Announced as the new host of BBC Radio 1’s Drum & Bass Show, Charlie Tee tells us about her first experience on the decks, playing at Chatham’s Tap N Tin and why electronic music is back on top

DJ, broadcaster, presenter and now the first female host of BBC Radio 1’s Drum & Bass Show, Charlie Tee is in the vanguard as a key commentator as electronic music continues to swell into the mainstream.

A seasoned performer, playing out house, techno and DnB at shows including Hospitality, Fabric, Snowboxx, Studio 338, NASS and Boardmasters, her broadcasting journey will hit a new peak in September, when she will head up the revamped Drum & Bass Show as it moves to Saturday nights on the Beeb.

But this is no overnight success story, with Charlie grinding for more than a decade, having cut her teeth on platforms like Drum & Bass Arena’s legendary D&BTV and the KissFM UK networks, hosting guest mixes from iconic names like Hot Since 82, S.P.Y, Seb Zito, Catz ‘N Dogz and Cristoph, as well as being an advocate for emerging artists, elevating some of dance music’s most prolific new stars like Nia Archives, Syreeta, Ewan McVicar, Ammara, AC13 and Kara. We got in touch with Charlie to find out more…

Hey Charlie! Firstly, congratulations on your new BBC show!

Thanks! Honestly, I’m still taking it all in. It’s not been that long. I was only made aware like a day or so before it got announced. So it’s still very new to me as well.

Were you expecting it?

Well, I’ve covered the show quite a bit before. So it wasn’t like a complete shock. But because I’ve covered so many different shows I hoped that I’d be joining the family at one point or another, but I just didn’t know what that was gonna entail or where it was gonna be. I love drum & bass. I’ve worked in it for 10 years. It’s definitely a big part of my life and my musical journey and persona.

Where did your journey begin? What was your dip-your-toe-in-the-water moment?

The first time I physically touched a pair of decks I must have been about 19. I was working at a pub at the time. And all the boys that drank down the pub used to DJ and drum & bass was really big back in our town, Harpenden - one half of Sigma grew up there and he was already pretty famous. Anyway, we had an afters one day, they’re all like on the decks. And I said ‘Let me have a go!’. Obviously, I had never played before and I was clanging away, and they were all like ‘Get off, you’re sh*t, stop touching them!’.

I did a season in Ibiza a couple of years later and we had decks in the apartment, and then I got a pair of hand-me-down decks a couple years later. But I was clanging away in my bedroom for years before I was good enough to play out. And back then it was CDs. You couldn’t see on the pitch-fader like the actual tempo, you had to use your ears, believe it or not. Then I went back to learn on vinyl after that. And then now on USB, obviously.

Do you think it’s like a rite of passage for people to learn those skills these days?

For me personally, I felt it was important. Because as a music journalist, I like to have a 360 angle on everything. I went back to college to learn how to start producing music a couple years ago, just so I understood it when I’m interviewing artists. I have a better understanding and a better knowledge of what I’m talking about and how the industry works.

I wouldn’t tell every young person you have to go learn vinyl, but I think it’s really important to understand where music comes from. If you go back and learn on vinyl, it will only sharpen your digital skills.

Would you would you say there’s a record or track that takes you back to those early moments?

Oh my god, yes, such pivotal moments. Danny Byrd’s Red Mist was like my second or third rave. And so I think it was in Newcastle. I remember just kind of walking into the room, it was filled with mist and the lights were red and I was almost like ‘Am I imagining this? Is this actually happening?’. Yeah, I remember that clear as day. And I remember seeing Chase & Status at Leeds SU, looking up at MC Rage and thinking that is the coolest job in the world. I don’t think I’ll ever do anything that cool.

Do you think the popularity of DnB is increasing?

Yeah. I think drum & bass has. It’s really funny because I’ve worked in it for 10 years.

I kind of saw this amazing first-wave crossover of Sigma getting famous and Wilkinson getting famous. We had all these big front-runners. And then it kind of slipped under the radar for a little bit again. But we’ve had this amazing resurgence. And I think the pandemic has had a lot to do with this - particularly lots of Instagram DJs and people showing their skill sets online and it pushing the scene forward because it’s everyone’s technical skill. They were kind of like battling against each other and it’s kind of created more hype again on social media. So we’ve got an amazing new generation of breakout stars in drum & bass.

There’s also a really good female representation as well, especially in Kent, like Harriet Jaxon and Molly Collins…

There does seem to be a real scene in Kent. I know Molly quite well. I’ve actually played on one of her Tap N Tin nights.

When Molly was coming through, I remember seeing her and being like ‘Yes, another woman!’. I remember her coming through and some people were particularly judgmental because she was a female… I think she was the first kind of young breakout drum & bass female DJ that spawned these newer DJs that have come out. She’s amazing. And then obviously Harriet is killing it there, too.

What gives you the most buzz out of DJing or presenting?

That’s like asking someone to pick a child… it’s so difficult because they’re so different.

DJing is this amazing form of self-expression, where you just switch off and you just you’re in the flow state - I can’t explain it. It’s magic, the way you kind of connect with the crowd and this internal dialogue, like I never plan my sets, whatever happens happens in that moment. I can’t even explain it.

And radio obviously is much more planned and well orchestrated. I love showcasing music to people. That’s obviously what I’m passionate about. And both mediums allow me to do that in a different way. I think radio is really special because you’re able to physically communicate your personal opinions on a record, whereas DJing you don’t have the ability to vocalise it, you just have to show it through the music you’re playing. I love them both.

Did you have the butterflies the first sort of time you were on BBC?

Oh, it’s like the mothership was calling! Yeah, it’s always been the pinnacle of my goals, to work on Radio 1. The first time I ever covered a BBC show at all was doing Danny Howard’s Friday Night Live. I was like ‘OK, sure, let’s do this’. And looking back on it, they trusted me to do that live 8pm-10pm on a Friday night. That was ballsy.

I’d been at Kiss for quite a long time… and those shows are difficult to master as well as being specialist. But I’m not gonna lie to you: I was absolutely bricking it.

How was your first link?

The pivotal moment for me was when I got to press Play on the ident because obviously listening to the show every single week. When I pressed the button, oh my god, every hair on my body just stood to attention. That’s terrifying and exciting. And all the emotions.

What can we expect of your new show in September?

So, first off, it’s moving from Monday night to a Saturday night (11pm-1am) and it’s going to be a big part of the weekend schedule. And the reason for that is that they [BBC] really want to recognise the importance of drum & bass within the dance music family. They’ve recognised how big it is and how much talent is coming through and how there’s demand for it. Basically, it’s in all the playlists again… some of the biggest breakout stars are dance music or drum & bass artists. And yeah, it’s gonna be a different format, but I can’t tell you anything else. Sorry!

What has the rest of 2022 got in store for you?

I’ve got loads of festivals. Tomorrowland, NAS Festival, Boardmasters, Glastonbury, Boomtown - that’s not been announced yet – Beat-Herder and Electric Woodlands. I’m touring quite a few clubs and playing with Pendulum at some point, I think in London. So, wow yeah, it’s quite busy. It’s exciting!