Lao Lao Shu!

...aka 'DJ Old Rat', in Chinese.
This is the name Steve Barker, aka legendary radio DJ of long running show 'On The Wire', would play records out as, during some time spent in Beijing and Shanghai.

... But that's another story. Let's take a brief skip back to 1984 - (yes, the date 1984, not the Orwellian times we live in now) - this was the year Steve Barker kicked off the first of his 'On The Wire' radio shows on BBC Radio Lancashire. For all who don't live on this shabby ol' island called England - Lancashire is a county in the north-west.
This show is still going strong - despite a few rocky roads, as you'd expect from a show keeping it underground on BBC airwaves. And to top it off, Steve Barker's On The Wire show is known as Britain's longest running underground music radio show - God save the real king! - with Steve Barker counting over 40 years on the airwaves now. His first appearance on the airwaves, was, as far as we know: in 1978, on Radio Blackburn - yep, that's in Lancashire too!

Its late in the day so we won't list the countless guests and special moments this show has brought with it (Lee Perry, On:U crew, SKRS, etc etc etc - do your research and you'll find out), but we will tell you that it's a show that is loved and respected by many generations - One example would be the story about how we found out about Steve Barker ourselves - back around 2011 or so, when we first got into putting out records (the early Peng Sound, NoCorner, Hotline stuff and that), my dear stepdad Gareth, who is Preston born and raised (yap, that's also in Lancashire), intro'd us to Steve Barker, as Gareth used to listen to early On The Wire shows on radio in the 80's, and then Gareth and Steve's paths crossed in later years too (the music industry is a pretty small world after all).
Naturally we at RWDFWD became fans of the show ourselves after this, and it's always been nice to have email chats with Steve, or send him the occasional promo, to then hear it getting played 'On The Wire'.

Steve Barker's known as a true afficionado of Jamaican music and the many strands of sounds it has produced in the UK and elsewhere over the years - but whilst reggae music is a theme that has maintained throughout the years, you shouldn't get too comfortable in your seat when listening to OTW either - just as it should be, Steve plays anything he likes, and you can find a whole heap of curveballs. Not that he seems like the kind of guy who cares about being relevant or anything, but the fact that his selections didn't get stuck in any time, or geographical zone - simply sticking to his guns (quality underground music, no hype merchant biz!) is surely a good reason why OTW is still listened to, and cared about after so many years - I think there was a nice quote from Steve on a radio documentary for 'The Wire' (who he also writes reviews for by the way) where he said something like 'you wouldn't only look at the same old paintings or art in a museum or gallery every time you visit, so why would you stop being curious about new music?'... (Something like that anyway, sorry if that was a misquote Steve).

So, speaking of pictures - I think we've painted a bit of the 'Steve Barker picture' here - we'll leave it to you (if you didn't already know!) to find out more, dig back in the archives etc, and just 'tune in' if you're keen to hear more. (you should be!).

... While you do that, you could be doing much worse than ordering a copy of this special mix he recorded for us, as DJ Old Rat no less, for our 11th RWDFWDMIX cassette, and waiting for the postie to arrive with it at your doorstep.

Inside, you'll find Steve's proud selections of dubplate specials, oddball versions of classic roots & dancehall, and many obscure cuts from the vaults of his (no-doubt: enviable) record collection, peppered with cleverly placed vocal skits and of course full of that nostalgic, reassuring vinyl crackle. 90minutes of rootical heat for the dancehall, or, why not: your favourite living room spot, within ear shot of your tape player, with a cup of tea - or a cigar - if you want to do it the Steve Barker way.

Expect: 'riddims from John John, Jazzbo, Shabba, Pablo, Jnr Reid, Mighty Two, Phil Pratt, the Observer, Sylvan Morris, Phillip Fulwood, Tubby, Far I, Winston Riley and the mighty "Cough & Spit Out" versioning the Meters ...'

C90. Strictly on tape, for now.
Artwork comes, as always, from RWDFWD graphic designer Studio Tape-Echo - including a snatched rat from an old rat killer advert in print, a subtle nod to 80's reggae sleeve design techniques, and all of that detail you'd expect from a design by Alex Digard at Tape-Echo.