Format of Jules Radio 1 Show

[kml]

What does everyone think of the format of Jules' Radio 1 show?

To be honest I find it pretty lame for a number of reasons. Number one being the DJ on the phone rubbish. Another the lack of any long mix. Also I think even tune selection lets him down. In my opinion Eddie Halliwell's show is miles better.

[Moonman]

it does seem all over the place. Trouble is, he tries to build it up and then take it back down for the essential mix. Why does he do this??? He should return to the days of old with a climactic mix and dish out the housey stuff from the off.

[bigsteve]

I listened to the first few new format Jules' shows and was pretty impressed with it, but agree with you that the DJs on the phone 'recorded earlier in the day' thing is rubbish.

Lately I haven't listened to his show as, musically, Jules isn't on the same wavelength as me

[kml]

it does seem all over the place. Trouble is, he tries to build it up and then take it back down for the essential mix. Why does he do this??? He should return to the days of old with a climactic mix and dish out the housey stuff from the off.

i thought the whole point of the later show was so he could dump all the house stuff at the start of the show and go from there. also expected a 45 minute mix at the end. the building up and then taking back down is lame. I rarely listen now because of it

[bigsteve]

I suspect Jules doesn't have much say over how he starts and finishes the show. He can't go upsetting shows that precede and follow him now, can he :smirk:

[kml]

I suspect Jules doesn't have much say over how he starts and finishes the show. He can't go upsetting shows that precede and follow him now, can he :smirk:

Dangerous Dave's show seems to finish on a high though and Jules certainly doesn't follow where he left off so I don't see why he has to slow things down before the essential mix.

[Quadrant]

I no longer listen to the new show because I agree with the above...

In the old days, the focus was on showcasing music, from the awesome housey stuff which I loved mingled with other types of dance music variants, as well as some outstanding Trance, all contained within little mastermixes and a long mix at the end. The only interruptions would be perhaps an amusing Julesism or the 30 second BBC advert before the half hour mix.

I've no idea why Radio 1 try to overcomplicate radio shows now because they think listeners will be "bored". These last few years we barely get 2 tracks of music without some stupid irritating jingle, or a pointless phone-in. Do they think we have the attention span of a knat? It sounds as if theyre trying too hard now, almost over-commercialised...

[Briggsy]

The problem with Radio 1 is that they're not satisfied of keeping fans of the pre-exisiting shows happy any more. They'd rather lose their die-hard listeners and try to encourage more 'outsiders' to listen in instead. As a result, the dance shows have suffered over the last few years. Gone are the days of live broadcasts - and on the rare occasions they do do them (festivals), we have to have an hour in the studio first, and then when it does finally get to the live mix, we have loads of random gurners screaming down a mic telling us how they're sat on the bog, having a large one!

No matter how hard Radio 1 try, people that want to hear a banging Dave Clarke essential mix or a proggy yawnfest from Eric Prydz, they're just not going to listen to Judge Jules! The same works in reverse - Jules slowing his show down isn't suddenly going to put me in the mood for a proggy DJ on the essential mix afterwards. We all have our preferred styles, and thats what we'll listen to. We're not suddenly gonna change our tastes because Radio 1 want us to.

Radio 1 need to get their act together. Dance Anthems does not work on a Friday night. That needs to be reverted back to its sunday show. WHat they should do is have a good flowing order - put Tong on from 6 til 9, Jules from 9 til 11, Eddie 11 til 1, then the Essential mix from 1 til 3. Annie Mac can then play her random music after the essential mix.

Bring back the live 2 hour shows, without the random clubbers telling us they've travelled a staggering distance of 8 miles to get from their home in Warwick to Global Gathering in Stratford. I DO NOT CARE!! I want to hear music, not non-stop talking. If budgeting is the problem, then perhaps they should get their priorities right and pay their presenters realistic salaries. A breakfast show host on a normal radio station would earn around £20,000 per year, yet as soon as you get a Radio 1 contract, a few extra zeros get added! Nobody likes Sara Cox - get rid of her and use her salary money to fund the live broadcasts. They pay out far too much in salaries, and cut corners on their broadcasts.

[Chrissie Brown]

No matter how hard Radio 1 try, people that want to hear a banging Dave Clarke essential mix or a proggy yawnfest from Eric Prydz, they're just not going to listen to Judge Jules! The same works in reverse - Jules slowing his show down isn't suddenly going to put me in the mood for a proggy DJ on the essential mix afterwards. We all have our preferred styles, and thats what we'll listen to. We're not suddenly gonna change our tastes because Radio 1 want us to.

Radio 1 need to get their act together. Dance Anthems does not work on a Friday night. That needs to be reverted back to its sunday show. WHat they should do is have a good flowing order - put Tong on from 6 til 9, Jules from 9 til 11, Eddie 11 til 1, then the Essential mix from 1 til 3. Annie Mac can then play her random music after the essential mix.

