Hi, I'm Dave Marley

When it comes to music, it literally rules my life. Well, a good majority of it anyway. I have been DJing since the early ’80s back when I wasn't much more than a teenager, but it wasn’t until the mid 90’s that I became interested in radio presenting. I love and respect all types of good music, right from as far back as the classic ’50s through to the indie pop ’90s & 00s.

GROWING UP
Born in 1967, I grew up in West London within a family that loved music. My life from a very young age was always filled with music. Both my father and grandfather heavily influenced me into being the music lover I am today. The radio was always on, if it wasn't, there would more than likely have been a record on the turntable, a cassette in the deck or an 8 track slotted in the player. Forever listening to the radio as a very young lad I very soon started collecting my own vinyl . I bought my first record (a 45 single) at the mere age of 5 years old in the early 70s. I would save all my pocket money up, not to buy sweets like most kids, but to add more records to my small but growing 7inch vinyl collection as often as I possibly could. Most of my mates the same age were out playing football or on their bikes, but not me.. oh no, I would be playing records, or finding ways to earn pocket money to buy them.

Alas, even now some 50-odd years later, I still collect the black spinning stuff. In fact, I've literally run out of space to store my massive collection in the small apartment I share with my partner, and thank goodness, she loves and appreciates music as much as i do. So much of my collection these days is in storage.
I was always a massive fan of the original “Pick of the Pop” radio show, which was originally presented by a DJ GOD, the late Alan “Fluff” Freeman. He was always my DJ hero growing up, as was Soul DJ legend Greg Edwards with his "Soul Spectrum" show. I became a regular listener to his show as I grew older and began listening to soul, disco and jazz funk music. Sadly, I never got to meet my first childhood DJ hero Alan Freeman (more about Fluff, and Pick of the Pops later), but I have since become good friends with the legendary Greg Edwards later in life and have played along side him at various soul gigs over the years.

DJING "THE BEGINNING"
My first ever decks were purchased in 1981 for £350 from an old guy from "Stanwell, Middlesex" who built them in his spare time. I borrowed the money from my grandparents and purchased a mono DJ deck pictured below (with a total output of just 150watt.. how did anyone hear it) with its built in sound and light system and Garrard Turntables, base light which the decks set on and side traffic lights, two small speakers, a mic that I was too shy to use, all complete with its red plug-in telephone handset receiver for queuing up tracks from my by now still small, but modest collection of vinyl. With a little help from raiding my dad's album collection, for what ever 50s and 60s music he had, I was ready and raring to go. Startrax Disco was born. so, armed with my new mobile disco, my records and help from my father, who had to drive me everywhere as I was just 15 years old and too young for my own driving licence at the time, I began DJing at kids and teenage parties to make a little money to pay back my grandparents.

I continued DJing throughout the 80s at various venues, pubs and clubs and as my confidence grew, I even found the confidence to actually use the microphone, but still only occasionally. I eventually landed a residency later in the 80s at the Anne Boleyn Hotel in Staines Middlesex, Thursdays I would play 60s and 70s music, and Friday and Saturday nights mixing new dance music of the time. House and Rave music was the new thing then and I soon gathered quite a following from local clubbers at the weekend DJing under the name of DJ Addictive.

DJING "PIRATE RADIO"
It wasn't until the early 90s that an opportunity arose for me to play my tunes on the radio, all be it pirate radio. By now DJ Addictive had gathered quite a good reputation for his mixing vinyl skills and was heavily into the latest dance craze, Drum n Bass & Jungle, something that remains with me even today. Whilst playing live one evening I was approached by a promoter who in turn introduced me to Freebase (Jason) the owner of a local pirate station called Zone FM and I was delighted to be invited to play on the station, which eventually turned into a regular Friday midnight slot. That was it, my love and passion for live radio was fully ignited and I just couldn't get enough of being on air spinning my tunes. I loved to mix my tunes live on air and the phone in the studio would be running red hot, call after call asking for the "Re-winddd" and comments like "ChoooooooooooN!" would get me and the MC buzzin' mad.

Although I was truly enjoying myself every Friday with my late night in the mix show, my thirst for on-air presenting still wasn't quite complete, that was until one bank holiday, I approached Freebase and asked him if he would give me Saturday afternoon to run the station alone, as in, actually present a show myself, playing music along with (home made) jingles and for the first time, doing my own links. Yes, I was ready to start chatting on the mic. Funnily enough, although the audience would be so much bigger than I was ever used to, broadcasting out across West London, it also seemed easier to do because I was hidden away in the studio, it felt comfortable and the fact that no one would actually see me, apart from the few in the studio with me manning the phones and passing on requests, I was comfortably and confidently hidden away and able to let loose without feeling embarrassed. (Something we all overcome eventually in the DJ world). And so, for the first time, I was now presenting my own show, live on-air across West London and I was finally living my dream all be it an illegal one at the time being pirate radio. "THE ADDICTIVE SHOW" was born, I didn't care. I was just in my element, and so it continued most weekends until the station eventually closed down a few of years later.

To listen to one of those shows in full from 1995. The Addictive Show Live on Zone FM (01st April 1995) CLICK HERE
(A younger Dave Marley, still learning the ropes of radio)

Going back to “Fluff”, I always wanted to take a stab at doing my own vintage chart countdown radio show. So Alan Freeman and his pick of the pops show is solely responsible for my own "Classic Chart Rundown" show. (to be continued)...

My Current Radio Shows

Marley in the Morning
Playing you feel good classics to get you through your morning with a smile on your face. Join in with the fun and frolics.. "The 5 at 9" and more...

The Classic Chart Rundown
A daily "Top 20" Chart Rundowns from 1960 to 1999. Think Pick of the Pops, counting down this week's top 20 from back then...

The Experience
A very cool show featuring Soul, Jazz, Funk Latino, Breakbeat, RnB, House, and a weekly 40min “in the mix” segment..

The Simply Series
1960 - 1999 featuring a different year each week featuring the best music of the year, Vintage UK TV Commercials, and Retro Movie Trailers, we also visit the popular TV shows aired that year. Packed with features and heaps of nostalgia...