When Dance FM launched in Bucharest in 2011, they didn’t just hit the airwaves with a standard playlist; they launched in front of 12,000 people at a Tiësto event. Since then, the station has carved out a unique position in the Romanian market by treating electronic music as a culture rather than a trend.
We spoke with Marius Onuc, Music Director & Playlist Manager, about staying true to house music, the death of the traditional radio “talk show,” and why human curation still beats the algorithm.
Dance FM: Overview
- Interviewee: Marius Onuc, Music Director & Playlist Manager
- Year Founded: 2011
- Adresse Bucharest, Romania (Broadcasting in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, and Târgu Mureș)
- Broadcast Platforms: FM, Web, Mobile App
- Estimated Monthly Audience: 300,000+
- Links:
Interview
Syndicast: Can you briefly tell us the story of Dance FM? When did you launch and how has the station evolved since then?
Marius Onuc: Dance FM România officially launched on February 21, 2011, at a massive event featuring Tiesto. Before that, we operated as Pro FM Dance, but we rebranded to become Romania’s first radio station dedicated exclusively to electronic and dance music. We didn’t launch because the market needed another commercial station with some EDM in the mix; we launched because nobody was treating the genre seriously.
Our evolution has been about staying true to the genre instead of running to pop when people say dance doesn’t sell anymore. We built a team of people who actually work in this industry. Today, we broadcast on FM in three cities, have a mobile app, and work directly with festivals like UNTOLD. We also made a bold decision early on: we decided to champion house, deep house, and melodic house alongside mainstream EDM. Keeping those deeper sounds relevant shaped who we became.
Every great station is built on a specific “gap” in the airwaves. What is the core mission or “vibe” that Dance FM was created to provide for its listeners?
Marius: The gap was simple: commercial radio played dance tracks when they were hits, then forgot about them. We asked: what about listeners for whom this is culture, not just a party soundtrack?
Dance FM exists for people who know the difference between a great festival lineup and a generic one. Our mission is to be the credible source for electronic music, not to sound like a pop station that just discovered Spotify. The vibe is straightforward: respect for the genre and respect for the listener. Keeping house and deep house fresh when only EDM was trending was tough, but it defined our identity.
Describe your typical listener. Beyond the music, what is the “unspoken bond” between your station and its community?
Marius: Our typical listener is 18-49, works in tech, marketing, or creative fields, goes to festivals, and knows what a resident DJ is. But the unspoken bond isn’t about demographics. It’s about the fact that we don’t treat them like passive consumers of “feel-good vibes.” When we play a track, we tell them why it matters, who produced it, and what label released it. Our community knows we’re in the same cultural bubble with them. We don’t do top-down music education; we make radio for people who listen actively. They trust us because we’re not trying to be everything to everyone.
The radio landscape is shifting rapidly. How is Dance FM evolving its strategy across FM, DAB, and digital platforms to stay ahead of the curve?
Marius: FM is still the foundation in Romania because DAB+ adoption is slow, but we’re not resting on traditional broadcast. We invested heavily in our mobile app and web stream because our listeners don’t just sit in the car between 8 and 10 AM. Syndicast helps us bring international content without producing everything in-house. Our strategy isn’t “be everywhere,” it’s “be where our community actually listens”: the car, the office, and headphones. We don’t chase new platforms just because they’re trendy; we adopt what works for our genre and our people.
What are your flagship shows or special music programmes that define the identity of Dance FM?
Marius: Dance FM Top 20 is our flagship. It’s a curated selection based on what works on the dance floor and what DJs are actually mixing, not just generic Spotify plays.
But what really defines us is a bold decision we made: we dropped traditional talk shows and long presenter interventions. We focused on a rotation strategy that’s completely different from traditional radio. We don’t keep tracks in “power rotation” for six months. We shorten the cycle to give listeners the feeling they’re hearing fresh music constantly. It’s music first, always.
In a world of infinite streaming playlists, why do your listeners choose Dance FM? What is your “secret sauce”?
Marius: Spotify has algorithms; we have people who’ve worked in music for 20 years. The difference between an automated playlist and an FM station is the same as between AI-generated text and an article written by a journalist who was actually there. We don’t just aggregate music; we contextualize it.
Plus, radio has something playlists don’t: community. Dance FM listeners know others are hearing the same thing at the same time. That creates a social context Spotify can’t replicate.
Radio is often called “the original social media.” Where do you see the medium heading in the next 3–5 years, and how are you preparing for that future?
Marius: Radio isn’t a one-way broadcast anymore; it’s about community and context. In the next few years, the difference between a good station and a mediocre one will be how well you integrate content across FM, apps, and social media. We’re preparing by building formats that work on multiple channels. Dance FM Top 20 airs on FM, but the chart is also on Instagram, our Spotify playlist, and our website. The future isn’t “radio vs streaming,” it’s radio using streaming as an extension.
How does the content you source through Syndicast help define your station’s sound or support your music discovery strategy?
Marius: Syndicast gives us access to international content we couldn’t produce in-house, like exclusive DJ sets and festival mixes. This keeps our playlist fresh without sacrificing the station’s identity. It works as an extra layer of discovery – we bring tracks and artists our community wouldn’t find otherwise. It doesn’t replace local production; it extends it, helping us stay connected to the global electronic music scene while keeping our local identity strong.
Thanks!
Dance FM’s trajectory since 2011 serves as a masterclass in sticking to your guns. In an industry often tempted to “chase the middle” for broader appeal, Marius and his team have proven that there is massive, sustainable value in being a specialist.
By prioritizing the flow of the music over traditional “radio talk” and treating their listeners as active participants in a culture rather than just passive consumers, Dance FM has built a brand that feels less like a broadcast and more like a community hub. It’s a reminder that while algorithms can suggest a song, only human expertise can provide the context that makes a station essential.
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Inside The Radio
Inside The Radio is a Syndicast series celebrating the stations that power our global network. Our mission is to share the stories of the broadcasters who are shaping the future of audio, one frequency at a time.
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