David Rodigan
Encyclopedia
David Rodigan, born 24 June 1951 on a military base in Hanover
, Germany
, is a British
radio DJ who also performs as a selector
for his sound system. Known for his selections of reggae
and dancehall
music, he has played on stations including Radio London
, Capital 95.8, Kiss 100
and BFBS Radio 1
.
He has stated that his passion for Jamaican music was initiated by watching Millie Small perform her 1964 hit My Boy Lollipop
at the Ready Steady Go!
TV show as a school boy. By the age of 15, David Rodigan was DJing at school dances and youth clubs. Leaving school in 1970, he spent a year studying economics before leaving to study drama. Despite pursuing an acting career, Rodigan kept his passion for music alive, selling records in Oxford then Putney, before obtaining a job on Radio London
in 1978 to alternate with Tony Williams on the Reggae Rockers programme. A year later he was offered a permanent slot at Capital Radio
to present Roots Rockers, which ran for 11 years. In 1990 a change in management and music policy at the station lead to David leaving to start a new show for Kiss FM
when it relaunched that September as London's first legal 24-hour dance music station. He currently hosts the Sunday night slot from 11pm till 1am.
Rodigan has clashed
established soundsystems like Bodyguard, Killamanjaro
(selected by Ricky Trooper), Stone Love, Barry G and Bass Odyssey
.
He has acted as tour DJ for reggae and dancehall
artists including Shinehead
.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Rodigan also worked as an actor and appeared in a variety of TV programmes, including a part in the Doctor Who
serial, The Mysterious Planet
.
In 2006, Rodigan was added to the Radio Academy
hall of fame.
He attended Gosford Hill School
, Kidlington
.
Vocal samples of Rodigan can be found on the dubstep track "Together" by Breakage
, on the introductory track of Caspa
's 2009 Album Everybody's Talking, Nobody's Listening
, and on the intro to Alborosie
's debut album "Soul Pirate", and the main vocal of Sukh Knight's "Ganja", plus countless other jungle/drum & bass tracks. Ad-Rock mentions Rodigan by name on the 2011 Beastie Boys
track 'Say It'.
He is the DJ for RamJam FM in Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City
.
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, is a British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
radio DJ who also performs as a selector
Selector (disc jockey)
Selector is the term originally used for a reggae/dancehall disc jockey ....
for his sound system. Known for his selections of reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
music, he has played on stations including Radio London
BBC London 94.9
BBC London 94.9 is London's BBC Local Radio station, and part of BBC London. Broadcasting across Greater London and beyond on 94.9 FM, DAB, Virgin Media Channel 930, Sky Channel 0152 and also online...
, Capital 95.8, Kiss 100
Kiss 100 London
Kiss is a UK radio station broadcasting on FM and Digital Radio, specialising in hip hop, R&B, urban and electronic dance music. It also broadcasts on DAB Digital Radio around the UK & nationally on Freeview, Sky and TalkTalk TV...
and BFBS Radio 1
British Forces Broadcasting Service
The British Forces Broadcasting Service provides radio and television programmes for HM Forces, and their dependents, in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, Germany, Gibraltar, Kosovo, the Middle East, Northern Ireland and Tristan da Cunha as well as a live satellite...
.
He has stated that his passion for Jamaican music was initiated by watching Millie Small perform her 1964 hit My Boy Lollipop
My Boy Lollipop
"My Boy Lollipop" is a song written in the mid-1950s by Robert Spencer of the doo-wop group The Cadillacs, and usually credited to Spencer, Morris Levy, and Johnny Roberts. It was first recorded in New York in 1956 by Barbie Gaye...
at the Ready Steady Go!
Ready Steady Go!
Ready Steady Go! or simply RSG! was one of the UK's first rock/pop music TV programmes. It was conceived by Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV. Allan was assisted by record producer/talent manager Vicki Wickham, who became the producer. It was broadcast from August 1963 until December 1966...
TV show as a school boy. By the age of 15, David Rodigan was DJing at school dances and youth clubs. Leaving school in 1970, he spent a year studying economics before leaving to study drama. Despite pursuing an acting career, Rodigan kept his passion for music alive, selling records in Oxford then Putney, before obtaining a job on Radio London
Radio London
Radio London may refer to one of the following radio stations:*A popular name for the BBC World Service in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II*The station now known as BBC London 94.9...
in 1978 to alternate with Tony Williams on the Reggae Rockers programme. A year later he was offered a permanent slot at Capital Radio
Capital Radio
Capital London is a London based radio station which launched on 16 October 1973 and is owned by Global Radio. On 3 January 2011 it formed part of the nine station Capital radio network.- Pre-launch :...
to present Roots Rockers, which ran for 11 years. In 1990 a change in management and music policy at the station lead to David leaving to start a new show for Kiss FM
Kiss 100 London
Kiss is a UK radio station broadcasting on FM and Digital Radio, specialising in hip hop, R&B, urban and electronic dance music. It also broadcasts on DAB Digital Radio around the UK & nationally on Freeview, Sky and TalkTalk TV...
when it relaunched that September as London's first legal 24-hour dance music station. He currently hosts the Sunday night slot from 11pm till 1am.
