This week on the show, we have the legendary Nicky Black Market. He has a rich history in London Pirate Radio, playing on all the top stations during the 90s, and he continues to play on Kool FM today. He’s as well known as a DJ as he was for being the face of the Jungle and Drum & Bass department at London’s iconic Black Market Records. We cover some really interesting ground, and it becomes clear just how important this particular record shop was.

Black Market Records opened in 1988 and was a pillar of London dance music for 27 years before closing in 2015. Nicky Black Market and the whole Black Market Records family were a massive influence on me. I used to go there weekly—sometimes up to three times a week—to stay connected with what was new. That included buying records, finding out release dates, discovering which clubs were hot, and just hanging out and making connections. Like most great record shops, Black Market was much more than just a place to buy records. It was as important to Jungle, Drum & Bass, UKG, Dubstep, and other genres as any other component in the growth of the music.

I’ll also be answering some listener comments and questions at the end of the show, so keep it locked for that. If you want to get involved, you can join the Discord.

Some footage of 90s Black Market Records HERE and HERE

First record I bought in Black Market Records - DJ SS ‘Rollige’ or as Nicky describes it ‘Omlette & Chips’

My Rinse FM residency archive HERE

Join the Discord HERE to discuss, feedback and suggest anything for the podcast

My new album SLOW860 is out now HERE

In this episode, I reflect on last week’s 0860 Exhibition, ‘Somewhere About Town,’ held at the incredible Hackney Gallery in East London. The exhibition was a collaboration between my brother Harry and me, celebrating pirate radio culture through a collection of photography, artworks, and artefacts.

The event opened on Friday, November 15th, with a live performance by me and DJ sets from Warlock, Brockie, and MC Det. The show ran throughout the weekend, attracting an eclectic mix of visitors. Some came after hearing about it, while others stumbled across it by chance and were intrigued. It was an amazing experience that has sparked so many ideas about where to take this project next.

The Hackney Gallery was the perfect venue for this show. It’s a very DIY, grassroots, and unofficial space—much like pirate radio itself. It’s run by a group of passionate young people who are building a community and making things happen out of necessity, again mirroring the spirit of pirate radio. The gallery is located just around the corner from the Nightingale Estate in Clapton, where many stations, including Kool FM, Weekend Rush, and Defection, broadcast during the 1990s. Having two Kool legends, Brockie and Det, perform in a grassroots space so close to where they first started out was truly special. I delve into all of this in detail during the episode.

Putting the exhibition together was an intense process, so this week’s episode doesn’t feature a guest. Instead, it’s just me. First, I share a debrief of the exhibition, and then I dive into listener questions on topics such as the era of internet radio, approaching music and culture as an outsider, Jungle and Video Games, and incredible stories of how pirate radio recordings have traveled far and wide to bring people together.

Join the Discord HERE to discuss, feedback and suggest anything for the podcast

Check out the Hackney Gallery HERE and their ‘Under The Hatch’ DJ sessions HERE

My new album SLOW860 is out now HERE

John Higgs - The KLF book HERE

Check out ‘Jack Move’, the video game I scored HERE

*****NEWS*****

Join us for a free 0860 exhibition in London: Somewhere About Town

Astrophonica & Utile present an exhibition of artworks, photography, artefacts and performances celebrating Pirate Radio culture running 15th - 17th November at The Hackney Gallery. The private view is on 15th Nov 7-11pm with a live cassette loop performance of Fracture’s ambient Jungle album ‘SLOW860’ and some very special DJ sets which we’ll announce shortly. It’s free and will be a vibe so it would be great to see you there.

Private View 15.11.24, 7-11pm w/ Fracture (SLOW860 Live) and Special Guest DJs TBA

Opening times 16 - 17.11.24 12-7pm

Hackney Galley, 1 Lower Clapton Road E5 0NS

Fracture's new SLOW860 album ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠

A long read on the album is here

On to this week’s guest, the rave aesthetic machine that is Pete Cannon. His work as a music producer spans decades and genres, working as a Hip Hop producer, a media composer and in recent years a Hardcore & Jungle artist. His approach steeped in the DIY history of rave music and his studio is full of many of the bedroom producer tools that lead to some of the most seminal records in the genre. The two main reasons I wanted to get Pete on was the fact that he grew up in Blackpool which, as we learn, had a healthy Pirate Radio and rave scene. There’s been lots of representation of London and some of the more well known stations on this Podcast so it was great to hear about first experiences of rave music through his local stations and Manchester legend Stu Allan. We also talk about his passion for old skool equipment including the Amiga, which seems to be having a bit of a renaissance at the moment with various plug-in emulations becoming available and a recent Bizzy B and Brain Records exhibition specifically about using an Amiga to make Jungle. We start on Pirate and then take a deep dive into production, discussing sampling, breakbeats and the sonic qualities of his equipment.

Follow Fracture on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bandcamp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Music⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Beatport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

For more information on the project, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠0860.fm