This is pure acid house-era swagger, proper time capsule biz. You’ve got the house sound of a Dawn Raid show featuring Chris Forbes, which on the restoration, has been shifted from top billing as the Dave Pearce set has more pull with the RRR audience. But do check out Forbes, if only so you don’t miss out on the Kwikfit ad, and him dropping lines like “Don’t Alter the Style on Your Dial & Sweet as a Nut” with unshakeable confidence.
As well as the Dawn Raid house tunes, there’s a rogue insert from Jeff Young, and a moment – blink and you’ll miss it – that feels like the first-ever spin of Keep On Movin’ by Soul II Soul. He calls it a big tune ‘on the underground’, way before it inevitably bubbles over.
The adverts continue to blur the edges of memory. A Transport for London spot drifts in, voiced by someone who sounds uncannily like Chris Barrie. There’s also an opening from Hitman Records – the kind of detail that might have been disposable at the time, but now anchors the recording in a very specific moment.
On the Dave Pearce show, George Kay conducts an interview with Overlord X, asking questions that feel direct and unpolished. Elsewhere, Stu Allan delivers a “Special Report” from Manchester – not so much a segment as a transmission. There’s a sense of distance collapsing: scenes speaking to each other across cities, sharing momentum. Allan uses the space to introduce his own production work, alongside unreleased material and two live performances – one from Overlord X, the other from Salt-N-Pepa, whose presence still carries the weight of something foundational. It’s part showcase, part statement – a reminder of how local energy feeds into something broader, harder to define.
Listening back now, what stands out isn’t just the music, but the ecosystem around it. The adverts, the voiceovers, the casual predictions – all of it contributes to a sense of movement still in progress ‘The golden era’. And maybe that’s the point. These recordings don’t just document a scene; they catch it in the act of becoming. Huge propers as ever to Justin Winks.
Hitman Records ad
Capital Radio ID
George Kay – Ear to the Ground
Overlord X – Interview
Overlord X – Now My Day Begins
Overlord X – Interview
Overlord X – Kickbag
Overlord X – Interview
Overlord X – Weapon Is My Lyric
Mic Break – Stu Allan Special Report from Manchester
Lady Tame - Loud Ladies
Mic Break – Stu Allan
Wildchild – Queen
Mic Break – Stu Allan
Overlord X – Rough In Hackney Live at Manchester Apollo
Salt N Pepa – I Am Down Live at Manchester Apollo
Mic Break – Stu Allan
MC Peaches – Treat Her Like a Lady
Mic Break – Dave Pearce
Kyna Antee aka The Mistress – Let It Go
Einstein – The Freeze
Mic Break – Dave Pearce
Soul II Soul – Keep On Movin [Jeff Young]
Mic Break – Chris Forbes
Ten City – Where Do We Go?
Mic Break – Chris Forbes
Tyree – Oh Yeah, No Hey
Mic Break/ Competition – Chris Forbes
Bali – Love to Love You
Competition Winner
Rhythim Is Rhythim – Feel Surreal
Mic Break – Chris Forbes
Ads:
Sunday Sport
Virgin Megastore
Kwikfit
Bathroom Warehouse
Mic Break – Chris Forbes
Beloved – Your Loves Takes Me Higher [Deep Joy Mix]
Mic Break/ Chart – Chris Forbes
Baby Ford – Fordtrax
Ten City – Satisfaction
Mic Break – Chris Forbes
Ads:
TFL
RANDOM RAP RADIO 