by Shaun Chait, NZ Musician, Vol. 10, No. 5, October/November 2002
There probably isn’t one major Wellington band from the last two decades that doesn’t owe Radio Active a big thank you. Shihad, HLAH, Weta, Fur Patrol, TrinityRoots, Upper Hutt Posse, and Breathe all introduced themselves to radio listeners courtesy of Wellington’s 89FM.
The station has also been a fervent supporter of local bands through promotions ranging from gig sponsorship and live-to-airs through to the infamous Stars In Their Ears and Handle The Jandal nights out.
And let’s not forget the internationals the station has introduced to Wellingtonians – Pavement, Jesus And The Mary Chain, Sonic Youth, Tricky, The Sugarcubes… in fact pretty much any ‘alternative’ or ‘indie’ act you could name. So it is with much pride (a compilation album and a styley 30 page booklet), that the station which defines Wellington music, and the scene it comes from, finds itself celebrating its 25th birthday in 2002.
Active has always been at the cutting edge. Created by the Victoria University Radio Club in July 1977, the AM station virtually started life with the proverbial two turntables and a microphone. In 1982 Active became the first station in the nation to go FM (the big jump from mono to stereo).
Active has always been a pioneer – included in its list of firsts is the Uncut Funk Show, NZ’s first hip-hop programme, back in 1983. This is sandwiched between the earlier years introducing listeners to rock orientated heavy, independent, and underground guitar-based music, and its recent years pioneering beat-influenced genres like dub, electronica, and a host of DJ styles.
With both rock and dance music now so mainstream, it is perhaps difficult for younger readers to fathom what a leader Active has been. Those readers need look no further than Active’s self imposed 30% minimum Kiwi music quota to see its willingness to lead from the front.
Active’s other great strength is that it has always been staffed by people with a passion for the music the station plays and for the station itself. In 1992 the Victoria University Students Association decided the station needed to go.
Unfazed, a group of DJs of the time, led by then Station Manager Michael Walls, bought the station off the Students Association for $30,000. With 15 shareholders (now risen to roughly 25), Active moved into the era of private ownership. In 1998 the station completed its transition when it moved off Victoria’s campus and into its current building on Victoria St. in the heart of Wellington City.
Talking with Michaela Westrupp (Promotions & Publicity), and station stalwarts Miles Buckingham (DJ/Creative) and Andy Miers (DJ - The Session), the affection they have for the station and the impact it has had on more than just Welli’s music scene is obvious.
How’s this for a line up of past DJs? John Campbell, Maggie Barry, Jacqui Clarke, Gerald Dwyer, Jacqui Riddell (JJJ Melbourne Manager), Mark Cubey, Bodega’s Fraser McInnes, Dean Hapeta, Emulsifier, King Kapisi, Mu, Clinton Smiley, and Cuffy & Leon D.
The station has also released four CDs of Wellington’s and NZ’s finest, beginning with their 21st birthday CD. For the 25th a slickly packaged double CD, ‘25: The Silver Selection,’ was released at the end of September.
One of the more recent acts Active can claim is The Black Seeds. With mainman Barnaby Weir and other members among station staff, the Seeds were actually formed to play at an Active gig.
Active events that showcase and support our talent include the One Love Waitangi Day celebrations (which last year drew over 5000 people), NZ Music Month (incorporating the Stars In Their Ears night where Welli bands cover Kiwi classics), and Handle The Jandal, where local film-makers clips for local songs are viewed and judged by an ever growing audience.
While it’s celebration time at present, Active has never needed an excuse for a good party. In fact, many has been the time DJs have had to run their shows with comatose devotees asleep around them.
Stories abound, and many of the more infamous ones have happened live on air. Take the woman who locked herself in the studio and played one song over and over. Or more recently the two DJs whose all-night show carried through to the breakfast shift until they were escorted away when things got too messy.
There are tales of DJs bonking on air, and of guest DJs using every device for playing music at one time to create aural masterpieces. But the best story has to be the one about the DJ who arranged to have an ounce of cannabis delivered to the studio without realising the conversation was playing over the airwaves. Stuff other station shock jocks couldn’t hope to dream up!
Asked about the Active Way Of Life – one of the station’s catch phrases, Miers muses: “Play it as you see it. If you can fuck them up some way then you should do it.”
Buckingham expands: “It’s not being constrained in creativity. You can get away with lots you can’t do anywhere else.”
Westrupp offers another angle. “It’s about sharing knowledge. Everybody is here for the love of the music and the station.”
Hence probably the most apt slogan of all – Music For The Discerning Listener, extended with a large international audience via the net address www.radioactive.fm established in 1996.
The Active you hear today is a lot slicker and less underground than it used to be, largely because the underground has become more and more mainstream. Station policy and direction has remained the same from the student years to today, with emphasis on playing local sounds and playing artists the other stations won’t – at least until Active have broken them, that is. Westrupp says the station will foster “… any event that’s going to support grassroots, the underdog, or artists that need funding”.
Still part of the b.Net family, Active and its related stations provide the best vehicle for most upcoming bands to get airtime. Like this magazine, it is an essential stepping stone for upcoming bands and more established artists alike. Long may they continue to keep it real.
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