Extract from my columns in Radio User July 2015
There is so much radio to choose from and never enough time to hear everything I would like to, but you just have to make the most of every spare moment. I have found a new radio station by accident when I was at Live 365 looking for some acid and fusion jazz. http://www.live365.com/genres/jazz
The new station I refer to is KSBR 88.5 at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California which I have added to my long list of favourites. http://www.ksbr.net/ It was a breezy Saturday afternoon in the UK but a bright morning in California and I was transfixed by wonderfully gentle and moving jazz-chill out music such as an unreleased track called Orange Sky by John Luttrell (https://soundcloud.com/john-luttrell ); New Day from David Arkenstone’s Sketches From an American Journey album (www.davidarkenstone.com) and Santa Fe by Deuter, from the Land of Enchantment album. (http://www.newearthrecords.com/artists-items/deuter/)
If I ever gave it all up to live in the USA I think, having been to 25 states in my five visits, the Californian coast would have to be where I make my home. Elsewhere in the USA, Eargasm in Texas is another online station I have enjoyed with a mix of jazz fusion, art rock and indie. Give it a whirl at www.live365.com/stations/fuzoid
With the return of Radio France Internationale to shortwave I have been grateful for online information about the station. There is a series of English programmes on their Soundcloud channel which will supplement your shortwave listening and which includes programmes you won’t be able to catch during their one hour of English each day on shortwave. https://soundcloud.com/radiofranceinternationale/sets/rfi-english
These include features on the Nelson Mandela memorial and an interview with D’Banj who is a Nigerian rapper, entertainer and cocoa farmer. While with RFI there is a You Tube channel, that of one Yohann Chauvin, which includes old RFI identifications and also a range of other French radio stations, news and old. See https://www.youtube.com/user/joggeli78 The official RFI You Tube channel meanwhile is always full of engrossing excerpts, at https://www.youtube.com/user/rfivideos.