Well said Briggsy, couldn't agree more.

A couple of weeks ago Jules did mention that some of his R1 shows will be broadcasted live from a club (with clubbers in attendance) so that's good news.

I must admit l enjoy most of the tunes Jules plays on his new show but what spoils it for me is Jules talking to all those DJs and also the recovery tune at the end of his show.

[JasonB]

Since we nitpicking;

The main thing I miss is tried & tested,is it really that difficult to choose a track each week or are there too many good ones (surely not!), again I the show format had has input from Jule's producer so forth, theyve agreed on things.

The dj on the phone thing, too many a couple pers how and a good five minutes per person would help rather than a rushed couple of minutes if not be done with it.

The last track to fit in really isnt appropriate at all.

We all in some way compare it to ye olde days of friday nights which this will never live up to, its not too fardown the road to change but radio1 donrt really care, briggsy always gotit in one.

[Gregg]

I agree with Briggsy. Radio 1 should know by now that the majority of listeners for each show are there for that show only and don't really give a s*** what comes before and after it. If one person wants to listen to Jules' show and the Essential Mix, then they will. Why they feel the need to 'wind down' to complement the next show is beyond me.

[Quadrant]

Another example of us English dumbing down our standards of old to try and compensate for the masses?

[Uberduck]

Personally I don't see a need to accomodate the preceding or following show. The whole point of the so called 'specialist' shows is that they are tuned for a specific style or taste. We used to comment that who on earth was going to listen to Jules then Westc**k? You'd flick Jules of straight away once Tim nice but dim started.

Granted the essential mix is mostly housey, prog or alternative type music and to finish on boshing trance wouldn't create a seamless progression but why does it have to?

I don't think that we're ever going to be happy unless his show followed the same format of the late nineties but we have to accept that it isn't going to be this way due to the arseholes that run the Beeb. End of.

P.s. Like the way it's censored West c o c k. Too right aswell.

Edited February 11, 2008 by Uberduck

[kml]

if the aim is to let one show run seamlessly into the other why doesn't radio 1 stick to its play list 24 hours a day and hire more overpaid motormouth dj's to play one chart hit after another?

Edited February 11, 2008 by kml

[Briggsy]

To be honest, even if Radio 1 told Jules to produce a show similar to his old Friday/Saturday night days, they still wouldn't be the same. Unfortunately, Jules's style has changed a lot since those days. Gone are the days when Jules played mainly harder and bouncier stuff. These days, he seems to play either Techy or calmer vocal Trance - there's very little in-between.

Those obscure, wacky, pacey, bouncey tracks have gone - and i'm afraid Jules isn't as respected as he once was for breaking new tunes either - so he doesn't get tunes as upfront as Armin, PvD, etc like he used to. There was a time when Jules was the first DJ to get a tune. It also doesn't help that Jules ignores certain labels, such as Discover and Somatic Sense, and artists such as Greg Downey and Sean Tyas - who are all on top form, in favour of mediocre, poorly produced tunes.

The digital era has killed some of the exclusivety too in my opinion. Once upon a time, producers produced a tune, and only had two or three acetates cut due to the high expense - so only a couple of DJ's had them, meaning those DJ's had a few gems that others didn't. Now a producer finishes a tune, and within minutes of it being finished, he can email it to every DJ under the sun. best Tech-Trance tune, slap a crap vocal over the top from a well known tune, and then sends it to Jules - and unfortunately, he plays them.

[kml]

To be honest, even if Radio 1 told Jules to produce a show similar to his old Friday/Saturday night days, they still wouldn't be the same. Unfortunately, Jules's style has changed a lot since those days. Gone are the days when Jules played mainly harder and bouncier stuff. These days, he seems to play either Techy or calmer vocal Trance - there's very little in-between.

Those obscure, wacky, pacey, bouncey tracks have gone - and i'm afraid Jules isn't as respected as he once was for breaking new tunes either - so he doesn't get tunes as upfront as Armin, PvD, etc like he used to. There was a time when Jules was the first DJ to get a tune. It also doesn't help that Jules ignores certain labels, such as Discover and Somatic Sense, and artists such as Greg Downey and Sean Tyas - who are all on top form, in favour of mediocre, poorly produced tunes.

The digital era has killed some of the exclusivety too in my opinion. Once upon a time, producers produced a tune, and only had two or three acetates cut due to the high expense - so only a couple of DJ's had them, meaning those DJ's had a few gems that others didn't. Now a producer finishes a tune, and within minutes of it being finished, he can email it to every DJ under the sun. best Tech-Trance tune, slap a crap vocal over the top from a well known tune, and then sends it to Jules - and unfortunately, he plays them.

Agree about the tune selection. Bit off topic but very surprised to see he isn't playing Gatecrashers Summer Sound System this year.

