The day dawns bright and warm at Nene Park, Peterborough. The usual suspects are about; geese, grassy hills, Sunday morning strollers out for a walk in the wilds. An opal lake reflects the rays near the motorway bridge overarching the park. The Unitee crew are also present, engrossed in preparation for Charlie Tee’s Unitee summer event under the bridge; readying the stage, stocking bars and running final sound check, ahead of the day’s lineup descending on-site in a few hours time, surrounded on all sides by the colourful eyes of the spray painted murals adorning the bridge’s pillars.
Charlie herself can be glimpsed recording her last few pre-show editorial cuts centre front, seamlessly moving from one station to the next to check in on every last detail and every last member of the crew. Smiles are aplenty and the air is brimming with a curious warm undercurrent of positivity.
If drum and bass had a Mount Rushmore, Charlie Tee would smile down alongside the greats. DJ, Presenter, Journalist, Tastemaker, Curator and now beloved Host of her own event. Much like many other scene titans, Charlie seems to have been destined for dance music. Reminiscing, she remembers discovering drum and bass amidst her student days, bouncing around the country to various raves, hooked on the advent of Chase & Status’ debut, ‘More than Alot’. She smiles, “I almost failed my second year!” Beginning her journey at Drum&BassArena in 2012 interviewing the best and brightest at the time, it’s hard to believe that the wonderfully warm multi talented scene star once thought herself not capable of DJing, “because I didn’t really see any girls doing it. I know it sounds really silly. At the time the mentality was; you’re the presenter, the guys are the DJs.”
Soon after, a set of second hand decks found their way into Charlie’s hands and the rest is history. A glittering track record in the world of bass music has now seen her take the helm of the Radio 1 Drum and Bass Show as the show’s first full time female presenter and drum and bass specialist, co-host the AIM Awards and play everywhere from Boomtown, to Glastonbury, Let It Roll, Drumsheds, Boardmasters to Hospitality – show us a festival untouched by Tee’s magic.
Aside from her powerful, expertly executed, full throttle pedal to the metal DJ sets and innate journalistic sensibility when it comes to producing quality multimedia content, the truly raw Charlie Tee star quality is her beaming wholehearted commitment and unconditional belief in the scene’s talent, community and true values of peace, love, unity and respect. It’s there in the eyes of every artist, colleague, raver and fan that interact with her, Charlie unearths the best within all those that surround her.
The evolution of Unitee events was a no-brainer, a natural progression from the Radio 1 Drum and Bass Show in an opportunity that arose from Mixology, Unitee is also a reflection of Charlie herself and everything she stands for. A unique event within an even more unique setting; mixing artists hailing from all corners of drum and bass land and ravers of all ages, backgrounds, colours and creeds, for an afternoon under the motorway bridge, allowing everyone a joyful share in the music we love, within a culture of positive inclusivity.
Excitedly speaking in a corner away from the pre-show madness, Charlie explains “the whole idea is that it doesn’t matter where you’re from or who you are, everybody is welcome on the dance floor. We don’t want anyone to ever feel like you have to dress a certain way or have a certain amount of money, it doesn’t matter who you are, if you can get yourself to our dancefloor then you’re part of the family.” The inclusivity and safety of the space is everything, smiling broadly Charlie goes on “just creating that safer space on the dance floor for everyone to feel they can have a good time is key for me. I’ve noticed with the Unitee events, the difference in our crowds. We have so many girls in the front row at these shows now and you notice the difference in energy when you switch over the artist to, say someone like Ama or Emily Makis coming on. You see the effect on them, seeing women up there doing their thing and it’s beautiful!”
A carefully cultivated environment, promoting intolerance of any form of negativity for a true chance at inclusivity, Unitee offers bass-lovers the opportunity to connect on a deeper purer level, whilst reaffirming the fundamental values our music was built on. Every minute detail is meticulously planned and thoughtfully executed; the timing to allow everyone to join in the fun without worry of losing precious Z’s, the beautifully imposing murals standing proud on the bridge pillars feature artists on the lineup of the day, including a tribute to Randall. “Yes that’s all by a guy called Nathan” Charlie says proudly, “he’s incredible. His tag is Nyces. When we unfortunately lost Skibadee and Stevie Hyper D a while ago, we were deciding who to have on the murals at the time and he’s a big drum and bass fan. It was actually his decision to do the memorial to them, which was so beautiful. They even kept it as a secret and surprised me when I turned up to do the last show! Then obviously with the passing of Randall we had to put him on our wall of fame and that’s going to stay there.” The memorial piece glows in the background over our heads, “as long as drum and bass has a home underneath this bridge and the council allows it, our heroes will stay up there – hopefully we won’t have to add any more, but yes we honour those that we’ve lost.”
A well seasoned music journalist and tastemaker, Charlie puts her encyclopaedic knowledge of bass music to work; curating Unitee lineups with a confident hand and careful consideration of artist energies, a byproduct of years spent working closely with artists of every calibre. “It’s really important to me to create a balanced lineup in terms of how it would feel sonically. For example, Shy FX – even though he sadly couldn’t make it in the end, we know he’s a sound system artist and we thought about who would compliment him. Lens is a great jungle artist, Gardna’s a great multi genre artist and Dread MC, Rage, some of my favourite MC’s, they fit really well with that sound.” The insider knowledge of their tendencies, preferences and styles come with years of countless performances and interviews, “lineups need to really fit together and they just happen to be artists that are of colour or are female, and that’s the way I think it should be. It should just feel organic and of course fair and representative.”
