Xmas Eve on Amazing Radio with Miranda Sawyer

For Christmas Eves on Amazing Radio… the Eve’s took over!

With an outstanding proportion of women presenters on Amazing Radio – we took over Christmas Eve. To celebrate this on The Other Woman we featured an interview with writer and broadcaster Miranda Sawyer about the formation of Sound Women in 2011.

As a reaction to the outrageous disproportion of women to men on the radio, the website was set up to encourage women as presenters and programme makers, as a go-to list for those on the hunt for talented spokeswomen and also as a mentoring scheme to help people get on in the media. I met Miranda in her kitchen in south London, one year old Frankie May makes an appearance too…

Here’s the launch video that Sound Women put together featuring some of the biggest female names in broadcasting as a wee intro to what it’s all about:



Also on the show: new to amazingtunes.com, Moulettes play a fierce and thoroughly modern gypsy folk, they’ve performed and recorded with Seasick Steve and will hopefully break through in 2012. Also Madam makes an appearance with her hauntingly beautiful tune Marine Boy from Gone Before Morning, one of my albums of the year… with session tracks from Daughter and an Amazing Beats tip from Kate Wax, what more could I ask for?… pass the liqueur chocs! 

6 Music picks: Death Rattle and Dominique Young Unique

Death Rattle - The Dig




A while ago when chatting to Tom on his show he mentioned That Mouth, a London band who he was very excited about. Whilst mooching around for tracks to play on Amazing Radio last month we thought we'd find out what they're up too - turns out after releasing their debut album in October, TM is no more... welcome Death Rattle! Their first single The Dig is a dark and brooding track with a rather freaky split-face video to go with it. TOW reckons Death Rattle are plumbing some sort synth-laden depths and we can't wait to hear their debut, which they've been recording across the channel in Normandy.

Dominique Young Unique - Life Of A Party



Whilst perusing Guardian journalist Paul Lester's playlist on the Amazing Radio website we came across this young, quick fire rapper from Tampa, Florida. She's just released her third mixtape Stupid Pretty, the follow up toDomination and Glamorous Touch which respectively spread like wildfire across the net. The title track of the mixtape has a fantastic video of Dominique in a tiny pair of bright orange pants and a t-shirt wandering around London Underground, much to the embarrassment of the regular commuters. Surely it's a matter of time before this one cracks day time Radio 1...

Amazing Radio listen again 18 December 2011

This week on The Other Woman we kick off the show with a festive treat from the fantastic Bubblewrap Collective out of Cardiff. Their 12 Days of Christmas compilation includes a fine ditty from Allo Darlin’: Silver Swans in New York City, ramming home just how fantastic Elizabeth Morris is as an indie pop frontwoman.

We also have a new track from 80’s mediums Hologram Heart Parade whose singer and writer Pauline Johnston has one of the finest pop caterwauls we’ve heard in yonks.

This week we feature west London MC and producer Dreama who we played on our inaugural show on Amazing Radio; everyone loved the track and so we thought to follow it up with a wee chat – in Starbucks. In Hammersmith. Oh, the glamour! Check out Dreama’s blog by the way, one of the more entertaining we’ve come across in a long time.

Dreama

We have session tracks from the young piano player from Blackpool with the huge voice, Rae Morris…and something nicked off Mark Ryan’s Amazing Beats playlist from Norwegian pop queen Karin Park.

Amazing Radio listen again 11 December 2011

This week on The Other Woman I’m thrilled to be kicking off with a Mobilee Records staple. Maya Jane Coles has had an amazing year and was one of only five women DJ’s in Resident Advisor’s Top 100 DJ’s, the Londoner is in at number 9. So I thought what better way to start the show with one of the tracks she put out on the cooler-than-cool Berlin label.

