More cool stuff on the shortwaves

On Sunday 11th August 2024 at 0900/1300 hrs UTC on 6160 kHz and then at 2000 UTC on 6160 kHz and 3975 kHz Imaginary Stations have yet another version of COOL, this time COOL 5 via Shortwave Gold. Like the last COOL shows, it’s summer vibes galore and tunes to listen to whilst on the sun lounger. Towels and suntan lotion at the ready please!

Then via WRMI on Wednesday 14th August 2024 at 0200 UTC on 9395 kHz they’ll be bringing you a back to school special of KMART, your “official supermarket shortwave radio station”. Expect voucher give-aways, extended opening hours and the best blue light specials on the planet (*All subject to availability of course). Tune in and enjoy an alternative to shopping via the shortwave dial.

We never knew that. Part 303

Reggae is one of those genres that if you think you know a little, you’ll always be suprised. By pure fluke we found the above tune from Ranking Toyan – Kill No Man whilst looking for another Toyan tune on youtube. We then remembered the horn version on the LP Aggrovators Meet The Revolutionaries we bought in a second hand shop many moons ago and used the title track on a “Radio Clarion Vs KDUB” shortwave mix. That thing called the internet can be great sometimes!

On the radio

On Sunday 4th August 2024 at 0900/1300 hrs UTC on 6160 kHz and then at 2000 UTC on 6160 kHz and 3975 kHz Imaginary Stations have another version of COOL, this time COOL 4 via Shortwave Gold. Like the last COOL shows it’s all about those summertime tunes, 1950’s sun tan lotion adverts, deckchairs, long drinks and cool nights. If you’ve loved the last few summer shows you’ll love this one. Shortwave on, sunscreen on and tune into COOL.

Play it again on a Tuesday…

This came up in our youtube feed just and we’d forgotten how good it is. We love it even more as we imagine that the blokes in the band are standing on a platform at the Elephant & Castle railway station with the old London College of Printing building at the back of them. This is such a good tune! £25 on discogs and worth it, we reckon! Love a 12″ with an extended mix and a dub version too.

Number stations for the spy in a chip shop on a friday night

 

Thanks again to Justin Patrick Moore, this time for letting us know about this great track. Sounding like a send up of the Lincolnshire Poacher number station the wonderfully named Shropshire Number Stations brings you The Minsterley Tumbler and it’s good fun. We do hope that this doesn’t start a trend of happy sounding tunes sampling/parodying number stations as it’s all doom and gloom and the end of the world  on shortwave, ain’t it?

Here’s another track that isn’t getting all serious on us when it comes to sampling off shortwave. Ax Martz brings us the upbeat Mensaje en código (Coded message).

 

If you do some bass heavy tripped out ravey number stations vibes, this is a good one. RAVEDEATH1993 with Number Station Dub.

 

00000. End of message end of transmission. Enjoy your weekend (said in a monotone robotic voice of course).

You say zuchinni, we also say courgette

It’s going absolutely crazy in the vegetable patch at Justin Patrick Moore‘s back yard in Cincinnati. Our good friend from across the pond and author of the fine book The Radio Phonics Laboratory (out now from the Peckham based Velocity Press here) has sent us some pictures of his vegetable plot. Look at the monster zuchinni plants (above) and the present harvest (below).

And as for the green beans and the corn (and the current harvest in the fridge) look at the below. It’s funny as our zuchinni (AKA courgette or baby marrow over here) and green beans didn’t get past germination stage or if they did, the “no holds barred” Forest Hill slugs had them.

Usually with zuchinni/courgettes we have a glut and there’s only so much you can do with them. There are ways around that glut though, we’ve tried this chocolate courgette cake here and here’s a great idea from Justin’s wife Audrey.

An open sandwich called Yvonne.
Put sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini, and spinach, black olives if you like them, seasoned with garlic, pepper, basil and melted swiss cheese on top that you ladle over toasted bread. Add a splash of soy sauce to your taste. Sounds great for those zuchinni gluts and your own gut too.

And (above) look at this for a self-seeding/volunteer zuchinni in his garden too! What went on with our seedlings I wonder and usually our normal plants don’t even get as big as this.

And as for a tune, Justin picked this one from Tim Curry funnily enough called The zucchini song. Cheers again for the pics and recipe idea Justin and here’s more on his great book here:

On your imaginary airwaves this week

On Sunday 14th July 2024 at 0900/1300 hrs UTC on 6160 kHz and then at 2000 UTC on 6160 kHz and 3975 kHz Imaginary Stations will be bringing you more summer of shortwave celebrations with COOL 3. More summer vibes and happy sunshine tunes even if though the weather outside isn’t summer-like where you live. It’s certainly don’t feel like summer here today.

Then via WRMI on Wednesday 17th July 2024 at 0200 UTC on 9395 kHz they’ll be bringing you a great show in the form of Radio Ace, alas no Flash Frisbone but an array of wonderful tunes and the story of Mingling Mike. It’s a winner of a show and one well worth a listen so tune in!

Call this summer weather?

The summer seems to have subsided and today was very ropey weatherwise. Where has all the good weather gone as The Kinks once sang?

To cheer us up here’s a picture of an odd looking plant growing in the wild bit at the bottom of the garden. We did a plant ID search using identify.planet.org and it turns out it’s Greater Quaking Grass or some sort of variation of it. As it’s in with lots of other plants in the wild section of the garden, it’s hard to see the “thin stems hung with pale green flowers, which look like raindrops as they catch the light” as described on Sarah Raven’s website. Looks like a small wasps nest or a mini cocoon to us.

And to cheer us up in an audio style here’s a great tune from 2021 from 3kuad called Screen Dub.

Don’t let the bad weather grind you down!

Popcorn Double Feature later showing

Wow we didn’t even know it was a cover version! We prefer The Fall‘s interpretation but this ain’t bad though. While we’re there, we’re sticking this one below from The Fall as we love the Lee Perry original but this is great too.

One of those new fangled gramophone records

Found in a charity shop in east Dulwich the other day, a nice 10″ with wonderful sleeve advertising the services of Knight’s in Bearwood, Birmingham. There’s music, gramophones and “dance bands supplied for dances, parties etc.” Great stuff! Nice label design too! Anyone out there with some great 10″ 78’s they want to post up? Well drop us a line with some pics.