Episodes
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The UK Garage 30th birthday celebrations starts with a bang(er).Jamz Supernova and DJ Spoony rewind through the genre’s hits and the party-starting classics. From Ms Dynamite's speaker-breaking ‘Boo’ to the delightful sounds of Shanks and Bigfoot’s ‘Sweet Like Chocolate’, this nostalgic ride through the 90s and 00s takes you through the soulful, gritty and pop-infused blend of genre-defying songs that rose to #1 success.In this episode, we hear from Reggie Yates, Matt ‘Jam’ Lamont, Fekky, Ms Dynamite, Grant Nelson, DJ Pied Piper, So Solid Crew’s Neutrino and MC Creed.
Archive footage in this Episode: Ms Dynamite on BBC Radio 1Xtra Richard McCourt & Dominic Wood on CBBC Bring It on
Artwork Image - Ewen Spencer
Presenters: Jamz Supernova and DJ SpoonyProducer: Tommy DixonWritten by Tommy Dixon Technical production: Ant DanburyAdditional production: Ibz David Thompson, Zayna Shaikh, Dan JonesEditor for BBC Audio: Andy WorrellCommissioner for BBC Music: Will WilkinA BBC Audio production
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Have you ever wondered how a genre gets made? You’re in the right place, because Jamz and Spoony explore the origins of UK Garage and meet the people who started it all.Exposed to US house and garage records in small pubs and the super club Ministry of Sound during the 90s, London ravers were inspired to create their own version of the sound.The Godfather of UK Garage, Grant Nelson, retells how some of the genre’s earliest records were created in a kebab shop basement.Matt Lamont’s South London afterparty turned Sundays into the new Saturdays as UK Garage’s iconic Sunday scene was born.In this episode, we hear from Matt ‘Jam’ Lamont, Grant Nelson and Omar Adimora.
Artwork Image - Ewen Spencer
Presenters: Jamz Supernova and DJ SpoonyProducer: Tommy DixonWritten by Tommy Dixon Technical production: Ant DanburyAdditional production: Ibz David Thompson, Zayna Shaikh, Dan JonesEditor for BBC Audio: Andy WorrellCommissioner for BBC Music: Will WilkinA BBC Audio production
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Missing episodes?
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Jamz and Spoony discover the creative methods DJs used to launch UK Garage from the underground and reach people across the country.Ignored by the mainstream and evading the police, DJs took untold risks to spread the sound.Creating cult followings in London, Birmingham, Manchester and more, the illegal airwaves of pirate radio, recorded tape packs and underground raves became the megaphone for the sound. Experiencing chart success during the late 90s, the scene went all the way to the top of the pops in this great British takeover.In this episode, we hear from Matt ‘Jam’ Lamont, Omar Adimora and So Solid Crew’s Oxide and Neutrino.
Archive footage in this episode:Double 99 on Top of the Pops
Artwork image- Ewen Spencer
Presenters: Jamz Supernova and DJ SpoonyProducer: Tommy DixonWritten by Tommy Dixon Technical production: Ant DanburyAdditional production: Ibz David Thompson, Zayna Shaikh, Dan JonesEditor for BBC Audio: Andy WorrellCommissioner for BBC Music: Will WilkinA BBC Audio production
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Jamz and Spoony take to the international dancefloor as they find out what made UKG events like no other.Spotting rap royalty Jay Z, dancing with actor Wesley Snipes or even hearing a DJ mix from football legend David Beckham were just some of the many things that happened at the iconic Twice as Nice South London event.The UK Garage crowd were famously dressed up to the nines. So Jamz and Spoony find out what made the garage look and Spoony’s brown leather pants so legendary.Make sure to book your flights as we discover how the sounds of UKG took thousands of ravers abroad and transformed the small fishing resort of Ayia Napa into its International home
In this episode, we hear from Reggie Yates, Ms Dynamite, Kele Le Roc, DJ S and DJ Target.
