Radio From The Red Light District

Since a week the city of Amsterdam has a new, extraordinary online radio station. The unique concept Red Light Radio started broadcasting from a former prostitution window in the Dutch capital’s (in)famous Red Light District.

Red Light Radio brings daily shows of artists playing their favorite tunes, live performances by bands, acoustic sessions, and local, national and international DJs who drop by to play the latest records. According to the initiators, “you can expect shows full of afro beat or shows with black metal next to live acoustic performances or DJ sets by artists or even a show by you“.

Red Light Radio is planning to broadcast 24/7, but for now there will be a few hours of shows every day. All shows are recorded and made available for listening on the station’s Soundcloud page. People are invited to drop by at the studio when shows are taking place. The small cozy living room next to the recording space provides the opportunity to sit down, have a cup of coffee and enjoy the live show.

Local urban authorities are running a big and somewhat controversial clean-up in Amsterdam’s prostitution area by buying property and turning most of these former brothels, coffeeshops and snackbars into temporary spaces for the creative class. Over the last year many prostitution windows have disappeared. Red Light Radio is project that characterizes the aim of the city to broaden the cultural climate in the Red Light District. Before we wrote about other kinds of projects and initiatives, such as the Rooms of Red Bull and Red Light Design.