Updates - 10/15/12

It's been a really long time, listeners. I've been pretty AWOL without even realizing it. I don't have many good excuses, but I can tell you that I'm going to update my posts in the next couple of days for sure. I've been pretty busy with my other show, The Sex and Tell Show, which I also keep a blog and archive for. That's been taking a lot of attention as of late, as well as working and some family things. 

More important that updating this blog is that I have some super amazing news. As of Wednesday of last week, I am now the General Manager of WCBN. I am so excited to start work, and I'm so honored that the Board of Directors elected me. I've been talking a lot with Rob Goldey (the GM before me), and I'm feeling much more ready than I was even a week ago to do the job. Wish me luck.

Some more news is that this coming weekend I will be attending Radiovision in NYC, which is put together by our freeform brethren, WFMU. If you recall, last year I also attended this conference, and it was an amazing experience. From October 19th-21st me and 4 other CBNers will be driving to NYC to learn more about how to make radio relevant and useful to you, and hopefully lots of other unrelated things that I will be excited to share with you. I will also be an official liveblogger of the event, so if you feel inclined, head over to my Twitter (@futfreestailo) and follow the event! I'll also be writing full blog posts about the event afterwards, so you won't miss a thing. 

Also, I'm looking for a job that pays in Ann Arbor, so if you know a guy, throw me a bone.

Freestailo #45 - 8/31/12

Right Click/Ctrl-Click to Download Freestailo #45 Here

I wish there was a Pokemon anatomy book.

Good morning!

I had an interesting show this morning, and one that kept me on my toes. I had a large variety, as usual, but more so since I used my VERY FIRST reggae vinyl today! I might have at some point accidentally played some reggae, or something very genre-crossing, but I usually don't pick anything from reggae for reasons unknown to me. I liked very much the one I picked though, so I should probably explore that section more.

Regarding the layering, I wanted to say that I felt really good about it today. Sometimes I get in ruts when it comes to layering things, but I think I had a really great groove with the one today. I had a good grasp of what materials I was working with, and how to create a full radio piece with them. It was a much more analytical process today than it usually is when I layer. Often times when I layer, I either am running around the station looking frantically for something that I need, or I have set everything up to go at the same time, which has its virtues and faults. Today though, because of the slow pace and build of the layer, I was able to play one song, then add another, and had the time to mentally process whether it was working or not, and had the time to switch songs if I needed to. I felt very much in control, which is a pleasant feeling, I think. Haha.

Anyway, let's get to it.

[Artist: Song - Album]

1. Ragnarok: Rites of Geburah - Blackdoor Miracle
2. Cédric Stevens: The Siamese Level Linear Enlightenment Mix - The Syncopated Elevators Legacy
3. Bollywood Brass Band feat. Rafaqat Ali Khan: Kehnde Ne Naina - Chaiyya Chaiyya
4. Brian Eno: Somber Reptiles - Another Green World
5. Charmander - Pokemon Gameboy Sound Collection
6. Dead Poetz Society: Lick A Shot Remix - AftaLife
7. Jack de Johnette & Foday Musa Suso: Kaira - Music From The Hearts Of The Masters
8. Pokey Oaks - Music From Powerpuff Girls
9. South Rakkas Crew: Fake Blood Remix - Mad Again
10. Paul Pena: Alash Hem (The Alash River) - Genghis Blues OST
11. Yeti: La Java Blanche - Accordion Babes 2011
12. Galaxie 500: Snowstorm - On Fire
13. April in the Orange: Siva Casting Dice on Herbrus Edge - Siva Casting Dice
14. De La Soul: Shopping Bags (She Got From You) - The Grind Date
15. Sofins Voskopoulos: Den Ei∑ai Kypio∑ - Voskopoulos
16. Melt-Banana: Like a white bat in a box, dead matters go on - Cell-Scape
17. Pikachu - Pokemon Gameboy Sound Collection
18. Autechre: Side A - Autechre
19. i, cactus: yellow cactus - i, cactus
20. Ukrainska Selska Orchestra: Marusia (Little Mary) - Aimer et Perdre (To Love & To Lose)
21. Nensi: Chistyy List - Misc. Songs
22. Hot Chip: Let Me Be Him - In Our Heads
23. Hajime Wakai, etc.: Flooded Forest ~Faron Woods~ - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
24. All Out War: Two Thousand Years - Condemned To Suffer
25. Elf Power: Green Sea Days - The Winter Is Coming
26. Benny Goodman: Caprice XXIV Paganini - Volume II: Clarinet a la King
27. Wayne Smith: Under Me Sleng Teng - Sleng Teng
28. Thelonious Monk: Getting Sentimental Over You - Live! At The Village Gate
29. Steve Miller: Dime-A-Dance - Sailor
30. Kid Koala: More Dance Music - Some Of My Best Friends Are DJs
31. Sven-Åke Johansson: Cymbals in the Night - Cymbals in the Night
32. Koji Asano: Rabbit Room Reservation Center III - Rabbit Room Reservation Center
33. Gazel: Sabreyle gönül - Gazel
34. Empire Brass Quintet with William Kuhlman: J.S. Bach: Contrapunctus I from The Art of Fugue - Baroque Music for Brass and Organ
35. Lama Gyurme: Hope for Enlightenment - Songs of Awakening
36. Play-Along Sound Effects - Play-Along Sound Effects
37. Shakespeare: Othello - Othello
38. Edith Farnadi: Vallée d'Obermann - Lizst: Années de Pelerinage
39. Satyricon: With Ravenous Hunger - Volcano
40. Café Tacvba: 11 - Reves
41. 101 Strings: Orbit Fantasy - From Beyond The Year 2000
42. Hanggai: Yuan Ding Cap - He Who Travels For
43. Fela Kuti: Let's Start - With Ginger Baker Live!

Yes: 

1. Koji Asano Layering: I've used Asano-san's music before for layering, and I've never been disappointed. I really like the ambiance he creates, and especially the gradual build to it. 
2. Pokemon: This should always happen. Using these sounds makes me think that I should use more small sound interludes in general, whether they are Pokemon or not...but they should preferably be Pokemon. 
3. Powerpuff Girls: This is pure aural gold. Hip-hop style remixes of the Powerpuff Girls? Yes, please. Always, please. The best part is that I thought it was just going to be straight-up music from the show, but it turned out to be remixes coupled with quotes and sound effects. 

No:

1. Speaking was ehhh: I was pretty close to the mic, wasn't I? It sounded a little distorted to me, so sorry about that. It sounded good in my ear, but that's good to know that it was too much. 
2. Request awkwardness: With no fault to the wonderful person who requested Steve Miller, I wasn't expecting to get a request, and I was just about to put on a long layering, but knew that I couldn't wait until after the layer.
3. Pauses: There was more dead air than I normally like to have, and it was purely because I wasn't paying attention. I usually have a really good sense of when songs end, but today I was just zoning out a lot. At one point I think I was standing in the FM studio, looking at the computer, and realized I had nothing cued up for what I needed to play in 30-seconds. *headdesk*

Well, hope you enjoyed the show, and I'll see you next Friday! And if you can't get enough of me, you should listen to my public affairs show. 

Freestailo #44 - 8/24/12

Right Click/Ctrl-Click to Download Freestailo #44 Here

I don't know what was different about this day from other days, but I had a lot of fun on the show this morning. I think it must of been a combination of getting almost enough sleep, and also getting a couple of calls from listeners, which is always really encouraging/interesting, no matter what. It seems to be that starting of any set with some uptempo music from the African section really does it for me. Who knew?

