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CHRIS REDJAM, MUSIC PRODUCER AND PRESENTER
“Hey Mr Redjam, do you fancy presenting a radio show?” It was 30th October 2021, on a peaceful Saturday afternoon, I was in the company of my favourite Rombouts filter coffees and a lemon incense stick remixing a track I was working on in Redjam Studio A in deepest Somerset at the time. The question regarding the radio show came during a phone conversation I was having with one of my greatest friends of the last 15 years Drew “Drewbag” Armstrong. It was asked in his usual casual manner in the middle of a discussion we were having relating to the multifarious benefits of certain types of plug-ins for music production that were currently available. I considered, thought-through and gave Drew my response to the radio show question in under one second which is quite normal for me and then instantly formulated a dozen questions in my mind which, knowing me as he does, Drew had clearly anticipated and before I was able to draw a deep breath and begin to verbally scatter gun him he simply and clearly stated “The Answer’s Yes What’s the Question” It was a tacit assumption; however, that all the information that is already known was contained in that one statement. There was a momentary pause before Drew broke the silence to inform me that he was part of a relatively new venture for Aspen Waite into the zany world of owning a radio station and that was the stations motto. Wow I replied, rather cautiously, and then continued to fire, much to Drews amusement, several questions at him all at once not quite convinced at this point that I could present a radio show in any manner I chose with whatever song content
I wanted, (this has subsequently been aligned to Ofcom guidance without ever breaking it). Drew knew my music taste already and indicated the station would be receptive to a new show playing songs of my “alternative music taste” I sent Drew a short, recorded example that same afternoon of what I felt the show could sound like. The following week a proposed start date was given to me for my first show, a virtual meeting arranged with Craig, and it was off we jolly well go on Saturday November 13th at 8pm for 2 hours of my alternative song choices every week. Fast forward to February 2022 and I’m now 14 Radio Shows in. I’ve got to know several very creative individuals and spent lots of time with Calum Waite who I did know before and had done some studio recordings with. I’ve also communicated with and got to know hundreds of bands and artists of whom I probably would have never heard of, and I enjoyed a very pleasant Saturday afternoon in the company of Paul Waite who has subsequently asked me to write this article. It’s a natural assumption for anyone that knows me to think the show would be about music and as I appear to have an inherent affinity to talking, rather a lot, so no one seemed particularly surprised about me presenting a radio show in the way they would have if I had said I’m going to have flying lessons. The easy answer to what I play on the show is anything I want both old and new that I like, most people quickly make the connection on what that is likely to be.
