So many streamable radio stations in the world
February 8, 2021 12:47 PM Subscribe
A globe with radio stations, just click to hear what they're doing This has been posted on the blue a couple of times before, but the most recent one was in 2017, so I think it's worth mentioning again.
This is amazing. I was probably amazed the last time it showed up, and I’m happy to be amazed all over again. A bona-fide great idea for tipping your toe into other corners of the globe.
posted by Going To Maine at 1:31 PM on February 8, 2021
posted by Going To Maine at 1:31 PM on February 8, 2021
(Now combine it with webcams.)
posted by Going To Maine at 1:32 PM on February 8, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Going To Maine at 1:32 PM on February 8, 2021 [2 favorites]
A very different interface but also pretty cool (and VERY informative, more than you thought you needed) is radio-locator.com. I discovered it by accident one night and sort of rabbit-holed for an evening. Global online radio is fun!
posted by hippybear at 1:48 PM on February 8, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 1:48 PM on February 8, 2021 [5 favorites]
Oh this is wonderful! I've been wandering down memory lane, checking out radio stations from places I used to live all around the globe -- Mozambique, New Mexico, California -- and it's been really nice. Thanks for sharing.
posted by forza at 2:10 PM on February 8, 2021
posted by forza at 2:10 PM on February 8, 2021
The first station served up to me was a non-profit, low-power station just over the river from me that plays only outlaw country music. This is the very last music I would have selected on my own to listen to and it is awesome.
posted by vverse23 at 2:23 PM on February 8, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by vverse23 at 2:23 PM on February 8, 2021 [4 favorites]
Got a link vverse23?
posted by nestor_makhno at 2:46 PM on February 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by nestor_makhno at 2:46 PM on February 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
Sure, nestor_makhno. Here's the Radio Garden link, and here's the station's website. Really solid playlist so far.
posted by vverse23 at 2:54 PM on February 8, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by vverse23 at 2:54 PM on February 8, 2021 [2 favorites]
This is fun!!
Currently enjoying Dr Dicks Dub Shack, streaming from Hamilton Bermuda.
A lovely backbeat to the drudgery of work.
posted by Bluepenguin05 at 3:20 PM on February 8, 2021 [6 favorites]
Currently enjoying Dr Dicks Dub Shack, streaming from Hamilton Bermuda.
A lovely backbeat to the drudgery of work.
posted by Bluepenguin05 at 3:20 PM on February 8, 2021 [6 favorites]
the one I'm associated with is in the midst of its annual "FunDrive" ... so if you're looking to randomly give some money away to a darned good cause ...
posted by philip-random at 3:53 PM on February 8, 2021
posted by philip-random at 3:53 PM on February 8, 2021
Very nice, indeed.
In a sort of similar vein, but not really, is radiooooo.com, which is sort of a global time travelling jukebox, where you can sort of tweak the variables of time and styles. I don't remember if I found it here or not, but it's worth repeating if it was.
posted by 2N2222 at 3:59 PM on February 8, 2021 [7 favorites]
In a sort of similar vein, but not really, is radiooooo.com, which is sort of a global time travelling jukebox, where you can sort of tweak the variables of time and styles. I don't remember if I found it here or not, but it's worth repeating if it was.
posted by 2N2222 at 3:59 PM on February 8, 2021 [7 favorites]
The first time I was on non-dial-up Internet, I immediately looked for worldwide streaming radio guides. I have a feeling I am going to fall down this rabbit hole all too easily.
posted by not_on_display at 4:14 PM on February 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by not_on_display at 4:14 PM on February 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
Thanks, Bluepenguin05. Dr. Dicks Dub Shack is amazing.
posted by vverse23 at 4:32 PM on February 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by vverse23 at 4:32 PM on February 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
This is great. I just went around the planet and dipped into 25 stations on all continents except Antarctica. It seems you get to hear a lot of American music, specifically "Black Water" by the Doobie Brothers. No exaggeration: I heard Joe Jackson and also REM, but within the last hour, I can attest that people in Hays, KS, Wellington NZ, and Riga have heard about the merits of hearing some funky Dixieland, pretty mama come and take me by the hand.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:36 PM on February 8, 2021 [7 favorites]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:36 PM on February 8, 2021 [7 favorites]
I always forget about streaming radio, but I'm happy to be reminded about it. It's nice not to have to make decisions about what to listen to.
posted by mollweide at 4:37 PM on February 8, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by mollweide at 4:37 PM on February 8, 2021 [2 favorites]
I also learn to my delight that my hometown has a paranormal station. I am listening to an in-depth discussion on what to look for when choosing an exorcist. The host and the panelist are now talking about how the movie The Exorcist was waaay too Hollywood. "All those things can happen but all in the same exorcism? Hardly ever."
