Metronomicon Audio Radio
(the text below is based on reality)
Early last spring, – The editor in chief of RadiOrakel* – called
me up and asked if Metronomicon Audio wanted to do a weekly hour of dj-ing
on their frequency. Of course I said yes!, and a few weeks later I was sitting
in the worn out, but indeed cozy studio above Blitz**, and after a fifteen
minute crash-course in radio transmitting I was on air, blasting unstable
vibrations of pulsating Balkan-grooves, wailing Arabians, Norsemen with fourtracks,
funky Egyptians, Belgians with bassoons, Eskimos with laptops and Albanians
with bagpipes out over the rooftops of our scarred but beautiful city Oslo,
Norke. Every Thursday from then on, one or more souls from Metronomicon Audio
have climbed those steep stairs loaded with bags of records proudly to be
presented to the (to us) invisible listeners on fm 99.3; the this and that
of what is between heaven and earth, and what you didn’t think existed
in either of them.
“A Northern Calypsonian I am
I like the swaying shaker rhythms
And since it is so close geographically
From Trinidad to Jamaican soundsystem
We must tell out to Peter and Paul
What tunes on the radio we transmit
Talk between the calypsos
Of which records we are spinning”
“Trinidad is close to Kingston” - Lord Transmitter
We take calypsos very seriously indeed, and since Lord Transmitter is dissing
soundsystems that do not announce what tunes and artists they play, we always
make clear what we’re playing. We’re also deeply involved with
the dark and mysterious folk-music and international folk-dance mafia of Oslo,
Norke, and we are going to do an alphabet of folk-music and of music in general.
We started out with A this week; Armenia, Albania and Azerbaijan. God only
knows what we’ll do when we get to X.
(The rest of this text is the complete truth; no philosopher or sceptic could
but it into doubt.)
Metronomicon Audio Radio is on RadiOrakel, fm 99.3 Oslo, every Thursday from
13.00 to 14.00 presenting to you absolutely everything.
* RadiOrakel was started in 1982 when authorities allowed for local radio
stations to operate. Money was then collected at a women’s cultural
festival to start up the world’s first women’s radio station.
On 16th October 1982 radiOrakel was founded. Rita Westvik was the first editor
in chief. In the early days the station’s headquarters were at Karsgata
5 but moved together with AKKS (Aksjon Kvinne Kultur Senter- Women’s
Cultural Action Centre) to the loft at the Blitz house at Pilestredet.
radiOrakel is one of the world’s oldest local radio stations and has
the proud title as the world’s oldest women’s radio station. The
aim of the radio station is to educate women with in the field of radio journalism
and sound engineering, and at any time having a membership made up of at least
2/3 women. What this also means in practice is that radiOrakel actively prioritises
and promotes women as both interviewer and interview subject, as well as having
a music profile that has at least 50% of all music by women musicians and
artists. radiOrakel has between 50,000 and 70,000 documented listeners (1998).
With a listenership shared equally between both sexes. Research suggests that
listening audiences are between the age of 15 and 45 years of age and in general
educated to graduate level.
Currently there are around 80 people contributing to the radio station in
one form or another and during the 23 years radiOrakel has existed it has
educated around 1500 people in the various disciplines with in radio broadcasting,
with many of these going on to become well known personalities with in Norwegian
broadcast media. (from www.radiorakel.no)
**Blitz
Blitz is an autonomous counterculture-centre in central Oslo. For over 20
years Blitz has been fighting oppression, government control, culture commercialisation
and passivication.
There is a variety of political and countercultural activities going on at
Blitz. Monday trough friday Café Blitz is open from 12am - 6pm. At
the Café you get Oslos cheapest and definitely best vegetarian/vegan
food and drinks.
At sundays Food Not Bombs (Mat ikke makta) serves free vegan meals from 5pm.
(from www.blitz.no)
