London Pirate Radio Adverts 1984 – 1993, Vol. 1 & 2

A pair of compilations released by Death Is Not The End celebrate London’s pirate radio stations of the ‘80s and ‘90s. ‘London Pirate Radio Adverts 1984 – 1993,’ is available in two volumes on cassette and CD, and consists of adverts, idents and music broadcast from illegal radio stations at the height of the UK electronic dance scene’s emergence.

Highlights include clips like ‘Ravers Dateline’, which promotes dating hotlines to single ravers looking for relationships. ‘Under 18s Disco’ advertises an underage music event built on ragga, house and rap music at a cost of £3 a ticket, while the powerful announcement of ‘Walls of Babylon’ announces an ambitious event: “On Saturday 10th November,” declares the compère, “there will be a massive, all-night warehouse party taking place somewhere in the heart of the metropolis.” 

Audio archivist Luke Owen, who curated the two collections, has for seven years hosted NTS’ monthly radio show ‘Death Is Not The End’, which is dedicated to showcasing exotic and obscure sounds. Recent shows have covered the UK Bhangra scene of the ‘80s and ‘90s, pre-war Japanese Ryūkōka recordings and ‘70s Indonesian pop and rock music, while the label’s physical releases range from archival field recordings to Jamaican doo-wop compilations.

‘London Pirate Radio Adverts 1984 – 1993, Vol. 1 & 2’ are available via Death Is Not The End.