How a tiny cult radio station in Hackney took over the world
The London Standard|November 07, 2024
I think the most obscure place I've had a listener email from so far was probably a guy in the Yukon," laughs Flo Dill, the host of NTS Radio's flagship morning show.
How a tiny cult radio station in Hackney took over the world

"He downloads the show and buffers it so he can listen to it while he's mining underground. Isn't that so cool?" "One of our colleagues walked into a shop in Mongolia and the guy was playing NTS, and he had one of our stickers on his wall," adds Sean McAuliffe, NTS's CEO. "Wearing an NTS T-shirt in another country, you're bound to have someone recognise it and come up to you. It's a really lovely feeling it's almost like a family." It has been quite the journey for the radio station, which began life as a one-man band in a tiny studio tucked away in Dalston's historic Gillett Square. Since it was founded by then-music blogger and DJ Femi Adeyemi in 2011, NTS (which stands for "Nuts to Soup", the name of a blog Adeyemi was writing at the time and a play on the phrase "soup to nuts") has grown from a local experiment into a global phenomenon with a dedicated cult following.

Over the past 13 years, it has been disrupting the industry's norms, inviting underground DJs, experimental musicians and selectors from around the globe to take the reins. It is now a stalwart in the underground music scene, streaming to its three million monthly listeners spanning 232 countries and territories. "It started mainly out of a frustration with traditional radio," says 43-year-old Adeyemi when we meet on Gillett Square, where NTS is still based. "I always found it a struggle to find what I wanted to listen to - it was the same stuff all the time." When it comes to musical range, NTS is unrivalled. Stream either of its two channels for an entire day and you might not recognise a single artist. It is fiercely genre-agnostic - from deep cuts of Japanese city pop, South African gqom or ambient techno, most of the music the station plays is not available on Spotify.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 07, 2024 من The London Standard.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 07, 2024 من The London Standard.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من THE LONDON STANDARD مشاهدة الكل
Vamos Rafa! It's time to go for Spain's brave warrior
The London Standard

Vamos Rafa! It's time to go for Spain's brave warrior

'Shy and funny' Nadal bows out as sport's ultimate competitor

time-read
2 mins  |
November 21, 2024
Does Angeball have a winning future at Spurs?
The London Standard

Does Angeball have a winning future at Spurs?

Head coach divides supporters with his ultra-attacking tactics

time-read
5 mins  |
November 21, 2024
The £5bn-a-year tax timebomb that's set to devastate London hospitality
The London Standard

The £5bn-a-year tax timebomb that's set to devastate London hospitality

The capital will bear the brunt of Rachel Reeves’s National Insurance raid

time-read
4 mins  |
November 21, 2024
Live like a Queen...
The London Standard

Live like a Queen...

...in the house gifted to Anne of Cleves by Henry VIII in 1540 and now onsale for 3.75 million

time-read
3 mins  |
November 21, 2024
At home with...Matthew Williamson
The London Standard

At home with...Matthew Williamson

The designer’s Belsize Park flatis a grand canvas for his ever-changing colour palette

time-read
5 mins  |
November 21, 2024
Hidden London
The London Standard

Hidden London

The first time I made my way to Maison Assouline was with a broken foot, in a tragic boot and crutches.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 21, 2024
Jameela Jamil on why New York will always have her heart...
The London Standard

Jameela Jamil on why New York will always have her heart...

..and her stomach. The actor and activist shares her favourite brunch spot, a secret bar and her brownstone fantasies

time-read
6 mins  |
November 21, 2024
The London Standard

My life in bespoke suits

Back in the Eighties, suits were so wide that even the shoulder pads had shoulder pads. Suits back then were boxy, square, and designed to make you look like a quarterback, a bouncer or a tank.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 21, 2024
Cher's wild world
The London Standard

Cher's wild world

The singer's memoir is full of jaw-dropping tales

time-read
4 mins  |
November 21, 2024
'I was told I could stay in the UKthen kicked out of my asylum accommodation'
The London Standard

'I was told I could stay in the UKthen kicked out of my asylum accommodation'

As our appeal hits 1m, we turn the spotlight on an official policy that’s making newly recognised refugees homeless

time-read
7 mins  |
November 21, 2024