Offbeat Reggae Radio is a passion project from ex radio presenter, Andy Luckman.
The show is broadcast from his custom built studio in Essex. Andy’s previous radio experience was working in professional commercial radio from 2001 – 2006 with his roles including Station Manager, Station Producer, Breakfast Host and Swing Presenter depending on the place you pick.
In that time he worked for 16 different radio stations … no … he didn’t get fired a lot! Often, he would be working a daily weekday show on one station, then Saturday and Sunday shows on different stations. This is what had to be done to pay the bills!
He progressed to bigger and bigger stations but sadly along with that came not only a difference in surroundings but also in atmosphere. Other people’s egos meant that Andy was not only fighting for the job he wanted but also fighting to keep his own!
It wasn’t a pleasurable experience and he decided a different direction was necessary. He decided to do something else, somewhere else. So, he travelled around the world and settled for long periods in Brisbane, Bali and Thailand for the following few years. This is where life got interesting from a musical point of view.
While living on beaches he found an affinity with Reggae music; quite fitting for sun, sea and sand. During the day he was an underwater tour guide (divemaster) and at night a DJ in various bars.
On his return to the UK he felt he needed a hobby. Weirdly, he missed talking to himself in a padded room, so built his own! With the new studio and a fledgling record collection of battered Reggae and Ska – Offbeat Reggae Radio was born.
The plan is to keep making shows. Discover new music, maybe get bands into the studio for interviews and live recordings. Ideally, to try to get it out there to as many people as possible. You may have noticed on social media, which Andy tries to be active on … there are full time online radio stations that are now playing the show.
Offbeat Reggae Radio is a networked radio show! Very exciting.
The website you are on now is a portal of discovery. Andy is also a Graphic and Web designer and as such has poured love and experience all over this site. The site is not only an avenue to listen to the show … also not only a way to financially support the show, should you want to. It is also a way to discover new artists and new albums.
Every show’s landing page has links to featured artists and suggested albums. Often you will hear a track but not be able to find out who sang it. That’s covered too with full track listings. The featured artist pages are a lot of additional work each time but hopefully a useful and important feature for the listener. Short bios, album sneak peeks and YouTube videos to really get a feel for the music.
Offbeat Reggae Radio just wants to help with the discovery of music new and old. Spreading the word, sharing the music and ensuring that our favourite rhythms stay alive.
If people like it they might show their appreciation, either by becoming a Patron on Patreon OR buying some merch through our online store. If that happens, maybe more time, love and effort can be poured into it.
Love FINEST Reggae, Rocksteady, Roots, Dub and Ska? Love Offbeat reggae Radio.