Glorious.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:50 PM on February 8, 2021 [2 favorites]
Glorious.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:50 PM on February 8, 2021 [2 favorites]
Currently enjoying Dr Dicks Dub Shack, streaming from Hamilton Bermuda.
Same here — Bermuda was the first place I checked out!
posted by jgirl at 5:33 PM on February 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
Oh wow, I missed this before. Serious rabbit hole.
posted by Devils Rancher at 5:36 PM on February 8, 2021
posted by Devils Rancher at 5:36 PM on February 8, 2021
I always forget about streaming radio, but I'm happy to be reminded about it. It's nice not to have to make decisions about what to listen to.
Yes! I used to listen to a lot of internet radio in the early 2000s, but later, when Spotify and related streaming services came along, I slowly drifted away.
However, in the ensuing 15+ years, the quality of audio has gone up while I wasn't paying attention. The streaming services "radio" (with some exceptions), are really just algorithms in disguise, no humans are involved in making most of those playlists.
A few months ago I got some new speakers and was warned they needed 100+ hours of break-in time before they really shined, so during work I would put on some internet radio and just let 'er play in the background while I worked.
Now, I'm kind of hooked again! Here are a few of my favorites:
Yes! I used to listen to a lot of internet radio in the early 2000s, but later, when Spotify and related streaming services came along, I slowly drifted away.
However, in the ensuing 15+ years, the quality of audio has gone up while I wasn't paying attention. The streaming services "radio" (with some exceptions), are really just algorithms in disguise, no humans are involved in making most of those playlists.
A few months ago I got some new speakers and was warned they needed 100+ hours of break-in time before they really shined, so during work I would put on some internet radio and just let 'er play in the background while I worked.
Now, I'm kind of hooked again! Here are a few of my favorites:
- Ambient tunes. The folks at Soma FM play consistently good ambient tracks, perfect for working in the background. https://radio.garden/listen/soma-fm-drone-zone/kpP1NuqX
- FIP radio is a big player in Internet radio, they have several channels (Electro, Jazz, Groove, Reggae, etc). They're based in Paris and unapologetically FRENCH, which I love. Listening to them transports me away from my living room and country, which I very much appreciate. (Do a search for "FIP" if you want to see the different genres). https://radio.garden/listen/fip/YNeGA5ua
- Radio Paradise is another old school internet station that gets massive credit for just sticking around this long. These days, they drift a little more mellow than is my current taste, but they have an eclectic mix of songs which every so often really hits the right groove. https://radio.garden/listen/radio-paradise/RotRqcsC
- That Dub Shack link is great, one of the reggae stations I return to is Riddim Lion out of the UK, some very deep cuts can be found playing here! https://radio.garden/listen/riddim-lion-radio/kcQrm_Pb
The folks at Soma FM play
I used to listen to Soma FM all of the time, and they completely fell off my radar. I blame streaming apps, and it's really quite frightening what it suggests about my attention span and ability to remember.
posted by mollweide at 6:14 PM on February 8, 2021
I used to listen to Soma FM all of the time, and they completely fell off my radar. I blame streaming apps, and it's really quite frightening what it suggests about my attention span and ability to remember.
posted by mollweide at 6:14 PM on February 8, 2021
Well I just had the experience of a random station in India playing a commercial about a Macy's card. And then when I flipped over to another city in India, same commercial. Small world.
posted by joeyh at 6:28 PM on February 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by joeyh at 6:28 PM on February 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
Well I just had the experience of a random station in India playing a commercial about a Macy's card. And then when I flipped over to another city in India, same commercial. Small world.
I think it sometimes glitches and gives you something closer to home in the ad breaks. I am just outside of Toronto and I find it unlikely that a station in small town in Bavaria was running a PSA from my provincial government about reopening schools in Ontario.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:39 PM on February 8, 2021 [3 favorites]
I think it sometimes glitches and gives you something closer to home in the ad breaks. I am just outside of Toronto and I find it unlikely that a station in small town in Bavaria was running a PSA from my provincial government about reopening schools in Ontario.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:39 PM on February 8, 2021 [3 favorites]
there's a great hole in the wall dive in hamilton that makes a ridiculously good pina colada. it was far enough away from anyone we know from the industry (at the time) that i could get away with ordering one instead of the usual fernet and IPA or whatever.
posted by lazaruslong at 7:12 PM on February 8, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by lazaruslong at 7:12 PM on February 8, 2021 [2 favorites]
I can't figure out if that comment is a non sequitur or if I failed to follow a thread.
posted by hippybear at 7:48 PM on February 8, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 7:48 PM on February 8, 2021 [2 favorites]
I wondered if little towns in Cuba had cool radio stations and find that yes, they do.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:57 PM on February 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:57 PM on February 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
This is great fun, and I missed it previously. Thanks!
