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A Man Archiving Pirate Radio Station Kool FM

2026-09-14 | original
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Why This Matters

This story highlights the grassroots preservation of underground music culture, showing how pirate radio like Kool FM shaped the jungle and drum & bass scenes before the internet made music instantly accessible. It matters because it underscores the value of community-driven archiving efforts in preserving cultural history that mainstream institutions often overlook.

Key Takeaways
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Trevor 7oaks

"It's Like An Addiction": The Man Archiving Pirate Radio Station Kool FM

First broadcasting on 28 November 1991, Kool FM quickly rose to the top of London’s pirate radio scene. As the jungle genre grew in 1992/1993 — then exploded in 1994 — Kool was at the forefront. It continues to this day under the Rinse umbrella.

Here, curator of the Original Kool Archives, Trevor 7oaks, explains his life-long infatuation with the station, and his self-appointed mission to archive as much of it as possible.

"It was raw, energetic and connected directly to the clubs, raves and estates where the music was happening." Image: Trevor 7oaks

I discovered Kool FM in 1992, when I was 18.

You didn't have Spotify, YouTube or a streaming service where you could instantly find any set you wanted. If you wanted to hear what was happening, you had to find the frequency, tune the radio in and listen.

There was something really exciting about that. You never quite knew what you were going to hear next. A DJ could drop a tune you'd never heard before, or an exclusive dubplate. An MC could completely change the atmosphere, there may be special guests or DJ/MC combinations you had not heard before.

Suddenly you would realise that you'd just heard something special.

The whole London jungle scene felt incredibly alive. There were raves, pirate stations, record shops, tape packs, flyers and people constantly swapping recordings. The music was changing so quickly that something could sound futuristic one month and completely normal a few months later.

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Explore topics: kool fm pirate radio jungle genre rinse fm trevor 7oaks
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Archiving pirate radio station Kool FM

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