interFACE
Words CARL LOBEN pics STEVE PITMAN

 

With total control over their playlists, global accessibility and no prohibitive laws against them (yet), pirate radio stations on the internet are offering DJs, producers and Labels the chance to take their music to a worldwide audience. DJ mag logged on to find out more.


"Shouts going out to Max Bass in Devon, TFCSC in Canada, win who’s in the Netherlands and not Sweden...."
Down at Internet pirate radio station interface, such dedications are the norm. Outside of big metropolises like London or Manchester which are well served by pirate radio stations and legal ones like Kiss, breakbeat science enthusiasts have to rely on Radio One shows like Fabio & Grooverider or Mary Ann Hobbs for a fix. But whereas the signals from airwave pirates only cover a few miles, to just past the Tottenham massive or whoever, pirate radio on the Internet literally reaches right round the globe.
While not everybody has Internet access yet, the potential of the worldwide web is enormous. And, naturally, dance music hasn’t been slow to realize this, with most labels now running their own web sites. But for labels to have their own radio shows is a whole new mirrorball game, Des.
On the night DJ visited Interface, they’d literally just finished moving from a Farringdon office block to a more spacious complex near London’s Liverpool Street station. Sawdust still litters the floor, while the crew relax after their two-day ordeal.
"We’d been in the old studio for two years, and there’s a lot of old ghosts there," explains volunteer interface member Ashley (none of them make any money out of the station). "Sometimes moving livens things up a little bit."
"We’ve got 24-hour access here as well," adds Patch, who often oversees outside broadcasts at anything from a Ninja Tunes night to the Glastonbury Festival.
"We’re starting our own night at the Rocket, too," adds Philippa, another of the core members.
We crash in on punky junglist Vini Medley (from electronica label Botchit & Scarper)’s show. He’s just landed the reserve slot to Adam Freeland’s Friday night/Saturday morning breakbeat show on Kiss, and has had a who’s who of underground DJs appearing on his Interface show in the last year and a half, including Rennie Pilgrem, Ray Keith, Shy FX, Pressure Drop, T Power.....
"The great thing about this is that you don’t have a playlist, you can play whatever you want," he shouts over freq nasty’s ‘Boomin’ Back Atcha’ phuture-electro opus.
"I’ve been doing it for 18 months now, and no-one tells me what to play. I have guests on each week, and it gives them a chance to do half and hour of what they’re known for, and half an hour of whatever they want. Until the jurisdiction comes in, you get a pretty free run at it."

Interface has over 65 DJs playing live on the net each week. A whole gaggle of underground dance labels have shows on the station – including Hyper, Pick’N’Mix, Ignition, Trouble On Vinyl, Reinforced, Hospital, Skylab, Fruitbeard, Skint, Still Life and Dust2dust – and pump out repetitive beats (or otherwise) around the world. Because of the nature of the Internet, there’s no regulation, but the Performing Rights Society (PRS) are looking into this at the moment. This could lead to laws further regulating internet use, which – if they come – are sure to curtail some of the freedoms which the net was set up to guarantee. Legal radio stations pay royalties to producers when a record is played, but Interface and stations like it aren’t required to do so. As with radio pirates, though, the music is from underground dance labels and producers who would otherwise struggle to get any exposure at all. Piracy is often a necessity.
"The philosophy of Interface counts as a pirate," reckons Ashley, "it’s got the same sort of attitude. Obviously we’re not running away from the DTI (Dept. of Trade & Industry) at the moment...."
Because they don’t accept advertising or sponsorship, DJs on Interface have to pay-to-play – 20 pounds for a 2-hour slot. They’re doing it for enjoyment and the freedom it gives them, and need to leave their egos at the door. "We get approached by people all the time – big names – to do a show, but it’s better if it’s Tom from Nowheresville to be honest," says Ashley. "Big names can get a gig on major stations anytime."
What’s the main style of music that goes out on Interface?
"Drum & bass, for one reason or other," Ashley replies. "Techno, house and garage have been pretty much rinsed out around the world, so drum and bass seems to be the thing at the moment. Or anything old school, ‘cos people round the world haven’t heard it. Interface allows underground sound to get out globally without major label interference.
"You play old skool hardcore, and ‘cos it was pretty much a London thing, people go mad for it out there," he continues. "So a lot of these records from ’91 or whatever that were pretty much deleted will soon be worth a lot of money. Hey, I’m giving away secrets here!"

The interface crew (bar Steve, the computer consule staffer) take off to the pub for a well-earned drink. We stare at the chat-room messages on the screen, and the Happiness Stan’s co-promoter logs us on.
Not really knowing what to say, I type in, "Hi there, Carl Loben from DJ magazine here – has anyone seen it?" enter.
There’s a few seconds pause before a message from Max Bass from Devon flashes up.
"Yeah, I haven’t seen it for a couple o’ months though. The last one I saw was the one with Adam Freeland on the front."
Wow – a cyberspace connection...
"All journalists are scum," adds Xvie from Michigan, quickly, taking advantage of the direct forthrightness the internet allows its users to express.

I go next door into the studio, where a skull & crossbones flag flies proudly above the standard decks set-up. As if to warn me against skinning up or scratching my balls or something, Vini points to the camera in the corner that simultaneously broadcasts around the globe.
"We had Coldcut on the other week," he says, "they brought two laptops along and played live. Nobody would believe it was Coldcut on there, so Jonathan More picked up his computer and showed it to the camera. The place went mental after that."
Eat your heart out Chris Evans!
Soon it’s my turn on the ones’n’twos, and my hand shakes as I slap on the first choon. Anyone in the world could be listening, but fortunately I don’t fluff the mix of Dom and Rolands "Trauma" on Renegade Hardware. Vini hands me some shout outs to do, and they include people from Vietnam, India, Japan, Slovenia, and the United States. Mind-boggling. My half hour zooms by really quickly, and I scoot next door to the computer to receive my props. Except that there just seems to be a discussion about old hardcore going on, with people remembering each other from previous encounters and vibing over choons....

Vini’s other guest tonight is James Hyman from MTV’s "Party Zone", the longest-running dance music show on TV.
"This is like a revolution for dance music, it’s the whole independent spirit," he enthuses.
"Here we all are, and we can play what we want, say what we want. It only seems to be dance stations doing this – it always seems to be at the forefront."
"It’s still a cult thing at the moment," he continues.
"Something like this will slowly integrate into society, so that a kid can turn on the internet just as they’d turn on the TV, radio or shower. It won’t be massively widespread in the next five years, but the transition is going to happen over that time. It’ll be more and more accepted into people’s lifestyle."
How regulated does he think it’s all going to get?
"The dream is that it shouldn’t be regulated, and needn’t be. But it could easily – sadly – soon become illegal to do this, which is a real bummer. Holding service providers responsible for everything is unfair. I don’t approve of Nazis or Paedophilia, but irrespective of that you should be allowed to put on there whatever you want. And face the consequences if someone tracks you down...."

Find Interface at
http://interface.pirate.radio.co.uk