Tomas Olesen gets all misty eyed at a landmark decision for London music - Rinse FM are licensed!
Rinse FM, the London pirate station which provided early exposure for the emerging grime and dubstep scenes, has finally been granted an FM license after a 3 year campaign.
Rinse is often cited as the catalyst for, rather than the result of, grime and dubstep. As such it's importance to London club culture, and indeed to dance music globally, can not be overstated. The late, and truly great, John Peel said "When I'm in London I listen to the pirates as much as I can. There's a station I like called Rinse FM, which is somewhere in the area banded by Kiss FM and Classic FM." If the original pirate DJ liked it you know they're doing something very right.
Rinse, as with all pirate stations, has had it's run ins with the law in the past. Perhaps the most comic of these was DJ Slimzee's 2005 ASBO banning him from every rooftop in Tower Hamlets. Seeking to legitimise what had become such a fixture of London life, Rinse started looking for an FM license in 2007 which is also when the stations focus moved towards UK funky which is arguably a more radio friendly sound.
Now after a successful petition, which drew signatories from not just London but across the globe, Rinse is officially an FM station. After 16 years of dedication, which has seen them help bring such talent as Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, Kode 9, Skream, and Plastician to the world's attention, they have truly paid their dues and our heartfelt congratulations go out to Geeneus and the crew.
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