DJ Ritu
DJ Ritu talks to Ilka Schlockermann about her BBC London show and her introduction to African music.
DJ Ritu is a London-based BBC radio presenter, club promoter, DJ and occasional album compiler. Every Saturday, from 8pm till 10pm on BBC London 94.9 FM (and online ) she presents 'A World In London' showcasing World music from all over the globe, including of course Africa.
Ilka Schlockermann : From your past projects people associate you mainly with Indian music. Was it a big move for you to start the 'A World in London' show on BBC London show?
DJ Ritu :Yes, in getting away from the stereotype that as an Asian DJ I couldn't possibly have any other musical knowledge or interests! In fact when I first began spinning tunes in 1986, I was a Western pop music DJ but quickly became labeled as a 'bhangra expert'. Truth is that I'm really a chameleon specialising in so many genres and I've been playing music from all over the world since 1988.
IS :Do you see any similarities between African and Indian music?
R : Yes, as I do across all musical nationalities. I've never allowed language or borders to block my enjoyment of music and I inflict this philosophy on audiences too! More specifically, there are similarities in terms of complex beat cycles and scales, and some sounds clearly cross both continents, particularly those from Algeria, Morocco, Egypt etc.
IS :How did you get this BBC London show?
R : By sheer luck! I regularly emailed the boss at there once per year as London is my home town and I've always wanted to present in London rather than in Luton, Birmingham etc. This time round, Charlie Gillett was ill and had resigned so there was a vacancy. Presenting 'A World In London' for BBC London is a huge privilege, there are so few 'world music' slots in UK radio that it's difficult for anyone to get one. I am also still doing my weekly show 'Bhangra In Beds' for BBC 3 Counties Radio which I started doing in 1992. It was picked up by Radio MultiKulti in Germany, then Radio Bremen, WDR Germany, Acik Rayio in Istanbul and National Swedish Radio from 1994. To this day it remains syndicated in those countries which is amazing. I've also done shows and series' for BBC World Service and Kiss FM over the years and contributed to Radios 1, 2, 3 and 4.
IS :How did you get into being a DJ/radio presenter and what's your favourite thing about working on the radio?
R : I wanted to share music with oher people - pure and simple, that was it. Radio-wise I consider myself as a 'DJ that presents music' rather than as 'real' presenter who can chat away for hours. With the BBC London show I can finally indulge in my wider repertoire of music. Meeting so many acclaimed, talented artists from around globe is fantastic, learning what makes them tick, how they view the world through music - and being able to hopefully contribute positively to people's careers. I'm acutely conscious of having a lot of power and that this must be used responsibly so that artists get good exposure and support. African artists I've had the joy of interviewing in my first year at BBC London include Massukos, El Tanbura, K'naan, Vusi Mahlasela, Netsayi, Femi Kuti and Angelique Kidjo, as well as industry figures like Biyi Adepegba and Rita Ray.
IS :What are the main challenges?
R : It's a time-consuming job that keeps me busy throughout the week, not just for two hours on Saturday nights. The constant stream of CDs to listen to, keeping abreast of release dates and gigs, dealing with record companies, agents, managers and artists, competition prizes, attending concerts, clubs and festivals, preparing artist interviews, and being able to remember what country has what languages and what genres - ometimes I feel like my brain will burst sometimes with all this worldly knowledge! Still, it remains daunting how big the world is musically, and how little I know. There's always a never-ending supply of things to be learnt. Also, trying to prevent colds and flu so that my voice is in good working order. I've managed this for a whole year now by behaving like a vitamin jar but just recently a particularly clever virus got the better of me.
IS :How did you first get into African music?
R : A number of ways. Playing at London's pioneering World music club Asia in the late 80s. Singer David McAlmont called himself Habib then and wasn't famous yet, but he was appointed as the African music expert at Asia, while we also had a Latin expert, and I was meant to be the Asian music person. We played 45-minute slots each so learnt much from each other during our breaks. More influential was the club founder, the late Don Tyler - who I will always miss. He turned me on to the Bhundu Boys and Chaba Fadela. The hardfloor dance remixes of Mory Kante's 'Yeke Yeke' became huge around that time, and I also started receiving records from Jumbo at Mango, which was the 'world' subsiduary division of Island Records. After discovering the treasure chest that was Stern's record shop, I started to carry around records by Bouken Ginen and Eric Ageyman and played them even in my pop music sets. The Mambo Inn DJs were inspirational too and I loved playing at their club. I met Baaba Maal in 1994 while we were both playing in Berlin, a year later I was on the same line-up as Salif Keita in Slovenia, so I began to make connections by performing on the international 'live' circuit.
IS :What is your favourite African album right now?
R : Oh darn ... there are many to choose from ... 'Senegal' by Ismail Lo, 'Ishumar' by Toumast, 'Bumping' by Massukos, 'Afriki' by Habib Koite, 'Take One' by Hallelujah Chicken Run Band ... and many many more - Africa is such a vast continent to pick stuff out from! I tend to respond more to faster genres like Soukous and love plenty of hardcore percussion, typical DJ that I am!
Listen to 'A World In London' every Saturday, 8-10pm on BBC London 94.9FM