DJ Scratcha: The Grimey Breakfast on Rinse FM

This is still work in progress, but Scratcha makes me laugh A LOT. Scratcha does ‘The Grimey Breakfast’ on the absolutely incredible Rinse FM. A lot has been written about Rinse all over the web—it is the home of so many of the best black music heads in the UK at the moment including Roll Deep, Skream / Zinc and Benga, Boy Better Know and Plastician—but not enough people have been shouting about the weekday 8-11 slot. 

Some things work, and some things go on way too long, but when it’s right it’s very right. Often in a very wrong way. Recent features include a summer special where listeners split up with their girlfriends / boyfriends on air (because you don’t want to have a girlfriend in the summer right?), and this morning was a phone in about the perils of ‘going down’ for both girls and boys. Eat that Terry. 

The music is amazing (kinda like a really upfront 1Xtra breakfast minus lame R’n'b plus some killer underground hits), and—without getting all grown up on it—it’s really good to hear a show that hasn’t been neutered in the age of compliance and censorship where young people can talk how they talk.

As he says ‘it’s breakfast—start your day with a nice white pearly smile’. Wow. 

Check Rinse on their website, or listen to the podcasts here (Scratcha comes round pretty regularly).

If we’re talking pirate radio stations – then you’ve got to big up Station FM which last week celebrated 18 years on 89.8FM. It’s my absolute favourite station anywhere anyplace – famous for playing what they call ‘big people music’ ie. reggae for the older listener, plus soul and gospel. It’s also totally community orientated with loads “stop the gun crime” and “say no to coke fellas” messages. Station FM has also been pioneering the “ladies free before 11, smart dress to impress” adverts for many years. Love it.

It has really good reception across North and East London and over the weekend I picked it up in W1. But you can also check it here.

I know virtually nothing about this pirate other than it’s on 106.9, you can hear it in Dalston and in the morning, more often than not you can hear the most incredibly 7″ roots selections played with the minimum of fuss. Last week the regular DJ was replaced for a few days by someone that played a lame version of casio gospel, but then normal business was restored later in the week. No website I’m afraid.

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