A major thing in this show that I did differently than normal was that I used a huge amount of 7" records. That's not something I've ever dived head-first into, but have dabble with from time to time, and never from the metal filing cabinets in the other room. I think I had a good variety of local 45s and older 45s from the cabinets, but tell me what you think.

Thinking about 45s more, this also kind of makes me think that when WCBN trains new DJs, they should have one 45 record required for the demo tape, because I honestly didn't play a 45 until I was settled in the station for a few months, and then I was really scared and confused when I tried to do it, and didn't understand why there was a big hole in the middle of it instead of one to fit right around the center of the turntable. *headdesk*

Anyway, take a listen. I think you'll like it. 

[Artist: Song - Album]

1. Femi Kuti: Truth Don Die - Shoki Shoki
2. Le Hammond Inferno: C.K.-T-Shirts - My First Political Dance Album
3. Shonen Knife: Flying Jelly Attack - Let's Knife
4. Afrika Bam-Baa-Taa and Family: Bambaataa's Theme (Assault on Precinct 13) - Beward (The Funk Is Everywhere)
5. Tolga Çandar: Hisardan Inmem Diyor (Türkü) - Türküleri Ege'nin III
6. Matthew Dear: Hammers - EP1
7. Kim Gunmo: (track 6) - ka.m4
8. Radiation 4: John vs. The Elephant - Wonderland
9. State: Spießbürger - Verboten German EP
10. Nilla Pizzi: L'amore è una cosa meravigliosa (Love is a many splendored thing) - Love Me If You Want To
11. Ensemble of Traditional Musical Instruments of Japan: The sun sets on the Temple - Traditional Music of Japan
12. Elba Ramalho: Légua tirana - Brazilian Popular Music
13. Atari Teenage Riot: Riot 1996 - Riot 1996
14. Salif Keita: Wamba - Soro
15. Lyrics Born: Bad Dreams - Later That Day...
16. Motorpsycho: The Hollow Lands - The Death Defying Unicorn
17. Witch Gardens: Aunt Shae/Mean Colleen - R-I-P
18. Kozilek: Last Dance of the Giants [Majora's Mask] - 25YEARLEGEND: A Legend of Zelda Indie Game Composer Tribute
19. Alain Souchon: Pays industriels - J'veux du cuir
20. Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan: Raga Manhj (Dhun in tintal) - Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan (shehnai)
21. Ed Sheeran: Small Bump - +
22. Placido Domingo: Besame Mucho (Spanish Version) - Besame Mucho
23. Theo Katzman: Brooklyn - Romance Without Finance
24. Quiet Cloud: I Am A Lightning Tower (Feel My Power) - Suitcase
25. Teach Me Tiger: Won't U Come Around? - Won't U Come Around?
26. Kona Triangle: Toybox (Kona Remix) - Sing A New Sapling Into Existence
27. Psychic Feline: Non Dot - White Walls/Non Dot
28. Janis Siegel: How High The Moon - How High The Moon
29. Meat Beat Manifesto: No Echo In Space - RUOK?
30. Stereo Total: Komplex Mit Dem Sex - Paris-Berlin
31. Tammy Lynn: Walking After Midnight - Walking After Midnight
32. Ramon: Chica Donde Estas - Chica Donde Estas
33. The End: The Asphyxiation of Lisa-Claire - Transfer Trachea Reverberations From Point: False Omniscient
34. Sigur Rós: Hoppipolla - Inni
35. Starlight Mints: Power Bleed - Change Remains
36. Mouse On Mars: Mine Is In Yours - Radical Connector
37. Sunday Morning Einsteins: Rakna Med Bräk - Kängnäve
38. Brazil: Forro: Balanço Da Canoa - Music For Maids and Taxi Drivers
39. Legowelt: Strange Girl - Classics 1998-2003
40. halc, Insixfour: Serious Moon Business - LoZ Majora's Mask
41. Norbert Stein: No.w.here - Graffiti Suite

Upvote:

1. LoZ: Who else noticed I used a couple of Legend of Zelda remix tracks? I've been on a video game remix kick lately (more than usual at least), and these are a couple of tracks I've been listening to maybe more than I should. They're just soooo good, and I'm happy to share them with you.
2. Placido Domingo: Ummmm so this is a Spanish disco song starring one of the opera world's most famous tenors. WHAT?! I'm obsessed, and I hope someone had the same violent reaction to it that I did.
3. Lyrics Born: I really digged this track, and now I have to play a lot more Lyrics Born on my show. 

Downvote:

1. Theo Katzman: Something happened during the track that was not so legit. Oh well!
2. Brazil Forro: Eh this was kind of lackluster but OK.
3. Shonen Knife: You know, I was expecting something more. I really want to like Shonen Knife, but I'm not sure I did. 

UNTIL NEXT WEEK!

Radiozilla #5 - 8/19/12

Right Click/Ctrl-Click to Download Radiozilla #5 Here

Puffy Amiyumi

HEY I'M BACK! You still missed me, right?

So as the rotation gods would have it, I had the Latin Show and Radiozilla back-to-back this Sunday, and honestly, and can't think of a better two hour slot to have. This Radiozilla was especially eventful because I had two people in the studio with me, one being my friend who was visiting, and another being Gus, who is a trainee to become a real-life WCBN DJ! Yaaaay Gus! Luckily for me (and him, who are we kidding), he chose to do his specialty apprenticeship with me during Radiozilla, so a few of these tracks were picked out by him! I've notated which ones with a "+" beforehand. We also learned that we have similar favorite SNES, such as Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG, which makes me like Gus a lot, so we'll probably be best friends now.

Seriously though, it's amazing to see these newbies, and what kind of music they pick out when they have the chance to explore. That's a major thing I love about WCBN, and sometimes I wish we could do more collaborative radio, like how this show was done.

Anyway, enough jibber-jabber.

[Artist: Song - Album]

1. Polysics: Buggie Technica - Hey! Bob! My Friend!
2. Puffy Amiyumi: Radio Tokyo - Splurge
3. +Nobukazu Takemura: Everyone Gets His Own Nemesis - Akey To The Underworld
4. Nubuo Uematsu: Battle Theme - Final Fantasy X
5. Petty Booka: Chotto Matte Kudasai - Let's Talk Dirty In Hawaiian
6. Asobi Seksu: I'm Happy But You Don't Like Me - Asobi Seksu
7. Xtatika: Gone - Tongue Bath
8. Mai Hoshimura: Stay With You - Japan For Sale Vol. 3
9. +Ken Ishii: Frame Out - Jelly Tones
10. Yoko Kanno: Cat's Delicacy - Vision of Escaflowne OST 2
11. +Martin Atkins' China Dub Soundsystem: Mostly Hulusi - Made In China
12. Kicking Giant: Alien ID - Alien ID
13. +Atau: delull - biorhythms
14. +Himawari: Wonder Pan - Mineral
15. Fushitsusha: (track 3) - DBL Live Disc 2

I'm Happy:

1. Gus ole buddy: Gus did a really great job, and I don't think I can say enough how happy I am to have him at WCBN now, and how excited I am to hear what kind of music he checks out in the future for his own show.
2. Puffy Amiyumi: Remember that cartoon, Teen Titans? Well, I don't know about you, but the first time I heard of Puffy Amiyumi was because they did the theme song to this show, and I'm not going to lie...I really liked this show. I also had NO IDEA we had so much Puffy Amiyumi in the station! You will hear more Puffy Amiyumi on my freeform show soon...
3. Martin Atkins: This track was so great. So, so, so great. I love how the hulusi was incorporated, and I really want to figure out how much of it was analog, and how much of it was digitally composed. Songs where I have to question that are what really blow my mind. Good pick, Gus!

