A personal note about Chill

It’s been an incredible pleasure and privilege to help people chill with a mix of music first broadcast without any branding in Bristol at the end of 2004, and launched as a radio station called Chill in February 2005.

I was told at the time that this would be a temporary filler station, probably on for about a year, but listeners and their incredible reactions kept it going for longer than that. Much longer! I’m incredibly grateful to GWR, GCap and Global for continually putting money into the slot that powered the transmitters.

Over nearly 15 years, I’ve been amazed at hearing stories of how Chill helped people through births, deaths and everything in between – studying, moving house, getting married, having kids, needing a break from the kids. Listeners told us how Chill helped them cope with life’s little hassles and big changes, the most serious challenges and the most fun get togethers.

It’s been emotional. I’ve never known a station and audience quite like it. Thank you for chilling with us!

Tomorrow, it will become a new station, Smooth Chill. I’m hoping it will be amazing and help many more people to chill, over many more years. I’ll be a listener.

It will live at smoothradio.com/chill

Meanwhile, I’m here! Please keep in touch if you want to, and maybe we can build more new, amazing things together.

Love,

Bern

28 Comments

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  • Reply

    Scott

    I’m so sad chill is going. I’ve been a listener for so many years and it’s always been there as a friend to get me though tough times. Bye chill.

    • Reply

      bernleckie

      Thanks Scott! Really appreciate you getting in touch. Hope Smooth Chill sounds nice to you too – it does to me. The other Chill people and I will have lots more to share online too, so hopefully lots for you to choose from – keep in touch!

    • Reply

      Mikr

      Hello Bern I miss chill I listened from the start it’s not the same hope your doing good best wishes Mike from Manchester

  • Reply

    JasonW

    Just wanted to thank you for Chill. I already miss it – had come to depend on it. Will have to start looking to replace the Chill Therapy.

    Many thanks
    JasonW

    • Reply

      bernleckie

      Hi JasonW – thank you for chilling with us and getting in touch. I think you might enjoy Smooth Chill! When you’re looking for other chilled choices, you can find us on Mixcloud as well as loads of other nice things. Please let me know what you find and enjoy, I’d really appreciate it!

  • Reply

    Terry Lee

    Neither of my 2 DAB will even recieve Smooth Chill ……….it’s not like they are even broadcasting to the same audience………..For years I have driven to & from work with Chill & had it on all day while working in customers houses……without Chill life will never be the same, we will now be fed the mundane drivel that the other 5hite stations put out ?

    • Reply

      bernleckie

      Sorry to hear that, Terry Lee. I don’t know if a rescan of stations might help, but worth a try. Some of Global’s newer stations need DAB+ radios (they have a green tick mark, and that’s most digital radios from the last few years).

  • Reply

    Eric Funk

    Many thanks. You and the chill channel you’ve programmed have been an inspiration! The best to you in whatever other projects you pursue.

    Eric Funk (KRKQ 95.5FM – Colorado, US)

    • Reply

      bernleckie

      Thanks Eric. Your name is inspiration enough for me!

  • Reply

    Simon L

    Chill was so great. Been listening for the last 8 or so years, was always good to hear such uncommercial ambient and breakbeat based music practically anytime I turned on the radio. Thanks so much Bern for all the years of great music.
    Have to resort to Mixcloud from now on.

    • Reply

      bernleckie

      Hi Simon, thanks for your appreciation. We’ll keep posting to Mixcloud, but I know there are other great sources of that kind of music too. Let us know what else you discover!

  • Reply

    Martin

    Hi Bern,

    Are you involved in Smooth Chill, its like the old days on it

    I love all the work you have done for Chill!!

    • Reply

      bernleckie

      Hi Martin! Sadly I’m not on the team for Smooth Chill, but you should notice lots of tunes we played on it. The guys there made some very good selections inspired by the music collection we left for them, and it is lovely to listen to, isn’t it? Many thanks for your appreciation and love.

  • Reply

    Andrew Black

    At last, I finally find out a bit of background / history to a station I’ve been listening to for years as it ceases to be. Thank you for the good times Bern & Chill, Just not the same with adverts running through the platform.

