UK Garage 1999 Ayia Napa Flavas | DJ Random & MC Dollars | Freek FM 101.8 (Pirate Radio)

Artwork by Take Me Back Pirate Radio Archives. By 1999 the Garage scene was reaching its peak with an explosion of big events taking place up and down the country. National radio stations had signed and timetabled the biggest UK Garage DJs, MCs and producers to play on their platforms. The proliferation of pirate radio stations, record labels and rave nights. The mixtape and mix CD phenomenon had pushed the sales of UK Garage music into the mainstream. UK Garage was now getting played in clubs in Europe, mainly in Spain and Greece by the British expat community. Although UK Garage didn't succeed to gain continental popularity like our Drum & Bass movement, it had the potential to become something greater and still achieved many great things.
In 1998, UK Garage nights from the London began to feature in Ayia Napa, Cyprus. The likes of DJ S of 'Pure Silk' and Arkos (of Greek Cypriot decent) of Passion FM began running rave nights out there as well as the owners of Freek FM 69 and Ramrod whole also played their part in the building of the grassroots movement of UK Garage in Cyprus. So after this all the big events from London and the Midlands were holding events in Ayia Napa. Out to the ravers that would travel over the the summer and autumn to Larnaca International Airport and would then get straight into a cab and hit the big clubs on the same night. Great memories indeed. Out to the ravers that remember nightclubs like: Babylon Club, Emporium, Fluid, Faces, Gas Club, Grease Club, Kool Club, Club Mythology, Pzazz Club, Rise Club, Spot Club, Castle Club...Big up all the vespa/moped and jet ski crew. In the years that followed Ayia Napa would be become of of the most popular destinations with British holidaymakers, but with it came a lot trouble where long brewing UK gang feuds were settled on the island with instances of serious violence and even the tragic death of UK tourists. By 2000, UK Garage as a sound had changed, it was no longer 4 by 4 but a 2 Step beat with heavy influences of Jungle, Dancehall, R&B, and Hip Hop music. The overbearing MC influence and the proliferation of crews and crew rivalries had changed the nature of the scene. Whether you celebrate it or you're an open critic it's true to say it was a reflection of the social changes going on with the youth in the UK's big cities and was also the precursor of the Grime movement.

The year 1999 was a successful year for UK Garage releases in the UK Commercial Charts with tracks like: The 10th Night - Y-Tribe, All 'n' All - 187 Lockdown featuring D'Empress, Buddy X 99 - Dreem Teem vs. Neneh Cherry, Do U Dream - Serious Danger featuring Carlton, Enough Is Enough - Y-Tribe featuring Elisabeth Troy, Everybody Come On (Can U Feel It) - Mr Reds vs. DJ Skribble, Funk on Ah Roll" (Bump & Flex Mix) - James Brown, Get on Down - JKL featuring MC Neat, Girlfriend - Caramel, Got Myself Together - Bump & Flex featuring Kallaghan, Happy Day - SJC featuring Wayne Allen, Joyrider - Colour Girl, A Little Bit of Luck - DJ Luck & MC Neat, Moving Too Fast - Artful Dodger featuring Romina Johnson, My Love (10º Below mixes) - Kele Le Roc, Over Here - M-Dubs featuring Richie Dan, Reminisce - Corrupted Cru featuring MC Neat, Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta) - Artful Dodger featuring Craig David, Something - Artful Dodger, See Line Woman '99 - Songstress, sets 2 Me - Grant Nelson featuring Jean McClain, Straight from the Heart - Doolally, Sweet Like Chocolate - Shanks & Bigfoot, Things Are Never - Operator & Baffled featuring Colour Girl, Try Me Out - Sunship featuring Anita Kelsey, We Are Da Click - Da Click, What U Do - Colours featuring Stephen Emmanuel & Eska, Who's the Bad Man? - Dee Pattern, and, You're Mine - Suburban Lick...

Out to all the London FM pirates of the past. Here's a list of some of our most loved pirate radio stations in frequency order from 1989-2006: Flava FM 87.6 / Shine FM 87.9 / Rude FM 88.2 / Impact FM 88.2 / Centreforce FM 88.3 / Unity FM 88.4 / Conflict FM 88.4 / Ice FM 88.4 / London Underground FM 89.4 / Defection FM 89.4 / Raw FM 90.0 / Raw Mission 90.0 / Pure Magic FM 90.2 / Pulse FM 90.6 / Chicago FM 90.6 / Mission FM 90.6 / Y2K FM 90.6 / Rinse FM 91.8 / Passion FM 91.8 / Format FM 92.3 / Weekend Rush FM 92.3 / Kik FM 92.3 / Deja Vu FM 92.3 / Weekend Rush FM 92.5 / Taste FM 92.5 / Mac FM 92.7 / Freeze FM 92.7 / Touchdown FM 94.1 / Stompin’ FM 94.2 / Kool FM 94.5 / Origin FM 95.2 / Entice FM 95.5 / Heat FM 96.6 / Rinse FM 97.6 / Flashback FM 97.6 / Cyndicut FM 97.8 / Fantasy FM 98.6 / Future FM 99.1 / Upfront FM 99.3 / Rinse FM 100.3 / Pressure FM 100.4 / Don FM 100.5 / Eruption FM 101.3 / Erotic FM 101.3 / Industry FM 101.3 / Freek FM 101.8 / Temptation FM 102.4 / Chillin’ FM 102.9 / Delight FM 103.0 / Flex FM 103.6 / Rude FM 104.3 / Ruud Awakening FM 104.3 / Don FM 105.7 / Girls FM 106.8 / Dream FM 107.0 / Risk FM 107.1 / Dream FM 107.6 / Don FM 107.9
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