KIOSK RADIO Brussels

The Kiosk Radio crew speak to us about searching for selectors in the flea market, brewing coffee for the homeless, skirmishes with the police, DJs handing out toilet paper. Not to mention spearheading the new Brussels underground. ADAM Audio caught up with co-founders Jim and Mik for the full lowdown in their natural habitat – a bench under the trees in the historic Parc Royal of the Belgian capital.

Since their inception three years ago, the closely-knit crew have willfully created an oasis of peace and unity in a city with a fractured music scene at the best of times. Blurring the boundaries between a radio station, community center, park warden and charity, the co-founders’ raison d’etre seems refreshingly altruistic, with a punk rock twist. Jim and Mik speak passionately about their seemingly abstract role in coalescing the digital and physical musical ecosystems which the radio station inhabits.

“We are basically a bar, radio and a public toilet. It all started when the city council was looking for someone to rent a wooden kiosk in the middle of the central park – they chose us to take it over.”

The musical alchemy behind the station began between five like minded friends – stalwarts of the Brussels underground with close ties to the likes of C12 and Crevette Records. These initial connections were forged over eight years ago and have since metamorphosed into Kiosk Radio (the team now comprising four members).

Initially broadcasting from 14:00 – 18:00, they are now a 24/7 streaming dichotomous entity that straddles the boundary between a digital forum and a physical meeting place, proudly serving drinks to other ‘music freaks’ in the park. “We really like what The Lot were doing in New York City – creating a hybrid place where online meets physical. The park is a defining part of the project, and really is a part of our DNA.”

Music Policy

Mik, head of programming at the station is both principled and earnest in his vision of supporting selectors and musicmakers that might otherwise struggle to find a platform for their expression. “We are not directing anyone, our role is quite simply opening and closing a door. We don’t put any limits on what our guests can play – we like the genres to change drastically from one hour to the next – from extreme hardcore to ambient, from experimental through to boogie.”

Indeed at first glance, the Kiosk Radio program appears to be loose and unregulated – a thoroughly laissez-faire approach. However, the crew speak with almost surgical precision about honing their aesthetic over the last three years. “Over time, the program has become more precise in its eclecticism. It’s a forum where listeners can tune in and hear things that truly cannot be discovered on the FM radio.”

The four crate diggers have consciously positioned themselves amongst a subcultural biosphere where techno is the dish of the day – and all too often coexists with self-aggrandizing elitism and flagrant genre snobbery. “We don’t pay any attention to selectors’ profiles or reach on social media.”

A stark contrast to this radio station whose guest DJs often find themselves handing out toilet paper to park goers using the nearby “facilities”. Jim is quick to explain that the station favors selectors who “bring surprises and play the radio game not the club game.” This overarching ethic of egalitarianism seems to permeate the tales shared by the guys. “We really want to find out what’s going on behind closed doors, sometimes at the flohmarkt we see people selling their record collection – we bring these people exposure, and provide them with a place to express themselves. This is the most exciting part of our work. After three years, we’ve watched some of these characters develop themselves and evolve, which makes it so worthwhile.”

Indeed, the institution seems to be a multidimensional prism of sorts; a pillar of light in the community where broadcasting is just one facet of their many philanthropic duties.

The COVID-19 Pandemic

Naturally, the “community center” aspect of the Kiosk mission was greatly amplified over the last year – Brussels was hit particularly hard and faced amongst the strictest social distancing restrictions. “Especially during COVID-19, we realized that it was super important for artists and creators to be able to have a weekly or monthly show to share their music.”

In total, the kiosk itself was closed for six months due to the restrictions, but this didn’t stop them from evolving in response. “We helped our residents technically during the lockdowns, so they could still play music from home for Kiosk. We were basically riding through the city on our bikes with a mixer, providing webcams to those who had shitty laptops so they could stream. When the pandemic first arrived in Belgium, everyone was podcasting from their kitchen and their bedroom. Basically using Facebook as a video broadcaster, something that we had been doing everyday for two years. For three weeks we were in shock – suddenly the dynamic changed. We asked ourselves the question: are we a facebook platform or a radio station?” This was a eureka moment for the broadcasters. From here they invested in their website, creating a home for all things Kiosk including a busy online chat room.

The Brussels music community like so many others was in desperate need of intimacy during the COVID-19 pandemic, but without the physical space it was impossible to recreate the chemistry of live events that keep the scene alive and exciting. When the lockdowns (slightly) loosened up again, it transpired that Kiosk were the only “live music” venue open in the entire city. Clubs, concert venues and bars were closed. The guys found themselves to actually be one of the only places in Belgium where people could hang out and listen to music together in public.

Naturally, the local 4/4 cognoscenti started to gather on park benches to drink a beer or two. Soon, word spread. This only served to draw more attention to Kiosk Radio’s peculiar status – a radio station in a park shack that backs onto some public toilets. In other words, an establishment exceptionally difficult to pigeonhole. Despite being entirely legal, their presence alone irked the local Police Fédérale. Jim explains. “The police told us that we weren’t supposed to bring people. But of course we didn’t invite anyone. They got quite aggressive asking us what we were doing several times a day. All in all it was a very exhausting time for us.”

Ultimately, the dispute culminated in Kiosk Radio being forced to turn off their lights and close the blinds in front of the DJ booth, despite them already ensuring there was no sound coming from the booth. This group of friends who spend their days providing a voice to local artists, brewing coffee for the homeless of the park and even providing shelter agreed that it was a draconian approach from the local law enforcement.

“We try to serve the park’s ecosystem too. A couple of years back, we helped a local guy who was living in his car during the winter. He ended up staying with us for two months – we actually helped to find a translator for him so he could get back to his home country. He then contacted us like a year later trying to send us money… Obviously we refused, but that was nice!” Thankfully the Kiosk Radio crew now has legal support to handle any future disputes.

Monitoring at Kiosk Radio

After having received our T8V studio monitors, visiting selectors to the shack have enjoyed the monitor’s wide frequency response, high dynamic range, excellent transient response, wide sweet spot and small footprints.

Jim commented on the new setup. “So far the speakers have received a lot of praise from the DJs, it now sounds like a small club in there. We are so impressed by the quality and generally it is just a huge upgrade from the previous monitors that we had. Everyone who has heard them agrees that the sound quality is next level.” More recently, Kiosk Radio upgraded their monitoring setup to a pair of A7V studio monitors and a Sub12 subwoofer.

We spoke to Kiosk Radio as part of the ADAM Audio Community Radio series, a new project exploring the worlds of broadcasters and their journey with ADAM Audio products.

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