Hey, what garden?
Firstly, Radio.Garden is not an Internet radio station. It is a website with links to radio stations across countries, cities, genres, languages, all just a click (truly just one click) away.Designed by Amsterdam-based Studio Puckey, Radio.Garden lets anyone, anywhere in the world tune into a radio station at any point in time for a live feed.
How does it work?
Log on to the site and the first thing you see is a 3D globe (Google Earth interface), which in a few seconds gets covered with tiny green spots. There are no names marking the countries or cities. A tiny pointer lets you glide over the world and as you rest it on any of the green spots, it tells you the name of the city and country you have reached and the radio stations you can tune into.One minute you could be listening to Celtic music from Glasgow and a few minutes later, be plugged into ghazals from Karachi or enjoying classic country numbers playing out from Christchurch, New Zealand.
Why are we gushing over it?
We have to admit, it has us hooked. The number one reason is easy accessibility. The interface is very easy to use and there are no long sign-ins required (not just yet). You don’t need to download an app or register to use the service. Heck, you don’t even need earphones to get the radio on.Though it will definitely help if you have them on while listening to a popular talk show streaming out of North America. Also if you were good at geography lessons, you won’t take long to zero down on your favourite place on the planet. Finding Boston on the map took us a while. Nevertheless, it’s good fun to place the pointer anywhere in the world and be surprised with what’s playing. Hop across continents and find your favourites. There’s also an interesting history section on the site that plays out a compilation of sounds from a particular place recorded a decade ago. We tried Kolkata and it took us to 1986 with sounds of a Durga Puja, hawkers and street noises coming through.A delight to hear. Are you ready to tune into the world?
