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Patrick Berry, the founder of Choice FM radio station.
Patrick Berry, the founder of London's Choice FM radio station. 'No other mainstream station would be the first to play the latest street banger or pioneer an up-and-coming genre.' Photograph: David Sillitoe for the Guardian
Patrick Berry, the founder of London's Choice FM radio station. 'No other mainstream station would be the first to play the latest street banger or pioneer an up-and-coming genre.' Photograph: David Sillitoe for the Guardian

RIP Choice FM – the station that best championed music of black origin

This article is more than 10 years old
Choice was not only a place to hear music I enjoyed but a beacon of hope. Capital Xtra will just pump out more of the same old dance music

As of Monday, London's Choice FM will officially be known as Capital Xtra. My first thought on hearing the news; what the hell happened to originality? Did a bunch of out-of-touch executives sitting around conference table suddenly decide that this was the best way to compete with Radio 1Xtra? My second question was whether this change would also mean a change in music policy? I hoped not. A visit to the revamped website made my heart sink as I spotted the word "dance" underneath the logo for the rebranded radio station.

This is a stark contrast from Choice FM's origins 23 years ago in Brixton, as Britain's first-ever licensed radio station playing music of black origin 24 hours a day. The reaction to the news seems to range from outrage to confusion. For many, it spells the end of an era. Specialist DJs have been axed from the roster, potentially calling an end to genres such as reggae, soca, hip hop and grime being regularly played.

So will the Capital Xtra DJs be spinning nothing but "urban dance" music? I'm assuming this will be a mash-up of UK and American dance tracks and soulful, commercial and deep house music. Now, I love dance music, but when I switch on my radio I can hear it on nearly every single mainstream music radio station. Why add yet another to the list? How its owners, This is Global Radio Limited, think they're going to hold on to its core listenership is beyond me.

For fans of black music, Choice delivered no matter what time of day. It was music you just didn't get that much of anywhere else on the radio. Where else could you listen to soca music six months before Notting Hill carnival? Or request your favourite 90s R&B track? Replacing the station with yet another bland mainstream dance station will push music of black origin back underground across the FM dial. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a resurrection in the power of pirate stations – how many radio-savvy entrepreneurs are erecting FM rigs across the capital at this moment?

Criticised as an attempt to further eradicate black culture from mainstream media, and the irony of relegating Choice FM to a chapter of black history at the beginning of October – Black History Month, this move robs listeners of a choice (excuse the pun). The popularity of dance music has shot up in recent years, especially house music among the black community but no other mainstream station would be the first to play the latest street banger or pioneer the broadcast of an up-and-coming genre.

Choice was not only a place to hear music I enjoyed but a beacon of hope. Here was a station still going strong more than two decades on that remained undiluted by the juggernaut of mainstream genres. As a kid I remember having my cassette tapes at the ready to record Commander B's infamous night flight show where various grime artists would flex their lyrical muscles and battle over ground-breaking instrumentals. The epic Dizzee Rascal v Asher D clash remains a definitive moment in grime history. Hip-hop with DJ 279 where you could here the hottest track and up and coming acts, reggae with Daddy Ernie and Natty B, soca with Martin Jay as well as Dave P's gospel show have all been axed.

As an artist, Choice FM was the station most ready to support artists making music of black origin. It felt less political; specialist DJs didn't only play what was said to be "hot", they were ready to listen and support no matter how unknown an artist may be.

I'm sad that for new generations growing up listening to the radio, the name Choice FM will be but a distant echo in their ears as older generations reminisce about how it used to be. RIP Choice FM.

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