The Alchemists of Sound (2003)

This BBC documentary is a good introduction to the people responsible for creating some of the most memorable television and radio music in British popular culture.

The BBC's Radiophonic Workshop was set up in 1958, born out of a desire to create 'new kinds of sounds'. This documentary looks at this creative group from its inception, through its golden age when it was supplying music and effects for cult classics like Doctor Who, Blake's Seven and Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, and charts its fading away in 1995 when, due to budget cuts, it was no longer able to survive.

There are interviews with composers from the Workshop, as well as musicians and writers who have been inspired by the output. Great archive footage of the Workshop and its machinery is accompanied by excerpts of the, now cult, TV programmes that featured these sounds.

More information:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0963155/

Directed by Roger Pomphrey. Narrated by Oliver Postgate. Interviews/appearances by Roger Limb, Mark Ayres, Brian Hodgson, Desmond Briscoe, Maddalena Fagandini, Dick Mills, Adrian Utley, David Cain, Delia Derbyshire, Malcolm Clarke, Peter Kember, John Baker, Milton Babbitt, Huw Wheldon, Robert Popper, Peter Serafinowicz, Wendy Carlos, Peter Howell, Paddy Kingsland and Elizabeth Parker.

4ZZZ Radical Radio from Brisbane Australia Documentary

4ZZZ.mp4 from Peter Gray on Vimeo.

4ZZZ (pronounced "Four Triple Zed" or simply "Triple Zed") is an independent community radio station operating in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, at the frequency 102.1 FM. As a community radio station, 4ZZZ is a member of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA). The station broadcasts to much of South-East Queensland, parts of Northern NSW and web streams from its website.

4ZZZ was established to provide a radical alternative to mainstream news, to promote a sense of engagement and activism in community life and to promote Australian music.[3] The station began transmission on 8 December 1975 as the first FM community broadcaster in Brisbane transmitting in stereo.

The station's first studios were constructed by announcing staff and volunteers, using second hand building materials and furniture. The first transmitter was hand built by the station engineer. Founders included activist, Jim Beatson, journalist Marian Wilkinson, Arts Administrator, John Stanwell and academic Alan Knight. Announcer John Woods launched the station with The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" at Midday 8 December 1975.

On 14 December 1988, 4ZZZ was taken off air and forcibly evicted from its University of Queensland premises by the then UQ Union ALSF and Young Nationals student union executive. While university students rallied to support the station, 4ZZZ moved to alternative premises on Coronation Drive in the suburb of Toowong. In 1992 the station was able to obtain a loan to buy the former headquarters of the Communist Party of Australia. 4ZZZ still broadcasts from these premises on St Paul's Terrace in Fortitude Valley.

Weirdnight on Radio 100 Amsterdam [1998]

Recording of one of the many Weirdnight shows on the legendary Radio100 in Amsterdam.
Weirdnight was a bi-monthly, Saturday night gathering of various program makers.

Free Radio 100 Amsterdam was a pirate radio station that ran from 1986-2004. It was eventually closed by the Dutch authorities following years of harassment and intimidation.

This recording:
Sounds and mixes by Bergman (00:00-30:00) and Exit Frame (30:00-59:00)
Introductory words By JT (DFM) & Bergman (Zvook)
Studio: Dakafka, Roses, The-j, Onkruid, Lebrain
Original recording was done on a C60 audio cassette tape so there is a cut where the tape turns at around 30:00