Lithuania's Rebel Radio Station Neringa FM--Bringing Gaslamp Killer To The Baltics

Our writer Drew Denny traveled from L.A. to Lithuania, Germany, Poland and Denmark meeting artists and musicians for her "Overseas Underground" series. Her first stop was a national forest on the Baltic Sea where Lithuanian DJs celebrate their country's liberation on air.

After the Soviet years of smuggling CDs and copying tapes in order to hear new music, Linas Ramanauskas decided to quit his corporate job and found a radio station in the middle of the forest on the Baltic Sea so Lithuanians young and old can enjoy music without having to cross international borders or break the law. Supporting alternative, dub, reggae, experimental and pop music from around the globe, Neringa FM broadcasts a world-class program, enjoys a healthy internet audience, and even hosts beach volleyball games on the Russian border. Stay tuned to www.neringafm.lt because L.A. favorite Gaslamp Killer is joining them later this summer!

Was it difficult for you to have access to music during the Soviet years?

It wasn't easy actually. I was a sportsman. We were going to some competitions in Western Europe, and all the time we were bringing CDs back and copying to cassettes and spreading them around. If you got the CD of some kind of new music, you were making 10 copies and from these copies you make another 10 copies. For sure it was like that. No one was importing CDs with some kind of alternative music. CDs were quite expensive. It was about sharing it among 10 people.

What was the music scene like in Lithuania in the late '90s?

Rave culture -- like all this electronic music -- it was about a protest form. You had to stand for your rights -- for being a bit different, choosing clothes and your outlook, what you like. It was a bit more rough actually from the '90s ... The first years of independent Lithuania, it was not so open. It was actually a great time. I think that lots of youngsters who were into protest went into this scene.

Do you think it was a successful form of protest?

I think yes -- because it was as an art form or as some kind of expression. It was just about considering yourself as a bit different, kind of a community partner, performing in a strange way. It was a cool time. Most of my friend are still into this, producing music or running record labels.

Do you consider Lithuania a more open place today?

Yeah!

Was there a radio station in Nida before you came?

No. Actually it's quite a hard situation for independent media in Lithuania, I think like everywhere. To run the radio station you have to do something else. I'm sure that everywhere it's the same but there's some enthusiasm where people are taking care about the radio. But it's not a hobby anymore. It's more than a hobby. I know that more than 500 people per day are connecting and listening via the Internet. I don't know how many are listening, like broadcasting here, but most of the public spaces -- bars and everywhere you come in this resort, you can hear. We are doing quite an alternative program. We are playing reggae, dub, some beats, really new music.

What made you want to make a radio station here?

I know that I want to live in Lithuania. As a space to live in Lithuania, Nida is pretty nice. You can go to the capital or wherever you need but daily what you can experience and have time for yourself by living here in a national park. It's beautiful. We, as Neringa FM, at least once per month are doing a party in Vilnius and all our music editors are playing as DJs. Last time it was more than 500 people at this party. Two stages, really quite intense because we are usually sitting here in the forest! Somewhere very far from Vilnius. Small town and small studio...

Do you try to promote Lithuanian music?

Yeah. But I'm not paying too much attention that I should promote only Lithuanian music. The first thing is the quality. It should be quality and if you are just Lithuanian artist that doesn't mean that you are on Neringa FM.

Winter at Neringa FM