But You Don't Like Me:

1. Honestly I got nuthin': This was a great show.

Ja ne, minna-san!

Latin Show #3 - 8/19/12

Right Click/Ctrl-Click to Download Latin Show #3 Here

Cumbia dancing

Hola chicos, ¿cómo estás? Hoy me tocan música latina para usted!

I don't normally do the Latin show, but I really love Latin music for a reason unknown to me as of yet. It could be because our Latin section is BALLER but who knows. This was an especially lively show because there were a lot of people milling about: me, my friend who visited me at the station, and about 4 random guys in the lobby who I ran into. Actually, one of them was Argentinian, and he was really enjoying the show. Yay!

Something interesting happened on the show today. I had a listener call in asking for something "cumbia." I asked him for maybe a band name, but he said, "You could probably educate me on some band names." This is something I find interesting, and I want to call attention to it. I was talking to another friend, who listens to WCBN quite a lot, and is a self-proclaimed groupie. We were talking about my process for picking out music, and she suddenly said, "Wait, you don't listen to everything before hand? I thought you only played music you knew really well." I want to say right now, listeners, that this is 100% false. Most of the tracks I play I have never listened to. When I go to the station to DJ, I intend to explore the library, and open my horizons. When I play the Latin show, I want to learn more about Latin music, and share what I'm learning with you. I'm not trying to oppress you with my choices, but work with you to create something really beautiful. If you have a request, I love to take them. If you don't have a request, I want to share what I think sounds interesting or new to me. Sometimes I'll even play tracks that I'm at first skeptical about so that I can learn more about it.

That's my two-cents. Enjoy the show.

[Artist: Song - Album]

1. Rodriguez: Barcelona Boogie - Tell An Amigo
2. Novalima: Guayabo - Karimba
3. Chico Trujillo: Ahora quien - Chico De Oro
4. José Maria Vitier: Samba al sur - Habana Secreta
5. Las Rubias del Norte: Porque Te Vas - Ziguala
6. Flaco Jimenez: En El Cielo No Hay Cerveza (In Heaven There Is No Beer) - Squeeze Box King
7. Orishas: Que Se Bote - El Kilo
8. Grupo Fantasma: Realizando - El Existential
9. Astor Piazzolla: Hora Cero - Luna
10. Jose Barros: La Piragua - Cumbia Cumbia
11. Flor de Caña: Banana - ¡Muevete!
12. Manuel Alvarez y Sus Dangers: Esclavo Moderno - Palenque Palenque
13. Ned Sublette: Ghost Riders in the Sky - Cowboy Rumba
14. DJ Dolores: De Dar Dó - Aparelhagem

No es tan malo:

1. Comboy Rumba:  I had a friend from out of town visiting my show to keep me company, and told her she could help me pick out music if she wanted. She chose the Cowboy Rumba track, and then stopped because she thought she was doing a bad job. Surprise though, that track was awesome. 
2. Cumbia: So glad my listener requested this! It was fantastic!

Radiozilla que hasta la próxima!

Freestailo #43 - 8/17/12

Right Click/Ctrl-Click to Download Freestailo #43 Here

You'll understand why I chose this picture
if you listen to the show. 

Today's show was very special, because I had a special guest artist on the show! John Boyle asked me maybe a month ago if he could come on the show, talk a bit, and play his music. He had a show at the Canterbury house the next day, which unfortunately I didn't get to go to, but I hope some of you went.

It was really refreshing to talk to someone with a different sensibility about music than I have, but with similar philosophies about music in general. After talking to John, I learned that he's been to quite a few radio stations across the country, and loves the kind of freeform we do (yaaay!). Since John stayed during the rest of my show after the interview, I also got a chance to use his music in some layering, which couldn't have turned out better. I really want to thank John for creating this music that gave me the opportunity to create a radio piece like on today's show, and I very much hope that you enjoy listening to it as much as I did creating it.

To the music!

[Artist: Song - Album]

1. John Boyle Interview
2. Korean Orphan Choir: Various - Enchanting Korean Orphan Choir
3. Ramon Lopez: Various - Eleven Drums Songs
4. Shujaat Khan: Vilambit gat in tintal - Schujaat Khan (sitar)
5. Linde: Depths - Lander
6. Tim Sparks: At The Rebbe's Table - At The Rebbe's Table
7. Michael Leviton: I Only Want The Sky - Songs From The Big Top
8. Mantovani: You Only Live Twice - Hollywood
9. John Boyle: Kontinuum 1 - Kontinuum
10. Lucian Rebay: Various - Invitation to Italian Poetry
11. Dexter: Various - Fever Dreams
12. Trayer: Supernumeraries - Afterlife An Abandoned Theme Park
13. Gregg Bendian: The Mother Box - Requiem For Jack Kirby
14. Fabolous: Breathe
15. From Ashes Rise: The Noise - Nightmares
16. Frank Sinatra: My Baby Just Cares For Me - Strangers In The Night
17. Daniele Lombardi: Sonata No. 4, Op. 11 - Russian Futurism
18. The Black Angels: Black Grease
19. Calvin Owens: Stop Lying In My Face - Stop Lying In My Face
20. High Llamas: Get Into The Galley Shop - Buzzle Bee
21. Amadou Kiénou: Tiriba - Amadou Kiénou
22. Dorothée: Le Tour Du Monde - Dorothée
23. Laura Bell Bundy: Giddy On Up
24. The Waikiki's: Strangers in the Night - A Taste of Hawaii
25. Malacoda: Into The Fold - Cascade
26. Walter Wanderly: Rain - Rain Forest
27. From A Second Story Window: The Challenge of Caring - Not One Word Has Been Omitted
28. Kris Kristofferson: The Silver Tongued Devil And I - The Silver Tongued Devil And I
29. Chuck Willis: Change My Mind - My Story
30. Gloria Estefan: Me Odio - 90 Millas
31. Quasimojo: Jetlag-4 - Acoustic Coupler

Giddy on up:

1. Dat layer: That incredibly long layer that I did with John Boyle's material was absolutely stunning to do, and I'm still a little floored by how well it went. I think the best part was when the Mantovani record started to skip, which allowed me so much more to work with. AND THEN when it randomly came out of its groove to finish the song, exactly when I would have liked it to. It was magical, so take a listen. 
2. Trayer: I'm really obsessed with this album, guys. I ripped it and took it home, and it's been in my ears ever sense. 

Giddy on down:

1. Dead air: There were a few times when there was just flat-out dead air, and no excuse at all. Sometimes I'd be running around the station. There was that time I was making coffee. There was that time I was on the phone with a listener. Everything.
2. Misplays: There were a few times that I wanted to play something in particular, but then I played something else. I'm really not too upset after the fact, but when it happens it's like THE END OF ZE WORLD. 

Thanks for listening! Check out John Boyle, and tune in for the next show!

