We present the classics

Posted on October 6, 2026 by onedeckpete

A couple of weekends ago on Imaginary Stations a programme called CLSC was broadcast via the transmitters of the great Shortwave Gold. “Music we like to think is classic, or classical in nature” was the theme of the show and featured all sorts of loosely defined classic(al) tunes. Have a listen to below how the theme was translated by the Imaginary Stations crew.

Also at a couple of seconds in, is a mix from One Deck Pete called Classical Gas.
Tracklistings are:
Yussef Dayes – Magnolia Symphony
Classical Mechanics – Porphyry
Scientist Ft Alicia Previn – Scientist Spacewalk
The Salsoul Orchestra – You’re just the right size
The Poplar Bluff High School Bands – GRC – Classical Gas

There are more episodes of CLSC to come including CLSC2 which was broadcast last weekend and appears on the Imaginary Stations Mixcloud here.

More chilli business

Posted on September 13, 2026 by onedeckpete

The other month we got this great multi-coloured Bolivian Rainbow Chilli Pepper plant from Herne Hill Market that is now housed in the polytunnel and seems to love it in there so much as we are now getting more great purple flowers. Great stuff!

On a Chilli tip

Posted on September 13, 2026 by onedeckpete

Thanks to Kit G5KIT in Bristol who sent us these great pictures of his chilli plant and he wrote: “Remember those little chilli seedlings from earlier in the year? We’ve given most of them away, but kept the biggest one – and we took our first crop yesterday. The chillies aren’t very big, maybe 20mm long for the largest ones, but boy do they pack a punch. They’re not called ‘Demon Reds’ for nothing; they’re about 194,000 on the scoville scale of heat!” Wow that is crazy Kit!

He sent a tune too and added: “I do like the way the fruit grows upwards, they’re attractive as well as tasty. We’re going to make some chilli oil from these ones.” Cheers Kit for getting in touch.

And back over to France again

Posted on September 8, 2026 by onedeckpete

Here’s news about the new album from our gardening mate Spike Morschen43 from Le Puy-en-Velay, France called Retour En Force!!!

The set released a few days again on Bandcamp features 12 tracks featuring some heavy guitars, some whistling on Noir Y Voir (which would fit in on the Imaginary Stations WSTL show), a version of MV Ross Revenge For Ever (UK), which initially made us to get in touch with Spike through the pirate radio connection, and a great version of Madtone’s Dark Dread called Dark Dread / Toi … , L’Homme…

Give it a listen and name your price. Cheers Spike!

We didn’t see the eclipse as it went dark

Posted on August 12, 2026 by onedeckpete

Strange lighting was the order of the day when we witnessed the partial eclipse of the sun in SE23 around 7.16 pm this evening. The colander was out and reflected said phenomenon onto the fence. Crazy stuff!

The earth didn’t stand still and the birds didn’t stop singing but it was an interesting evening all the same and it was nice when the light went back to normal again.

Here’s an eclipse-related (originally for shortwave) mix from a few years ago called “Can you see Baily’s beads?”

Tracklistings:
A Man called Adam – Moon
Cosmos – Summer in space (Mark’s Harmonic 33 mix)
Cedric Im Brooks – Blackness of Darkness
Cornell Campbell – Stars

The colander is now back in the cupboard until the next eclipse in 2056 or whenever it is, the birds have gone to sleep for the evening and the world continues turning…

It was ten years this month: Weeds on the wire

Posted on July 29, 2026 by onedeckpete

We don’t usually look back in time but by chance we saw this earlier, which originally was posted on Weeds on July 10th 2016. Have a read/listen. Thanks again to Steve Barker for sending us this at the time!

Socialism train

Socialism Train – 19 in a socialist reggae style

Big thanks to Steve Barker from the excellent On The Wire on BBC Radio Lancashire for supplying this ace reggae chart for us. On The Wire has been playing the best in reggae, dub, electronica, ambient and all sorts of eclectic business weekly for over 30 years and is available on listen again here.

So here’s the tunes and there’s some crackers on here. If the tune is not featured, click on the links to view on youtube.

Cheers again to Steve for the chart, shouts to Fenny and Jim at On The Wire too. Keep up the good work!

