DAB Days of Summer
Nine niche radio stations to get you out of a listening funk
Solstice behind us, the World Cup stretching ahead, topless men on the tube and a consistent dearth of lime white claws - we’re in the thick of summer. A delirious kind of optimism is cultivated as we become accustomed to warmer days and lighter evenings, triggering an inclination to refresh playlists and uncover new sounds. To save you from reverting to the AI slop of your Spotify Discover, take a look at these curated, cult radio shows to soundtrack the season.
Since its founding as an educational broadcaster in 1976, Triple R has become Australia's most influential community radio station, broadcasting live to over 1,000,000 listeners per month across FM and digital platforms. With a stacked program of over 60 shows, our favourite is The International Pop Underground, championing the elusive concept of ‘unpopular pop music’. Hosted by Anthony Carew – “I feel like I've played more Chilean pop in the past couple of years than anyone in the history of Australian broadcasting” - this is the perfect listen to escape the baked-in homogeny of the genre.
Founded as a pirate station in Spring 1991, Radio 1 Prague originally broadcast from inside the pedestal of the former Stalin Monument as part of the Totalitarian Zone exhibition. Shortly after, they were taken off air and their equipment confiscated by the government, but following a significant public outcry, the station returned and has solidified its presence on 91.9 MHz ever since. ‘Novinky na alternativní scéně’ hosted by Josef Seldon - one of the longest-serving DJs on the station – is a fantastic Sunday evening listen and a great space for hearing a new slew of alternative tracks.
Broadcasting from a house party style club, Seoul Community Radio has become a favourite platform for local artists, kickstarting careers and providing space for collaboration, as well as cultivating an expansive roster of international talent. Dance live to a show in Seoul or tune in via their website from Thursday to Sunday, 7 pm KST.
Founded by a group of local and international music makers, Echobox is committed to reflecting the eclecticism of the Amsterdam arts scene by putting the format of traditional radio front and centre. The station features an expansive curation of familiar names to emerging talent, the latter of which it supports through Echonow - a mentorship program for up-and-coming creatives on the club scene. With an eclectic tracklist and pleasingly meandering chatter, we recommend ‘When Do You Sprout?’ hosted by Harry Reddick and Chalice Cox-Hynd, as well as ‘The Vinyl Train’ - hosted by iconic Amsterdam native DJ Marcelle/Another Nice Mess.
Covering the spectrum of grassroots electronic music, Subtle Radio is a community-led radio station based in Hackney, broadcasting 24/7 to listeners all over the world. Committed to exploring and uncovering fresh talent, tune in to one of their hundreds of resident shows broadcast each month, or head to one of their events, with locations ranging from London to Berlin and Barcelona.
Bolstering and cultivating independent Aussie music, arts and culture on air since 2003, FBi’s output maintains a 50% Australian percentage, with half still just from Sydney. Revamped in 2024, we are particularly keen on Limbs Akimbo on Saturday mornings, broadcasting two hours of tracks from Moonshoe Label head, Jackson Fester, AKA Cousin.
A relatively new station, The Hawaii Reggae Network was founded last year (on Bob Marley’s birthday) by, among others, former Maui Radio DJ Guy Amico, who launched the first reggae radio show on the island back in 1983. The digital station promises ‘big sounds from tiny island’, spanning the scope of the genre from timeless classics to Cali-roots, as well as unique rhythms from Jamaica, Hawaii and New Zealand.
Housed on a website charmingly reminiscent of noughties browsing, SomaFM broadcasts over 30 unique channels of listener-supported, commercial-free alternative radio worldwide. Groove Salad, hosted by founder Rusty Hodge, is a cult digital radio favourite, playing downtempo and chillout electronica as well as new underground releases.
Radio Garden is the ultimate platform for exploring the expansive scope of international radio* and uncovering niche shows. You can scour for stations from the map, browse their curations or even use the ‘Take a Balloon Ride’ feature to land on a random frequency. Radio’s demise has been predicted in the same vein as print and vinyl but happily, like those mediums, it persists - with resources like Radio Garden making it simple and quick to access creatives and curators that make it worth tuning in.
* Currently, if you want to listen to stations outside of the UK, you can only do so via a VPN