Buddz and DJ Smokey celebrate a year of Vibe 103 tunes

One radio station has spent the past year cranking out party tunes for its listeners, making sure energy is the priority. 

Vibe 103 celebrated its one-year anniversary on Monday. Colin and Matthew Harper, also known as Collie Buddz and DJ Smokey, own the station. 

The station started with a bang last year and has had listeners hooked ever since with the non-stop party music and with hugely popular Throwback Thursday edition. 

There are at least five different DJs on daily. 

Collie Buddz told the Bermuda Sun: “We wanted to give listeners another alternative on the radio and to expose Bermuda to more of the new music the world has on offer and present it with talented club and party DJs.”

Asked about challenges and difficulties, Buddz said: “Sometimes it’s hard to get people to accept new ideas and ‘outside the norm’ music so I think our biggest challenge is an ongoing one. 

“We receive a lot of feedback both positive and negative with regard to our format and certain genres that don’t receive much airtime from other stations. 

“It’s extremely difficult to please everyone but I feel that’s our goal.”

He continued: “We have such a diverse selection of music and presenting it with the appropriate timing is always a challenge for DJs so that’s what we’re striving for, a station that you can listen to all day every day.”

As far as what makes Vibe 103 different than the other stations, the reggae singer said: “Our format makes us different. 

“We try to utilize some of the best local DJs to present an incredibly diverse line-up of genres from around the world. 

“We also try to bring a club/party vibe to the airwaves with DJs that play in clubs and parties on a regular basis so that they can bring that same energy.”

Buddz said a typical day in their Whale Bay studio is entertaining for both listeners and DJ’s. 

“I think people can hear when we are having fun on-air and that translates into a better listening experience”, he added. 

Asked what he would say to the claim that Vibe 103 doesn’t play enough local music, Buddz said: “A lot of the local music we play might not be as recognizable as ‘local’ to some listeners. 

“We play a showcase of local production, remixes and artists throughout every day. 

“Illogical Linguistics, Jelani, I-Vibes, Fatz, Ninja Cutty, Starr Child, Roache Killa, C’Daynger, Devaune Ratteray, KD Da Beast, Propa, Monstah, just to name a few. 

“We encourage all local artists regardless of genre to submit their songs to [email protected].”

Vibe 103 has live DJs from 6am in the morning until 10pm. For more information on the station or to listen online, visit www.vibe103.com.