1. Ethiopians – Socialism Train

2. The Mighty Diamonds – I need a roof 

3. The Heptones – Equal rights

 4. Peter Tosh – Get up, stand up

 5. Burning Spear – Social living

6. Abyssinians – This Land is for everyone 

7. Derrick Morgan – People’s decision 

8. Max Romeo – Socialism is love

9. Dillinger – Crashie First Socialist

10. King Tubby – Big Youth fights against capitalism 

11. Freddie McGregor – I’m a revolutionist 

12. The Youths – We a socialist (version) 

13. Prince Jazzbo – Step forward youth 

14. Jeb Loy Nicholls – To be rich (Should be a crime) 

15. Still Cool – To be poor is a crime 

16. Johnny Clarke – Declaration of rights 

17. I Roy – Every mouth must be fed 

18. Gregory Isaacs – Working class

19. Screechy Dan – Raise Your Glass Fi Di Working Class

To listen to the wonderful programme that is On The Wire, it is no longer on BBC Radio Lanchashire but check the blogspot here.

It’s also on Totally Radio on Sundays at 6pm here. It’s well worth a listen.

Here’s a great tune that was played on last week’s show from L.S. Diezel & Launch DAT called “Poor Man’s Glory”. There’s even a south London Tai Chi connection with this one!

Pass us some rain down here please

Posted on July 17, 2026 by onedeckpete

Cheers to Rich up in the Lake District for the great picture of what the weather was like up there today. Looks a bit cloudy, if you have any rain to spare in those lakes, could some be passed down here as our lawn is looking so blimmin dry.

Someone at work was telling us the other week about their brother-in-law who has a lovely green lawn even during this summer of draught 2026. She was saying “He’s been watering it morning, noon and night and it looks so green, not like mine”. She went onto say, he’s been watering it so much so that Thames Water contacted him and worried thinking he had a water leak on his property as the water bill had shot up so much. How mad is that? Remember big brother is watching you(r lawn).

Cheers for the picture Rich!

We’ll take you where the sun shines

Posted on July 1, 2026 by onedeckpete

Cheers to Maz and Marc from sending us some great pictures from their recent holiday in France. These photos are from in and about Saint-Aubin-de-Cadelech, south of Bergerac.

Just like when you receive postcards a few days after people come back off their holidays, we are following the tradition here. It was very hot over there and one day reached to 43 degrees C in the shade, wow!

Some Mirabelle de Nancy plums that taste very very sweet (above) and some sumac (below).

And a smoketree (below) that we have just read, that is related to sumac.

Here’s a wonderful willow shelter and below is the shady view from inside (looking down to the treeline by the River Dropt), what a great idea!

Big thanks to Maz and Marc for these great pictures! Hope you both had a great holiday.

Tunes to keep you cool in this heatwave

Posted on June 25, 2026 by onedeckpete

Here’s a lovely bit of reggae to keep you cool in this mad heatwave we are experiencing in London now. The first is from The Disciples and it is called Living by The Sea mix 3 (previously unreleased) and a wonderful bit of dub. It’s got those keyboard stabs that remind us of Gregory Isaacs and his Rumours tune.

And talking of Gregory, here’s a great one from years ago featuring an extended “jam” of the “Rock On rhythm.” Keep a listen out for a couple of Skybird Jams radio shows coming soon with extended mixes, tracks over 8 minutes long and “Jam” bands aka “Music to increase your attention span”.

More Downbeat on Shortwave this weekend!

Posted on June 11, 2026 by onedeckpete

This weekend Imaginary Stations bring you the fourth episode in the Downbeat on Shortwave series with Jesse Yuen (from Perth, Australia) and One Deck Pete (from Catford Village, Londres).

Jesse and Pete bring you two 15-minute downtempo mixes each over the hour-long show. Expect some ambient, dub, reggae and downtempo tunes for a chilled-out weekend.

The show is broadcast on Saturday 13th June at 1100 hrs UTC (12 noon in the UK) on 6160 kHz and then again on Sunday 14th June at 1300 hrs UTC (2pm in the UK) on 6160 kHz and 2000 hrs UTC (9pm in the UK) on 3975 kHz/6160 kHz. Thanks to the great Shortwave Gold for beaming those radio waves skywards.

Don’t worry if you haven’t a shortwave radio you can tune in via an online Software Defined Radio here (pre-tuned into 6160 kHz). Just plug in at the right time(s) and experience that shortwave mono sound with all the fading and cross channel interference live.

Here’s the older shows for your listening pleasure!

Programme 1

Programme 2

Programme 3

Weeds up to me knees

Madtone, gardening and life

Category Archives: Sounds from the south