Scrolling around through distant places I've been, back when I didn't have a cell phone but did have a portable radio is powerfully nostalgic. That any random 8 seconds of radio in the world today sounds almost indistinguishable from what I was listening to and recording twenty years ago is a little surprising. But, I'm sure there are unexpected things hiding there if one scrolls around long enough.
They're missing a couple of my favorite stations. Figuring out what the hell they were called and whether they still exist is a machine translation scavenger hunt for another day.
posted by eotvos at 9:01 PM on February 8, 2021
Scrolling around through distant places I've been, back when I didn't have a cell phone but did have a portable radio is powerfully nostalgic. That any random 8 seconds of radio in the world today sounds almost indistinguishable from what I was listening to and recording twenty years ago is a little surprising. But, I'm sure there are unexpected things hiding there if one scrolls around long enough.
They're missing a couple of my favorite stations. Figuring out what the hell they were called and whether they still exist is a machine translation scavenger hunt for another day.
posted by eotvos at 9:01 PM on February 8, 2021
Oh, hey, Jive Radio is represented.
I'll never forget heading east from Mt. Hood into the expanse of the eastern Oregon desert and wondering if I was bound for hours and hours of right-wing talk, pop country and Christian rock radio. And I was indeed until I stumbled upon Jive Radio, a chaotic mix of John Prine, various incarnations of the Grateful Dead and some random Zappa covers. In short, it was a glorious soundtrack to the pastels and earth tones of the fascinating landscapes.
posted by vverse23 at 10:06 PM on February 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
I'll never forget heading east from Mt. Hood into the expanse of the eastern Oregon desert and wondering if I was bound for hours and hours of right-wing talk, pop country and Christian rock radio. And I was indeed until I stumbled upon Jive Radio, a chaotic mix of John Prine, various incarnations of the Grateful Dead and some random Zappa covers. In short, it was a glorious soundtrack to the pastels and earth tones of the fascinating landscapes.
posted by vverse23 at 10:06 PM on February 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
ricochet biscuit, what is the paranormal radio station?
More generally, I hope people will name the great stations they've found.
Clare.fm in Ireland is one of the good ones.
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 2:15 AM on February 9, 2021
More generally, I hope people will name the great stations they've found.
Clare.fm in Ireland is one of the good ones.
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 2:15 AM on February 9, 2021
I'm excited to try this, but it just keeps loading and loading and loading....
Is it me or are others having this problem?
posted by james33 at 3:47 AM on February 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
Is it me or are others having this problem?
posted by james33 at 3:47 AM on February 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
I came by to mention Radio Paradise as well. I keep their app on my phone and listen to them on my computer frequently. There are some great suggestions in this thread I can't wait to check out, and then the rest of the globe to explore!
posted by Gelatin at 5:06 AM on February 9, 2021
posted by Gelatin at 5:06 AM on February 9, 2021
ricochet biscuit, what is the paranormal radio station?
More generally, I hope people will name the great stations they've found.
Clare.fm in Ireland is one of the good ones.
Paranormal King Radio Network in Hamilton ON. I checked back this morning and it’s not all talk shows: they seem to have a bent toward music fitting their themes. I caught the end of Peter Schilling’s “Major Tom (Coming Home)” which gave way to some witchy piece by Loreena McKennit I did not recognize.
And last night I found myself listening to an Irish-language station in Galway. I speak almost no Irish, so it was great trying to assemble some meaning out of the unchanged English loanwords. “Irish-irish-irish-irish bedroom community, Irish-irish-irish-irish-irish traffic patterns? Irish-irish-irish-irish-irish drum and bass.”
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:31 AM on February 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
More generally, I hope people will name the great stations they've found.
Clare.fm in Ireland is one of the good ones.
Paranormal King Radio Network in Hamilton ON. I checked back this morning and it’s not all talk shows: they seem to have a bent toward music fitting their themes. I caught the end of Peter Schilling’s “Major Tom (Coming Home)” which gave way to some witchy piece by Loreena McKennit I did not recognize.
And last night I found myself listening to an Irish-language station in Galway. I speak almost no Irish, so it was great trying to assemble some meaning out of the unchanged English loanwords. “Irish-irish-irish-irish bedroom community, Irish-irish-irish-irish-irish traffic patterns? Irish-irish-irish-irish-irish drum and bass.”
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:31 AM on February 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
james33 - I'm having the same issue. Too many MeFites trying to access it??
posted by mostly vowels at 9:37 AM on February 9, 2021
posted by mostly vowels at 9:37 AM on February 9, 2021
Thanks so much for sharing this. I'm enjoying listening to radio in France and Haiti. I've been (slowly) learning French in preparation for a medical mission trip to Haiti that was supposed to happen this month but has been delayed for obvious reasons, and this gives me a new and different way to help with understanding.
