Kool London, also known as Kool FM, is a former London
pirate radio station that now broadcasts as an
internet radio station, playing
jungle,
drum and bass
Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...
, and
old skool. Kool is generally regarded as being instrumental in the development of the jungle music scene.
History
Kool first broadcast on 28 November 1991 on the frequency of 94.5FM, from
Hackney, East London.
Kool has stated that it was ''"the very first pirate station ever to play hardcore jungle"''.
Simon Reynolds
Simon Reynolds (born 19 June 1963) is an English music journalist and author who began his professional career on the staff of ''Melody Maker'' in the mid-1980s. He has since gone on to freelance and publish a number of full-length books on music ...
would call it ''"London's ruling pirate station"'' in an account of the beginnings of
jungle in his book
Energy Flash, whilst in
State of Bass
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
, Martin James would consider it ''"The single most important pirate station in jungle"''.
[Martin James: ''State of Bass''. Boxtree 1997, , p.50.]
By late 1992, Kool started to promote its own events, leading to the founding of ''Jungle Fever'' in August 1993. Jungle Fever nights have been held at venues such as the
Astoria and
The Edge.
In July 1993, its then-neighbouring station also broadcasting from the
Nightingale Estate,
''Rush FM'', was subject to a high profile raid by the authorities leading to media accusations of drug dealing at raves promoted by the two stations.
In April 1996, Kool was featured in a
BBC ''First Sight'' documentary about pirate radio in London, in which its ''Kool Skool'' club night also appeared.
In the same year, it branched out by launching a sister station, ''Kool FM Midlands'' based in
Birmingham, which continued until 2002.
In May 2007, Kool FM featured in a BBC London News report about pirate radio station interference to the emergency services and their use of the airwaves.
Internet Radio
In August 2010, Kool relaunched as ''Kool London'' and now operates as an internet radio station, providing a live audio stream on its website as well as archived shows.
Later years
Kool was involved in two live broadcasts with the artist
Eddie Peake. The first in 2013 as part of his graduate final year project at the
Royal Academy of Arts
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...
, and again in 2018 at the
White Cube
White Cube is a contemporary art gallery founded by Jay Jopling in London in 1993. The gallery has two branches in London: White Cube Mason's Yard in central London and White Cube Bermondsey in South East London; White Cube Hong Kong, in Centra ...
forming part of his ''Concrete Pitch'' show.
The station celebrated its 30th birthday on 28 November 2021, with an event at the
Heaven
Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...
club.
References
External links
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kool Fm
Radio stations in London
Pirate radio stations in the United Kingdom
Internet radio stations in the United Kingdom
Radio stations established in 1991