Sweetpea Hosts Radio 1 D&B Show

Starting Boxing Day and running through to New Years Day, BBC Radio 1 is being taken over by a host of Christmas Presenters. This year it has been announced that London based DJ Sweetpea will be in the hot seat for the Drum & Bass Show, usually hosted by René LaVice.

We caught up with Sweetpea to find out what we can expect while she’s in charge…

Firstly congratulations! Hosting the biggest drum & bass radio show on the planet!! How did you react when you got the news?

I actually let out a big scream, did a little dance on the spot then ran around my flat for a bit. I was (and still am) absolutely over the moon!!

Have the nerves kicked in yet or are you raring to get it done?

I’ve been really enjoying getting tracks together. I am nervous, but excited nervous! I think my stomach will drop fully when I get to the BBC Studios to record! Eek!

Tell us a little about your background presenting radio shows, we know you have a history on the London pirate radio scene

I started out on Pirate Radio station RudeFM and held a weekly Friday evening show there for 6 years! I loved it, and owe a lot of getting my name around in the early days to Rude. Some of my first gigs came through being on the station, so i will be forever grateful. I currently have a bi-weekly show on BassDrive Radio (which definitely kept me sane throughout Lockdown) and I’ve also hosted the EQ50 shows on RinseFM. I love radio, I enjoy chatting and getting interactive with listeners.

Did you ever imagine back in those early days that you’d one day be doing your thing on Radio 1?

More than anything, I just always wanted to do a mix for the Drum and Bass show on Radio 1, I’ve been lucky to have music played on there, but I never did a mix for them. Now I’m doing a whole show! MAD!

For those that perhaps haven’t heard you play before, which artists / labels can we expect to hear you representing on your shows?

I enjoy all corners of Drum and Bass and Jungle. I’ll be playing the full 360 – Liquid – Rolling – Techy – Jungle – Dark.
I have some 2022 exclusive from the likes of – Dispatch, Critical, Coco Bryce, Seba, Overview and a few cheeky dubs from myself!

Our mate Laurie Charlesworth did the Xmas shifts the past couple of years. Has she, or has regular host René LaVice given you any tips?

I was so excited for Laurie when she got the spot last year. She’s a really good friend of mine and has been so supportive and was super happy for me when I told her the news. I haven’t spoken to René yet, hopefully he will hit me up and we will get to chat before the show. I know he’s a busy guy.

Due to Covid restrictions Laurie had to record last years show from home & didn’t get the full BBC Radio experience of being in the studio. That won’t be that same for you will it?

A lot of the shows are being done remotely. I am lucky to be in London, so I can go to the studios. I wanted the show to be the best it can be so having a producer and the proper equipment will make that difference, and I hope stand out!

Your own body of music is pretty solid, with releases on Spearhead & Hospital to name just two key labels. Is there any new music in the pipeline?

I am very close to fully finishing my 2nd EP for Spearhead, which I’m hoping to send off at the beginning of next year. Myself and Iris also have more music for Sofa Sound, which will be dropping next year at some point. I have one more track coming out before the year is up with Spearhead on their MoodSwings 4 VA LP and am working on a special remix for next year!

Finally, if you were DJing at Boris Johnson’s next Xmas party at No. 10, what would your opening tune be?

PERFECT ANSWER!!

Dynamics, the Bristol-born initiative celebrating female/non-binary bass music artists, produced a series of mini-documentaries ‘Featured” telling the stories of the womxn behind the music.

The first instalment of ‘Featured’ focused in on Sweetpea, delving into her musical / DJ history, her journey into production & included interviews with Sicknote, Visionobi and MC Chickaboo.

Sweetpea will be hosting the Drum & Bass Show on BBC Radio 1 on Monday 27th December from 23:00 GMT. You’ll be able to listen back on the BBC Sounds App. Also listen out for our friend Charlie Tee who will be taking on Radio 1’s Dance Party.

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The post Sweetpea Hosts Radio 1 D&B Show appeared first on LoveThatBass.