This summer, a group of young Manchester Hip Hop heads became audio archivists. In a workshop funded by Manchester City Council Youth & Play, National Lottery Heritage Fund, and supported by Arts Council England. Delving deep into the archives of the Greater Manchester Hip Hop Archive, their mission: to protect and preserve local Hip Hop history. Dubbing their work ‘The Azimuth Project’, they meticulously cleaned, catalogued, and digitised a treasure trove of cassette tapes from a range of donations and collections including the MADAS’ and the Espa 106 tapes, preserving the raw sounds that defined a generation.
Now, that preserved history has hit the airwaves.
From September 29th to October 3rd, Unity Radio 92.8FM presented ‘Back to the Source’, a special week of programming dedicated to these rediscovered gems. The journey started during daytimes Primetime (7-10 am & 4-7 pm), with the voices of the project’s professionals and young participants, sharing their experiences of connecting with the analogue past. The week kicked off with sound archivist David Govier, Listen back to his interview here:
But the real magic happened after dark.
Tuning in after the 9pm watershed, listeners experienced the raw, uncensored power of the original late-night Hip Hop shows. This is how it was meant to be heard: Stu Allan’s legendary Piccadilly Radio ‘Bus Diss‘, shows from Leaky & Owen D on Mike Shaft’s Sunset Radio, or a rare gem from the city’s leading 90s and early 2000 pirate stations. These shows were more than just music; they were a vital information network. Through the spoken word and the physical passing of cassette tapes, this word-of-mouth education spread knowledge, wisdom, and DIY ethics, directly inspiring a grassroots music industry to spring up from the ground in Manchester. This community of teens in their bedrooms wasn’t just listening—they were learning, and that shared knowledge grew into a city-wide movement.
Today’s youth never experienced this communal, analogue culture, but they are inquisitive and intrigued by records, tape players, the community, and the fashion. Now, they’re the ones bringing it back to life for everyone.”
The Journey Continues…
The energy doesn’t stop on the radio. ‘Back 2 the Source’ is the perfect primer for Street Heat 4, Unity Radio’s own premier street culture festival. This cross-generational event brings all the elements of Hip Hop culture together, proving that the movement born from those late-night radio waves is alive and thriving.
Tune In: ‘Back to the Source’, Sept 29 – Oct 3 on Unity Radio 92.8FM. Days for the stories, nights for the raw sounds.
Get Down: Street Heat Festival – The North’s premier street culture celebration. keep an eye out for the Back 2 the Source section, with a speical vinyl set from Scorpio Bleu.
