Sunday, February 1, 2009

DJ Mikey J - Interview


Mikey, you are currently a DJ for Radio Ceredigion in Aberystwyth Wales, have you always lived and worked in this area?

No. I moved to Wales from London in about 1990. I took early retirement from British Telecom, used the lump sum to buy a derelict property in Aberarth, & I’ve
Been rebuilding it ever since.

Where did your interest in reggae come from?

Well I was working with a Trinidadian guy, and went to a lot of blues & house parties in the early 70’s. Then the “Tighten Up" series of lp's was released by Trojan, so it kind of grew from there, but I was more into calypso and soca at first though, as I was working as a driver/roadie/sound engineer with a band called Masquerade. I also did their disco - Pirate Sound, and then pirate radio JBC in Harlsden, then an African station, WLIB, and finally ended up on Eddy Grant’s station ICE FM. I also did some club work at Dougie’s Night Club (Harlsden) & a club in Hendon called Melanie’s. Thus, reggae became a necessity.

Which artists do you like and admire most?

I would have to say the band called "Israel Vibration”. They all suffered from polio, but overcame that, then suffered for their belief in Rastafari, as family and friends turned against them. They wrote & performed some great roots tracks. I also really like Luciano's material, in fact all the roots performers. Some of the dancehall music was good in the digital 80’s, but there were some very slack lyrics, not as bad as some of the later ragga dancehall stuff, but definitely not suitable for radio!

Is there a big scene in Wales, I know of Smokes Like A Fish, and Dirty Revolution, both of whom are more 2 Tone based, but is there much of reggae scene in Wales?

In the Ceredigion area dub reggae is quite big; we have the bands Subtronix, Zion Train & Powersteppers. Also the Angel in Aberystwyth has a reggae night, usually on Thusdays from 10.00pm until 4.00am with various dj’s playing all styles of reggae.

Have you or the radio ever thought about 'podcasting' your shows, so that they can reach a wider audience? I am sure there would be quite a bit of interest.

None of The shows are podcast as yet, but hopefully there is always a possibility of that in the future.

Anything you'd like to say?

Thanks Karl well actually there is. I’d just like to say a big thanks to the Springline, Reality Shock family, Do the Dog, Rockers Revolt and all the other small independent labels that send me music, I couldn't do it without you.
All the best - Mikey J


So if you are ever in the vicinity of Aberystwyth do try and tune in to Mikey J’s shows on Radio Ceredigion 96.6-97.4 and 103.3 FM between 10pm and 12am Saturdays and Sundays, also pop along to the Angel on a Thursday for some top flight reggae entertainment!



Shows:
Saturday Melting Pot - All styles pure reggae.

Sunday Melting Pot - Worldwide - Mystery Tour.

Radio Ceredigion was established in December 1992, to broadcast over the West Coast of Wales on 103.3, 96.6 and 97.4FM.
Radio Ceredigion is a bilingual Station which reflects the needs of the local communities. It is based at The Old School, in Aberystwyth, which houses three studios.
In March 1997 Radio Ceredigion began broadcasting on 97.4FM, reaching the Teifi Valley, North Carmarthenshire and North Pembrokeshire.
Radio Ceredigion is a station that talks to its listeners and tries to cater for most age groups, at sometime during the day. The play list is wide ranging with a variety of musical styles ranging from Welsh Pop and Traditional Dance, Garage, Rock, Jazz, Country and Western and Classical, with regional news, weather and up to date travel news and flood watch.
Radio Ceredigion has firmly established itself as part of everyday life in West Wales, with a 46% share of weekly listening.

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