Alex James performs Britpop medley live with Chris Moyles
Blur bassist Alex James joined The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X this morning for a special live performance with his Britpop Classical orchestra.
The broadcast marked the first stop of The Chris Moyles Show’s Massive Decade Tour, celebrating 10 years of Radio X.
From his Cotswold farm, James and the orchestra played a medley of Britpop classics live on air, mixing Blur’s Song 2 with Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit.
The set also featured Ocean Colour Scene’s The Riverboat Song, Republica’s Ready To Go, Supergrass’s Alright, EMF’s Unbelievable and a closing performance of Blur’s The Universal.
As part of the broadcast, Moyles and the team toured James’s home studio, where the musician revealed that Florence and the Machine, New Order and KT Tunstall have all recorded material.
Speaking about the space, James noted how recording has changed since the 1990s: “All you need for a recording studio these days is like a laptop and a room… actually recording, you just need a room for it.”
Moyles reflected on the contrast with traditional studios such as Abbey Road, which historically used entire rooms to create echo effects. James added that today’s technology allows even such effects to be replicated on a smartphone.
The exchange included Moyles discovering a set of bongos in the studio and joking about putting them to use, while James listed his essentials for making music: “Decent loudspeakers, laptop, couple of microphones, guitar, haircut – you’re all set!”
Although Blur do not record there as a band, James said his studio has become an active creative space for guest artists. When asked why Blur do not use it, James laughed: “Because everyone’s got a studio. And then Damon goes, ‘Come to my studio.’ And you go, ‘Okay.’”
The broadcast was the opening highlight of Radio X’s anniversary tour, which continues this week with Moyles and the team heading to different locations to mark a decade of the station.
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Tune into The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X weekdays from 6:30am – 10am and on Global Player.