Andrew Maxam invited me down to FBi Radio studios for a live session last Friday, and as unprofessional as it may have sounded (I’ll never laugh on air again, I promise) it was a load of fun. FBi Radio was where it all started for me, originally producing radio and editing interviews then hosting and programming a weekly two hours that back then represented radio freedom. There was a period of time where I probably spent more time in those Redfern studios (mostly outside hours) than any other place except for sleeping at home. It was pre-Soundcloud, pre-Mixcloud, pre-YouTube and even Discogs and online record buying hadn’t kicked off properly yet. Radio was king, and FBi had started the golden-age for Sydney radio that I was proud to be part of for a number of years, before packing up and moving to London. The photo above was taken that last year and it’s surprising how many people from it either are still representing with radio or are even deeper involved and higher up in the Australian scene, making a difference and working hard at their creative paths. Loader, Zilbs and Stu Buchanan were an incredible team that many of us are forever indebted to.
That’s what always made time at FBi different. There was a huge amount of time and commitment that went in to supporting each other and Sydney’s alternative scenes. A lot of what went on back then was thankless and uncredited but made a massive impact in the city, making it the self-sustaining creative hub that we take for granted.
Andrew Maxam’s weekly Liquid Electric show is a beacon for this. You know you’re doing something right when you’ve been at a radio station for near six years and the interns who come and go don’t know your name. Whilst there was an obligatory showcase to play on Friday, generally it’s not a playlisted show, and represents his own journey through electronica. Andy’s good people, and we hope he sticks with it as long as he enjoys it. MAXAMum respect (see what I did there?), and anytime we can jump back in the studio together we’ll be on it. He rolls it out live on a weekly basis, Friday nights from 11pm – 1am, and for the more sociable among you you can always check the stream the next day.
You can stream and relisten to the show via the link below. No tracklisting, but we busted through some favourites from Seekersinternational, Gobby, Tapes, Mark Fell, Jahiliya Fields, Tom Richards, Perc, Pomassl, Dictaphone, King Britt and a load more. For something special we even pulled out a joint from the forthcoming Manuel Gonzales aka MGUN 12″ on Semtek’s Don’t Be Afraid label, look for that one dropping at the end of the month. There’s no track list, this was just some raw fun that was entirely unplanned.
We kick off our ridiculousness around the 54 minute mark and needle drop tracks for the hour or so after till the show finishes. Hope you dig.
http://www.fbiradio.com/event/coming-up-on-fbi/keith-pettinger-on-liquid-electric/