Dream FM: Tales From The Graveyard Shift
Pirate radio's underbelly: pranks, pants, raids and raves.
By 1995, Dream FM was one of London’s biggest and most memorable pirate radio stations. With individual shows attracting thousands of dedicated listeners, the crew were able to promote massive raves throughout London, launch record labels and even spin up a successful high-street dance magazine. They embraced an eclectic mixture of happy hardcore, oldskool, jungle and house. Sets would regularly transcend genres and eras of music. But most importantly, Dream had a genuine personality that eclipsed the music itself. Being a Dream listener felt like an invitation to an unending party, in contrast with the serious persona of many ego-fuelled pirates.
At the forefront of this success were the shows. During the day, you had the likes of Fiaz and Swifflee spinning oldskool, interspersed with prank phone calls - long before the Fonejacker TV series. There were original audience participation games, including Beat The Raid, loosely themed upon DTI busts on pirate radio. Prizes included Vics inhalers, event tickets and even dates with the DJs! Of course, there were plenty of high quality ‘normal’ sets too - often with high energy MCing and tight mixing. This was the station the likes of Kev Energy, Rise & Shine and many other successful DJs cut their chops on.
That being said, it was towards the early hours, during the so-called graveyard shift, that Dream’s proceedings descended into anarchy, with an eight hour non-stop party. On a Friday Buzzman, Phantom D, Crazy G, Styles and Krypton led the charge - plus whoever else fancied gate crashing. Even “Slipmatt called in on a Friday graveyard [session]”, reflects Buzzman. And once Saturday night fell, the baton was handed to MC Herbs with DJs Groovevandal, Mystic D, Gadjit and Soundsnapper.
“The atmosphere on the station was brilliant, lively, upbeat and friendly. It was mostly made magical by the crazy listeners the station had. I couldn't wait for Saturday nights to get up to the studio, take part in the show and have a blast”, recalls MC Herbs.
Groovevandal adds, “we all had a huge passion for the music. I joined around 1994 as my brother-in-law was one of the main crew sorting out transmitters and knew I loved mixing. I went one day and did a half hour set after Rhythm Master and the rest is history.”
“We started off as serious, but when you're doing eight hour marathons the brain needs something different. Plus we knew a lot of our listeners would be either on their way home from a rave or sat indoors getting out of it. Therefore, we'd do live calls, MC Herbs would do dodgy singing over speeded up honky tonk music mixed into drum & bass, rap battles between us all or just generally trying to put the DJ off by roasting him on the microphone.”
The live callers added to the fun, “people were just absolutely out there talking about the meaning of life and the best flavour ice lollies.” Nevertheless, these loyal callers were spared no mercy when they rang the station in the early hours, somewhat worse for wear. “We had one caller, who we managed to convince was speaking to his Dad”, reflects Groovevandal, before admitting, “we also pretended to be a Chinese takeaway.”
It’s fair to say the energy and creativity that went into each show was unparalleled. And even if the shows were spontaneous, a certain amount of planning went into the pranks. Herbs describes the lead-up to a typical graveyard shift: “Groovevandal was deeply engrossed in a porno in Soundsnapper’s front room. We made [him] a batch of orange angel delight and orange juice, filled with enough laxatives to cave in an elephant's anus. Time came for us to leave for Dream. We arrived at the studio, downed our usual bombs of whizz and got on with the show. I was just in the middle of cussing Groovevandal’s sloth-like head, when he grabbed the mic shouting, ‘shut up Herbs!’, before farting into the microphone. To our delight, he proceeded to shite himself live on air, rattling bass bins London wide with his follow through! He had this uncomfortable look on his face and ran into the studio bathroom. He'd completely fouled himself live on the microphone. His shitty boxer shorts were still hanging from the bathroom taps weeks later…”
“The laxatives were hilarious now I look back on it. It was a case of 'finish this great mix' or 'brown town'” laughs Groovevandal. “Some DJs were more serious than others as they wanted to progress further. Myself and MC Herbs were basically there to have fun and any recognition or esteem was a bonus we never expected. There were lots of crazy moments such as pranks on each other and mixing in obscure bluegrass music. There was even an incident when somebody let off a tear gas canister during my set. I managed to finish my mix before bolting out of the studio!”
