Transitions & Transmissions with Codesouth FM: How Brighton’s biggest dance station went from pirate origins to a local pillar of music culture
Scene Report Q&A: Codesouth FM
Featured Image Credit: Carly Greenwood
Interview with Daddystreets
From an allusive pirate broadcaster to a crucial dance music hub across the south coast – Brighton’s Codesouth FM has risen over the years to become a solid pillar of music culture in the city, where the records don’t stop spinning and event schedules don’t stop growing.
Broadcasting an array of electronic music from garage to hard-techno, and always showcasing a variety of up and coming talent from Brighton and beyond, Codesouth FM is not only a radio station but a thriving music community built from the ground up.
Codesouth’s longtime resident and now Development Manager Darren Carnaby, aka Daddystreets (who reviews for our On Rotation column) speaks to us about their humble beginnings, everything they’ve got going on in Brighton right now, and some exciting teasers for future projects
How and when did Codesouth first start up as a radio station? What are your earliest memories of the Codesouth journey?
“So Codesouth was the result of having to change the name of a previous pirate station.”
I was involved with that since 2010 and still have the recordings of so many shows.
I remember being grabbed off the street in Brighton by a mutual friend’s brother, and he knew I had played with his sister and her friend Kenny Ken back in London. I was vouched for so I got asked to come along to a meeting at the pirate station, that was my first introduction to Brighton pirate radio. That station and the management annoyed a lot of people and had to change names and then became Codesouth.
What inspired Codesouth’s beginnings as a dance music station? What is the main mission of Codesouth?
Codesouth was the result of a previous station name change, purely for its survival. In-fact it was called Codesouth, as at that time those two words together no one had earmarked for a website or social media tags.
When I became development manager just over three years ago with new owners and management, we looked at it as like a new old station haha.
“Our main mission is to keep the music at the forefront of what we do, training our DJs, developing new talent and nurturing our legends into the family we have now.”
What has been the biggest challenge in the Codesouth journey so far, and how did you overcome it?
So in the journey so far, I would say it was adapting to the legal game. Not only was it piles of admin, laws, licensing and more to learn and understand, but we found that some people including loyal listeners weren’t happy that the previous broadcasting on our website and FM airwaves had suddenly stopped.
We never really dealt with that loss to them, while seeing the road coming to an end for that sort of thing, so we got onboard the DAB system and since then everyday is a school day.
New policies, new laws, things like insurance, PRS and more have been a wake up call to all of the management team; they have adapted and we are now currently going through preparation for another big challenge!
“So yea, transitioning from a pirate station to a legitimate one that’s bound by regulations and laws etc, with all the paperwork that comes with that has been a massive challenge.”
So far this year, what specific tracks in the genres DnB, Techno, House, and Garage have had the biggest hype and response from audiences?
Without a doubt the tune I get asked for the most in clubs is Backbone by Stormzy and Chase & Status. It’s a pop DnB crossover that has everyone singing along to Stormzy that they have no backbone!
Anything by PAWSA – smash after smash from 80’s anthems to early 90s dance classics being re-dubbed, such as Stevie V’s Dirty Cash (another sing along special). Also, Too Cool To Be Careless, sampling that anthemic don’t look any further by Dennis Edwards.
“On a personal tip I have been hammering new dub plates from DLR, Dutta and of course myself. Look out for the new record label coming soon with music from the Codesouth Family.”
Tell us about a rising producer or artist in the Brighton scene who is making incredible music right now?
I would say Ren is a producer who’s risen and returned with a comeback. Also look out for Bloodl3tter and Hyde, as they are both making tracks that give your face a full on emotional workout (from bass face scowls to smiling euphoric chi)!
What has been the biggest benefit Codesouth has had to the local community?
“I remember being at one of our live nights in Brighton last year and a lady came up to us at the DJ booth; she told us about how she recently lost her daughter and without Codesouth she wouldn’t have made it through.”
It was our music that helped her through that dark period of her life. Now if that doesn’t explain what we do then I don’t know what will.
We have opened doors for so many musicians and artists, as well as connecting with students, local charities and worthwhile causes, and we’re just getting started – plenty of things coming up to talk about in the future!
If you could give one piece of advice to young grassroots artists wanting to get their music played on the radio in the UK, what advice would you give?
“This is how me and other DJs and artists used to get gigs and get our music played on stations (before social media) – go and meet people, make connections, network, so when you do send in your music with your bio, they will be able to put a name to a face.”
When you send in your music try to make that email stand out, or message someone on Facebook or Instagram first and introduce yourself. We get sent so many emails from people, and we do try to listen and respond even if it’s not what we are looking for. BUT a lot of my counterparts at other organisations and labels do not reply to unsolicited music.
Build a following and get them to mail the station about how awesome your music is, attend fairs, meet people, do it old skool ha ha!
What plans do you have for Codesouth going forward into the future? And are there any trends in the UK dance music scene happening now that you expect to become big?
Oooh there is a lot happening behind the scenes that I can’t talk about just yet! But I can say that the record label and production studio suite is set up, and we have our very own tutorial programme led by one of Paloma Faith’s producers, so that is pretty exciting!
“We’re expanding our intern programme as well, working with Brighton University as we have done for several years. So stay tuned and wait and see for exciting things in the pipeline! Keep your eyes peeled to our socials to find out what’s happening.”
