Minutes ago, Triple J launched their brand new radio network, Double J, in a special broadcast live from The Kelvin Club in Melbourne where host Myf Warhust is presenting a special hour-long special to roll out the station’s list of presenters and programs.
But the big question that was hovering over the inaugural launch was which tune would take the honour of being the first song to christen the new station. So, the song that took first dibs on Double J?
‘Get Ready For Love’ by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, “the most continually played artist on Triple J and Double J,” according to new Warhust. Taken from the Dark Prince and his not-so-merry men’s 2004 double album Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus.
Nick Cave’s rollicking hit also brings a close to Double J’s 48 hour broadcast of ‘Express Yourself’, spinning 13 different cover versions of the N.W.A. 1989 original as an honorary tribute to a key moment in Triple J history.
Having played ‘Express Yourself’ ad infinitum since Monday at midday, that loop was broken today at midday where former Spicks & Specks and Triple J host Myf Warhust has the honours of rolling out the new station’s roster of presenters and programming (before taking up regular hosting duties from 11am – 3pm weekdays).
The confirmed Double J host roster is: Tim Shiel, Karen Leng, Caroline Tran, Lance Ferguson, and Emma Swift, along with a host of recurring programmes.
Shiel, a Melbourne-based musician and producer best known as a member of Gotye’s live ensemble and his Faux Pas alias, will present a show focussing on music at the weirder end of the music spectrum, at 8pm on Tuesdays (and not Monday as Warhust incorrectly announced, before acknowledging she’d given Double J it’s first on-air blooper).
Leng, a veteran broadcaster with extended experience with ABC TV and Melbourne community radio station RRR (slaying it on Kinky Afro), is the other newly announced Double J presenter, hosting The Beat Eclectic, focussing on the many splintered genres and sub-genres of hip-hop, electronic, and more.
A familiar name to Triple J listeners as host of Super Request, Lunch, and Home & Hosed, Caroline Tran will present ‘The Week In Music’ Saturdays at 9am, scoping the best new music. Also premiering on weekends from 3pm will be the Double J Artist In Residence program, presenting music docos and special features presented by musical talent from around the world.
The inaugural program will see The Go-Betweens legend Robert Forster hosting a special on ‘Bowie in the ’70s’ this Sunday at 3pm. Other confirmed upcoming specials will be presented by Iggy Pop, The Cat Empire, Henry Rollins, Adalita, and Kevin Mitchell (of Bob Evans/Jebediah fame).
Other new Double J jockeys include musician Lance Ferguson, self-confessed “completely inexperienced” co-frontman of The Bamboos will present ‘Sky High’, two hours of deep groove and soul cuts on Saturday nights at 6pm. Monday nights at 8pm will see Emma Swift, former Triple J news reader and Nashville-based muso, presenting ‘Revelator’; named after the Emmylou Harris classic, the show will focus on Amerciana, roots, rockabilly, blugrass, and alt-country.
Additionally, Richard Kingsmill confirmed the return of the beloved J Files to the digital airwaves, taking up residence on Thursday nights to present music backstories focussing on an “artist, event, album, or theme” while drawing deep from Triple J’s 40 year archives; kickstarting with a special on Something For Kate’s 20th Anniversary.
Speaking of which, the Double J launch broadcast also featured live performances from Something For Kate frontman (and Warhust’s former housemate) Paul Dempsey, fittingly performing ‘Deja Vu’ and Kate Miller-Heidke, performing the title track from her latest album, the crowdfunded O Vertigo!.
The Double J relaunch follows on from a six month consultation period of audience and industry feedback after Triple J first took over the ABC digital radio station last October, presenting it as a “diverse and unique offering aimed at the 30+ discerning music lover” who is “ready for something beyond Triple J.”
Double J Programming
Weekdays 11am – 3pm: Myf Warhurst (new releases, interviews, quiz)
Mondays 8pm – 10pm: Emma Swift – Revelator (American, alt-country, roots, folk, bluegrass)
Tuesdays 8pm – 10pm: Tim Shiel – Something More (obscure artists, new sounds)
Wednesdays 8pm – 10pm: Karen Leng – The Beat Electric (post rock, acoustic, punk, pop, electronic, ambient)
Thursdays 8pm – 10pm: The J Files (starting August with Something For Kate 20th Anniversary feature)
Saturdays 9am – 12pm: Caz Tran – This Week In Music (new music, latest tracks, interviews and audio from Triple J archive)
Saturdays 6pm – 8pm: Lance Ferguson – Sky High (soul, groove, hip hop, funk)
Sundays 3pm – 5pm: Artist In Residence – starting with ‘Bowie in the 70s’ with Robert Foster.
(Iggy Pop, The Cat Empire, Henry Rollins, Adalita, and Kevin Mitchell confirmed for upcoming editions)
