The featured guest on our first episode is world-renowned UK radio DJ Huw Stephens. New-music ally for over 22 years and former BBC Radio 1 and current BBC Radio 6 Music & Radio Cymru DJ, Huw joined the conversation from Cardiff, Wales. Marc begins by asking Huw how he ended up where he is, plus they talk about music discovery and sometimes being one of the only people in a club watching that new band play live for the first time. They also discuss how musicians need to develop a supportive community, how singing in Welsh can work for you and Huw takes a few audience questions. #HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is a series designed to deliver the knowledge to enable tomorrow’s artists and industry leaders to manoeuvre their way through the music ecosystem better.
We are delighted to announce that our first guest for the #HowWeListen Live: In Conversation series is Huw Stephens, a new music-ally for over 22 years and former BBC Radio 1 and current BBC Radio 6 Music & Radio Cymru DJ. This episode was recorded live from Cardiff, Wales. Huw joined us from one of his favourite music venues in Wales, Clwb Ifor Bach who, along with FOCUS Wales, an international multi-venue showcase festival, partnered with Byta for this event.
Huw joined BBC Radio 1 at 17, becoming the youngest ever Radio 1 DJ. He has broadcast live from Glastonbury, Reading Festival, Sonar, South by Southwest, and Eurosonic on BBC Radio 1, as well as broadcasting live from Radio 1’s own Teen Awards and Big Weekend. His passion for new music has meant he has been the first to champion countless new artists early on. He has contributed to BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, 6Music and presented on BBC Radio Wales, and regularly presents on the BBC World Service. Huw talks about music discovery, which means sometimes being one of the only people in a club watching that new band play live for the first time. Also, the importance of musicians developing a supportive community, and how singing in Welsh can work for you.
“...I ended up in the UK, where we had hospitals that have radio stations in them. It was a big thing for DJs to get practice. If you're a geek about radio, hospital radio was the place to start. It is still brilliant and doing great things. They play artists and they take requests from the patients. It's a real community. So that's how I started and then I managed bands…"
Huw is much more than a radio DJ, he is the founder of the Swn Festival in Cardiff, Wales’ premier new music festival which he founded in 2007, and won Best Small Festival at the NME Awards in 2014. He curates the Lake Stage at Latitude Festival, which saw early appearances by The xx, Alt J, The 1975, Catfish & The Bottlemen and many more.
Huw also DJs regularly around the UK to thousands and has DJ’d worldwide in Venezuela, Barcelona, Iceland, Norway, Austin Texas, New York, New Zealand and Patagonia. Since 2006, Huw Stephens Presents has been a monthly live music night in London’s The Social, playing host to new artists.
#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation
@BBC Radio
2:20 Focus Wales
3:27 Andy Jones
5:07 Ryan Reynolds
5:44 Cat Morris, Clwb Ifor Bach
7:46 Poptones Records
8:21 Hospital Radio
10:44 Zane Lowe,
12:30 BBC Radio Wales
15:05 Annie Mac
18:09 Upload your Music Here
24:00 Sŵn Festival
26:30 Flohio
30:00 Break Out West
33:00 Boy Azooga
34:00 Gwenno
44:00 M for Montreal, 9Bach
47:00 Byta.com
Music by Fin Productions and Oliver Lyu