It sets the tone really, I’ve got real treats for you. If you haven’t heard of Russian-born-Berlin-resident-via-Israel Mary Ocher than you’re in for a treat. Her track Address Yourself Entirely To Me is an excellent example of her unique style and uber-quirky take on electro pop. Her videos are always second to none, aided by her artist friends in Berlin they’re always brilliant:



I’m featuring Lady Leshurr in this show too, Lego is her new single and mighty fine. I had the pleasure of putting on this quick fire MC at Ladyfest 2010 and she was A-Mazing. She says she models herself on Wiley, I say she could out-spit him anyday. Here’s a video from the festival, which I made on my crappy digital camera but you get the idea – Lady Chann’s there too as well as Lady Lykez and Amazing Radio fave Patricia Panther. Leshurr’s on the end in the cute black tracksuit:



The show is all over the place again this week – in a very good way. We’re in Norway for some eclectic jazz stylings of Mari Kvien Brunvoll (the Nordic Tune-Yards) and then to London for the doom and gloom of Death Rattle… also a double play of woozey ‘chill-wave’ (whatever that is) from Sleep Over and Keep Shelley In Athens. There’s plenty more too, if you have any suggestions feel free to get in touch! @otherwomanradio or @amazingradio or leave us a comment here.

6 Music picks: No Cars and 2:54

Every week we get to play two tracks for Tom Robinson on his excellent BBC 6 Music Introducing show... you can listen again here.   


No Cars - Sellotape




How good is this video? Talk about capturing the vibe of a band and the atmosphere of a gig - pure joy in this case. No Cars are Haruna, Sachi and Kyoko who've released their debut album Yoko Eats Whales this year. Haruna tells TOW that 'we are gathered to save the earth, or kidnapped from Tokyo'... the truth though is that they met at her ex's gig. She goes on to say they're influences are: 'Vegetables. I don't listen to music much but the other girls in the band like juke box the ghost.(I don't know who they are)'. Officially they're 17, don't worry girls we won't spill the beans on how old you really are - not that it matters to us! But if Flo can do it so can you ;)

2:54 - Scarlet 





London based sisters Hannah and Colette Thurlow are 2:54, with the help of Alex Robins and Joel Porter. This gloomy but very polished pop group recently supported hipsters Bos Angeles in the UK and will be touring with The Big Pink in February. Someone's got them on the fast track as they've already worked with producer Rob Ellis (PJ Harvey) and look set to make great waves. It's all a bit moody, don't bloody smile whatever you do... diggin' this track (Serious Face).

Sound Women: Call To Action

This is a Call to Action from the excellent Sound Women website, after yesterday's depressing and worrying Guardian article about women's underrepresentation in the media:

You make have seen a big feature in the Guardian yesterday about the number of women in the media – the stats are quite shocking even for those of us who are quite hardened to this.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/dec/04/why-british-public-life-dominated-men

One of the figures is that a whopping 84% of reporters and guests on Radio 4’s Today programme are men.  In fact, on 5 July you had to wait from 6.15am until 8.20am to hear the one female contributor who appeared alongside the 27 male contributors on the programme (Arts Correspondent Rebecca Jones talking about the Hampton Court flower show).

Today Editor Ceri Thomas’ response to this is that they are working on it, but also that, essentially, the audience don’t care:

“’I'm bound to say to you, it almost never comes up as an issue from the audience...  I suppose it might be two letters a year, or something of that nature.’ He makes this last point, in different words, three times in our 10-minute conversation.”

Only two letters of complaint a year?  We think this is something we should put right.  If everyone on this mailing list writes to BBC Trust Chairman Chris Patten, that will be nearly 400 emails.  If everyone asks a friend to write as well, that’ll be 800.  And so on.  And so on.  Until Ceri and the BBC make a change.

Please write to BBC Trust Chairman Sir Chris Patten!
We have drafted a letter here, but please feel very free to adapt and change it, especially if you are a Today/Radio 4 listener and have additional points you’d like to make.

Dear Lord Patten

The Today Programme on BBC Radio 4 has four male presenters and just one woman, Sarah Montague.  In addition to this, today it’s been revealed that on average 84% of its guests and reporters are male, and just 16% female.

As a woman working in the radio industry, and an avid radio listener, I am deeply disappointed by these figures.  If the Today audience is made up of 50-50 men and women, as Today Editor Ceri Thomas claims, then this means that the women in that audience are being under-represented and badly served.

Ceri Thomas also says he receives only two letters of complaint a year, and seems to think this means the audience don’t care about the issue.  Well we do care.  We don’t always write letters of complaint – sometimes we change to another station or shout at our radio instead – but if it will make a difference then please accept this as a letter of complaint, to which I would greatly appreciate a response.

