HAVE YOU HEARD?

Diggin’ The Crates Podcast with Vice beats (Presented by The Find)

Pod Bible

Published on April 3, 2021

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Have You Heard? is where the Pod Bible team meet the people behind the podcasts you may not have heard of yet. While the Oh. My. Pod. section in the magazine gives a quick shout out to shows of that ilk, Have You Heard? aims to go deeper in an effort to spread awareness for shows that deserve more exposure! We recently heard from Vice Beats, the host of music podcast Diggin’ The Crates.

Vicebeats phot by Sam Fordham

Who are you and what’s your podcast about?

My name is Vice beats, I’m a Bristol based music producer, educator and promoter among other things. The podcast I host is called Diggin’ The Crates, in collaboration with The Find in Holland.

What was the first podcast you ever listened to?

I’m honestly not sure, it was a long time ago! I started making podcasts in 2010 when Podomatic was one of the biggest platforms. At the time there were some great shows on there. I think possibly it was Diesler, an amazing Soul / Funk producer, he had a brilliant fortnightly pod.

Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

I’ve always loved radio, and have hosted a number of shows over time, but I think the perfectionist in me always felt like i could make it sound better. The fact that podcasts (in the main) come together in the editing process really feeds into my passion for making music. Plus I love stories. I’ve always enjoyed talking to inspiring people and finding out more about what the they do and learning about their craft, so to have a platform to share those stories has always been an appealing aspect of podcasts.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

There’s a fair few that I love. I’d say the main one is Hip Hop Saved My Life with Romesh Ranganathan, who was actually one of my very first guests on Diggin’ The Crates! Alongside him there’s some great shows I listen to regularly and take inspiration from including Breakin Atoms, Crate 808, Dad Bod Rap Pod, Bedroom Beethovens and so many more. I love digging deeper into Hip Hop culture, and it’s a nice break from constantly listening to music.

Who’s your dream guest for the podcast?

I’ve been lucky enough to already have a number of my dream guests! But I’d say the biggest one for me is Questlove. I would absolutely love to talk to him about his creative process and understand more about what he does. Having read his books and listened to various interviews with him, I feel like there’s still so much more to learn from him.

In addition to Questlove, I would love to talk to Black Thought, Rag N Bone Man, Jazzy Jeff, Pharaoh Monch. There’s so many! I’m very lucky that over time I’ve managed to talk to some of my musical heroes, and in addition Danny at The Find has made a number of my guest based dreams comer true!

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as a podcaster?

I think it’s having a structure that you can own. When I first started podcasting it took me so long to edit, and I’ve learnt over time that if you have a solid idea and structure it can speed up the whole process and ultimately make it more enjoyable.

Which episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?

Great question! They’re all very different, but I’d say possibly Mecca:83 or Damu The Fudgemunk. I like to keep conversations natural, and not be too rigid, and I think they are perfect examples of what can happen when a guest who doesn’t often do interviews gets a chance to talk about their music when they’re settled into the conversation. It creates this amazing synergy that I think as a listener can really hook you in and feel part of the discussion.

Where can the Pod Bible readers find out more about you?

Personally, you can check me out on Instagram – @vicebeats and check out my music on Spotify etc as Vice beats, or vicebeats.bandcamp.com.

You can find Diggin’ The Crates at thefindmag.com or @thefind on Insta. They’ve been going for years and well worth checking out for some amazing music, recommendations and insight into musical culture.