[Moonman]

i prefer to listen to Pete Tong these days. He really is playing some cracking tunes. He' come into his own over the last couple of years i think.

[Hardaway]

I agree with most of you! the format lets it all down as a whole.

Overthe past 2 weeks or so Jules has sat in for Tong & Eddie and done a marvelous job. Don't know if you catched them but they had a better structure that suited Jules.

Especially last week when he sat in for Tong, some great choon-age was on show, come on Radio 1 Sort it out!

[JasonB]

For Covering Tong tother week Im pretty surer Jules got hold of a few electro house/houseytracks he wouldnt usuually play specially for the show.

Tong just bores me now its since he went all electro basically the past two uyearsas hes chnaged over like my intesrted has been lost there was a trime for years Id listen every week the entire show, yes things dochnage, tong is jts tong now no essential selection although the show does retain some of the former features, there just aint enough variaty like there used to be.

[Quadrant]

Maybe we were just lucky to experience the boom around 1999/2000 and must now accept that it will never be the same again, and move on. After all, it had to change eventually.

[Judge Jules]

Maybe we were just lucky to experience the boom around 1999/2000 and must now accept that it will never be the same again, and move on. After all, it had to change eventually.

Thanks for the feedback-

Re slowing the music down towards the end of the show to accommodate the music style of the following show (the E.Mix), I think you're probably right and I'm going to look at hardening up the end. Do you feel I should have a longer mix at some point in the show?

Re the 'Recovery record', whilst this might sound funny in energy terms, I'm comfortable with it.

Re the number of interviews, I'd be interested in your feedback regarding whether you think each individual interview is too long. I reckon that the number of guests is correct, but maybe each interview should be shorter and more snappy.

Re the overall music- very often in clubs I keep things harder from beginning to end, but I feel that radio affords the opportunity to be a bit broader.

I'd appreciate your comments.

[kml]

First of all I would like to thank Jules for answering my request to comment on this thread :-)

I personally feel the show should have a harder 30-45 minute mix towards the end and also some shorter mixes throughout.

I'm not a fan of the recovery track. I really miss the "tried and tested".

I disagree on the number of interviews and this is largely due to the show broadcast time.

I strongly agree that each interview should be much shorter i.e 30-45 seconds.

Whilst I do agree that radio does afford the opportunity for the overall music to be a bit broader, I feel that given the show's broadcast time it should feature harder music especially in the last 90 minutes.

[Judge Mental]

If that's Jules I'll eat my hat, and my shoe, and my pants.

Didn't even reply most of the time on his own board when it was busy, and those replies are a weeee bit sketchy for a lawyer / dj.

Plus I doubt he'd call himself Judge Jules, never did before on his official message board.

Forgive me if I'm wrong likes.

[Neuro]

If that's Jules I'll eat my hat, and my shoe, and my pants.[...]Forgive me if I'm wrong likes.

100% Jules matey as I helped set up the account

It says a lot that he stays in touch with people's opinions and posts when needs be; a lot of DJs simply don't bother.

Do you feel I should have a longer mix at some point in the show?

This would be my number one request! A long uninterrupted mix would be great, perhaps before the Recovery Record?

Re the number of interviews, I'd be interested in your feedback regarding whether you think each individual interview is too long. I reckon that the number of guests is correct, but maybe each interview should be shorter and more snappy.

I like the interviews as they give a nice insight but I personally believe there are too many, which break up the flow of the music. You'd have to be careful to not make them too short though, because then they'd sound too token and the content would be probably less interesting.

Overall I agree that it is important to cover a breadth of music, and cover some of the more obscure tracks like what was done in the old Friday night shows. I miss the Tried & Tested feature also but appreciate there is little room to fit this in.

What do others think to give some more feedback here?

[Judge Mental]

I'm stuffed after eating all my clothes

Fair play, but as well as I think thats a good thing, and I know he's a busy man, if he wants to keep in touch with his fans then he should do it more often, although I know he spends a lot of time answering emails.

And yeah, a lot of folk don't give any feedback on sites like this, but Jules used to a lot back in't day. You guys pay the wages afterall, if it was me I'd spend a wee bit more time answering questions and stuff.

I work more hours a week than Jules I'm 97% sure of, (nice work if you can get it) and I can still find the time to comment on things. I'm not just talking about here, but the comparison to other djs not contacting their fans is useless. As you well know I've moved on to more techier things these days, but pretty much everytime I've emailed / myspaced a dj for a question I've got a reply.

But the fact that he hardly ever replied to anything on his own message board for years, even when it was busy speaks volumes.

I'm being a bit harsh I know, but I get paid buttons in comparison and pay these dj's quite a lot through ticket sales.

Wee intimate cheap nights where you can buy the dj a drink and have a chat is where its at imo. "superstar dj's" pfffft.

Edited February 20, 2008 by Judge Mental