About
New Yorkers Anthony Roman, Tommy Williams and Greg Collins took their name from a Public Image Limited song as a statement of their intention to move beyond the Long Island hardcore world into a more rhythmic and beat-driven punk sound. Roman described Radio 4 as looking for "something that's got a rhythm, and got a pulse to it." His Somethin' Else record store in Brooklyn helped in this search, selling dub reggae and Brit rock right next door to a café playing house and techno. The sounds blended in his head, just as antecedents the Clash picked up on ska and dub rhythms, or PiL combined punk and electro, and soon Radio 4 had their sound: dance beats, punk riffs, dubby bass and techno keys with a dash of funk for flavor. Their debut EP, Dance to the Underground, introduced this manifesto, and Gotham! (2002) continued it while managing to be both post-9/11 angry yet still optimistic and in the groove. This political bent matured on Stealing of a Nation (2004), but the beats were still there, with Roman admitting, "Not everything has to be this big political message and not everything has to be for the dancefloor."
- Nicholas Baker
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