Est. 2010 — London
"Dubstep by Passion, Filth by Nature." Formed in 2010 by DJ and producer Strong off the back of pirate radio, FILTH FM went from a black-and-white webpage in the style of an 80s video game to forty-plus DJs broadcasting to 87 countries — voted Best Dubstep Radio Station 2011. This page is the receipts.
The story
Formed by DJ and producer Strong, fresh off pirate radio. A simple black-and-white webpage in the style of an 80s video game, a SHOUTcast server, and a phone number you could text the studio on. Five DJs within two weeks, filthy dubstep to thirteen countries.
The relaunch: three channels — dubstep, grime, drum & bass. Added to the iTunes Radio list in January. Daily podcasts hit #75 on the iTunes chart, the iPhone app passed 10,000 downloads, and Funtcase was on the airwaves. Voted Best Dubstep Radio Station 2011, and 6th best station overall after just seven months of operation.
Over forty DJs holding weekly slots, legally broadcasting to 87 countries. Modestep Radio on Sunday nights, Dubba Jonny midweek, label shows from Chronos, Heavy Artillery, Play Me and Bassclash. A store selling barcode hoodies and branded HD 25s.
The scene shifted and so did the station — a broader electronic rebrand, then a "re-launching soon" page that stayed up for years. The chatroom went quiet. The barcode never quite scanned again.
Same barcode, same black, same acid green. New engine. FILTH FM returns — 24/7, live DJs, and a chatroom of our own. You are locked into FILTH FM.
Then / Now
The schedule read like a who's-next list before anyone knew it. A few of the people who held a weekly FILTH FM slot — and what happened after.
Then "Modestep Radio – the church of dubstep." Sunday nights, 21:00–22:00, premiering the tunes that became the debut album.
Now Two UK Top 40 hits within the year — "Feel Good" and "Sunlight". Tony Friend went on to become Fred again..'s onstage DJ; if you've heard a crowd chant "Tony!", that's him. Josh still flies the Modestep flag.
Then Weekly resident — one of the flagship shows named on the original About page.
Now Creators of "A Brief Tutorial On VIP Production", the most quoted spoken-word tune in dubstep, released through UKF.
Then One of the first DJs Strong recruited, playing weekly from the earliest days.
Now Signed to Stupid Fly and 2 Much Bass — one of the few artists whose bios still name-check a FILTH FM residency.
Then Guest slots on the DRTY & Subfreq show, plus the Persist & Genetix residency.
Now Circus Records, Funtcase collaborations, and the Big Tuna label — with Radio 1 support from Skream & Benga.
Then The "Filth FM Mix", circa 2010 — still floating around Mixcloud.
Now Signed to Chase & Status's MTA Records. "Blazin'" ft. Lady Leshurr followed.
Then Saturday resident through 2011.
Now Debut EP charted every track in the Beatport Top 100.
Then Sunday resident, 2012 — the station blog raved about him at the time.
Now Beatport top ten with "Eyes On Me", picked up by Circus Records.
Then Guest mixes on Strong's Dubstep & Life Show — and the voice of the station drop: "Hi, this is Vaski, and you're locked onto FILTH FM!"
Now A fixture of the US bass scene ever since.
The roll call
Recovered from the archived schedules and DJ pages, 2010–2013 — every DJ, show and crew that held down a slot. Were you one of them? The barcode remembers.Get in touch and claim your name.
Museum plaque
"Hi, this is Vaski, and you're locked onto FILTH FM!"— the station drop, 2011