freestyle lyrical prowess and vocal skill over a Federal selection. In the area: Snarky, Professor Nuts, Shakademus, Cutty Ranks.

 Traffic Jam Radio - Aug '87 [93:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The fact my beloved DBC Rebel Radio had been shut down, and Lepke the station manager arrested, was definitely a contributory factor to my decision to move to the USA in 1983. The door having been opened, however, a flood of new stations, mostly based in South London, sprang up. Someone gave me this tape, a wander around the dial from 1987, which includes KISS and Traffic Jam. You’ll observe parts of the latter are massively sped up, the likely explanation for this is that they, like DBC before them, employed the “plant the cassette player and transmitter on the tower block and retire to a safe distance” method, and those cheap cassette players were notoriously erratic.

 London Radio 1987 [60:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Back in 1982 bread and butter for the DBC – Dread Broadcasting Corp. – were sponsored programs by the likes of Harlesden record distros Starlite and Orbitone, again presented with flair by the Ranking Miss P. Here are few fragments that have survived the ages thanks to Ms Mandi Newall of NYC who taped them off the air back in the day.

 Ranking Miss P - Orbitone Style [26:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Amongst the very first streams that went out on streamola, and then run on repeat for it’s entire existence, was a selection of the Better Badges sponsored London reggae pirate DBC – the Dread Broadcasting Corp. – from the beginning of the 80s. One of the best loved features of that station were the lover’s rock selections by the sweet-voiced DJ known as the Ranking Miss P., who later went on to reach an international audience via the BBC World Service. This one’s just a brief snippet of the lady in action in her DBC prime.

 Ranking Miss P - Strictly for the Girls [30:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When I arrived on the West Coast in mid-1983 I knew practically nobody except Zed Records and Roger Steffens. Steffens introduced me to Blue Riddim, who were on tour, and they in turn introduced me to the Rebel Rockers of Laguna Beach, who kindly took me in as a guest. Also staying in their house at the time happened to be Darryl and Doc from the Bad Brains, which started a long and fruitful friendship..

The Rebel Rockers themselves, in a marked contrast to the ‘cool and deadly’ style to which I was accustomed in the UK, played high energy SoCal skanking music, predating illustrious followers like Sublime and No Doubt. Powered by Redz on bass, they were fronted by the lively, and lovely, Princess on vocals. The guitarist, who’s name I forget, brought a distinct latin tinge to the proceedings, and when, on one notable occasion I accompanied them to a show with the Circle Jerks in Tijuana, they raised the roof! The band is still going and can be found on myspace.

Somehow I have retained a cassette of a set I recorded at one of their shows and here, for your delectation, and posterity, it is:

 Rebel Rockers - Live 1983 [51:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download