A cool and welcoming sonic journey presented by Ben Eshmade
Arctic Circle Radio ? the Hut (jointhecircle.net/radio) is both a surprise and a delight. Despite some jokey references to snowy landscapes and arctic inhabitants ? the show claims to be made in a "strictly penguin-friendly environment" ? it has nothing to do with icy extremes. Instead, it's a rather addictive hour of new music presented by Ben Eshmade.
It opens with a swooshy barrage of intriguing sounds intermingling. A voice booms, "Welcome to my hut", and we're off into a succession of tracks that lean towards the haunting and ethereal. Eshmade's style is understated and concise, yet warm with it. "Their music is timeless, yet always familiar," he says of one track. "Very gentle but well-polished pop music," he says of another. "Scary and hairy-sounding," he quips, introducing The Mouth of the Wolf by The Miserable Rich.
It's quite a challenge to be cool and welcoming, but this show manages it. Some of the music is borderline scary ? one track featured some very odd growly rasping ? but Eshmade then mentions that he's playing the songs with "a steaming mug of tea and a large collection of toasted teacakes".
There are three versions of the show each week: The Hut, The Circle (a guest mix) and a slot on Resonance FM on Sunday afternoons. Each offers gentle sonic journeys into new musical worlds.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/jun/07/arctic-circle-radio-hut-review
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