Also, I'm happy that I can mark favorites.
posted by joannemerriam at 10:19 AM on February 9, 2021
Also, I'm happy that I can mark favorites.
posted by joannemerriam at 10:19 AM on February 9, 2021
Yeah they serve up local ads or something, pretty sure they don't advertise in spanish in Bangladesh. (I'm in Mexico)
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 11:52 AM on February 9, 2021
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 11:52 AM on February 9, 2021
Bouncing around the Eurasian steppe, I have concluded that Kazhakh music is straight-up more interesting than Kyrgyz. I love that we live in a world where I have the information to make such a determination at all.
posted by jackbishop at 12:40 PM on February 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by jackbishop at 12:40 PM on February 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
A friend just shared this with me: "My new favorite website simply shows videos from car driving around the city of your choice with the local radio on: https://driveandlisten.herokuapp.com/"
posted by flabdablet at 6:46 PM on February 9, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 6:46 PM on February 9, 2021 [5 favorites]
flabdablet, that is such a timesink of a site, thanks.
I also found the site would only load on FF on iOS, or Safari on MacOS. So I downloaded the (free with ads) app, and I find the interface on that much more stable than either of those two. Caveat: be careful which app you choose upon searching for Radio Garden; you may get a knockoff product.
posted by not_on_display at 1:06 AM on February 10, 2021
I also found the site would only load on FF on iOS, or Safari on MacOS. So I downloaded the (free with ads) app, and I find the interface on that much more stable than either of those two. Caveat: be careful which app you choose upon searching for Radio Garden; you may get a knockoff product.
posted by not_on_display at 1:06 AM on February 10, 2021
I ran into radio.garden some years ago, and when the lockdown here began I started playing with it again. Much like a bunch of commenters here, I discovered Dr. Dick's Dub Shack, and that station is *awesome*. One of its charms is that it has been broadcasting non-stop with no talk and no ad breaks since 1998!
I am in fact listening to it right now, almost a year later, while I work.
During the lockdown I started trying to track down the elusive Dr. Dick. The only references I could find to him were direct links to the station and a link to an American Buddhist monk's blog from many years ago, where he was saying how happy he was with it too. I ended up finding some contact information (I don't remember if I had to view the source from the station's website, or whether I got it from his hosting provider's site).
I sent him an overly gushy email, and maybe six weeks later I got a circumspect response, turning down an invitation for an interview (a friend is a journalist and was charmed by the story too), and telling me 'Who feels it knows it.'
I've since decided to leave him alone.
posted by jpziller at 4:25 AM on February 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
I am in fact listening to it right now, almost a year later, while I work.
During the lockdown I started trying to track down the elusive Dr. Dick. The only references I could find to him were direct links to the station and a link to an American Buddhist monk's blog from many years ago, where he was saying how happy he was with it too. I ended up finding some contact information (I don't remember if I had to view the source from the station's website, or whether I got it from his hosting provider's site).
I sent him an overly gushy email, and maybe six weeks later I got a circumspect response, turning down an invitation for an interview (a friend is a journalist and was charmed by the story too), and telling me 'Who feels it knows it.'
I've since decided to leave him alone.
posted by jpziller at 4:25 AM on February 10, 2021 [4 favorites]
I just discovered there's a phone app. It's cheap and good.
posted by eotvos at 4:55 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by eotvos at 4:55 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
I decided to pay the devs (in NL I think?) for the phone app some time ago. I also have an idea of a live performance I'd like to do based on this, but I'm not sure how to get started. If anyone here wants to discuss how one might pull off:
1 - using the app on a tablet or other interface...
2 - ... while showing it on a screen ...
3 - ... while running the audio into a looper device
In order to create backing rhythms and samples in real time, I'd love to chat.
posted by jpziller at 5:00 AM on February 10, 2021
1 - using the app on a tablet or other interface...
2 - ... while showing it on a screen ...
3 - ... while running the audio into a looper device
In order to create backing rhythms and samples in real time, I'd love to chat.
posted by jpziller at 5:00 AM on February 10, 2021
I was amazed to find a great radio station in my immediate listening area that I had never heard before.
posted by drstrangelove at 4:09 AM on February 11, 2021
posted by drstrangelove at 4:09 AM on February 11, 2021
Well I just had the experience of a random station in India playing a commercial about a Macy's card. And then when I flipped over to another city in India, same commercial. Small world.
I was listening to a pop station somewhere in Russia called "Red Army" and heard a long ad for State Farm insurance.
posted by drstrangelove at 4:17 AM on February 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
I was listening to a pop station somewhere in Russia called "Red Army" and heard a long ad for State Farm insurance.
posted by drstrangelove at 4:17 AM on February 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
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