- Tue, 2009-05-05 17:10
Championed by Pete Tong, In New DJs We Trust brings the freshest new DJ talent straight onto radio airwaves, pumping it out through soundsystems across the globe via top station for new music, Radio 1. With the line-up reviewed every 36 weeks by Tongy himself, the concept behind the shows is to change genres, DJs, sounds and styles on a regular basis, keeping the shows forward thinking and boundary pushing.
Nerm and D-Code are part of In New DJs We Trust and currently play every third Friday of the month, on a show described as ‘Drum & bass fused with punk and electro.’ Having met at an East London warehouse party, the pair share a love of music and a history including production work, numerous residencies and pirate radio station experience. It made sense to join forces, so Shiva Soundsystem was formed.
Through Shiva Soundsystem they held down London residencies, toured the globe and played numerous festivals dates together. Separate work includes Nerm’s experimental drum n bass show on BBC Asian Network ‘Electro East’ and D-Code's production work; having remixed artists such as Asian Dub Foundation and Riz MC and often having the likes of Fabio, Andy C and London Elektricity rinsing out his production work in their club sets.
I Like Music set a very early (or rather late) alarm, and alongside a double espresso (or three) travelled across London at 1am on a Thursday night to sit in on Nerm & D-Codes 2-4am show at the Radio 1 studios.
Here’s what happened...
1.50am: Sat in the back of a taxi. Thought I was going to be sleepy, but am far too excited!
2.00am: Arrived at Radio 1. Should be in the studio with Nerm and D-Code now, but security guard is fiddling around with paper. We get in a lift...
2.10am: Ah! He can’t find the right room! This building is a labyrinth. I walk through the main office – hundreds of CDs and posters clutter up a lot of desks.
2.12am: Just walked through the Live Lounge! The whole building is much smaller than I imagined...
2.15am: Finally arrive in the studio! Hooray! The boys have been on air for 15 minutes now. Two producers sit at computers – Beccy and Joe. They print off texts and emails, fix equipment, sort out sound levels etc...
2.16am: I walked in just before a link so the sound levels in the studio were turned down. Once the link is finished the headphones are off and the levels go back up. Beautiful sound quality when turned up!
2.17am: The Subsonic Remix of Nine Inch Nails ‘THTF’ is dropped and it’s an absolute stormer. At the end of the tune Nerm rightly exclaims...“When was the last time you put your hands up to NIN!”
2.38am: Amongst the many amusing texts and emails to the show, a big shout out goes out to a camper called “Horse face killer” who just emailed in...
2.40am: I have a quick chat with producer Beccy who also works on Gilles Peterson's shows. She tells me her level of intervention as a producer varies completely from DJ to DJ. Due to Nerm and D-Code’s wealth of experience, she doesn’t have to help them too much. Although it’s clear her support is invaluable.
2.48am: The end of the first hour is rounded up with some siiiiiccccck tunes – Deadmau5 – I Remember (J Majik & Wickaman Remix) followed by Trippcore with ‘Sniper’ and then Inside Infor with ‘Ticker.’
2.53am: A barrage of hype continues to flood in via text, including the very amusing: “I just typed 81199 into my essay” Late night essay writing partnered with DnB.....interesting.
3.00am: Nerm and D-Code continue to bounce off the walls of the studio. Though not the usual practice for Radio 1 DJs, they play a track sent to them just 1 hour before the show! By “an unbelievable new artist.” Really cool to see new DJs repping other new acts on their show. The track in question is ‘Ill’ by Chasing Shadows. They’re not wrong. Check it out http://www.myspace.com/chasingshadowsexperimental
3.07am: D-Code sets up for his Old Skool 3-Play mix....
3.14am: “That vinyl crackling is just lovely” D-Code. It might be a state of the art studio, but Nerm & D-Code are still strongly in favour of old school vinyl...
3.17am: What a tuuuuuunnnnne: Breakbeat Era with ‘Ultra Obscene’ I avoid the urge to stand up and dance...
3.22am: Radio 1’s 1 Big Weekend Shout out! Nerm & D-Code will be playing the outdoor stage on Saturday 9th May alongside Annie Mac, Kutshi, Eric Prydz, 2ManyDJs, Zane Lowe, Rob Da Bank and more! For more info check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/bigweekend/
3.33am: A man texts in to say he’s listening whilst on the toilet...
3.34am: Throughout the show Nerm has continually told both producers and myself to listen out for certain drops, lyrics and parts to different tracks. Nerm and D-Code are reeeeaaaallly into all the tunes they play :)
3.45am: Text comes in – first ever Australian listener to their show! Hooray!
3.48am: Some serious on air jokes and banter between the two, resulting in Nerm laughing at D-Code’s nose. Non-musical quote of the show: ”If your nose was any bigger, you could scratch with it...” Laughs all round the studio.
3.52am: Closing the show with a Duke Dumont Remix of ‘Daniel’ by Bat For Lashes. What a show! Be sure to tune in next time.