Archive footage in this episode:BBC Radio 1 Ayia Napa Weekender
Artwork image - Ewen Spencer
Presenters: Jamz Supernova and DJ SpoonyProducer: Tommy DixonWritten by Tommy DixonTechnical production: Ant DanburyAdditional production: Ibz David Thompson, Zayna Shaikh, Dan JonesEditor for BBC Audio: Andy WorrellCommissioner for BBC Music: Will WilkinA BBC Audio production
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Jamz and Spoony discover the voices behind some of Garage’s biggest records and our go-to karaoke songs.Colour Girl shares how she became one of the first British UK Garage vocalists when her 4x4 floor fillers became classics.Kele Le Roc and Sweet Female Attitude’s Leanne Brown share how their RnB and soulful records got a UKG 2 step remix / makeover and became legendary.Craig David tells the story of the anthem Re-Rewind and how it almost didn’t happen.In this episode, we hear from vocalists Colour Girl, Kele Le Roc, Leanne Brown and Craig David.
Archive footage in this episode:Craig David and Artful Dodger on Top of the Pops
Artwork image - Ewen SpencerPresenters: Jamz Supernova and DJ SpoonyProducer: Tommy DixonWritten by Tommy Dixon Technical production: Ant DanburyAdditional production: Ibz David Thompson, Zayna Shaikh, Dan JonesEditor for BBC Audio: Andy WorrellCommissioner for BBC Music: Will WilkinA BBC Audio production
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Jamz and Spoony bubble and vibe to the wicked lyrics and flows of the UK Garage MCs.The Godfather, MC Creed, shares how he changed the scene hidden behind a DJ booth, becoming the genre’s first ever MC.Taking inspiration from the Jungle scene and Caribbean sound system culture, in the early 2000s, London crews Heartless, So Solid and Pay As You Go emerged as UKG's next superstars.The versatile, unapologetic and high energy MC-led records became the hot and new sound from the Garage scene.The raw sound changed the lives of artists overnight but also brought problems. The music brought widespread criticism and the untimely demise of the garage scene.In this episode, we hear from MC Creed, So Solid Crew’s Oxide and Neutrino, DJ Fonti and MC Bushkin, and DJ Target.
Archive footage from this episode: BBC CrimewatchFormer British MP Kim Howell on BBC Radio 4
Artwork image- Ewen Spencer
Presenters: Jamz Supernova and DJ SpoonyProducer: Tommy DixonWritten by Tommy DixonTechnical production: Ant DanburyAdditional production: Ibz David Thompson, Zayna Shaikh, Dan JonesEditor for BBC Audio: Andy WorrellCommissioner for BBC Music: Will WilkinA BBC Audio production
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Jamz and Spoony travel to the early 2000s, as a new rough-and-ready genre is forming: Grime. Inspired by the raw sound of garage MCs, jungle and more, Grime became the voice for the streets and inner city youth.As the sound spread, it created #1 records, international artists and took underground stars to the world’s biggest stages.In this episode, we hear from DJ Target, Fekky, Sir Spyro, Tinchy Stryder and Stormzy.
Archive footage from this episode: Stormzy at Glastonbury 2019
Artwork Image Ewen Spencer
Presenters: Jamz Supernova and DJ SpoonyProducer: Tommy DixonWritten by Tommy DixonTechnical production: Ant DanburyAdditional production: Ibz David Thompson, Zayna Shaikh, Dan JonesEditor for BBC Audio: Andy WorrellCommissioner for BBC Music: Will WilkinA BBC Audio production
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In Summer 2019, no one expected a summer garage anthem, but we definitely got it when AJ Tracey dropped Ladbroke Grove.Electronic music aficionado Eliza Rose became inspired by underground records and female vocalists to create the ultimate sing along with her hit record Baddest of Them All (B.O.T.A.).AJ Tracey and Eliza are part of a new school of British stars re-imagining garage music and introducing the genre to a brand new generation.Jamz and Spoony look at just how far UK Garage has come and some of the new voices creating their own UKG legacy.In this episode, we hear from AJ Tracey, Eliza Rose, Leanne Brown and Craig David.
