It was great to be at the old shack, which is -- somewhat miraculously -- still standing. I mostly hung out outside, sitting on that blue plastic chair that always has some rainwater on the seat and listening to the broadcast on the small outdoor speaker.
DJ Tom K was also kind enough to let me contribute a few tunes to his show, a hodgepodge of psych, folk, krautrock and other good stuff, like this tune from D.R. Hooker. I snuck in a few songs like this one by Wimple Winch called "Lollipop Minds." Pretty vacuous stuff lyrically, but with a delightfully playful melody.
Tom's excellent program, "Fractal Ephemera," runs Thursday evenings at 8 on KJHK. Tom is also a fearsome Trivial Pursuit and Monopoly player, and his intense will to win has earned him the nickname "Monopolean" in local board-gaming circles.
It was fun to sneak back on the airwaves, and it made me think of all my good friends from KJ who have ventured on to various DJ projects across the globe...
Sam Hopkins aka DJ Balagan
Sam went on from being the World Music Director at KJHK to spinning records in locations from Baltimore to Brooklyn to the clubs of Tel-Aviv. He's got a new international mix called "Funny Accent" that I got to preview when he was in town. It's an hourlong mix full of great beats, unfamiliar instruments and voice samples of languages I can't begin to discern. One description of the Balagan sound, from the Baltimore CityPaper:
"Balagan creates mixes and tracks from samples and first-hand elements, borrowing styles into a musical pastiche that makes the foot tap while the brow furrows. International elements figure prominently, as the diverse melodies of field recordings mingle with modern beats to represent the United Nations of soul."
To hear some of Sam's beats, find the link to recent mixes and read some of his music writing, you can start at his myspace page and go from there. You can read about some of his travels and global investment advice at www.orbusinvestor.com.
Andrew Giessel
This is my friend Andrew Giessel. Most people just call him "Giessel." Recently Giessel got a tattoo of a sprouting wheat plant on his arm. His interests include fixed-gear bicycles and anything related to dendrites. He's a smart kid. Harvard smart. Giessel had a long-running show on KJ and these days he can be found DJing occasional sets at the Enormous Room in Cambridge. To stream some of his recent playlists, visit Giessel.com. Giessel, by the way, is also the person who set up this blog for me a few years ago.
Robert Wells
Robert Wells is one of my original Brothers in Radio. I used to stay up all the way to midnight (I know...can you believe it?) to listen to his show, the arrival of which could be signaled by the acapella melodies of Beach Boys' "Our Prayer." These days Robert does double duty in Ann Arbor and Detroit, spinning rare soul 45s under the "Ann Arbor Soul Club" banner.
News of Rob's Ann Arbor activities and a few sample cuts can be found here, or heard on the radio Wednesdays 11pm-1am on 88.3 wcbn fm Ann Arbor. If you don't live in the area, you can stream the show at www.wcbn.org.
(Oh, and Rob...you've still got to hook me up with one of those mix CDs. Pretty please.)
Jay Wells
Robert's brother and my radio show co-host back in the day, Jay is responsible for events such as The Parlance and Your Parents Got Breakbeats. More recently I've heard rumors of something called "Maximum Tight."
After a stint in Brooklyn and a couple of gigs back in his hometowns, Jay is currently spinning records in Chicago. Jay's introduced me to more great bands than just about anyone, and his infectious enthusiasm for Larry Coryell eventually drove me to travel all the way to Amsterdam to see the guitarist play.
Jay is pictured here on the right. On the left is DJ Cyrus, another KJ alum who finished out his career at the station by doing a 5-day straight broadcast -- eating in the studio, taking cat naps during long saxophone solos, doing whatever it took to complete the longest consecutive broadcast by any one DJ in that station's history. (I'm pretty sure)
Miles Bonny
An old friend of mine and one of the most prolific and likeable beat producers Kansas City has ever known. One half of hip-hop duo SoundsGood, Miles can be found DJing clubs around town, spinning R&B alternating Fridays at Spitfire and alternating Saturdays at his "FeelSexy" event at Bobby's Hangout.
His album "Smell Smoke" is available on iTunes now, and a new release called "Closer Love" will be out soon. You can hear some of Miles' music here and keep up on his many involvements in and updates about soul, r&b and hip-hop events/releases in KC. Or as he calls it, Cans Ass City.
SUPERWOLF
Not a personal friend of mine, though the records he plays are the kinds you fall in love with upon first listen. The Pitch did a good write-up of him here. He spins every Friday night at Chez's, which believe it or not used to be a pretty quiet place on weekends. It's more crowded and smokier now, but the sweet sounds are worth it.
I'll be adding links to these guys' (and a bunch of other peoples') music sites on the sidebar soon, so keep them in mind when you need some new beats in your life. Also, if you or someone you know got left off this list in error, drop me a line. Thanx.
Photo credits
Sam: modularmoods.com
Giessel: ghostdad
Rob: Pattay
Jay: Jennifer Brothers
Miles: also by Jenn
Superwolf: Anna-Marie Perry
2 comments:
yeah, mang - thanks for the shot out! i just made put together the tracks for a new mix last night, so i can send you one in the next couple weeks.
peace.
p.s. i do my duties in ann arbor and detroit, not in lansing.
i will also be in seattle in november for the emerald city soul club rare soul weekender, which really should be something else!
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