Car radio
not an end of year list, just a list š¦
I passed my driving test a few months ago. Fourth time lucky. š„¹ And itās great! But itās the radio, specifically the in-car radio, and the variety of music at the turn of a dial that just⦠blows my mind.
Now, I understand the concept of radio. Iāve grown up with radio. I get radio. It was always there. But these days I donāt listen to the radio too often, unless Iām in the car and cruising down the mean streets of suburbia (although I switch off the radio coming up to roundabouts and those right-turn junctions, I mean, who came up with those junction designs, such nonsensical concepts, and I donāt like them one bit!!!).
But the radio. Iām talking FM radio, not online radio, just because FM radio is right there in the car and button-pressing is involved. Itās more fun, dare I say dexterous, than trying to open an online radio station on my phone and then doing the Bluetooth thingy. I am severely allergic to that idea.
So, in-car radio. Just wow. Youāve got it all! Itās an education. Britney Spears? Affirmative. East 17? Hell yeah. UB40? No question. Tall Paul? You better believe it.
And sometimes, ALL on the same day!
Iām writing this from Ireland, which means I am in Dublin, which means I have the privilege of scrolling through Irish radio stations. And let me tell you, itās a mixed bag! A party bag. Itās the Wild West out there. And you wonāt come out the other side without feeling⦠something. Nostalgic! Uplifted. Curious. Irritated. Surprised. Anxious. Dreamy.
I want to celebrate car radio. The concept of car radio, the musical VARIETY of car radio.
Hereās everything Iāve heard on the car radio in the last cupla weeks. 17 tracks that I can remember i.e. a party bag. And weāre going from AM to PM, as Christina Milian would say.
Actually no, thatās a lie, weāre going backwards, as in, starting with the dancey stuff from nighttime driving before going into the daytime stuff, because I donāt wanna waste the night tunes by listing them at the bottom of the pile, as itās very likely YOU, dear Subscriber, will not scroll to the end of this Substack. So letās not waste the dancey tunes by leaving them at the end of the list.
Major NB: Credit where credit is DUE. Most of the dance tunes are sourced via Al Gibbsā long-running (and wonderful) show āFreaksā (Fridays 7-10 PM + Saturdays 9-11 PM). 98FM also had some decent dance bits but āFreaksā provided a reliable flow of the funky stuff.
I canāt remember the other stations I flew through while sitting at various red lights, but Q102, TodayFM, Spin1038, FM104, East Coast FM, 2FM, and Nova, also made appearances on the radio screen thingy.
Oh also also, shoutout to Adam who recommended tuning into Cian Ć CĆobhĆ”inās show āAn Taobh Tuathailā (Monday to Friday 7 PM-9 PM) on Raidió na Gaeltachta. I am extremely ashamed to admit that I twirled past Raidió na Gaeltachta on several occasions. I just didnāt give it a chance because I assumed there wouldnāt be any dance music on there, but I was outrageously wrong on that front.
In fact I am listening back right now (not in the car) to one of Cianās Friday night shows (which are V dancey) and basically, thereās everything from spacey broken alien sounds to squishy techno so I am quite happy about this new (for me) radio addition and still embarrassed that I didnāt tune in before now, especially in the car.
So to make up for lost listening, Iām starting this listicle with a tune I plucked from a previous episode of āAn Taobh Tuathailā (you can listen back to old episodes here). I believe this tune was made for the dancefloor AND driving at night (safely!!!).
And one more thing, Britney features twice. But donāt hate the player, hate the dial. Sheās always on the airwaves, is our Britney. And if you canāt handle that, well sorry. Too hot to handle. Too fast too furious.
Furious.
š
Volpe - Pressure
Made for night driving O K !
Punchunella - San Trancisco (Air Tattoo Reconstruction)
Oh my LANTA. Just. Oh my Lanta? P.S. I think the piano melody is unnecessary but live and let live.
Elli Mac - Celebrate (Tall Paul Mix)
11 minutes long! It all kicks in at the halfway mark. Urgent, celebratory, slightly stressful while driving but⦠thereās good stuff here! (Viewers of SATC Season 3 Episode 8, Iām looking at you.)
The Source - Clouds (Jon The Dentist Remix)
For the boy racers at the back š
Nikolai - Ready to Flow
A hairy trance classic. I took the long way home to enjoy the full thing, and je ne regrette nien.
DJ Sandy vs. Housetrap - Overdrive
Call me crazy but is there anything more blissful than driving at night (responsibly!!!) with dance music on the radio? I am talking about lovely dance music selected by a human being (namely Al Gibbs again, who played this tune and many others here) LIVE on the radio? Itās a rare thing, itās a beautiful thing, and I think this is one of the most magical tunes Iāve ever heard in a car-based setting.
Sasha/Emerson - Scorchio
Another late(ish) night dial into āFreaksā whilst in transit. Would I be the biggest Sasha and/or Darren Emerson fan? NĆl but I like the unpolished vibe to āScorchioā, as in, itās not sleek and sophisticated progressive house. Itās crunchy. And it sounded good in the car.
Rhythm On The Loose - Break of Dawn
A timeless work of art, and thereās nothing more to say or do.
Britney Spears - Gimme More
Itās Britney bitch, and weāre driving in the daytime now. Would you believe, I heard this TWICE in one day on two different stations and in the same hour. Iām not making this up! Double Britney, and Iām not complaininā.
UB40 - Red Red Wine
Dreaming at the red light.
East 17 - Stay Another Day
I love this song on a very deep level. Itās everything. Itās just everything.
Dr. Dre - Still D.R.E. ft. Snoop Dogg
Still waters run deep š
Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
Respect to Wham! specifically George Michael, always and forever, but I only associate āWake Me Up Before You Go-Goā with this Oscar-worthy scene from Zoolander. Itās Alexander SkarsgĆ„rdās trancey sunglasses, the model mobile, the jerky dance moves, the inexplicable Tommy Hilfiger billboard, the New York of it all. Absolutely gorgeous car tune.
Britney Spears - Piece Of Me
The lyrics š One of MANY songs I heard from the Blackout album on afternoon car radio (FM104 are mad for it, in particular). Still going strong 18 years later. Yes, itās been 18 years since this tune came out.
Aaliyah - More Than A Woman
More Than A Woman i.e. say no more.
Eminem - Lose Yourself
Iām not sure about this song (itās V dramatic) or Eminem as a concept. Sure weāll leave it in anyway.
Airscape - Pacific Melody
I š trance. Ending on a sparkly note for those who made it this far. xxx




My fave Substack! Happy (safe) driving! š