What It Is #4 - 7/20/12

Right Click/Ctrl-Click to Download What It Is #4 Here

There wasn't anything particularly special about this show (aside from the fact that soul and funk are awesome), but I really enjoyed spinning these tunes, and I'm sure you'll enjoy them. I did get one call from a listener who requested a string of Motown, but it was within the last 10 minutes of the show, so I tried my best to accomodate.

By the way, if you have anything you want me to play, did you know you can request songs? You can call (734) 763-3500, which will connect you right to the FM Studio at WCBN, and you can talk to the DJ who is currently DJ AT THAT MOMENT to request a song. It's pretty exciting. You should do it often, because we love you guys.

Let's get your funk on.

[Artist: Song - Album]

1. The Sugarman Three: Got To Get Back To My Baby - What The World Needs Now
2. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings: I'm Not Gonna Cry - Daptone Gold
3. Funkees: Point Of No Return - Dancing Time
4. Gladys Knight and the Pips: You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You?) - Anthology
5. The Four Tops: Let Me Set You Free - Tonight!
6. Disco Circus: Dig It - Disco Circus
7. Catalyst: Ain't It The Truth - The Complete Recordings Vol. 1
8. S'Express: Blow Me Another Lollypop - Original Soundtrack
9. Red Snapper: Suckerpunch - Making Bones
10. Native Son: In Search Of Beauty - Savanna Hot-Line
11. Charles Bradley: Stay Away - Heartaches and Pain EP
12. Al Green: Pretty Woman - I'm Still In Love With You
13. Brass Fever: Funky Carnival - Time Is Running Out
14. Major Lance: The Monkey Time - Okey Soul
15. Funk Ark: Hey Mamajo - High Noon
16. Bootsy Collins: Sound Crack - Ultra Wave
17. Brad Walrond: Underneath the Metal - Eargasms (Crucialpoetics Vol. 1)
18. Van Hunt: Eyes Like Pearls - What Were You Hoping For?
19. Archie Bell & The Drells: Everybody Have A Good Time - Where Will You Go When The Party's Over
20. Sipho Hot Stix Mabuse: Jive Soweto - Burn Out
21. Michael Liggins & The Super Souls: Loaded To The Gills - Eccentric Soul: mighty Mike Lenaburg
22. The Temptations: Cloud Nine - Great Songs and Performances That Inspired The Motown 25th Anniversary T.V. Special
23. Barry White: Oooo....Ahhh.... - Beware!
24. The Supremes: He's My Sunny Boy - Love Child
25. Stevie Wonder: Front Line - Front Line
26. The Temptations: Snake in the Grass - Hear To Tempt You

Okey:

1. Daptone goodness: I love pretty much everything by Daptone. I should make a list for myself of all the Daptone in the CD section, because I have literally never been disappointed by them. 

Nokey:

1. Barry White: Ehhhh this was okaaaay but a little not at all what I was expecting.

Solid show. See you soon. 

Freestailo #42 - 7/27/12

Right Click/Ctrl-Click to Download Freestailo #42 Here

I've been thinking a lot guys. LIKE A LOT. And I decided that I needed to do more experimenting in this show. And by more, I mean not more often, but a higher quality of experimentation. My idea was just to use 3 turntables: one with heavy electronic stuff, one with avant-garde stuff, and another with some jazz. I wanted to leave the electronica on for its duration, but use the avant-garde stuff to create some heavier beats and mixing material, and eventually layer the jazz in the same way until I could just play it straight through. during the layering, I basically just played with the turntable. I sped it up to 45 and 75, and then back to 33, and I modulated the pitch/speed. I also picked up the needle and laid it down on the heavier beats in the electronic track, not to mention doing a little wicka-wicka, which fulfills one of my dreams from this list:

THINGS I WANT REALLY BADLY

1. Do a wicka-wicka on a turntable on the radio
2. Have a Zelda wedding
3. Have a steampunk wedding
4. Write a novel
5. Fly on a whale

I realize I won't be able to do actually, but they are dreams, right? NOW GO DREAM AND LISTEN TO MY SHOW!

[Artist: Song - Album]

1. Mastodon: Iron Tusk - Leviathan
2. Mochipet: Ride On - Microphonepet
3. Iron and Wine: Jezebel - Woman King
4. Juba Dance: Fisherman's Jig - Orange
5. Fela Kuti: Question Jam Answer - Roforofo Fight/The Fela Singles
6. New York Phil & Leonard Bernstein: Dvorak: Slavonic Dance, Op. 46, No. 1 - Moldau and Other Favorites
7. Dizzy Gillspie: Koko - "It Happened One Night" In Concert September 1947
8. Test Dept: Al'Rabih (The Spring) - Totality
9. Bell & James: Ask Billie (They Tell Me) - Bell & James
10. Orthrelm: (track 10) - Orthrelm
11. Momus: Finnegan The Folk Hero - Folktronic
12. Yaya Diallo: Outeme - Nangapè
13. Bebe & Serge: Surfin' in Space - Spaced Out Supernovasuperstar
14. Ravi Shankar: Karnataki - Improvisations
15. Nazan Soray: Halhal - Istanbul 70
16. Madlib: Dancing Girls Theme - Beat Konducta Vol. 3-4 India
17. Telefon Tel Aviv: When It Happens It Moves All By Itself - Map of What is Effortless
18. Quickspace: Climbing A Hill - The Death of Quickspace
19. D*Note: Criminal Justice - Criminal Justice
20. Madvillain: All Caps - Madvillainy
21. Savoy: Kili (Original Mix) - BT: Laptop Symphony
22. Ladyfinger: I Want It All - My Prom
23. Toninho: Zoraide - Adorada estrela guia
24. Jens Lekman: Happy Birthday, Dear Friend Lisa - When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog
25. Lusine: Ask You - Serial Hodgepodge
26. Trade Secrets: ACEN Remix - I Know You Got Soul
27. Kink Gong: AT (horse) - Xinjiang
28. Sarah Vaughn: No 'Count Blues - No 'Count Sarah
29. Quintron: Mood - The Frog Tape
30. Djur Djura: Derya U Mazir (Heirs to the Future) - Adventures in Afropea 2
31. Wadih El Safi: Fawq Stouh Dayetna - Couleurs de Beyrouth (Colors of Beirut)
32. Boy Lion: Dream Of The Sea - Stories from Earth
33. Jerry Leake: Na Yella Bo - Cubist
34. Nighthawks: Metropolitan Avenue - Ten Years Live
35. Dio: Along Comes A Spider - Killing The Dragon
36. Abbot Lutz, Mason Adams, Pan-Harmonic Symphony: Tyl Eulenspiegel (By Richard Strauss) - Great Tales Told With Great Music
37. Tyshawn Sorey: Twenty-Five - oblique-1

All Caps:

1. Mastodon: Do you ever just want to blast epic metal into your brain immediately upon waking? I do, so that's what I did. I regret nothing. 
2. Layering: I cannot tell you how pleased I am with the piece of layering I did. I don't even care that sometimes it sounded a little funky, because it was so much fun, and I really hope that you enjoyed it. 
3. Jezebel: I'm super happy about this song, because I didn't know I had been listening to a demo track of this for like 3 years, and it totally shocked me in the best sense to hear it in all its glory. 

No Caps:

1. Twenty-Five: This was kind of a low-energy end to a great set. I could have ended on a much funkier note. 
2. Out of place classical?: I wasn't sure, but the Dvorak felt a little misplaced within the set, but I'm not too concerned about it either. 