The threat of raids from the authorities was significant during the era and, as such, the studio location changed frequently over the years. “I counted around nine [studio locations] when I was there, from mate’s flats to abandoned industrial labs”, Groovevandal tells me. “It was always the same set up: decks, a dodgy mobile phone and a worn out sofa. If you were lucky, a toilet, although there were incidents when using a bathtub was easier or even going behind a door.”
“My first studio was Lavender Hill, in a cellar full of dirty mattresses”, recalls Buzzman, “and yes, a DJ did the business with a girl on them!” “Most were around Wandsworth Road and Battersea”, Herbs adds. “Some were secret basements, others were squats, some above shops - but always a party! Once, I remember the police turning up due to a noise complaint and us all hiding in the dark.” Groovevandal recounts another police visit that was “swerved by hiding the decks and just sitting around listening to a radio.”
It wasn’t just the DTI and police causing headaches. The lawless nature of running a pirate resulted in rival stations brazenly stealing equipment, safe in the knowledge that the police wouldn’t be contacted. “A rival station, Boss FM, attempted a raid when we were in the old lab which had these huge sliding doors”, Groovevandal explains. “We had a heads up so took all the gear, some [of the crew] waited for them and I heard they locked them in.” Another time, “a rival station came down once and stabbed one of us in the leg”, acknowledges Buzzman. Furthermore, in the BBC’s Radio Renegade documentary, the station is taken off-air live on camera, during an Energy and Suicide set. This was “100% real. We'd sometimes get taken off three or four times a night. It was a regular occurrence.”
In an era when many of the rave lineups were dominated by the same big names, Dream provided a platform for fresh talent to become genuinely successful. “The events were always packed. My favourite was Labyrinth - although the Rocket, Adrenaline Village and Fridge were also brilliant.” recalls Herbs. “The first Allnighter will always be in my heart as it was my first time playing in public. I expected a small slot in the attic at Labyrinth”, admits Groovevandal, “but they gave me the second hour in the main arena. I was so nervous I could barely put the needle on the record but after half an hour I didn't want to get off. I loved mixing old Greensleeves acapellas into my tunes and I remember the place going insane. I only did it as I couldn't afford new vinyl every week so created my own. I'm sure I was the first DJ to mix Topcat's 'Lighter' vocals into a drum & bass track. I could be wrong though.”
However, nothing lasts forever, and by April 1997, Dream FM finally bowed out of the business. The London scene was changing - slick house and garage events usurping sweaty raves in terms of popularity. In fairness, Dream tried to adapt, incorporating these sounds into its schedule. But by then it was too late and there were new players on the scene. “There were too many others doing this and I think greed blinded them [the management] a bit. A lot of us just departed and went to different stations or made our own” recalls Groovevandal. “The house direction, in my opinion, finished it off - but by then I had been kicked off for my naughty behaviour on air”, laughs Herbs, “and constantly impersonating Fiaz [from the management team] didn't help!”
But Dream will never be forgotten, and thanks to the Internet, some of the shows are preserved forevermore. And in recent years, Dream has returned as an online station, with the support of the original team including DJ Wise, MC Lipton and Buzzman. “I have a Dream FM jacket and a few years ago someone stopped me and said ‘wow I used to listen to Dream’, which was nice”, laughs Buzzman. And that conveys the magic of Dream FM and the loyalty it commanded. It is fondly remembered over 25 years after vanishing from London’s airwaves, with many of the team remaining close friends and still passionately pursuing the music that they love. Dream FM - run, go tell a friend!
A special thanks / big-up yer chest to Groovevandal, Herbs and Buzzman for putting up with my unending torrent of questions! Without them, this article wouldn’t have been possible.
Love this! Dream FM changed my life is not an understatement. Took my teenage years out of the middle class suburbs into the murky world of rave music. I still try to put the same energy and enthusiasm i heard on Dream into my occasional DJ sets. Eternal respect to everyone involved.
Great article mate. Thank you so much.