Kool FM: the pirate station that helped build jungle
It first broadcast on 28 November 1991, on 94.5FM from Clapton, and 35 years on it still plays jungle and drum and bass on DAB and online.
By D-N-B Desk
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RAM Records: how Andy C's label became an institution
Established in 1992 by Andy C with the help of Ant Miles, RAM has run for three decades as one of drum and bass's best known independent labels.
Plenty of labels in dance music start with big ambitions and fade. RAM Records, established in 1992 by Andy C, has lasted. It is still independent, still run by the person who started it and still one of the first names fans mention when asked to name a drum and bass label.
The founding
Wikipedia says RAM Records was established in 1992 by Andy C with the help of his friend Ant Miles, and that it specialises in drum and bass. It is run by Andy C and his business partner Scott Bourne, who is also known as Red One. That partnership has kept the label stable while the scene around it has changed.
A track that moved the label forward
The label's early 2000s story is tied to a record called Turbulence by Moving Fusion, which Wikipedia describes as instrumental in moving RAM forward in that period. It records that the track was the number one voted track in drum and bass at the Mercury Music Prize in 2000.
The club nights
RAM is known for its club activity as well as its records. The most famous of its nights started at the London nightclub The End and lasted eleven years, until the club closed in December 2008. In February 2009 the night moved to the superclub Matter, and Wikipedia reports that attendance tripled from 1,000 to more than 3,000 people within two months.
That growth shows the scale the label's events reached. For many fans, a RAM night was a regular fixture, and the label's identity was built on live experience as well as releases.
The roster
Over its history, the label has signed many of the best known names in the genre. In this magazine, you will find coverage of RAM acts in the Artist and Top 10 sections, and the label's SoundCloud account is regularly among those we use to find new music.
What it shows
The RAM story is a lesson in consistency. A label that releases strong records, supports a regular club night and keeps its founder involved can last far longer than one that chases trends. It also shows that independence does not have to mean small.
If you are new to the label, begin with the artists you already know and follow the catalogue sideways to discover the others. It is one of the best ways of understanding the wide range of the genre.
Sources
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