Dalston’s NTS Radio to go global with international tour

Taking on the world: Sean McAuliffe and Femi Adeyemi. Photograph: NTS Radio

A Dalston radio station is going global after receiving funding for an international tour.

NTS, an online station run from a small studio in Gillett Square, has been awarded £57,000 by Arts Council England to take its sound around the world.

Sean McAuliffe, Managing Director of NTS, said: “We are really happy that, with Arts Council England’s support, we will be giving a group of young DJs and producers the chance to perform in countries across the globe, including Greece, Canada, China and Australia.

“The fund will also make it possible to help promote these artists and hopefully further their careers globally.”

The NTS International Festival Tour will take a selection of underground artists overseas as part of the Arts Council’s International Showcasing programme.

Joyce Wilson, Arts Council England’s London director, said: “We’re really pleased to be able to support NTS and its international tour.

“This exciting organisation is one to watch as it takes the vibrant talent of London from the underground to the world stage.”

NTS was founded in 2011 by DJ Femi Adeyemi and operated out of the tiny shack in Gillett Square where it remains to this day.

Adeyemi wanted to create a counter to commercial radio with no on-air advertising and interesting music 24 hours a day. The station’s tagline – “Don’t assume” – sums up the diversity on offer.

Five years later and NTS reaches more than 360,000 listeners in the UK and beyond, with extra studios in Los Angeles, Shanghai and Manchester.

The station has over 200 regular hosts and has helped establish artists such as Skepta and the Young Turks record label.