Big Sonic Heaven
Encyclopedia
Big Sonic Heaven was a music program created, hosted and produced by Darren Revell.
Big Sonic Heaven had an eight-year run from 1995-2003 on 96.3 FM (WHYT, WPLT, WDVD
) in Detroit, Michigan
. Big Sonic Heaven aired every Sunday evening for four hours and featured shoegaze, dream pop
, trip-hop, Britpop
, and electronica
by bands such as Cocteau Twins
, Ride
, Slowdive
, The Cure
, Dead Can Dance
, Depeche Mode
, Siouxsie and the Banshees, My Bloody Valentine, and The Smiths
.
Additionally, Darren Revell was instrumental in providing local talent with a radio presence. Revell made a significant impact in Detroit with the program, as there were very few radio shows that catered to this genre and its fans.
Darren revived "Big Sonic Heaven" on Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles, California
in January 2007. The two-hour program aired Mondays through Thursdays at 10pm. Playlists can be retrieved from the show's MySpace webpage. However, the last playlist available from the MySpace webpage is dated September 4, 2008. Indie 103.1 discontinued the show in October 2008.
At 10am on January 15, 2009, Indie 103.1 went off the air.
On Sunday Sept 12, 2010 Big Sonic Heaven returned on the Internet radio station, Strangeways Radio out of Detroit. The show once aired from 9-11PM EST every Sunday night, but has dropped from the station's lineup.
Moheak Radio, an Internet radio station started by former Indie 103.1 staff, hosts yet another revival of "Big Sonic Heaven". It can be heard on Tuesday nights, 10PM-12AM PST, with a rebroadcast at the same time on Sunday nights.
WQKL
107.1 FM in Ann Arbor, Michigan
, near Detroit, has capitalized on the success of the original Big Sonic Heaven with Sonic Bliss, a three-hour show from 9 p.m. to midnight on Sundays. Hosted by Mark Copeland, the show features a music mix similar to that of Big Sonic Heaven.
Big Sonic Heaven had an eight-year run from 1995-2003 on 96.3 FM (WHYT, WPLT, WDVD
WDVD
WDVD is a hot adult contemporary radio station in Detroit, Michigan, broadcasting at 96.3 MHz on the FM dial. WDVD's studios and offices are located in the Fisher Building near downtown Detroit. WDVD's transmitter is located in Oakland County in Royal Oak Township at 8 Mile Road and Wyoming Avenue...
) in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. Big Sonic Heaven aired every Sunday evening for four hours and featured shoegaze, dream pop
Dream pop
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...
, trip-hop, Britpop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
, and electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
by bands such as Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish alternative rock band active from 1979 to 1997, known for innovative instrumentation and atmospheric, non-lyrical vocals...
, Ride
Ride (band)
Ride were a British alternative rock band that formed in 1988 in Oxford, England, consisting of Andy Bell, Mark Gardener, Laurence "Loz" Colbert, and Steve Queralt. The band were initially part of the "shoegazing" scene. Following the break-up of the band in 1996, members moved on to various other...
, Slowdive
Slowdive
Slowdive were an English shoegaze band that formed in 1989. The band formed in Reading, Berkshire and primarily consisted of Nick Chaplin , Rachel Goswell , Neil Halstead , and Christian Savill...
, The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, Dead Can Dance
Dead Can Dance
Dead Can Dance are an ethereal neoclassical duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in August 1981, by Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry. The band relocated to London in May 1982 and disbanded in 1998. Their 1996 album Spiritchaser reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top World Music Albums Chart...
, Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
, Siouxsie and the Banshees, My Bloody Valentine, and The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
.
Additionally, Darren Revell was instrumental in providing local talent with a radio presence. Revell made a significant impact in Detroit with the program, as there were very few radio shows that catered to this genre and its fans.
Darren revived "Big Sonic Heaven" on Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in January 2007. The two-hour program aired Mondays through Thursdays at 10pm. Playlists can be retrieved from the show's MySpace webpage. However, the last playlist available from the MySpace webpage is dated September 4, 2008. Indie 103.1 discontinued the show in October 2008.
At 10am on January 15, 2009, Indie 103.1 went off the air.
On Sunday Sept 12, 2010 Big Sonic Heaven returned on the Internet radio station, Strangeways Radio out of Detroit. The show once aired from 9-11PM EST every Sunday night, but has dropped from the station's lineup.
Moheak Radio, an Internet radio station started by former Indie 103.1 staff, hosts yet another revival of "Big Sonic Heaven". It can be heard on Tuesday nights, 10PM-12AM PST, with a rebroadcast at the same time on Sunday nights.
WQKL
WQKL
WQKL, known on the air as ann arbor's 107one, is a radio station broadcasting from Ann Arbor, Michigan. WQKL is a Cumulus radio station, co-owned with country WWWW-FM 102.9, Sports Talk WTKA-AM 1050, and WLBY-AM 1290. Although the station broadcasts with only 3,000 watts of power, it can be heard...
107.1 FM in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, near Detroit, has capitalized on the success of the original Big Sonic Heaven with Sonic Bliss, a three-hour show from 9 p.m. to midnight on Sundays. Hosted by Mark Copeland, the show features a music mix similar to that of Big Sonic Heaven.