Radio Centraal was one of the first free radio stations in Antwerp. The project, which has been running for 45 years, differs in many ways from other free radio stations worldwide. Radio Centraal not only uses radio as an artistic medium, but has also been a place where countless connections have come together for 45 years. The station provides a platform for highly specialised music enthusiasts and genres that receive little or no attention elsewhere, from reggae, hip hop, ambient, noise, punk and metal to all possible forms in between.
Radio Centraal is also a pioneer in several respects. The station broadcast the first queer radio shows, has worked with newcomers who speak other languages from the very beginning, and is a true project radio. At a time when live broadcasts from locations outside the studio were still unthinkable, Radio Centraal pioneered this format, broadcasting live from demonstrations, cultural events, exhibition openings, concerts and other events.
Radio Centraal is financially autonomous and exists thanks to its members. Each member pays a monthly contribution, allowing the station to remain independent and operate without advertising. It is a grassroots project (or experiment), strongly rooted in DIY culture.
Making the Radio Centraal archive accessible is important because it contains countless links to other archives and has been a huge source of inspiration for many people active in the cultural field. The archive can also inspire future generations, both in terms of organisational models and the cultural content the station has brought to the airwaves.
The Radio Centraal archive is dispersed among all the people who have contributed to it over the years. It forms a tangled web of connections and threads running through Antwerp’s various artistic scenes, both past and present. The archive encompasses not only radio recordings, but also printed matter, leaflets, photographs, events and other materials.
Over the past six years, Dennis Tyfus has sought out and interviewed as many former Radio Centraal members from its early years as possible. Ultimately, the research will result in a publication on 45 years of Radio Centraal, in which interviews with former and current members provide the basis for presenting and contextualising archival materials.
The research is part of ArchiVolt’s research line on the archaeology and archiving of the urban underground. Previous research has focused on initiatives such as Club Moral/Force Mental, the happenings at Conscienceplein, punk in Antwerp, the Lintfabriek, Scheld’Apen and the Stadswaag.
