DJ Ace: Radio 1Xtra presenter says goodbye after three decades

By Manish Pandey and Pete AllisonBBC Newsbeat

Approximately 10,000 hours 'air and 3,500 shows later, DJ Ace turns down the fader on his 1Xtra microphone.

"I hear you're a master of your craft , if you've done 10,000 hours of anything," he told BBC Newsbeat. name Ashley Asomani, joined the station in 2002 and has since fronted various shows such as 1Xtra's Weekend Breakfast and Live Lounge. During this period he also did a number of high-profile interviews such as Alicia Keys, Akon, Usher, Lizzo and John Legend. .

At the end of 2023, he left his weekday daytime slot and will host his final R&B show later.

Reflecting on the past decades, he believes that radio helped "bring out a new side" of him.

" I'm a shy person, sometimes quite socially awkward. What radio gives me is confidence.

"Being on the radio and having that space sure, that comfort of being myself, playing music and interacting with listeners," he says.