But it runs deeper. A scene so distinctive for its interaction with and involvement of the crowd, Charlie skillfully curates lineups and shows alike with the intention of creating a fulfilling repay in-kind experience. “Music is energy transference. If I give a really high energy performance, that energy is given to the crowd, then they give me energy back. It’s this beautiful never ending circle of energy transference. It’s the most energising, beautiful thing, sharing music and dancing to music.” Trademark Charlie Tee sets and Unitee performances in general, speak to the crowd on a personal level, training cameras on faces then displayed on the LED screens, encouraging participation at every moment throughout. “Without that crowd, I am nothing. I can’t give a good performance without them, it’s very much a working partnership.”
“Connecting with people when you haven’t said a word, that’s powerful.”
The day shines on and ravers begin to arrive under the bridge, gleefully skipping across the park towards the distant wobbly bass of the local collectives’ early sets. It’s clear for Charlie and all involved that this is a family affair. Fans passing her on her quick final walk around the site, wave hello and share their excitement to be back at Unitee. Crew members are well versed in the Unitee way now, most of them having worked on every show so far, some even from the same family, with two sisters manning the artist team. The bonds between the crew, both backstage and frontstage are strong, most of the people here are interconnected beyond imagination, whether by blood, kin, friendship or all the above. The warm vibration of positivity continues to permeate the air, the smiles growing broader.
Supporting new talent is crucial in paving the way forward for drum and bass music, nurturing talent to instil confidence, grow creativity and cement the scene’s legacy. Despite this, not everyone has the time to pay attention to new artists breaking into the upper levels of drum and bass eminence, or the skill to showcase the unique skills of DJs, Producers, Vocalists or MC’s in the impactful way they need. Charlie Tee eagerly takes on all the above with a welcoming smile. An ardent supporter of breaking talent, her enthusiasm for platforming new sounds manifests throughout her work; through the Radio 1 Drum and Bass Show submissions, the show’s exhibitive ’60 Second Send It’ feature, confidently booking an early career Bou for the first Unitee event, or simply mentoring young artists, one such mentee happily dancing backstage today at Charlie’s invite.
Balancing on a cultural tightrope, throughout her career Charlie has kept one eye firmly on the future, with the other trained on the past, paying homage to classic dubs that came before whilst simultaneously pushing the new wave. This mindset, Charlie embodies throughout the rest of her regular Radio 1 covers; Future Dance, Soundsystem Party and Radio 1 Ibiza, all under her charge in these recent two weeks alone, all curated carefully and delivered with unfailing energy. The Drum and Bass show especially, serves as a vehicle for introducing new drum and bass talent to the world and championing the hottest productions of the day on the world stage – all magnificently curated and managed by Charlie’s hand through her on air and online formats that have propelled the show to new heights. Headz and RAJAR alike are very happy.
When pressed on the reason behind the passion, the journalist in her wins out, “I just love being a part of a story. I started doing radio because I love sharing music with people. Then I got to a stage within radio where we could have guests and I thought I could use that platform to help artists. It was an organic progression.” Charlie’s care for the creations entrusted to her is tangible, “people spend so long creating their art and I just want to help them get it out there to the best of my ability. Particularly when you see people working really hard and you have the opportunity to do so, why wouldn’t you want to be a part of it?”
Again, every detail of today is addressed and carefully considered. Charlie reminds herself to give Charlotte Plank – performing later during Charlie’s set, a copy of her setlist with every one of the vocalist’s tracks highlighted so she is well prepared. A journo knows how to bring out the best in people. Charlie tends to uncover gold.
When it comes to seeking out fresh talent, in an oversaturated landscape of up and comers, algorithms and collectives, Charlie’s keen eye aims true. “Social media and the way that you promote your music is so important. I know people don’t want to do it but it shows the amount of effort you’re willing to put in. I know that making music takes so long and social media is hard work, I do. I think it’s an amalgamation of lots of different things. It’s artists I see building themselves as an artist.” She stresses the importance of creating an online presence and brand on social media, “if they already know who they are as an artist and where they want to go, that helps me in being able to give them a platform. You already know how you want to be perceived, so that’s going to make it much easier for me to help elevate you.” We discuss supporting up and comers through various routes, “that doesn’t mean I don’t support grassroots ground level artists too. I play their tunes on the show, but in terms of booking them for an event like this I want to see artists have lots of experience already playing to crowds, videos of them etc.”