Good show overall. Happy listening!

Subshow #17 - 7/18/12

Right Click/Ctrl-Click to Download Subshow #17 Here

Since Saramin wanted to go off and do A2 Art Fair stuff methinks, I took her show! Yay! I know this post took a long time, but I promise it'll be worth it. I love a lot of the stuff I played, and it's always fun to get outside of my 9am-noon slot to bring some music to you. For this particular episode I had a guest with me, which was super fun, and should happen way more often.

Also, let me put this out here: if any of you ever want to come to my show. I mean, come IN PERSON to my show, please just give me a holler. I like to think I'm a pretty friendly person, and you could even help me pick out music and I can show you around. There's this thing called the 6 O'Clock Shadow we have every Friday at 6pm where we invite listeners to come in and try out the DJ thing, but don't let that limit you to when you can come to the studio. We are always in need of new DJs, and I bet if you like WCBN, then you probably have thought about what it's like.

Anyway, onto the music. 

[Artist: Song - Album]

1. Michna: Triple Chrome Dipped - Magic Monday
2. Lynn Gold: Sweet Potatoes - Lynn Gold
3. Cristian Vogel: La Isla Piscola (For The Traveling Fish Lover Version) - La Isla Piscola
4. Les Go De Koteba: Kele Magni - Les Go De Koteba
5. Red Krayola: Bad Medicine - Fingerpainting
6. Rasputina: High On Life - Frustration Plantation
7. Flaco Jimenez: Mala Movida - Buena Suerte, Señorita
8. Cataract: with Triumph comes Loss - with Triumph comes Loss
9. Les Rita Mits Ouko: Marcia Baila - The No Comprendo
10. Elena Kats-Chernin: Green Leaf Prelude - Ragtime & Blue
11. Huun-Huur-Tu: Xöömeyimny Kagbas-La Men (I Will Not Abandon My Xöömei) - Where Young Grass Grows
12. Danny Stewart: Silhouette Hula - Hawaiian Favorites
13. General D + Funk 'N Lata: Sobi Esse Pano, Mano - Onda Sonora
14. rephlex: Jelly Fish - cat 027cd
15. Mad Gregs: Twelve Tone - Big Nun
16. Ladysmith Black Mambazo: Kangivumanga (I Disagreed) - Thuthukani Ngoxolo (Let's develop in peace)
17. The Volumes: Ain't Gonna Give You Up - Detroit Gold
18. Paul Tripp: Snow White and Red Rose - Snow White and Red Rose
19. Ether: 35' 45N 139' 45E - music for air raids
20. Niederflur: Bahnhof Deutz/Messe - Minus
21. Osborne: Afrika - Afrika EP
22. Fugees: Take It Easy (Radio Edit) - Take It Easy
23. Tegan and Sara: Knife Going In - The Con
24. The Vienna New Symphony: Rosamunde Overture - Schubert: Unfinished Symphony, etc.
25. Cosmetic: So Tranquilization - So Tranquilization
26. New York City Gay Men's Chorus: I Hear Bells - Love Lives On

Highs:

1. Snow White and Red Rose: This layering was a lot of fun, and I kind of was planning it from the beginning of the show, and waiting for a good time to bring it out. I've been reading a lot of Fables, and the character Red Rose is in it, but I had never heard of her, despite my self-proclaimed knowledge of fairy tales. The thing about the comic series is that it's a bit darker and more mature than other versions of these fairy tales you might have heard, so I wanted to emphasize that with the Ether and Niederflur tracks that I layered along with it.
2. Cataract: This was a nice mid-length track to play, which is a nice balance between the really short thrash-core metal songs, and the 20-minute stoner metal songs you can find around the station. I love me some metal guys.
3. Fugees: I'm kind of obsessed with them right now, and I think that I need to play more. 

Lows:

1. Gay Men's Chorus?: This wasn't as good as I thought it would be, but I think that the fact that it's a Gay Men's Chorus makes up for it. Hahaha.
2. General awkwardness: I was a little distracted sometimes during the show, so some of the transitions weren't perfect, but sometimes that happens when I'm by myself anyway, so whatever.

Thanks for listening as always! Get ready for more updates!

Dead White Guys #3 - 7/15/12

Right Click/Ctrl-Click to Download Dead White Guys #3 Here

Although I didn't play a lot of tracks for this show, I had a lot of fun with what I played. I retrospectively played a lot of vocal music, but I never apologize for that, and I can only hope that you enjoy it. I don't think there was a boring moment for me, and it felt really good to play the full set of 'Das Buch der Hängende Gärten', as well as the entire 'Also Sprach Zarathustra'.

I think I had a really good mix today, and I'm glad that I allowed myself to play longer tracks, which is kind of a self-experiment that I've been trying lately, like with the latest Sounds of the Subcontinent episode I did. I also have been thinking a lot about the way that I actually play the music. It's a hotly debated topic amongst DJs about whether we should talk over music, or whether we shouldn't. There's no wrong way to do it, but DJs can be passionate about what they think is a good way to do it. Personally, as you can hear, I like to speak over music. I think it adds something to the way that I speak, and just feel more comfortable having something underneath me, and makes it sonically more interesting. That said though, I often get very uncomfortable speaking over classical music on a classical show, because I've heard from some listeners that they REALLY hate when I talk over music that they might want to experience as a whole, from start to finish. I can completely understand that, but it is definitely a different way of doing radio than I'm used to.

What do you think? Do you mind when a DJ talks over music? I want to know!

[Artist: Song - Album]

1. Pierre Charial: Capriccio No. 1 - György Ligeti: Mechanical Music
2. London Philharmonic Orchestra: Cantus - 'Song of the Odyssey' - Karl Jenkins: Adiemus 2 Cantata Mundi
3. Emanuel Ax: Variations on "Là ci darem la mano," Op. 2 for Piano and Orchestra (Largo) - Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, etc.
4. London Chamber Singers & Chamber Orchestra: The Indian Queen Acts III, IV, & V - Purcell: The Indian Queen
5. Angela Hewitt: La Verneüille (from Dix-huitième Ordre) - Couperin: Le Grand
6. Jennifer Lane: Das Buch der Hängende Gärten (complete) - Schoenberg: Das Buch der Hängende Gärten
7. L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande: La Valse - Ravel: Ravel's Head
8. Staatsoper Berlin Chorus and Orchestra: Overture & Act I, Scene 1 - Wagner: Der Fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman)
9. L'ensemble Diabolus in Musica: Introït, Kyrie, and Gloria - Dufay: Missa se la face ay pale
10. Vienna Philharmonic: Also Sprach Zarathustra - Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra

Angelus:

1. Schoenberg: I could definitely listen to this all day, and I have no idea way. I really like atonal music, and the Sprechstimme (unpitched speak-sing thing) is so interesting to me as a performer, as well as a listener. I really, really hope you enjoyed this set. I also encourage you to check out the translations/text for it!
2. Strauss: I never get sick of Strauss, and I hadn't heard this piece before. I didn't realize how epic this was, or that this was where that theme that's right at the beginning came from that sometimes you'll hear in commercials/movies I think. 

Diabolus:

1. I wasn't really unhappy with anything, to be honest. I thought this was a great show. Maybe sometimes I'm awkward on the mic, but that's about it!

Enjoy!