    • Reply

      bernleckie

      Hi Andrew, thanks for your thoughts! So glad you’ve enjoyed chilling with us. I’ll post more to mixcloud.com/bernleckie, and I’d love to know what else you find that helps you chill!

  • Reply

    Andre

    Such a great great shame. A real loss to discovering eclectic, ambient, independent / non-commercial downtempo / chill music, curated be really passionate individuals.

    I have tried listening to the new Smooth Chill, but after an initial period of “it’s ok”, now found it unlistenable. The playlists are not unique and are very repetitive with a heavy commercial bias, ie basically sounds like one of my old Ibiza Chillout CD’s on permanent repeat. It’s also sad that the individuals who put so much time and effort over the years into making Chill something unique were “terminated” over night with all the great online content, playlists and information vanishing for good.

    In an attempt to get close to the old Chill listening experience I’ve ended up trying to follow ex-Chill DJ’s and show producers on Mixcloud, namely:

    – yourself, Bern Leckie
    – Ben Mynotts: Fluidnation
    – Ben Eshmade: previously Chiller Cabinet / now producing Arctic Circle Radio
    – Raphael Marionneau: Abstriat
    – Brice Bickerton: Alucidnation
    (I am sure I am missing numerous other folks who made the station great).

    As an alternative ZenFM (Belgian) has proved a good listen, not quite as “chill” but at least it’s original content!

    Best of luck for the future.

  • Reply

    Jim

    Too many adverts on smooth chill. Which is sad when all you want to do is listen to chillout music. I was telling a friend about chill the other day and was about to send him a link. only to find smooth had took over and ruined it. There also no way to contact them to complain. I miss the chiller cabinet.

    • Reply

      Rich

      Hello Jim,

      Perhaps a bit of a late reply to your comment but I have only just stumbled across it. I agree there are far too many adverts on here now. During the peak of Covid it seemed like every 5 mins they were ramming Covid commercials down our throats constantly on here – like you rightly stated we are here to relax, chill and escape from everyday life. I found an email address and did actually make a complaint to them. The address I used assuming it doesn’t get removed when I post this was – customer.support@global.com or customer * dot * support * at * global * dot * com – All the best Rich!

  • Reply

    Mike conlon

    I miss chill I listened from the start all the shows have now gone it should of been protected I would of paid every month to keep it goin as chill radio stay safe bern best wishes

  • Reply

    Matt

    Are you still active Bern?

    • Reply

      bernleckie

      Hello. Yes! Very much so! Looking after music across 10 channels of Fun Kids, with a mixture of pop, silly, classical and chilled. Also producing online content for Severn Vineyard, a church based in Bristol, now that COVID has made what we do over distance more important for lots of reasons. Hoping to cross some of the streams and make some new meditation podcasts soon.

      Thanks so much for your interest – let me know if there’s anything you’d like in particular!

      • Reply

        Matt

        I have been listening to your cool bags on mixcloud. Man I miss Chill, so many hours well spent soaking that stuff up.

        Will you be doing any more content on mixcloud?

        • Reply

          bernleckie

          That’s very kind – thank you Matt! I’ve squirrelled away lots of tunes with the intention of making more Coolbag mixes, and I’m just realising how long it has been since I made one. I’ll try and get on this soon – thanks for the reminder!!!

  • Reply

    Matt

    That would be great if you could Bern, those chilled vibes go a long way in my life as I am sure they do for many others! Stay safe.

  • Reply

    Mr Ma Conlon

    Great your there bern could do with some of your chill mixes best wishes mate

  • Reply

    Shaz

    Just listening to old chillercabinet mixes on Mixcloud. Brought back memories! Not sure if the new Smooth Chill is still doing the chillercabinet is it, Bern?

    • Reply

      bernleckie

      I don’t believe so, but you can find its producer, Ben Eshmade, and all of his latest projects at http://daylightmusic.co.uk

  • Reply

    Steve

    Love you Bern
    Been with chill from the start
    Steve

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