Finally, someone I haven't known for over 20 years! ;-) Yup, a genuinely new friend is Blue Fred, and very welcome he is too, nice to get some new blood in the network. I was first put on to Fred about a year and a half ago, I think courtesy of Carsten Olbrich, and once we got past the hideous winter they had (he lives in Montabaur, about halfway between Cologne and Frankfurt) in the December of 2017, which saw the broadcast temporarily cancelled, he was happy to add some sounds a-la M&E to his roster. Nice man. Since then, he's featured material from The United World Underground Collection on his show, as well as MMATT's "Flashbax Ω Ultimate" and "Creavolution Reborn" CD's, and I believe more than I'm aware of as I missed some of the Facebook-only (which is a shame) playlists.

The show is dubbed "John Peel", which confused the living daylights out of me to start with, but all made sense once I translated the information on the Radio Rheinwelle (Wiesbaden) website, from whose station the show is broadcast Sundays every four weeks (it says 'odd calendar weeks', though I can't say I'm too sure what that means, but once you've pinned down one show, it'll be every four weeks from there, et voila, as they probably don't say in Germany, but I digress, which is most unlike me). It seems a young Fred was inspired by the maverick DJ when his "Rock Today" show was broadcast on BFBS Germany back in the mid-late 70's, avidly lapped up by a very youthful Manfred (left, utterly besotted with the power of his father's cassette player to permanently capture the sounds of the radio). When John Peel passed away in 2004, he got the urge to do a show based on similar ideals, interesting music and studio guests to match. Thus, since 2005, he's been hosting Blue Fred's Radio Session, first in Düsseldorf for a year, then in Wiesbaden for the next 13. He's something to do with the annual Blue Shell John Peel Festival in Cologne too, will have to find out more about that.

"Today," he says, "I believe more than ever that a wide facet must be played to reach every listener. In my case, then it is probably not so normal. Far from the mainstream but close enough to the heart." And, of course, the underground being what it is, he's opened that heart to the many bands from around the world who send him material. Although currently limited to Facebook and e-mail for interaction, he is adamant that a website will be forthcoming, providing listeners with a more universal point of contact and the opportunity to listen to shows again. In the meantime, live broadcasts in the Wiesbaden area can be picked up on 92.5, plus worldwide via live web radio streaming on the Rheinwelle site.

LINKS:

https://www.facebook.com/fred.b.fred.96

http://www.radio-rheinwelle.de/index.php?id=johnpeel

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In the studio: Blue Fred and Alexander Schilz do their impression of Donald Trump fist-bumping Her Majesty The Queen...

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