Sounds of the Subcontinent #2 - 7/15/12

Right Click/Ctrl-Click to Download Sounds of the Subcontinent #2 Here

SURPRISE! I subbed Sounds of the Subcontinent for David, so now you get to listen to some awesome Indian music from our library. I happened to be at the station doing Radiozilla, when I got a call from David Schlitt, asking if I could sub for him, and if I was in the area. I was literally sitting in front of the console like a boss, so I took it. 

I love this show, because it gives me a chance to play long tracks that I might not otherwise feel like I'm allowed to play on my freeform show, like how with Radiozilla I'm able to play lots of Japanese stuff all together. I can sit back and really enjoy the music instead of running around and trying to fill up time.

[Artist: Song - Album]

1. Zakir Hussain: Nines Over Easy - Zakir Hussain and the Rhythm Experience
2. Tabla Beat Science: Secret Channel - Tala Matrix
3. M. Saeed Chisti: (track 3) - Qari Sage Miran
4. Dissidenten: Jungle Book Part 1 - The Jungle Book
5. Rahul Sharma: Maqam-E-Navaa - Music of the Himalayas
6. Ustad Vilayat Khan (sitar): Jor - Raga Bhairavi
7. Ashwin Batish: Sitar Magic - Sitar Power
8. Jody Stecher & Krishna Bhatt: Blue Mountain - rasa
9. The Cheetah Girls: One World - One World Soundtrack
10. Gour Goswami & Steven Gorn: Rag Marwa/Sunset Raga - The Indian Bamboo Flute

Good stuff:

1. Tabla Beat Science: I really love these guys, and I love the mix of sounds that they create. I could definitely listen to the entire album all the way through.
2. Zakir Hussain: I don't know what it is about this guy, but he brings this really jazzy edge to his songs that I love. 

Not so good stuff:

1. Blue Mountain: This did not sound like Indian music whatsoever. It was in the Indian music section, and it had a sitar on the front, but it was definitely not what I was looking for. I even got a call from a listener about whether it was still Sounds of the Subcontinent or not. *headdesk* Not to self: preview tracks longer than 5 seconds.

See you soon! Thanks for listening!

Radiozilla #4 - 7/15/12

Right Click/Ctrl-Click to Download Radiozilla #4 Here

Le Polysics

Did you know that I really like DJing Radiozilla? I do. It's only an hour, and I still have to read concert information right in the middle of it, but it's really fun. Having the freedom to play all Japanese music for you is something that I wouldn't allow myself on my freeform show, so sometimes I wonder if it still sounds like me, you know? Does it sound like MY radio? I would love to hear what you think about it.

Also, I've come to realize that I play a song by Polysics every single Radiozilla. I also play it on my freeform show. And you know, I think I realized that I'm kind of obsessed with them. Sometimes I can't listen to an entire album in one sitting, but they are the perfect mix for freeform-style radio. Thank you for existing, Polysics.

[Artist: Song - Album]

1. Polysics: Married To A Frenchman - Hey! Bob! My Friend!
2. Asobi Seksu: Coming Up - Fluorescence
3. Koenjihyakkei: Guoth Dahha - Viva Koenji!!
4. Oorutaichi: (track 11) - Jurasy Human
5. Matally: Four Seasons VS YoYo-C - Japan For Sale Vol. 3
6. Thee Machine Gun Elephant: Citroën No Kodoku (The Loneliness of Citroën) - Rodeo Tandem Beat Specter
7. Joe Hisaishi: Kaonashi (No Face) - Spirited Away OST
8. Ken Ishii: Iceblink (main mix) - Japan For Sale Vol. 2
9. The Pillows: Tiny Boat - The Pillows Acoustic
10. Tokyo Jihen: FAIR - 2012???
11. Takemoto Akira: Island in Video Casset - Serial Experiments Lain
12. Gackt: Vanilla - Vanilla

FAIR: 

1. New Polysics album: Yay! More Polysics for you! This new album's really fun, and kind of more of the same style as other Polysics albums, so...it's perfect basically.
2. Spirited Away: Mmmm I'm so glad I found this album in the soundtrack section. I love the music to this movie, and I wish that we had more Miyazaki movie OSTs in the library! Like My Neighbor Totoro? I would kill someone for that.

NO FAIR:

1. Too much online music: In retrospect I realize that 3 out of the last 4 songs were from a computer online, which I don't normally do at such frequency, and especially for such a short show. I'll be more careful next time, although I really did want to play those artists for you.

Thanks for listening! Stay tuned for more updates!

Freestailo #41 - 6/6/12

Right Click/Ctrl-Click to Download Freestailo #41 Here

Walalalalalala!

For me, this show was a lot more high energy in the start than I usually have, and there was a lot more balance throughout the set than I usually see. Despite a couple of herp-a-derp moments, I really enjoyed listening back on the show as well! Because I don't have a lot else to say, here's the video of the video conversation that you heard on the show. It's just as good visually.

[Artist: Song - Album]

1. Messer Chups: Dark Story - Russkie Wig-Out!
2. Goldfrapp: When Andy Bell Met Manhattan Clique Mix - OOH LA LA
3. Mamani Keita & Marc Minelli: Dimisenoun - Electro Bamako
4. Dr's: Crunch - Rx1
5. Balkan Beat Box: Cha Cha - Balkan Beat Box
6. Chet Baker: It's Always You - My Funny Valentine
7. Asobi Seksu: Sooner - Asobi Seksu
8. Arcwelder: The Carpal Tunnel Song - Xerxes
9. Bakra Bata': What You Like - Steel Drums and Percussion
10. Richard Buckner: Elizabeth Childers - The Hill
11. Ghost: Live With Me - Snuffbox Immanence
12. Carlos Montoya: Tanguillo: Zambrilla - Flamenco!
13. Oorutachi: (tracks 10+11) - Jurasy Human
14. The Avett Brothers: Sixteen in July - Four Thieves Gone
15. Billie Holiday: It's Like Reaching For The Moon - Story Volume II
16. Serge Gainsbourg: Le poinçonneur des Lilas - de serge gainsbourg à gainsbarre 
17. Salif Keita: Tono - Amen
18. Mighty Fire: Sixth Street (Turn It Up) - Mighty Fire
19. Rabih Abou-Khalil: Nashwa - Al-Jadida
20. Air: How Does It Make You Feel? - 10,000Hz Legend
21. Transglobal Underground: Ancient Dreams of the Sky - Psychic Karaoke
22. Mark Franklin: Release to the System - Artificial Intelligence II
23. Alexander Demidov: The Delights of Culture - Modern Soviet Poetry and Humor
24. Endthisday: Killing in the Month of July - Sleeping Beneath the Ashes of Creation
25. Brave Combo: Limbo Rock/Hand Jive - Group Dance Epidemic
26. The Everyday Film: A Silent Leash - Permanent Patients
27. King Cobb Steelie: Rational - Junior Relaxer
28. Jeremiah McDonald: A Conversation With My 12 Year Old Self: 20th Anniversary Edition - weepingprophet
29. L'Orchestre National "A" de la République du Mali: Duga - L'Orchestre National "A" de la République du Mali 
30. The Meters: Good Old Funky Music - Good Old Funky Music
31. Little Brother Montgomery: Tantalizing Blues - Crescent City Blues
32. Clayton Knight: Having a Party - Call Me What U Wanna
33. Georgia Sedlack: Moon River - The Vocal Jazz Collective
34. Aldo Ciccolini: Sonata in D minor, L. 413, Allegro (Pastorale) - Scarlatti: Sonatas
35. Amandine: Firefly - Fat Cat
36. Boom Bip: Popsicle (feat. Nacky Koma) - Seed To Sun
37. M. Ward: Me And My Shadow - A Wasteland Companion
38. The Apples in Stereo: Sun is Out - New Magnetic Wonder

Turn it Up:

1. Chet Baker: I could literally listen to his voice until the apocalypse comes. I think he has the most mesmerizing voice, and his trumpet playing is just as good. Mmmm. Makes me want to curl up in a blanket and read a book. 
2. Apples in Stereo: This was an awesome way to end the set. I'd never heard Apples in Stereo before this, so it was a real treat. 
3. The Avett Brothers: This song was a really nice balance to what was going on during that part of the set, and I really didn't expect something so sweet. I guess I haven't really listened to The Avett Brothers before. 

