Reprezent Radio producer and presenter Mo Ayoub tells his music industry story so far...
How did you get into music?
“I started with student radio in Leeds and then did internships before getting stuck into the community radio scene in London with Reprezent, and back home in Liverpool with Melodic Distraction, all while building as a DJ in Barcelona, where I had a radio show too. The thing that keeps me going, beyond the addiction of digging for tracks from new talent, is going through this all with a cohort of friends and watching them thrive too.”
What makes a great radio show?
“Far be it from me to preach, as there are some serious big names that have been doing it for a lot longer! The cliché of ‘be yourself’ is inescapable but, genuinely, the sole thing that’ll keep audiences listening is authentic energy and passion. How does that track make you feel? Where were you when you first listened to that breaking artist? Break it down as if you’re telling people over coffee after a night out. Also, put the listener at the heart of things.”
What’s your mission in the industry?
“To prove that we are borderless. The emphasis on giving non-English speaking artists some time in the limelight has been great to see over the past couple of years, yet what the wider industry’s only just cottoning on to has been pushed by entities such as NTS and Worldwide FM for a very long time now. I spotlight talent from across the globe, regardless of language. Heck, I’ve been known to interview artists in their native language a couple of times, going to that length to make someone feel comfortable will always make for a unique conversation.”
Put the listener at the heart of things
Mo Ayoub
How will 2020 affect the landscape?
“I really hope that music consumers have been reminded to see the value in buying, and owning, their favourite artists’ work. Bandcamp’s initiative where they waive their share of purchases on every first Friday of the month has been important. It’s giving a nudge to producers to keep making the music their fans crave, which in turn helps musicians who’ve lost out on DJ sets, gigs and other streams of income.”
How do you see the industry’s fight for equality?
“As a music lover from an ethnic background, you search for relatability, and take a greater interest when you know that the creator, presenter or producer is a person of colour. The work the industry has done following the Black Lives Matter movement in terms of fair representation is going in the right direction, however there’s still a lot of progress to be made, and it should’ve started much longer ago.”
MO'S RECOMMENDED TRACK:
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