A Surrey Quays Shipping Container has become the new home for a London community radio station Big Music Community, also known as BMC.
This Saturday the radio is hosting a fundraiser in an Alter Native takeover in the crypt of St. Peter’s Church, Walworth SE17, supporting emerging DJs and the radio community.
Producer, DJ and BMC Founder Laurence Powell considered shutting down his radio station after the birth of his daughter and an overload of work stress, running the radio on low costs. He said that he thought: “I can’t juggle all of this anymore so I was kind of ready to call it quits”.
After a free offer to move to a quirky space in a South London shipping container, he decided to keep the station going.
“I didn’t want to let all the people down that had put so much into building up the first studio and the community….so after sort of telling everyone that I was probably going to wrap things up, I then went back and said, actually we’re going to keep going” – Laurence Powell
Larry has supported DJs by providing free DJ workshops and partnering with DJ Academy On the Rise. and tells me why supportive radio communities are so important: “You’re DJing when your mates are at work and it can become quite a lonely profession”
The station has supported collectives and DJs who have gone on to great success, such as Leila Beesley AKA Chinese Daughter and Dan Jones, who has had shows on BBC Radio 1 Extra, Radio 1, Asian Network and now produces podcasts for Global.
Dan Jones told City News “It was kind of a first step on my journey which is very much ongoing” he continues by telling me Larry would help emerging DJs familiarise themselves with the decks, the other equipment, and how BMC broadcasts as a digital radio station.
“It helped combat sort of loneliness I might have felt during the week because I would get up, I’d get out of the house after my night shift and half asleep, but would be over and be, you know, making progress with other people towards my dream”.
However, Larry mentions the only arts grants available to him help with short-term projects. He hopes that in the future he could be awarded a grant to support the studio to hire an intern. “They can get some really good experience, their CV, learn loads, take the (pressure off me doing day-to-day stuff where I can then look at how we can develop the station in other ways. That would be great.
The arts council responded saying 20% of all Early Career Promoter Fund awardees work in Electronic music. They say DJs are underrepresented in the Developing Your Creative Practice fund and we take this into consideration when making decisions on applications.
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HeadlineBig Music Community Radios’ Laurence Powell on why DJing is “a lonely profession”
Short HeadlineSurrey Quays shipping container turned community radio: The importance of community radio
StandfirstCity News explores the issues DJs face and why grassroots community radio spaces are crucial
A Surrey Quays Shipping Container has become the new home for a London community radio station Big Music Community, also known as BMC.
This Saturday the radio is hosting a fundraiser in an Alter Native takeover in the crypt of St. Peter’s Church, Walworth SE17, supporting emerging DJs and the radio community.
Producer, DJ and BMC Founder Laurence Powell considered shutting down his radio station after the birth of his daughter and an overload of work stress, running the radio on low costs. He said that he thought: “I can’t juggle all of this anymore so I was kind of ready to call it quits”.
After a free offer to move to a quirky space in a South London shipping container, he decided to keep the station going.
“I didn’t want to let all the people down that had put so much into building up the first studio and the community….so after sort of telling everyone that I was probably going to wrap things up, I then went back and said, actually we’re going to keep going” – Laurence Powell
Larry has supported DJs by providing free DJ workshops and partnering with DJ Academy On the Rise. and tells me why supportive radio communities are so important: “You’re DJing when your mates are at work and it can become quite a lonely profession”
The station has supported collectives and DJs who have gone on to great success, such as Leila Beesley AKA Chinese Daughter and Dan Jones, who has had shows on BBC Radio 1 Extra, Radio 1, Asian Network and now produces podcasts for Global.
Dan Jones told City News “It was kind of a first step on my journey which is very much ongoing” he continues by telling me Larry would help emerging DJs familiarise themselves with the decks, the other equipment, and how BMC broadcasts as a digital radio station.
“It helped combat sort of loneliness I might have felt during the week because I would get up, I’d get out of the house after my night shift and half asleep, but would be over and be, you know, making progress with other people towards my dream”.
However, Larry mentions the only arts grants available to him help with short-term projects. He hopes that in the future he could be awarded a grant to support the studio to hire an intern. “They can get some really good experience, their CV, learn loads, take the (pressure off me doing day-to-day stuff where I can then look at how we can develop the station in other ways. That would be great.
The arts council responded saying 20% of all Early Career Promoter Fund awardees work in Electronic music. They say DJs are underrepresented in the Developing Your Creative Practice fund and we take this into consideration when making decisions on applications.
