Radio is not dead. On-air shows and music sets are the breathing heart of our sonic worlds, displaying the wide variety of musical creativity and culture. Tuning into a show with your favourite DJ is a sure-fire way to keep up to date with the culture and discover emerging genres. A well-crafted radio show is a gift to music lovers, more personal and human than our algorithms — call it nostalgic, but there is nothing like experiencing airwaves live and direct. While FM radio was never for the alternative or underground artists' benefit, there are many radio stations that are community projects, artistic experiments and often the first to pioneer progressive sounds and politics. If you’re looking to keep up with the latest musical trends, these four sonic and cultural hubs and their shows by Pan-African female DJs are your best bet.
Cashmere Radio
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Berlin-based Cashmere Radio is a physical station open to the public as well as an online radio. Both a typical radio station with regular instalments and an experimental space that hosts music performances and events, Cashmere Radio plays with the possibilities of audio art and its potential to build community through live performances, screenings, discussions, installations and artworks by long-time members, new neighbours and friends. Their latest project, your touch makes the waves, intriguingly describes “Radiophonic practice [as] embodiment and presence, a physical phenomenon affecting our physical selves, in one place or another, in one way or another.”
An AMAKA all-time favourite at Cashmere is DJ Juba’s Afroelectronik show which explores contemporary sounds from the African continent and its diaspora. “I love exploring society, history and culture through music, and radio gives me a platform to do that”, Juba tells AMAKA. “A lot of the genres that I play on my show are tied to my heritage as a child of the Nigerian diaspora. Nigeria was my first real musical reference point when I first started DJing, and from there, I started exploring different music, principally electronic, from other parts of the continent and since then I've continued to branch out.” Afroelectronik showcases Afrobeats and kuduro, baile carioca and UK funky, and a plethora of other genres, accompanied by guest interviews and mixes from international DJs. “Hopefully some people in Berlin and beyond gain exposure to music genres, cultures, histories and just general worlds that they were previously unaware of”, says Juba.
“I was drawn to cashmere because I appreciated its experimental and community feel, and that's also why I stay”, says Juba. “I feel like the guys at Cashmere really care about the community that they create around radio and offer something really valuable to the city. It has an extended family feel.”
For musicians and radio presenters, Cashmere Radio offers a residency programme with the intention to question the medium of radio — its history, its premises and its current operations — and create new concepts of radio.
Tribe Urban Radio
Broadcasting from Greenwich in the UK, Tribe Urban Radio is an independent, Black-owned radio station designed to develop, champion and promote the next generation of creatives. Their variety of shows are hosted by BIPOC delving into music from all over the world, from weekly catch-ups bringing you what’s Fresh On the Scene to deep dives into Latin Heat or Rap Trap.
On our quest for radio shows by women of the African diaspora, we are mindful about the complexity of Pan-Africanist culture and how it links to and overlaps with other regions, transcending music genres and blurring geographical boundaries. Accordingly, AMAKA’s pick for this radio station is Deana Hassanein’s weekly mix of SWANA’s best in All Arabic All Za Time (AAAZT). SWANA is the decolonial term for South West Asia and North Africa, commonly referred to as the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. Launched in 2021, AAAZT is entirely produced, curated, and presented by Hassanein, who plays Arabic music and interviews musicians. “I have lived in England my whole life, but there are some aspects of the culture here I will never connect with, and I know that people like me, whether they are third culture kids or part of the diaspora, feel the same”, she tells AMAKA. “As a presenter, I got sick of moulding myself to fit into the categories available, so I decided to create my own show!” She wants every Arab and North African artist, especially those based in the UK, to know that they have a place dedicated to their music, even if their music is not in an Arabic dialect. “If you are not pumped or saving new artists to your streaming platforms by the end of the show, then I'm not doing my job right.” Why host the show on Tribe Urban Radio? “I love their vibe, and they focused on amplifying underrepresented voices”, says Hassanein.
Worldwide FM
This London-based radio station, supported by WeTransfer, was created as a community and platform that uses music to fight inequality in all its forms. Listeners are invited to explore subcultures and genres from all over the world through a variety of video and audio formats. Impressing with its intriguing aesthetics and strong sense of social responsibility, Worldwide FM is a virtual treasure for audio experiences and musical knowledge. This radio station supports the Black Music Coalition and their list of demands/action points and has signed up to the progressive Equality In Audio pact, as well as Radio Silence's Women In Radio pledge. Worldwide FM leads by example to prove that art is political and acknowledges the music industry’s vital role in the fight for a fairer world.
AMAKA recommends starting your Worldwide journey with Global Music Movement, a musical travel log hosted by culture producer, DJ and music enthusiast Megatronic. She specialises in conversations and musical trends from around the world and invites special guests from the SWANA region and the diasporas to have insightful conversations about the reimagining of musical heritage. After moving from London to Dubai, the Ghanaian-Gambian creative became painfully aware of how badly the SWANA region is represented. “There’s such a strong culture and identity within people”, she tells AMAKA. “I met people from all over the region, and their stories were super exciting. But at home, I always get asked the same boring questions.” She decided to curate a show that honours the music and voices of this region as a way to give back to the people she connected with on her journey. “I found my tribe here, a beautiful template of friends from all over the world. We share a cultural experience that I wanted to highlight in a way that is not cheesy.” Megatronic believes in using the language of music to create safer spaces. “Especially in this part of the world, there is an elevation happening and my show explains how and why”, she says. “My goal is for listeners to discover new music and people. I want them to leave with a curiosity to the point where they’re like, ‘Maybe we should visit Sudan. Maybe we should go to Beirut. What are we scared of?’”
Balamii
Balamii is a South London radio station that produces radio, events and video. Since its inception in 2014, it has grown from an app which originally delivered mixes recorded in London’s clubs to your phone into a community of music lovers from all over the world. Balamii comes to life through people who share a passion for underground music and culture of all kinds, united in their quest to discover sound. Balamii’s website is host to all your favourite genres as well as music you did not know you loved yet - from Saharan Jazz to Percussive to Nuyorican Funk and beyond, their brilliantly curated sound experiences invite you to adventure around the globe with artists who are at the forefront of contemporary music worlds.
Of the endless shows to tune into on Balamii Radio, here are AMAKA’s top three by Pan-African women bringing the culture to your sound waves:
DJ Jewli’s Full English Breakfast Show on Balamii Radio showcases UK Rave & Club sounds as well as the latest Amapiano, Afrobeats, electronic music and everything in between. Jewli invites guests to her show and makes space for all kinds of genres.
DJ and Producer Eliza Rose’s monthly instalment, Flava of the Month, features reggae, salsa, disco, feel-good house and lots of UK garage.
Emma Korantema’s Everything is Everything, runs heavy melodies and mantra loops to create musical meditations for the soul.
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Radio allows us to use music as a common language. The love and care that goes into making these shows transform collective listening into a means of creating community and creative exploration. Imagine all the songs you are yet to hear — your favourite DJs are collecting them for you.