Turn it Down:

1. Russian Flub: Yeah I definitely didn't mean to play this at first...oh well. Kind of a let down but radio is pretty much never perfect. Hahaha. 
2. YouTube Clip: I'm not gonna say what went wrong with this, but you can probably guess. 
3. General awkwardness: I have no idea why there were weird pauses, and fast talking, and there was one point my voice was totally monotone. 

Until next Friday!

Freestailo #40 - 6/4/12 - Happy 4th of July!

Right Click/Ctrl-Click to Download Freestailo #40 Here

Oh, hello there.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY, FRIENDS!

To celebrate our independence, and subsequently the independence of being able to put millions upon millions of cat pictures on the internet, throughout this post I'm going to give you lots of American themed cats, like this guy.

This 4th of July, I willfully let WCBN take my entire day from me, and I regret nothing. I woke up early and headed to the Canterbury house where we congregated before heading over to the Ann Arbor 4th of July Parade. "What would WCBN do in a parade?" you might ask. Well, we had a MARCHING BAND! Spreading music the only way we know how: freeform style. As a side note, if you happened to be there and have pictures, please feel free to contact us so we can see them!

After the parade, I met up with my roommates and headed to Starbucks for some free coffee, which I SO DID NOT NEED because I was still hyper from the parade, and continued to be while we got ice cream at Washtenaw Dairy, and THEN STILL once I got home and started to do research for the July 4th Sex & Tell special, which pretty much took me the rest of the day, while I stayed in the air-conditioning of my apartment.

I cannot tell you how much fun my time at the station was this day. Even though I messed up a few times, and there were some frustrating moments, there's something special about sharing music with everyone on a holiday that makes up for it. I've DJed on holidays before, and there's an energy that cannot be contained when the whole world/country/state/city is sharing something like a holiday with each other, and you get to create a living and breathing playlist for it.

This is a cat with a red and white star cello.

About the actual show, although I don't do this very often, I created a playlist beforehand to make sure that I had enough material, but allowed a bit of breathing room in the moment for flub-ups, requests, etc., which seemed to work out really well. I tried to make sure all of the songs were either American themed, or for certain parts I created a scheme of Red-->White-->Blue songs for a bit of literal color. The one thing that wasn't "American" was the V for Vendetta clip, but I think that this movie (and especially this clip) is relevant to all people, and all countries.

Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this playlist, and I hope that you all had a loving, drunken holiday.

[Artist: Song - Album]

1. Kazumi Totaka: Fireworks Festival - Animal Crossing GC OST
2. Richard Tucker and Philip Maero: Dovunque al mondo - Puccini: Madama Butterfly
3. Galaxie 500: Fourth of July - This Is Our Music
4. Rammstein: Amerika - Reise, Reise
5. The Beach Boys: Surfin' USA - Endless Summer
6. Chanticleer: Camptown Races - Our American Journey
7. Funkadelic: One Nation Under Groove Pt. 1 and 2
8. Steve Earle: American v. 6.0 - Jerusalem
9. exileFaker: redshift - Ockham's Chainsaw
10. Kris Ellestad: White As A Feather - No Man Is Land
11. CHOCOLAT: Blue Mint Blue - Japan Not For Sale Vol. 2
12. Robert Shaw Festival Singers: Hark, I Hear The Harps Eternal - Amazing Grace American Hymns and Spirituals
13. Cat Power: American Flag - Moon Pix
14. British Sea Power: Waving Flags - Do You Like Rock Music?
15. Yann Tiersen: La redécouverte - Amelie from Montmarte (Bande originale du film)
16. Anamanaguchi: Helix Nebula - Power Supply
17. Eels: In Gratitude For This Magnificent Day - Tomorrow Morning
18. Nina Simone: July Tree - Four Women
19. The Andrews Sisters: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy - Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy/Rum and Coca Cola
20. The Sex Pistols: God Save The Queen - The Swindle Continues
21. V for Vendetta: Ending Scene (1812 Overture) - V for Vendetta (movie)
22. Louis Armstrong: Red Cap - Alexander's Ragtime Band
23. My Dear Disco: White Lies (Radio Edit) - My Dear Disco EP
24. Leonard Berstein: America - West Side Story (1957 Original Cast)
25. Tom Brosseau: Favorite Color Blue - Posthumous Success
26. Animal Collective: In The Flowers - Merriweather Post Pavilion
27. Dianne Steinberg, Stargard: Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
28. Asobi Seksu: Red Sea - Citrus
29. T.M. Revolution: WHITE BREATH -MORE FREEZE MIX- - triple joker
30. Damo: Deep Blue - Seven

Good Things:

1. Madama Butterfly: I absolutely love this opera, and I really love this segment of the opera because it is just RIFE with sarcasm and irony. Although the sound is patriotic, the content is a big vulgar, and makes a big statement about how the characters represent America. 
2. Andrews Sisters: I'm in love with this 45", and I'm glad I got to play the other side of it! Honestly, I could play an entire show of just this stuff. Mmmm. 
3. V for Vendetta clip: This is one of my top-5 favorite movies, and I think the ideas of empowering the people to change the government are powerful, and something that we should all take a good look at for our own government(s). 

Bad Things:

1. Wrong Animal Collective Song: I'm not even going to lie to you, I was really pissed when I played "In The Flowers" instead of "My Girls." This was one of the main songs I wanted to sing over the course of the show, and I messed it up. You don't even want the know the things I was screaming in the station.
2. Not Beatles: Also another mistake RIGHT AFTER the Animal Collective mistake, which pissed me off even more. Let me be honest with you: I was positively livid. But things pass, radio keeps going. C'est la vie. 
3. Too much laptop: I thought that I knew where a lot of this music was in the station, but when I got there I couldn't find all of it, and ended up using my laptop for at least a third of the songs on this list. I don't like that, and I'm sorry. It's not fair to you or me or freeform radio. 

Thanks for listening! Hope you had a great holiday. Stay locked in. 

Latin Show #2 - 6/1/12

Right Click/Ctrl-Click to Download Latin Show #2 Here

Is it possible I've only done one other Latin show besides this?! Apparently so. I will make up for that soon. Also, as a side note, my ex-roommate came to visit me at the station, and I'm pretty sure she had fun, so that's good too. Also, here are some pictures of Los Zafiros, because I said so. 

I got nothin' else. TO THE PLAYLIST!

