This feels like the most essential listening released this week. Death Is Not The End have put their name to a 60 minute cut up mix of Bristol pirate radio; from the golden years of the ’80s and ’90’s to the early 2000’s.
Bristol Pirates was originally released last September as part of the ever-good Blowing Up The Workshop series. If, like me, you may have missed it the first time around it’s not too late to stream or download it. But if, like me, you prefer it analogue you’ll be happy to know that Death Is Not The End have released it as a cassette via their bandcamp page.
In reality these are the selections of label boss Luke Owen (also of Astro:Dynamcis fame), who’s curation duties for the imprint and on his regular NTS show have consistently slotted him as one of the scenes finest classicists and respected underground authorities.
“A trip across the frequencies of Bristol’s pirate radio stations via cut-ups of broadcasts, taken from the late 1980s to the early 2000s ~ also a love-letter to my childhood, an audio document of the years I spent growing up in the city.”
Travelling from reggae to dub to jungle to garage to hip-hop and beyond there’s a story in these sixty minutes. The uninitiated may find a doorway to an oft-romanticised branch of music within Britain. Others will enjoy reminiscing alongside Owen of their own time moving the frequency needle.
Everything in this mix comes across as raw as the first time it was played. The selections take you to a place and a time, allowing you to pick up the vibe and then move on to the next leg. It’s a format that I first fell in love with through Gorgon Grime on No Corner. Kahn and Neek’s tribute to grime through radio rips and youtube streams allowed me to experience the genre in a totally new way.
The limited frequency radio vocals and local FM advertisements add to this, letting you briefly experience the selections through Owen’s own ears. There’s something magical about this approach, and I’d argue a cassette is the best format for it.
You’re unlikely to see this one in the stores. Grab the tape or download for free from the bandcamp page linked below.