Rodigan has clashed
Sound clash
A Sound clash is a musical competition where crew members from opposing reggae sound systems pit their skills against each other. Sound clashes take place in a variety of venues, both indoors and outdoors...
established soundsystems like Bodyguard, Killamanjaro
Killamanjaro
Founded in the summer of 1969, Killamanjaro is a Jamaican sound system best known for their clashes and large amount of classical reggae dubplates.It is owned by Noel "Papa Jaro" Harper and named after Mount Kilimanjaro...
(selected by Ricky Trooper), Stone Love, Barry G and Bass Odyssey
Bass Odyssey
Bass Odyssey is a Reggae sound system best known for their dominance in clashes and unique juggling style. Selectors on Bass Odyssey are Mark, Worm, Squingy , Damion Delingy, Dwayne, Charly Blacks, Lexxy, Keithy, Harry D, Speng, Villy, Shane and Rat...
.
He has acted as tour DJ for reggae and dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
artists including Shinehead
Shinehead
Shinehead is an English-born Jamaican reggae singer/toaster/rapper.-Career:He began his music career by performing for different New York reggae dancehall sound systems in the 1980s, most notably Tony Screw's Downbeat The Ruler, based in The Bronx.His recording debut was in 1986 on the African...
.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Rodigan also worked as an actor and appeared in a variety of TV programmes, including a part in the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
serial, The Mysterious Planet
The Mysterious Planet
-Preproduction:In February 1985, the BBC announced that the planned twenty-third season of Doctor Who had been cancelled. After vocal protests by the press and Doctor Who fans , the BBC announced that the programme was merely on "hiatus", and would return in September 1986...
.
In 2006, Rodigan was added to the Radio Academy
Radio Academy
The Radio Academy is a registered charity that is dedicated to 'the encouragement, recognition and promotion of excellence in UK broadcasting and audio production'....
hall of fame.
He attended Gosford Hill School
Gosford Hill School
Gosford Hill School is a co-educational comprehensive secondary school in Kidlington, Oxfordshire and a Specialist College of Mathematics and Computing; the first school in Oxfordshire to receive this award...
, Kidlington
Kidlington
Kidlington is a large village and civil parish between the River Cherwell and the Oxford Canal, north of Oxford and southwest of Bicester.-History:...
.
Vocal samples of Rodigan can be found on the dubstep track "Together" by Breakage
Breakage (musician)
Breakage , is a London, UK drum and bass/dubstep producer and DJ. He is currently signed to the Digital Soundboy label.-Albums:-EPs:* Back Off * The Break Age * Hinds Sight...
, on the introductory track of Caspa
Caspa
Caspa is the stage name of Gary McCann, a Dubstep music producer from West London.-Biography:McCann's creative involvement in music began after a promising basketball career was cut short by a shoulder injury...
's 2009 Album Everybody's Talking, Nobody's Listening
Everybody's Talking, Nobody's Listening (album)
Everybody's Talking, Nobody's Listening is the debut album by Caspa, a dubstep musician and producer. It was released on May 4, 2009 on Caspa's own label Sub Soldiers/Fabric Records. It features a number of guest producers and vocalists including an intro speech by reggae selector David...
, and on the intro to Alborosie
Alborosie
Alberto D'Ascola , better known by his stage name Alborosie, is an Italian reggae artist. Born and raised in Marsala, Sicily, Italy, but now residing in Kingston, Jamaica. He is a multi-instrumentalist, being proficient in guitar, bass, drums and keyboard...
's debut album "Soul Pirate", and the main vocal of Sukh Knight's "Ganja", plus countless other jungle/drum & bass tracks. Ad-Rock mentions Rodigan by name on the 2011 Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
track 'Say It'.
He is the DJ for RamJam FM in Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City is a standalone compilation of the downloadable content episodes for the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV. Created by Rockstar North in the United Kingdom, it contains both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony on one disc...
.
External links
- David Rodigan on Kiss 100
- Nazma Muller: David Rodigan - the Gentleman Rude Bwoy