Radio 3 has canned the most experimental music show on (any, I’d guess) national radio – Mixing It. I’m sure it’s not the most popular of shows, and I’ll admit I haven’t listened regularly in the last few years, but every time I have, it’s made me smile, grin, and buy new music I’d never heard of. Magazines such as The Wire can only go so far in describing the wide spectrum of experimental and fringe music – you have to hear it, something that Mixing It championed, week in week out.
It has a very special place in my heart, as alongside John Peel’s show, it formed my musical taste in my teenage years. I religiously recorded it on tape every week, and it played continuously on my walkman (maybe fast forwarding over some of the screaming female accapella). The playlist, which you used to be able to get by return with an SAE – pre-Internet, became my shopping list on trips into London, either at the big Virgin Megastore, or places like Sister Ray. Between them I picked up albums from the 70s by the Residents, new thrash metal from Caspar Brötzmann Massaker, and the most forward thinking dance music. And absolutely everything in between. Radio 3 played jungle music way before Radio 1. I think they got me into the Beach Boys too. Later, Mixing It got me out and about in London, seeing people like People Like Us and nearly hundreds more perform live. It’s one of the things I missed most about being away from the UK.
The last show can be listened to here, for a few more days, before Radio 3 deletes all audio record of the show completely. I must say, the way that Radio 3 has handled this is atrocious, and speeds up the descent of Radio 3 from a progressive serious music station to a classical muzak filled station for dentist waiting rooms.
They end, in the only fitting way, with a track from the next Fall album. Thanks to Mark Russell and Robert Sandall for plugging away at promoting the music they obviously loved for 16 years.
Chris,
I agree with you about Mixing It – I’ve been listening for about 5 years now and have bought loads of albums after hearing stuff on the show (just ordered Rosy Parlane CD following 26-Jan show). A lot of people are really upset about the show ending. You could send a complaint to the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/) – quite a lot of people are doing so now and the BBC HAVE to take it seriously and respond. The more people that complain, the more chance the BBC will take notice and maybe do something…
— Dave Sherriff 13.02.07 #
The BBC are remiss in their handling of the whole affair and have left a gaping hole in coverage of avant garde and experimental music on the radio.
Mixing It was a great show and I will miss it
— Dave Murphy 21.02.07 #
Just to keep this up to date – Mixing It will be returning on everyone’s favourite experimental ramshackle radio station: Resonance FM. Worth donating if you like this kind of music.
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