tan Schinners, is an IT technician by day, but adopts the moniker DJ Zang by night, for an online heavy metal radio station he built and developed with his son.
The radio station, Broken Neck Radio, operates out of his living room in Sooke, through a server that feeds off into different transmission platforms like iTunes, Winamp, and smart phones.
In the last month, Schinners’ station has had 7,000 unique visitors from 108 countries around the world, listening to 7,800 hours of metal in total. A majority of the listeners come from Canada, U.S., Russia and Germany.
The station itself was conceived and named by Schinners’ 17-year-old son Jaime, who acts as a DJ and the station’s website designer.
Schinner had been applying to DJ positions with no success and it was his son’s encouragement that got the ball rolling.
“He just said to me, ‘Dad, why don’t you start your own? Make your own rules, direct it all by you.‘” Schinners said. They went online Aug. 21, 2011.
Since then, Broken Neck Radio has developed only one philosophy, “If it’s metal, it gets played.” The independent DJ said the station caters to the demands of all metal heads, from death metal, main stream to old school.
Although pleasuring the ears of metal heads around the world is an achievement on it’s own, Schinners said one of the most rewarding aspects of his new hobby is helping unsigned bands, or “unsigned heroes” gain exposure. Two local bands, Lepka and Rotten Rails, have garnered attention from air-time on Broken Neck Radio.
“The people outside of B.C., are only able to listen to whatever they have on YouTube, whereas this has allowed them to touch them in a different manner, i.e. being able to listen to them on the Internet,” he said.
The station has also given Schinners once- in-a-life-time opportunities. Last February, a record label permitted Schinners backstage access to the music festival Gigantour in Abbotsford. It was here, Schinners interviewed Lacuna Coil and chatted with bassist David Ellefson from Megadeth.
It’s been less than a year with Broken Neck Radio, but Schinners wants, “every person’s dream: to make a hobby a career.”
“It takes up every moment of my day. I’m always thinking up new ideas, all the time,” he said.
Schinners usually dominates the air on Friday and Saturday nights from 7 p.m. into the early morning. But has one other DJ from Illinois who goes on air, as well as three more currently in training.
Any curious ears can take a listen at: www.brokenneckradio.com