The DJ Struth Mate Show Is Not Your Average Radio Show

DJ Struth Mate is an Australian radio presenter who primarily promotes independent music from around the world. 'The DJ Struth Mate Show' has been running weekly since 2015 & is a solo job of passion. Interviews with musicians and artists in various creative communities are always fun & informative so Stay Tuned!

MT/Tracey: Struth Mate! I miss you and our little show segments.....So now what are you doing with the DJ Struth Mate Show?

DJ Struth: 'Sup Tracey! Yeah a few months back I changed the format of the show to become a simple mixtape of submitted music. As a presenter sometimes you feel like you're wasting your breath but I'm back now speaking & treating it as a therapeutic release. If anyone listens as of now, good luck on lasting a whole show from start to finish & getting every sarcastic reference.

MT: You had funny sounds effects in your shows, which I think added a unique style to what you have to offer making it a ‘Show’. Are you still doing adding the koala screaming noises or bird noises etc.?

DJ Struth: Those sound effects are still there & I could never get rid of 'koalas_mating.mp3" Realistically they are simply for filler moments of dead air, transitions & referencing the topic being spoken about. Besides a couple of parodies I don't know of anyone using silly samples in the same vain currently. I guess it is unique now but of course inspired by early nineties cheesy radio I was tuning in growing up.

MT: I’ve noticed you have tried something different recently with doing interview/podcasts with artists. Will you be doing more of this?

DJ Struth: I think an artist deserves some more detailed focus if they are going to take spare time to chat with me. With this in mind I've been happy to chat via video as well as audio. These lead to something more personal & as funny as it sounds I've begun to back off on doing too much research. I'm hoping the listener/viewer enjoys the ride of discovery behind the artist alongside. They may be a bit longer than the regular show as a separate project but I enjoy editing something to help promote in any way.

MT: Where do you find your music to play on your show?

DJ Struth: Currently all music is submission based from social connections to me directly unless I'm listening to someone new. That's when I'll reach out personally to get their details for a promo & feature on next available show.

MT: For those who don’t know, can you tell us why you have horns?

DJ Struth: So I can throw in a "I'm Horny" joke in any situation. 'badum_tssh.mp3'

MT: Primarily who is your audience?

DJ Struth: I tried to find this out with a survey once but it was flawed methinks. If I had to break it down 30% Regular listeners, 40% Artist that was featured, 15% Newbs who never listen after one show again, 10% Peeps who accidentally clicked any link to the show, 5% Me listening back on quality on platforms.

MT: What is personally your favourite (dare I ask) genre of music?

DJ Struth: Growing up we all went through phases of music & changes that evolved. Truly I love Rock, as broad as the term is. A 4-piece band with a vocalist, guitarist, bassist & drummer that have a pic with their horns up will always garner my attention. It's more my go-to when I'm craving some older tunes.

MT: I have only recently learned that you don’t own a TV set! I really think we need to get a ‘Go Fund Me’ for you to get you a nice TV....Although it’s not entirely music related....just wondering why no TV?

DJ Struth: I found a TV set with endless commercials was more of background noise to anything creative on hand. A 'Go Fund Me' for a decent wireless mouse may be more achievable...

MT: Before you moved into radio, what were you doing musically before?

DJ Struth: I crossed over into radio after a stint at being an indie musician. Recording, Live performance, Weddings, Busking & singing the national anthem yada yada yada. That little bit of background gives me the utmost more respect for the artists I feature.

MT: Radio and bloggers do so much in trying our very hardest to try and help artists out. What is the one thing you wish for, that artists would do when you play their music?

DJ Struth: Acknowledgement of being featured. A 'Thank you' is always appreciated too. Some artists go above & beyond in reciprocating promo but there's also a ghost factor. To all the ghosts, You suck.

MT: You know, I love your Instagram. For those who don’t understand your sense of humour, they soon get to know when looking at your Instagram. Can you just tell me why the chef sessions with the cut up banana’s and apple.....(in beautiful lighting and inspiring background music)?

DJ Struth: If you try to understand stuff I post on Insta you will get a headache sweets. I always ponder what would get attention. The fruit cutting you mentioned was parodying The #SaltBae guy. #SugarBae basically. All fruit was eaten after, no waste!

MT: You love mentioning products on your show with what you have tried and you share with your experience with your audience. Can people send you their products to review for them?

DJ Struth: I'll mention whatever I'm into each week so products or merchandise will always get random mentions. Tried tagging major brands but no attention there. I have everything from coffee mugs, shirts & CDs sent via mail from amazing people. I would never say no to reviewing something of any media. Send away Struthings!

MT: Does your cat sit with you when you are recording your show?

DJ Struth: Coco the cat does not sit for recordings anymore. She did some work for Andrew Lloyd Webber which took her out of her contract with the Struth show. We still live together too which is awkward you could imagine...

MT: We often hear and know how difficult it is for independent artists, but can you shed some light on how difficult it is to get a radio show up and recognized and how much time you spend on putting your weekly shows together?

DJ Struth: It may take an hour or it may take a whole week to put a show I deem worthy of airing. I really enjoy the 'One-Take' Approach which gives the raw feel. so mistakes are made & amended quickly. When I finally get a show up for the internet I do have that moment of wonder that this is the one that will spark a new regular listener.

MT: Where would you like to see the ‘DJ Struth Mate Show’ go and what is your ultimate goal?

DJ Struth: It's not going anywhere (Lesson Learned) but would love to continue chatting with willing peeps. Ultimate goal is to keep creative myself & promote creative artists.

MT: Other than Mixcloud, where else can people and fans hear your show?

DJ Struth: SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/djstruthmate & YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/DJStruthMate

MT: If artists are interested in sending you music, where can they send it and what’s the criteria?

DJ Struth: My email djstruthmate@gmail.com Any submissions that are personal will always have favour over a generic copy/paste lame email.