I know the representation of women on air is an issue you feel strongly about, and have spoken about before.  I hope you can encourage the BBC to bring about the change that is needed, and look forward to hearing a more balanced version of the Today programme, with many more female contributors, reporters and presenters very soon.

Thank you for reading this email.

Best wishes

………………

Please send it to Chris Patten at chris.patten@bbc.co.uk and cc in his assistant june.prunty@bbc.co.uk.

Please also encourage as many people as possible to do the same.  It would be great to have as many as possible sent by the end of the week.  We will keep you posted of progress and please let us know if and when you get a reply!

Many thanks

Sound Women 

Website: www.soundwomen.co.uk
Twitter: twitter.com/soundwomen
LinkedIn: linkd.in/soundwomen
Facebook: tiny.cc/soundwomen

6 Music picks: Dreama and We Spies

Every week we get to play two tracks for Tom Robinson on his excellent BBC 6 Music Introducing show... you can listen again here.  

Dreama - Somethin Yesterday





Ah bliss, we finally get to play Dreama on BBC 6 Music! As we suspected, Tom R. is now a big fan and she's getting more play on his excellent show. Dreama is a young MC from west London who got in touch with TOW and pointed us towards her mixtape A Dreama's Reality which is available for free at her website. Dreama aka Martina Simon has written poetry since she was a young thing and says she naturally moved into rap and music. TOW loves this track for it's simple, hardcore electro back beat and her cheeky vocal. Check out her website too for her excellent and very informative blog!

We Spies - The Sea, You See

  The Sea, You See by WeSpiesUK 

 
Now to a young Brighton band who we can't stop listening too. Headed up by singer Lucy Elliot We Spies call themselves 'ambient indie' and that does them justice to some extent. But it's Lucy's frantic on-the-edge vocal style which sets them apart from their peers. Lucy is joined by Joel Frosh, Ed Davis and Joe Spencer.

TOW featuring Sharon Van Etten: listen again

Happy Monday. To get you through the week how about a dose of The Other Woman on Amazing Radio from Sunday? Two hours of the best in new music from female artists and female fronted bands as found on Amazing Tunes. This week the wonderful Sharon Van Etten graces us with her presence to talk about superb new single Serpents. Fresh from making her latest album with Aaron Dessner from The National in Brooklyn, she's preparing to launch it on the world via her new record label Jagjaguwar in February 2012. Also, there's new music from: indie super group Wild Flag, eeire Devonshire folksters Silvermoths, Bath rockers Hysterical Injury and their buddies hardcore garage noise outfit Big Joan... and plenty more:



PS - TOW sits in for Gill Mills all this week on Amazing Radio - listen live Tues-Thurs evenings from 7pm on DAB in the UK or round the world online.

Wears The Trousers 2011 Yearbook: Must Have!

Wears the Trousers magazine is possibly THE most comprehensive guide to women making music around the world. Along with excellent community run minefield thegirlsare it is a go-to encyclopaedia here at TOW Towers for what's hot, who we should be listening too and an endless resource of free music! So what a lovely thing it was when editor Alan Pedder dropped us a line with a special offer for TOW fans to purchase their excellent Yearbook.

Including previously unpublished interviews AND chats with the likes of tUnE-yArDs, St. Vincent, Tori Amos, Ane Brun, Zola Jesus, My Brightest Diamond, Joan As Police Woman, Alela Diane, Emmy The Great, Dum Dum Girls, EMA, Eleanor Friedberger, La Sera, Lisa Hannigan, She Keeps Bees, Drugstore, Big Deal, Tennis, Sharon Van Etten, Gazelle Twin, Amy Klein, The Sandwitches, Jenny Wilson, THEEsatisfaction, Jennie Abrahamson and more it's a bargain at FOUR POUNDS!

It's actually going for a FIVER, but because WTT loves TOW we're getting ONE POUND off if you enter the discount code 'OTHERWOMAN'.

They also provide a run down of their top fifty albums of 2011 and peek into the future with a look at some of next year’s most promising artists and albums.

RESERVE YOUR COPY NOW

Available from December 19. Orders placed before December 19 for delivery to a UK address should arrive before Christmas.