Daniel Henderson brings drum and bass to the sunny side of Bondi, while still serving the community
Bondi Beach Radio (BBR) is home to some of Sydney’s best drum and bass, amongst the pack is Daniel Henderson, a local guy whose passion for music and community turned into a gig presenting for BBR. Starting out as an events company they then turned their passion for music and working with the community into the well loved Friday night show on BBR.
1. Tell me a bit about how you got into radio?
Funnily enough it was my mum and sister who wanted me to pursue it as a career haha
I’d always liked the idea of a radio show to broadcast home-grown talent, and with a constant stream of international artists rolling through it was the perfect platform for us to have fun, promote Sydney events, and to push artists that we care about.
So one of our crew already held a weekly slot on BBR. When it came time for his DJ partner in crime to pull up stumps, Marc Freeman aka Ncrypt maintained the Friday 4-6pm time slot, and Breakneck Audio was born.
2. And the show.. what can a first time listener expect?
All drum and bass, all the time. We have DJs and producers from all walks of life joining us on air. Some well and truly established artists, others using it as their introduction to the world.
I will say this.. First time listeners may catch us on a heavy day, but don’t be discouraged if it’s too crazy for you. We span all sub genres and styles, so one week may be more industrial/tech, but there’s plenty of hip hop/soul/jazz inspired liquid or rollers sets that get dropped as well!
3. You’re working in community radio, it’s pretty relaxed, do you have aspirations in radio beyond Bondi Beach?
We love our home at BBR but if an opportunity presented itself, well hey… As long as we had control of the play list, we could be open to expanding haha but to be honest we are really happy where we are.
4. Last time I was in the studio with you, the vibe was pretty great, is that something you have come to expect from being a part of that team?
Yeah that was a lot of fun! Thanks for dropping in to say hi to everyone. We encourage people to come hang out, though the booth can get a bit tight, as you’d know, so we sometimes have to shuffle them to the grass outside. It certainly helps us enjoy it more having our brothers in arms at Double Up? Playing the 6-8pm slot. Their show is incredible for latest sounds and deep rollers.
If the vibe wasn’t strong, we’d certainly be questioning the whole thing. It’s not just an expansion of the Breakneck brand, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable start to the weekend and a chance for us all to catch up, listen to some new tunes (or old classics) and let the people know about just what’s up in our part of the dnb global market.
5. Tell me a bit about the events you run and your other projects within the music industry?
Generally speaking we’ve been running club events with the occasional day party to break the mould a little. Whenever the opportunity presents itself, we get involved with outdoor festivals (Subsonic, Psyfari, Lucid Labyrinth) and throw our full support behind them and their ever expanding reach into the music we hold so dear. We work with a number of different crews across Sydney and Australia who share a similar ethos to us.
As a whole we endeavour to put on the best show imaginable, that stays true to the artists we’re hosting. We want the punter walking away with strong memories of excellent sound and production, and having formed a long lasting bond with the other heads on the dance-floor.
As you mentioned before, it’s all about the vibe for us. If we can have people asking “when’s the next one?” after every show, we’re doing something right.
We don’t pretend to be Noisia Radio or BBC One, playing only the latest tunes or whatever, but we have our own thing and it’s all about fun for us.
6. Drum and bass… it seems to be a bit of a passion. Tell me about the community here and where someone could go if they wanted to get more out of that sphere of music here in Sydney?
It’s absolutely a passion and we see that across the board. I grew up in Perth where the scene was rapidly growing and evolving. We had a solid crew but there were always a large number of fresh and hungry faces. When I first got to Sydney, the scene was quite a lot smaller than home, but the crew I formed, and the heads I would meet over the coming years, were as dedicated as you’ll find anywhere in the world.
Over time Sydney’s continued to go through ebs and flows, and now everyone is pushing the envelope to give the punters something new and exciting.
If you’re looking for what’s happening in our city, join the Sydney Drum and Bass group, there’s a monthly flyer done up of all the gigs, and regular mixes from locals. Oh and of course jump on our page (shameless plug).
One of the best things about the dnb scene is that literally anyone could become your best mate. The community as a whole is extremely open and welcoming, so just come say hi and we’ll take you on a journey to find the sound that suits you just right. I promise, if you like broken beat, we can find something you’ll fall in love with.
7. What do you think makes a great radio show?
Above and beyond its gotta be engaging and relatable content.
We mix up our shows so that it doesn’t become stale. We prepare line ups catering to the next event we have, wherever possible getting the artist in for an interview or mix. When we’re just having fun on air we do shout outs, tell absolutely cringe worthy dad jokes, and regularly update our audience with artwork and write ups of what’s to come.
8. What has been the worst mess up you’ve seen in your time presenting?
We’ve been pretty sweet in our near two years on air, though some of our first interviews were a bit shaky haha definitely a few repeated questions and stumbles on words etc.
The worst we’ve had is if a DJ brings rips or low quality tracks to any set. We understand that sometimes you get the wrong file or whatever, but you can hear the difference and that puts us in a bad spot as we upload all our shows to soundcloud and mixcloud, so people will be able to go back and tell if something is amiss.
Realistically we’ve had an awesome run so far. Huge international acts for both interviews and sets, and some of our local talent have really blown us away. It’s the perfect end to the working week and kicks off the weekend with a bang.
I’ve got an amazing team of Ncrypt, Parker and Anna to thank for always making it something special, as well as the continued support of the legends at BBR.
To learn more about Daniel and Bondi Beach Radio head to his profile.
