TMet Radio on UPfm

Exciting news. Chelfyn and I have been given our own radio show - every Saturday night from midnight on UPfm. It's a new hard dance station from the people who created the groovy George FM. We've asked Dodgy Sam to do it with us as he’ll be fun to banter with.

The first radio radio Chelfyn and I had was on UK pirate station Storm FM. The studio was in a seedy block of flats in one of the dodgiest areas of Bristol, and you never knew if you were going to be robbed by junkies or raided by the police. Our co-host was so partial to vodka that his DJ name was AA. As in Alcoholics Anonymous not the battery size. He could mix and speak perfectly well on the mike, when a second before he’d been sliding down walls. The kit was eventually nicked and that was the end of that.

I also did guest expert stuff for BBC radio, talking about the internet & the knowledge economy. One Radio 5 live show was at BBC Bush House, the place with the big glass windows that they always show on TV. The studios are positively palatial and very exciting to be in. The guest slot was all expenses paid and I was even sent a car to convey me from and to my hotel. It was a million miles away from Storm FM.

One more move...
Chelfyn's parents are visiting from the UK, so we’ve just had a week off in the Bay of Islands swimming with dolphins and hanging out at the beach. It's an incredibly beautiful area at the tip of the north island, and a favourite Kiwi summer holiday spot. For a while we were taken with the idea of moving to Paihia but as I looked out onto the crystal clear Pacific ocean with waves gently lapping at my feet, I realised that I actually miss the city.

When we first got to New Zealand I wanted to get away, to have clean air, privacy and views. Now I’ve got rid of the last remnants of UK stress I’m itching to get stuck in, but at a slower pace. It’s been a wonderful year - we both needed some time out from gigging every weekend, but you can't make techno in the country. Chelfyn has been complaining that if he stays there too long he'll be making chill out CDs. For the past year we have been living in a big house in the country, an old farmhouse that we've transformed from its former 70s glory. It's now utterly gorgeous with stripped floors, white walls and funky lights, but there are rooms I only ever go in to clean, and the lawns take 3 hours to mow. It seems a bit silly for just the two of us and the kits.

We've had a lot of fun there - we’ve got a spa, and our own nightclub in the garage. We painted the walls black and put in a PA, UV décor and lights. It's been called the best club in New Zealand and is certainly underground. Unfortunately every time we have a party, the dairy farmer next door complains about the noise. He complains even when we turn it off at midnight on a Saturday - it’s not like we’re the neighbours from hell. So we’ve decided to finish renovating, sell up and look for a smaller place near Auckland. Just one more move, then maybe we can settle down for a few years!