Fault Radio
written BY Hunter rae / Images provided by Fault Radio
Welcome back to another SHACK15 Partner Spotlight, where we highlight our partners who are changing the game in their fields.
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Fault Radio is a grassroots non-profit dedicated to creating a center for modern electronic music and DJ culture in the Bay Area. Originally conceived as a pop-up streaming platform, they have grown and evolved with the needs of their community since their founding in 2019. Today, they have created a unique archive of DJ sets, live performances, photos, and interviews that represents the brilliance of the Bay Area’s underground and serves to elevate local culture and preserve it for generations to come.
We’re thrilled to be partnering with Fault Radio for a new, monthly programming series, MUSE, launching on April 22nd! MUSE is a live DJ set designed to innovate, inspire and energize so you can finish the day strong. Each session will feature a different local DJ and can be streamed virtually on Fault Radio's website or experienced live from the SHACK15 lounge.
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We spoke to founders Dor Wand and Dundee Maghen about their passion for building community through music and how they have created and sustained a platform for artists throughout the uncertainty of the past year.
Tell us a little bit about your inspiration and motivation behind starting Fault Radio.
When we first moved to the Bay Area, after coming from big cities with vibrant music industries, we found it difficult as newcomers to get to know people in the local nightlife scene. The Bay is a very spread out area, so you have to know where to go and who the local DJs are in order to understand what's going on in the scene. We soon realised that our personal experience was something a lot of people were dealing with. And so we wanted to create a platform that would centralise everything into one place; an online hub where you can get introduced to well known and emerging artists, a variety of music venues, local labels, promoters and clubs.
As newcomers, it was very important to us to expose our audience to the Bay's rich dance music history. That is why our services were versatile from the beginning as we produced music events, live broadcasts, written articles, podcasts and more. The hybrid quality of our brand makes it possible to make a new media platform that explores the local music scene in different mediums.
Why do you call Fault Radio a “nomadic brand”?
In the early stages of Fault, it was impossible for us to open a radio station in San Francisco as the Bay isn’t very a sustainable area for creatives and artists. It was very hard for us to justify paying rent. The high cost of living here did not enable us to take a risk. We are both DJs so we already had some DJ equipment and decided to invest in affordable streaming gear that will allow us to do live-streams from wherever.
In the meantime, we decided to knock on local businesses' doors and ask if we could broadcast from their space. To our surprise, a lot of these places said yes and gave us the opportunity to set up a station for a day where DJs can play their music. Soon this format became a trademark of ours as we started to gain more followers. People were attracted to the variety of places we streamed from and the fact that we popped up in different places. Our broadcasts were mostly open to the public, so people could join the stream online and in-person on location. Simultaneously, our pop-up format made it possible for our audience not only to get exposed to new artists, but also to new local businesses such as art galleries, coffee shops, record stores and more.
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How did the pandemic impact your approach to community building?
In many ways before the pandemic, we were already equipped for doing online events. We put a lot of emphasis on live streaming since day one so the transition of real life experience to the online was relatively easy for us. We were also very aware of what's going on in the world with the pandemic as most of our friends and family live abroad. So, we already had plans on how to transition as things started to close down in California.
We decided to use this knowledge for a good cause and offer our streaming gear to the local DJ community and teach people how to live stream from their houses using their personal equipment. This led to “Relief Sessions”, a special program where DJs from around the world were able to live-stream to our platform while getting tools, knowledge and one on one technical support.
What can we do to support local artists that are struggling in the Bay Area and keep culture alive?
The music scene in the Bay Area is certainly an industry that needs support in order to stay alive, sustainable and thriving. A few of the ways that we can all contribute to this industry is by buying independent music by local producers, listening to and supporting independent, local radio stations and becoming patrons of local music venues and record stores. As we like to say, The Future Is Local.
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Tell us about the upcoming MUSE series with SHACK15.
We are very excited to partner with SHACK15 in our new series, MUSE. This series aims to bridge between day and night, by bringing the nightlife community into a work space where DJs can explore their musical horizons and curate a set that aims to inspire. With MUSE the goal is to get the inspiration to create something. The music at MUSE is supposed to move you not only physically and emotionally but also creatively.
Thanks so much Dor and Dundee for sharing your story with us!
Be sure to check out MUSE, launching Thursday, April 22 with our first live set from the SHACK15 space. RSVP to either stream from your home or join us in the SHACK15 Lounge for the full experience.
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If you’re interested in staying up to date with the latest happenings and upcoming events from Fault Radio, head over to their website and follow them on social media.