The Voice of Mercury was a pirate radio station that (variably) was broadcasting from around Los Angeles on 104.7 MHz. It also was the semi-official station for a number of the caravans to DefCon, and had more than one transmission actually at DefCon proper. It also had a short stint as a web broadcast, and from time to time pops up in places like turntable.fm.
The format of the Voice was.. eclectic. Basically, we played anything, and everything. We even transmitted ARRL code bulletins and hours of elevator music. The weirder, the better. Obscure techno remixes? Check. Primitive electronica, like the works of Raymond Scott? Check. “Please Boot For Me, Old Amiga” (our “parody” of Don’t Cry for Me Argentina)? Check.
And at the top of the hour, our now somewhat famous standard disclaimer.
We also pulled more than our fair share of pranks. Some DefCon attendees probably still want a piece of me after “MmmBop Non-Stop”, a nearly 24-hour marathon of .. well, you know what.
A much tamer version of The Voice of Mercury exists on Live365. Here’s a player.