Archive footage from this episode:AJ Tracey performance at Reading and Leeds Festival 2019Eliza Rose performance at 2022 MOBOs
Artwork image - Ewen Spencer
Presenters: Jamz Supernova and DJ SpoonyProducer: Tommy DixonWritten by Tommy DixonTechnical production: Ant DanburyAdditional production: Ibz David Thompson, Zayna Shaikh, Dan JonesEditor for BBC Audio: Andy WorrellCommissioner for BBC Music: Will WilkinA BBC Audio production
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During the 90s and 00s the sonics of UK Garage took the country by storm. In a short few years the genre emerged from underground events and transformed into Britain’s #1 party-starting sound. UKG Pioneer DJ Spoony and Music Aficionado Jamz Supernova rewind through the hits, pivotal figures and moments that took UKG to unprecedented.
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As jungle rapidly morphs, a groundbreaking new record label and club night becomes a nerve centre for this dynamic new movement: Metalheadz, founded by Goldie, Kemistry and DJ Storm is as wild and innovative as the DJs and producers who created it. Revellers flock to a tiny basement club in Hoxton Square, each week, to hear this new sound taking shape. But with the increased exposure, the first bad press begins making its mark on the scene, forcing an identity crisis for the original junglists.
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After a period of being shunned by the press, the mainstream makes its first step towards accepting the music. Goldie’s debut album is heralded as a masterpiece, Roni Size and Reprazent face off against the Spice Girls at the Mercury Music Prize, and D&B finds a new home on Radio 1. Suddenly, all the major labels want a piece of the action. It’s a rags to riches moment, but all that success comes at a cost. Then, on the brink of the new millennium, the scene is torn apart by a devastating loss.
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Drum & Bass approaches the 2000s on the brink of disaster: the spirit has left the music, eaten up by the major labels and the money. Kemistry’s death has torn a hole in the heart of the community. So how do you recover from that? The combined optimism of a fresh wave of young talent and an old guard, ready to be revitalised, creates a new, exciting form of D&B – ready to deliver the music to new audiences and new heights.
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When BBC 1Xtra launches in 2002, DJ Flight finds herself at the frontline of a radio station committed to broadcasting 11 hours of drum & bass a week. Music festivals explode in the UK, giving the scene’s talent access to bigger and bigger crowds, and changing the way they think about the music. Into the midst of this, come Pendulum – a D&B trio with a live act destined for the main stage. Their influence will send shockwaves through the entire scene.
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When Dubstep invades dance floors in 2008, it’s like UK garage all over again. What happened to all the D&B lovers? Where did they go? But as those in the underground ponder the state of the nation, above the surface, a more commercial form of the music is growing stronger and stronger – thanks to festival headline sets from Pendulum and the very first D&B UK number one single: DJ Fresh and Rita Ora’s Hot Right Now.
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D&B’s reputation continues to grow, thanks to high profile remixes and more chart success from the likes of Rudimental - who score the music’s second UK number one. As social media rewires the way the music industry organises, a new generation of female talent finds itself drawn into the culture, and celebrated via game-changing platforms like Boiler Room. In response to the ongoing gender imbalance, DJ Flight and Mantra launch the EQ50 initiative, that later develops into a mentorship programme for new women and non-binary D&B producers.
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30 years on from the birth of the genre, drum & bass is still adapting. When the global pandemic closes nightclubs in 2020, a period of soul searching follows - but D&B emerges with more purpose. The community expands to welcome in new talent like Nia Archives. Old and new faces come together to celebrate the longevity of D&B - and to future-proof a culture that’s already weathered so much loss. Storm and Flight reflect on just how far this music has travelled, and the distance it still has to cover…
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D&B is the fast-beating pulse of everything from workouts to nights out, but where did it come from? DJ Flight steps back into the halcyon days of rave, when techno and house music washed up on the shores of the UK, stirring up a cultural revolution. Soon, that music was dropped into a blender with hip-hop, soul, and reggae. The result was jungle: a vivid, homegrown force in the middle of the country’s party scene. Flight introduces you to some of its first innovators, disciples, and champions.
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In our final episode, Greg James concludes what the Genius of Coldplay is and hear what they really mean to people.
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Greg James delves into Coldplay's transformative impact, highlighting their commitment to philanthropy, environmental stewardship and innovative approach to music and touring.
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We chart the transformative journey of Coldplay's live performances, from their humble beginnings to the groundbreaking spectacles they're known for today. With Greg James.
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