Phil Taggart

Phil Taggart is a Northern Irish DJ, radio presenter, author and music industry tastemaker whose work sits at the intersection of curiosity and commitment. He began in Omagh on Strule FM, cutting his teeth in local radio and in the band Colenso Parade — a period that ended with a Sony Radio Academy Award in 2009 and, frankly, a stubborn belief that good music finds you if you keep looking. In 2013 he joined BBC Radio 1, hosting shows such as The Chillest Show and the Hype Chart, where he gave early radio plays to Royal Blood, London Grammar, Billie Eilish and Lewis Capaldi. Those first spins mattered. They changed careers.

Away from the airwaves he founded Hometown Records, signing acts like Touts, Rat Boy and Rejjie Snow, and he’s turned a club night — Slacker — into a hub for new talent. He wrote The Slacker Guide to the Music Industry to demystify what can feel like a closed shop; the book is practical, a little blunt, and exactly what younger artists asked for. He also hosts Chill Da Beats and the Slacker podcast, curates Sirius XM’s drivetime show and still DJ sets across the UK and beyond.

Phil is rooted in Northern Irish community values but works on a national stage — approachable, occasionally stubborn, always mentoring. He balances industry instinct with a teacher’s patience, helping dozens, perhaps hundreds, of artists find their first steps. It isn’t polished hype. It’s real support. And he keeps going.