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They could get rid of some of those DNB shows... there's plenty of them already. And only two of them are reliably good.

I listened to J lots and always enjoyed the selection. I thought that was what 1xtra was about. Opening ears and minds to the wealth of good music that lies hidden away. Not about having 1 UKG show, 1 house show, 1 rnb show, 1 hiphop show. What's wrong with there being crossover? Lots of music transcends genre boundaries so why can t radio shows do the same?

I've got massive respect for J da, I'm big into broken beat as well as dubstep and never missed the show.

To be fair though, in the last 6 months or so he really was battering the broken beat, and hardly touching the dubstep at all. When you think back to the features he did when he was all about dubstep - the all Toasty or all Dubchild mixes he recorded - then towards 'the end' there really wasn't much dubstep goin on at all.

Combine this with the fact (as eskay said) that he was originally hired as a garage DJ, mainly to rep the FWD>> sound, and I can understand why he eventually lost his show - he was no longer sticking to his remit.


I definitely think that dubstep justifies another regular show, the swift increase in party attendance and record sales since the turn of the year back this up IMO, but I'd rather see a few DJs on rotation like the Residency on R1 as opposed to one DJ trying to reflect all angles of the dubstep sound.


BTW @ Eskay, never knew we had an ex-beeb producer down in Bristol, wot you on down here?

There's always been an odd and slightly strained relationship between dubstep and 1Xtra. There's never been a real champion for dubstep inside 1Xtra and as far as I can tell they dont see it as part of their core remit.

In their eyes I wouldnt be surprised if people like John Peel or Mary Anne Hobbs supporting it reinforces that view, because those two DJs had/have very different audiences to 1Xtra's target audience.

another issue is to be a presenter on 1Xtra you clearly need 1) to know your music 2) to have your own direction to offer the station that they dont already cover that they actually need covering 3) to be a professional broadcaster.

Lots of DJs can mix and know their beats, but it's point 3) wheren Jayda excelled. That skill doesn't come naturally to lots of other DJs but is essential if you want to be on the BBC.

Blackdown wrote:another issue is to be a presenter on 1Xtra you clearly need 1) to know your music 2) to have your own direction to offer the station that they dont already cover that they actually need covering 3) to be a professional broadcaster.

Lots of DJs can mix and know their beats, but it's point 3) wheren Jayda excelled. That skill doesn't come naturally to lots of other DJs but is essential if you want to be on the BBC.

True dat, although J da did say "it's a good look" a bit too often for my liking lol.

Nah, I think you're bang on, J had exactly the right vibe for the BBC, and he pitched nicely between 'underground' and accessible. It can't be easy for the BBC deciding exactly who to bring on board to represent (in their words) "black music" across the whole spectrum. So much music to cover and only so many slots going...

It would be nice to see dubstep and also the crossover with grime repped on one show - as above though, I think a great deal of DJs in the scene who would be 'eligible' (i.e. well-known enough) are slightly too specialist for a weekly 1X show. As I said above, it would be great to get a few DJs on rotation or something similar.

So now we have to do a quick "My Fair Lady" job on one our our Dubstep hedz & scrub them up for the BBC..?

Or mug some aspiring DJs and convert them to our sound..?


hahaha

im into the my fair lady route

does anyone know about the process by which new shows are scheduled? do they identify an area then research and approach someone, or does it run through application? how do they identify areas which they want to cover?

Maybe it shall start with a massive & endless thread on 1Xtra message board?

elgato wrote:does anyone know about the process by which new shows are scheduled? do they identify an area then research and approach someone, or does it run through application? how do they identify areas which they want to cover?

I think they rely on a few people to have their "finger on the pulse",
and any kind of reshuffle gets discussed at a strategy meeting every few months.


But for all i know, it could be way more chaotic than that... >_>

Or maybe, what you need is a team, with some serious producers behind the scene who are professional broadcasters and who know the music, backed with a name as a presenter. That way the main man could pick up how to go about the show while having a solid production team who know their shit behind them.

Crazydave wrote:So now we have to do a quick "My Fair Lady" job on one our our Dubstep hedz & scrub them up for the BBC..?

Or mug some aspiring DJs and convert them to our sound..?


hahaha

Nah I don't think it's anything like that, just that not everyone is suited to doing a 'proper' radio show - it's not all shouts for the missed caller...

If it was up to me I'd like to see:

Youngsta (& Task)
Skream
Distance
Mala
Quiet Storm
Hot Flush

on rotation, or something similar.

the DJs-in-rotation thing is great for covering off loads of music (because it is true that too many of the top DJs are too specialised for 1Xtra to sustain a week-in-week-out show I suspect), but it doesnt satisfy the good presenting criterion so well. Unless it's hosted by the same person/presenter each week ie "Crazy presents"

ThinKing wrote: BTW @ Eskay, never knew we had an ex-beeb producer down in Bristol, wot you on down here?

Sorry for the confusion - the text was from 1xtra in reply to an email i sent them asking why they axed the show.

I was gutted when they pulled it.

whoever it is: the one good thing about jay was he was unbiased...lets hope the next person, if there ever is one, comes correct and not just a little mouthpiece...

Spaceboy wrote:whoever it is: the one good thing about jay was he was unbiased...

yes sid of course he was.

Blackdown wrote:

Spaceboy wrote:whoever it is: the one good thing about jay was he was unbiased...

yes sid of course he was.

as much as you are. but lets not get personal.

haha. indeed.

Blackdown wrote:too many of the top DJs are too specialised for 1Xtra to sustain a week-in-week-out show I suspect

Possible. Maybe we need someone slightly out of the DJ loop, who can still represent...
DJs can always *pass on* their plates, if they want exposure. Exclusives don't make a show.


And how 'specialised' are the D&B shows, anyway?
The scene's bigger, but they still have their angle...

I rekon Kode9 would be a perfect person to do something like this. He makes his own tunes but hes very meritocratic in his tune selection, good DJ, knows his music thru and thru and seems like a calm and sensible guy everyone respects to boot.

docdoom wrote:I rekon Kode9 would be a perfect person to do something like this. He makes his own tunes but hes very meritocratic in his tune selection, good DJ, knows his music thru and thru and seems like a calm and sensible guy everyone respects to boot.

distance...distance !!!

man can host, got a good voice.
plus he plays all over the board !!

Marsyas wrote:

docdoom wrote:I rekon Kode9 would be a perfect person to do something like this. He makes his own tunes but hes very meritocratic in his tune selection, good DJ, knows his music thru and thru and seems like a calm and sensible guy everyone respects to boot.

distance...distance !!!

man can host, got a good voice.
plus he plays all over the board !!

Not a bad point. To be honest, I think Joe Nice would a fantastic choice - plays across the board (although less breaky stuff of late), and supports more unheard artists on the regular than most DJs.

Would have to drop the multiple reloads though.