Music / Bass
Drum & Bass don Roni Size on underground radio
‘Does Bristol need a new radio station?’
This was the question that was put to the people by SWU.FM, Bristol’s own upcoming underground station, in an online petition that received over 10,000 people signing up to show their support. Amassing more than 6 million hits during their 27-day trial period, and now with this powerful citywide mandate, SWU.FM has certainly received the recognition it deserves as a much-needed force in the Bristol underground.
With the sway of the city behind it, SWU is set to relaunch this September. Though of course, not before a massive, 5 room, double-warehouse takeover at Motion this Easter Sunday, Apri 16. Representing on the night is no less than Bristol veteran and Drum and Bass legend, Roni Size, whom I interviewed in the run-up to this much-anticipated event.
is needed now More than ever
“It’s good to be a part of the SWU.FM family” Roni tells me as we reflect on his early experiences in the station last May. Arriving at the studio to perform his b2b set Full Cycle, with long-term collaborator Krust, Roni describes how he was taken by the energy that surrounded it. “It felt like they had created something of a hub for the local music community”, with artists and friends dropping in and out constantly, often just to hang out, meet new people and exchange music and ideas. “Bristol needs an outlet to be able to showcase what is coming out of the city, to give us a platform to be a voice that can be heard. We need that hub.”
Being such an integral part of the Bristol underground since its early days, Roni has witnessed this culture develop. “Generations have taken the baton. We started doing what we were doing, back in the time when there were no legal radio stations for us, only pirate radio stations. We took this kind of do-it-yourself mentality to it, and I think a lot of people have adopted that.” Having grown up in Bristol during the eighties and nineties, immersed within the sound-system culture of St. Paul’s, Stapleton and Easton, Roni truly understands the necessity of this “do-it-yourself mentality”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teC_Tv40Weg
This is exactly the spirit that founders and directors of SWU.FM, Ollie 303 and Tom Koast, have embodied in making their radio a reality. First, they took the initiative to apply for a significant grant from the Arts Council. Since then, they have spent countless weeks in paint-splattered overalls constructing the entire radio station, completely from scratch. They built the studio with their own hands; calibrated the booth’s acoustics; assembled hordes of various audio equipment; and even hauled up the broadcast aerial, cresting the skyline of Stokes Croft, atop the roof of Hamilton House.
However, now being forced to suddenly relocate, Ollie and Tom have naturally recursed to their do-it-yourself creativity with added determination. Luckily, they don’t have to manage the task alone. This Easter Sunday, all of the artists performing are not seeking any kind of payment; they have come out to show their support for the station and help it get back on it’s feet. It is precisely this quality of togetherness, this shared sense of citywide pride and vision, that is the lifeblood of SWU.FM. As Roni puts it: “The reason we’re doing this show at Motion is to generate a buzz around it and show our support. Motion is a great venue that has spearheaded so many artists from Bristol. By putting our heads together, and combining the forces of Motion and SWU.FM, then maybe we could get another big club in Bristol, maybe we could keep this radio station open, and maybe, one day, we could get a building we can call our own.”
SWU.FM has tasked itself with “celebrating Bristol music culture”, but the truth is, it does so much more than that. It not only provides a space in which Bristol’s music is channelled out for people to hear. It gives us somewhere in which this culture can unite and thrive; where the future of the Bristol underground is protected. If you don’t believe me, ask Roni Size.
Does Bristol need a new radio station?
“Yes, Bristol needs an outlet to showcase what is coming out of the city! To give us a platform to be a voice that is heard. It’s a small town, so we need to have something here that we can depend on and that we can hand down to the next generation. We need that hub.””
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
