Andi Durrant on UK dance radio, lost mixes, and preserving club culture

In this episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, we sit down with Andi Durrant, a broadcaster, curator, and the man behind one of the most important archives in UK dance music history. From his teenage years sending letters to Kiss FM, to hosting shows on Galaxy and Capital, Andi was there as UK dance music broke into the mainstream. He hosted future superstars like Calvin Harris, deadmau5, and Swedish House Mafia long before they became household names. But Andi didn’t just live through the era. He preserved it. We go deep into the creation of the Dance Music Archive, the painstaking work of digitising lost tapes, DATs, flyers, and forgotten mixes, and why radio still matters in a world dominated by algorithms and streaming platforms. We also talk Ibiza memories, rare finds like a Frankie Knuckles DAT tape, nostalgia as a cultural force, and why preserving club culture matters more now than ever. This is not a look back for clicks. It’s a conversation about memory, responsibility, and protecting the history of dance music before it disappears. If you care about radio, rave culture, archiving, or the foundations of UK club music, this episode is essential. 🎧 Take your time with this one. We talk about: 📻 Teenage years breaking into Kiss FM 🎙️ Galaxy, Capital, and dance radio legacy 🌟 Hosting future superstar DJs early in their careers 📚 Creating the Dance Music Archive 🎶 Lost mixes, DAT tapes, and rare recordings 🧠 Why radio still matters in the streaming era 🪩 Ibiza memories and club culture stories 🧾 Flyers, nostalgia, and forgotten scenes 🤖 AI, podcasts, and the future of music preservation Chapters: 00:00 Intro and early radio days 04:26 Sending letters to Kiss FM 08:52 First radio show at 16 13:18 Galaxy, Capital, and dance radio 17:44 Hosting artists before they were famous 22:10 Birth of the Dance Music Archive 26:36 Why radio still matters 31:02 Scenes, tribalism, and youth culture 35:28 Nostalgia and forgotten gems 39:54 Rare finds and Frankie Knuckles DAT tape 44:20 Archiving club culture 48:46 Ibiza stories and Privilege memories 53:12 The future of dance music 57:38 AI, podcasts, and creative shifts 01:02:04 Closing thoughts Links: 🗂️ Dance Music Archive: https://www.dancemusicarchive.com 🎧 Distorted: https://www.thisisdistorted.com ▶️ Andi’s 1998 NYD Mix: https://youtu.be/ixvA2-G9ZoA 🌐 Andi Durrant: https://www.andidurrant.com 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andidurrant 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thednaofdance For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter: [email protected]