Fracture explores the history and legacy of UK Pirate Radio on new album, ‘0860’

Drum & bass and jungle stalwart Fracture has unveiled a new multi-platform project which pays homage to, and is inspired by, UK pirate radio culture.

‘0860’ takes the form of a radio station, which is already broadcasting the 90-minute ‘Signal Test’ ambient LP via 0860.fm, an eight-track double vinyl record, and a 19-tune mixtape on the artist’s own Astrophonica label, available from 18th November. A pirate radio art print from UTILE and t-shirt are also available.

Over the coming weeks, the station will showcase an extensive series of interviews with confirmed names including Bryan Gee, Om Unit, Naina & SHERELLE, Stamina MC, Eddie Peake, Scratcha DVA, Mantra and more. Lost 1990s and 2000s recordings from pirate broadcasters such as Kool, Runs, and Pulse will also feature. 

“Pirate Radio was a gateway into a world that I was otherwise too young to have any contact with. It sparked an interest, lit a fire and set me on a path that I continue to tread. As a young listener it had a mysticism about it,” said Fracture. “The deeper I look into my own genetic make-up as an artist, the more I can see the hereditary traits of the jungle pirate radio stations. The crunchy and distorted aesthetics of a slightly out-of-tune station, the creation of a self- sufficient world with its own language, the inherently DIY nature of the whole thing, the connection to a local area and of course the manic and chopped up breakbeats.

“I later came to realise it’s not just me and it’s not just London. Manchester producer Chimpo’s ‘On The Dial’ EP on my label, Astrophonica, is an ode to his local stations, Buzz FM and LUV NRG, and suggests he was having very similar experiences. In early 90s Bristol, jungle legend DJ Die was playing on local pirate Power FM and it’s clear to me that any city with a strong pirate radio subculture has had a profound effect on its local community and the wider growth of this music.”

This summer, Fracture, Sully and Nikki Nair put out a 65-part breakbeat sample pack in aid of charity.