Presenter Profile
Lee Hardwick
1. How and why did you get involved with Artsound?
I had been involved in Community Radio for years in Brisbane. I started with Artsound in 2008 hosting Down in the Basement, and have been playing at least every month ever since. I have also produced and recorded music, and I am impressed with the calibre of the studios and the production and recording services on offer at Artsound.
2. Apart from radio what is/was your occupation?
Music is my main pre-occupation
3. Can you list, at least three, of your favourite CDs/Recorded musical items/downloads, whatever?
Funkadelic – The Electric Spanking of War Babies and Parliament - ‘Funkentelecy Vs the Placebo Syndrome'. Both groups are essentially the same band. An amazing bunch of musicians and singers headed by the dynamic and charismatic George Clinton. The four original vocalists were originally a Doo-Wop Quartet – which warped over time into a multi-layered psychedelic soul and R&B powerhouse. Combine that with one of the most proficient and talented bunch of funk musicians ever to grace the planet – including the likes of Bootsy and Catfish Collins, Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley all headhunted from James Browns super band of the late 60s. George Howard – A Nice Place to Be – one of the first Jazz records I ever bought on vinyl. It was one of the few dozen on offer at Kent Records, a long defunct record shop in Brisbane. I liked the cover, and excuse the pun, but the soprano sax skills of Howard just blew me away. This and every other album George Howard has released are all great – it opened up a huge door into Smooth Jazz.
Lee "Scratch" Perry – Roast Fish and Cornbread – Reggae and Dub is one of a number of musical genres I love, but generally don't play on Artsound. I have to limit my selection otherwise I'd never decide on what to play…
4. What concert or live performance did you find the most enjoyable and stimulating (please state artist/s and venue)?
Bootsy's Rubber band – London 1995. This was a small club gig, the stage was only 2 foot high, and I was in the front row. Excellent band, including former Parliament-Funkadelic greats like Bernie Worrell. At one stage Bootsy jumped down into the crowd and we all jumped around On The One – legendary.
5. What genre or sub genre of music do you enjoy the most?
I love funky pianists who know how to play great riffs and solos. I'm talking about Joe Sample and George Duke just to name a few.
I have limited the genres I play on Down In the Basement to four broad categories:
· Groove Jazz – could include Classic Jazz; Funk Fusion; Smooth Jazz; Nu Jazz; House Jazz. The only criteria is that it's got to groove and be mellow (not too hectic).
· Smooth Soul – again, could be a subset of funk, blues, smooth jazz, R&B. This is vocal driven music – smooth, sweet and soulful
· Classic Blues – Funk Guitar legend Roger Troutman once sang "I don't care what you play, you aint played enough till you played some blues"…I tend to agree with this sentiment. Plenty of the styles I play can trace at least some of its origins to the blues, but it's also good to get deep into the heart of the genre. Gut Bucket blues all the way through to British Blues from the 60's.
· Dancefloor Funk – wonderful stuff. This is the music that just keeps on giving, year after year, just like a fine wine. I play well-paced tracks designed to get you up outta your seat (unless your driving).
6. Where you feel radio is going over the next ten years?
Live on-air Radio is great – provided your in town during the broadcast. The live streaming is a great move forward – People now listen to Artsound in all states – anywhere in the world in fact. I know that I have listeners in other parts of Australia now, not just Canberra.
Lee Hardwick presents Down in the Basement on a regular basis
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