You know when your friend does something cool and you're all, "oh wow buddy!" and then you actually start to engage with what they've done not just as a supportive pal but as an interested audience member, and you realise you're just a big fan of the thing that they've made and it has nothing to do with the fact you've known them since you were 17, it's simply a genius idea that has been excellently conceived? Well, friends, let me tell you about Radio Atlas.
OK so. There's radio in the UK, right? We can all agree on that. I think it's been proven. And the radio documentaries made in the UK are generally English language. And there are a lot of them to listen to. But hang on, there's radio and sound art made in other countries which isn't in English. And, oh shit, it's probably really, really great. Or at least, some of it is. Statistically. OK well let's listen to that too, I bet they do really cool radio in Italy. I'll just pop some on, and oh. Here's a massive stack of paper with the translation of what they're saying into English. Yeah, because that isn't difficult to follow.
THERE IS A SOLUTION - Radio Atlas.
It's one of those ideas that is so perfect, and so simple, that it's actually stunning. Look at this example below.
Writer from Radio Atlas on Vimeo.
It's hypnotic. And yes it is the brain child of my friend Eleanor McDowall. She's won awards for her radio but to me she'll always be the girl who introduced me to Buffy and regularly makes me laugh so hard I snot-cry.
Follow Radio Atlas on Twitter for more of these gems. And here's a great interview with Eleanor about this new project.