DJ Lepke
Encyclopedia
DJ Lepke, born Leroy Anderson Lepke, is the co-founder of the Dread Broadcasting Corporation
(DBC).
DJ Lepke, together with his sister Ranking Miss P
and Mike 'the Bike', formed DBC in 1980 as pirate radio
station broadcasting a wide range of black music. Based in West London based DBC played reggae
on Friday nights in a format based on sound systems style and using heavy dub echo and reverb in the links. DBC also broadcast soul
, funk, R&B, Afrikan (South African black music), jazz, and soca
(upbeat calypso). DBC was unique among radio stations in the UK at the time, a black-run station broadcasting black music to a mixed audience. Miss P, who later dj the first reggae show on BBC Radio 1
, commented: "There's never been a station run like DBC. Our format allows us to play music that would otherwise never be heard publicly. We create movement within the industry." DBC was the first black owned and controlled radio station in Europe.
Through DBC DJ Lepke is credited with helping to kick start the careers of artists such as Lloyd Bradley
, Neneh Cherry
, and Ranking Miss P
.
Dread Broadcasting Corporation
Dread Broadcasting Corporation was a west London pirate radio station established in 1981.DBC has been credited as Britain's first black music radio station, and eventually featured DJs like Neneh Cherry, and Ranking Miss P. Joe Strummer of The Clash even made a guest appearance on the station,...
(DBC).
DJ Lepke, together with his sister Ranking Miss P
Ranking Miss P
Ranking Miss P is a British radio presenter, born in London to Jamaican parents.After leaving school, Miss P was studying to become a teacher, but instead was persuaded by her brother DJ Lepke to start broadcasting on his community radio station, Dread Broadcasting Corporation , the first black...
and Mike 'the Bike', formed DBC in 1980 as pirate radio
UK pirate radio
UK pirate radio was popular in the 1960s and experienced another surge of interest in the 1980s. There are currently an estimated 150 pirate radio stations in the UK...
station broadcasting a wide range of black music. Based in West London based DBC played reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
on Friday nights in a format based on sound systems style and using heavy dub echo and reverb in the links. DBC also broadcast soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, funk, R&B, Afrikan (South African black music), jazz, and soca
Soca music
Soca is a style of music from Trinidad and Tobago. Soca is a musical development of traditional Trinidadian calypso, through loans from the 1960s onwards from predominantly black popular music....
(upbeat calypso). DBC was unique among radio stations in the UK at the time, a black-run station broadcasting black music to a mixed audience. Miss P, who later dj the first reggae show on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, commented: "There's never been a station run like DBC. Our format allows us to play music that would otherwise never be heard publicly. We create movement within the industry." DBC was the first black owned and controlled radio station in Europe.
Through DBC DJ Lepke is credited with helping to kick start the careers of artists such as Lloyd Bradley
Lloyd Bradley
Lloyd Bradley is a British music writer.Born in London, Bradley discovered Jamaican music in his teenage years, while going out in the North London based sound systems and created his own named Dark Star System in the end of the sixties.He worked on several in their early years Q Magazine and...
, Neneh Cherry
Neneh Cherry
Neneh Mariann Cherry is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, and occasional DJ and broadcaster...
, and Ranking Miss P
Ranking Miss P
Ranking Miss P is a British radio presenter, born in London to Jamaican parents.After leaving school, Miss P was studying to become a teacher, but instead was persuaded by her brother DJ Lepke to start broadcasting on his community radio station, Dread Broadcasting Corporation , the first black...
.