‘U + Me = Unitee’. The slogan basks under the sun’s glare, atop the bar. Charlie warmly greets fans backstage, sharing stories and taking pictures, asking them how their experience has been so far, thanking them for coming back. Ever the story connoisseur, even fan stories cannot escape her bright eye. Determined to lift up the ravers as well as the music makers, Charlie mulls over plans for one of her next ideas – a series centred on ‘The People of Unitee’, illustrating the individual stories of the Unitee community in all their candid beauty. “There’s a lady called Sarah who was here last time in a wheelchair and it was the first music event she’d attended since her accident. I chat to her all the time. We of course also had Nick and Annie get engaged here under the bridge last time, which I helped Nick with when it came to the surprise! TJ, one of the MCs here today, met his girlfriend at the first ever event. They’re still together.” Charlie’s smile is wide as these human moments float in the air in front of her.
She spreads her arm towards the stage, “Unitee is about creating spaces for people that want to rave like this. We have a multitude of different people that maybe don’t want to go to a club or can’t go to other venues. I don’t want us to just be another event, I want to create those real life moments and memories, amazing music and where we’re all about the people. I think that’s what makes it super special and that’s why people love coming here. I get messages all the time from people in this community. There’s so many beautiful little stories and that’s what Unitee is all about for me personally.”
“The scene belongs to everybody that wants to contribute into it. It’s a joint effort.”
As Charlie takes the stage with her MC, Savvy B, the Unitee community go wild. As per usual the selection is a merciless, heady high-octane mix of new school with old school neatly woven into the carnage. Charlie is in her element, joyfully looking out to the crowd as drop after drop lands on the bobbing heads. The Tee effect is palpable, many of the event-goers, staff and artist crews gather near the stage and share a story whilst they’re at it. One recounts how Charlie met his mum at a rave. Later she laughs at the memory, “I do think that because we encourage a friendly vibe, as a result, people bring their parents because they know that backstage won’t be messy, but a calm, chill environment instead.” Another accolade for the Unitee shelf.
After a respectful pause in remembrance of Randall, Charlie resumes fire, working in tandem with Savvy and then joined by Charlotte Plank – both running the mics with every ounce of their energy, in an awe-inspiring showcase of female talent. After, she coins it as her favourite moment.
Long ago, she once named Radio 1 the ‘pinnacle of all (her) goals’ but it’s easy to recognise a rocket on trajectory to space taking off in front of us. The question is how both Tee and Unitee could get any better than this. Later in the evening, Charlie leans back with a laugh, “in terms of the radio world, you can’t get much bigger than the BBC. I’ve been listening to the BBC since I was 11, 12. At night I would record tapes of all the different bits of music before the presenter talks. Which actually makes me quite sad now as I used to cut the presenter out, which is obviously my job nowadays!”
We turn back to the music and ponder the future, “with DJing, sky’s the limit. The US is next on the cards for touring now. I played Australia and New Zealand earlier this year, where I honestly didn’t know how I’d be received. It’s the other side of the world, and I’m not currently putting music out. But I played this show in Auckland and I sold it out. I had people from there telling me they loved the Radio 1 show which was crazy to me! I’d love to do EDC one day. That’s on the list.”
Charlie is no stranger to production, having studied a course and learnt the skills for herself, “I’m just so busy. The thing is, if I do something, I do it properly. I’m not going to do something half arsed” she resolves, on the subject of any Charlie Tee originals. But there is more than enough to occupy her time with the growth of Unitee and dominating the music world in other ways. Team Tee have big plans, there’s a whisper of Unitee merch, collectable core values cards and a mystery announcement due next May of something never before seen in drum and bass. Further prodding reveals nothing else… for now.
“I hope people make a new friend today, learn something new, just enjoy the setting, or that this adds some value to their life!”
As the day draws to a close with the final headliners tearing up the Unitee stage against the amber glow, Charlie reflects back on her path so far, “DJing and Radio are both so different and skilled in their own ways… articulating emotion and excitement with words or through a record.”
The atmosphere cools but the bass continues to roll. The crowd settles to a steady simmer in the twilight but the sun has now ducked out beneath the horizon. Charlie begins a story; “someone once messaged me to say they weren’t having a great time in their life and they had gotten in their car to…” the evening temperature seems to flicker, “I don’t want to finish that sentence. Then they put the radio on, and I was on Radio 1 and they decided to stay. It’s moments like that that put things in perspective for me.”
The stories continue to flow; ravers on their honeymoon tuning into the show, a man emotionally meeting her eyes front left of her Reading set for a powerful singalong record, Boomtown goers thanking her for creating core memories with them. Charlie resolutely believes in the healing power of music and all the connection it brings, unfaltering in her conviction of what dance music can do for the world and for human beings. Borne of Charlie’s hopes and dreams for the scene’s future, Unitee is her gift to drum and bass, a call to Artists, DJs, Producers, Creatives, Ravers, Skankers, Technicians, Festival Goers, Parents, Singletons, Young, Old and everything else in between, to join together under the speakers and lights, united in bass music. Her plans for the Unitee mothership remain tightly under wraps but there’s enough to suggest that Charlie Tee and Unitee are headed for international waters in a mission to reach the world.
When asked for one word to describe the future of drum and bass, Charlie laughs “there’s so much more sonic ground to be explored, we’re in such an exciting time at a moment where people thought the genre couldn’t progress anymore!” The stars twinkle above the bridge, “for what I would like it to be?
…Infinite.”