[Artist: Song - Album]

1. Astor Piazzola: Los Sueños - Sur
2. Nova Lima: Mamaye - Karimba
3. Morelenbaum2/Sakamoto: Bim Bom - A Day in New York
4. Tom Zé: Curiosidade (High Llamas Remix) - Postmodern Platos
5. Inti-Illimani: La Fiesta Eres Tú - Amar de Nuevo
6. Tangosur: Sur - Trio
7. Bio Ritmo: La Mano Arriba - Salsa Galactica
8. Agepé: Ela Nao Gosta De Mim - Collo. Samba
9. Lazaro Ros & Olorun: Toques a Eleguá - Songs For Elegua
10. Ben Tavera King Y Los Jazztecs: El Mercado - Border Crossings
11. Los Zafiros: La Caminadora - Bossa Cubana
12. J-Radical: Buweyah - Brazil Remixed
13. Los Calchakis: Isla Saca - Indian Flutes, Harps and Guitars
14. Zuco 103: Garganteiro - Whaa!

Bueno:

1. Astor Piazzola: I never get tired of this man. He is a genius. 
2. Los Zafiros: I had NO IDEA that there was a doo-wop style group in Spanish! This has to be the best find for the day.

Male:

1. My pronunciation: Sorry if I screwed anything up (I know I did). I don't speak Spanish, but I'm trying to get better at pronouncing it. Sometimes my knowledge of Italian gets in the way, so it probably sounds a little...weird is the only word.

Thanks for listening! Be back this Friday for my regular show!

Freestailo #39 - 6/29/12

Right Click/Ctrl-Click to Download Freestailo #39 Here

Top o' the mornin' to yeh, me bright eyed lis'ners!

Today's show was a bit rough for me, for the plain and simple fact that I was feeling rather ill while I was DJing. That's how much I love you though, and it's totally worth it. The show was still pretty solid, and my lovely roommate Kara came and visited me at the station, and even made me eggy-toast and brought it to the station! Later Robster made some coffee, which totally made my morning as well, and I think thoroughly improved the final hour of the show.

Anyway, the main thing I want to talk about today is the layering that happened about half way through with Jack and the Beanstalk and LCD Soundsystem. I am a little haunted by it, both because I really enjoyed it, and because many things went wrong. The way that the two tracks meshed together was pretty astounding, and even small things like the rate of an actor's speech, or the scratches on the vinyl seemed to go along with the beat of the LCD Soundsystem record. Unfortunately, the Jack and the Beanstalk record was pretty damaged, and kept skipping without me noticing. Yes, I should have been paying attention, but sometimes it's unavoidable. On the other side though, the skipping was kind of interesting, and I don't necessarily regret that it happened. I neither like nor dislike this layering, but admire it in a very objective way.

How did you feel about it? What did you like?

[Artist: Song - Album]

1. Alfred Newman: 20th Century Fox Fanfare - Star Wars IV
2. The Meters: Groovy Lady - Jam
3. Herbie Hancock: Honey From The Jar - Feets Don't Fail Me Now
4. Crystal Castles: Magic Spells - Crystal Castles
5. John Williams: Cantina Band - Star Wars IV
6. The Capricorns: End of the World Love Song - Pure Magical Love
7. Joan Baez: Crack In The Mirror - Gone From Danger
8. John Williams: Cantina Band #2 - Star Wars IV
9. Buddy Holly: Brown Eyed Handsome Man - The Crickets 20 Golden Greats
10. Ella Fitzgerald: That Old Black Magic - Ella In Rome
11. Oojami: Sitare - Bellydancing Breakbeats
12. Rinken Band: Kansha Sabira - Japan Not For Sale Vol. 2
13. Anne Queffélec: Jeux d'eau - Ravel: Piano Works
14. Arif Sag: Su diyari Gurbet Elde - Insan Olmaya Geldim
15. Various: Khangayn Magtaal - Mongolie
16. Asobi Seksu: Strawberries - Citrus
17. Lead Belly: Good Morning Blues - Where Did You Sleep Last Night
18. Various: Jack and the Beanstalk - Let's Pretend
19. LCD Soundsystem: aa onastic dub - north american scum
20. Gotan Project: Confianzas - Inspiración-Espiración
21. The Funkees: Ole - Dancing Time
22. Louise Attaque: Toute cette histoire - Louise Attaque
23. Donna Summers: Journey To The Centre Of Your Heart - Bad Girls
24. Chiwoniso: Nhemamusasa - Ancient Voices
25. Black Moth Super Rainbow: Tooth Decay - Eating Us
26. The Botho Lucas Choir: Sei Lieb Zu Mir - From Germany With Love
27. Sarolta Zalatnay: Itt A Nyár (with Locomotiv GT) - Sarolta Zalatnay
28. Geckoturner: Limón En La Cabeza - Guapapasea!
29. Galliano: Believe - The Plot Thickens
30. Darkthrone: Det Svartner Nå - Hate Them
31. S.P. Balasubrahmanyam: Dil Deewana - Hindi Film Hits
32. D'arcangelo: n-tower - Broken Toys' Corner
33. Yolanda Kondonassis: La Cathédrale engloutie - Debussy's Harp
34. Clarence Reid: No Way Out - Eccentric Soul 17
35. Electroputas 3: AA - Electroputas 3
36. Dan Del Santo: No More - Off Your Nyash
37. Alan Dargin with Michael Atherton: Fantastic Plastic - Bloodwood
38. Fantastic Plastic Machine: Fantastic Plastic World - Fantastic Plastic Machine

Love Them:

1. Star Wars IV: Anything to do with this CD went well on the show. The beginning with the fanfare completely made my week, and both of the Cantina Band tracks were totally stellar. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as me, but even if you didn't...I don't really care. Hahaha. 
2. The Funkees: A Nigerian funk band?! Hell yes! This was an awesome surprise to find in the new soul stuff against the wall! 
3. Fantastic Plastic End: I felt really satisfied with the end of my show, linking together the ideas and sounds so well. Also, I love the Fantastic Plastic World album. 

Have Them:

1. Skipping/Neglect: As I was chatting with my roommate, and sipping coffee, I realized I should check on the turntables just to be safe, and luckily Rob got to them a bit earlier and saved them from skipping for eternity. Apparently the Jack and the Beanstalk record was very scratched, and it also skipped when the LCD Soundsystem record stopped, which is not a very interesting sound, I tell you what. That'll teach me to socialize ever. 
2. Debussy on Harp: This was just too quiet to hear. I ended up having to turn it all the way up, which caused kind of a weird buzzing noise. Silly classical CDs. Y U NO LOUDER?!
3. Tooth Decay: This sounded all right, but it wasn't exactly what I wanted. Felt a little low energy. 

Thanks for reading/listening! 

Freestailo #38 - 6/22/12

Right Click/Ctrl-Click to Download Freestailo #38 Here

Why I want it to rain

I woke up this morning, and for once in my life, I wasn't totally stoked to go to the station and play you some tunes. We've all had that morning: you wake up, stare at the ceiling, realize you got up earlier than your alarm, lie in bed some more, realize you need to DJ, put on some pants, and grab some records. If it hadn't been for a small theme of "rain" I found between two records I had, I probably wouldn't have had so much fun. 

All right, now let's talk about my experience with the long layer that I did for this show. There were a lot of things I liked, but also a lot of things I didn't like. My thought process for it was to start soft with the guitar, and use the Robert Lax recording to slowly layer, but I accidentally put in the wrong CD, which was a dumb mistake. I think that might have gotten me in a weird groove, despite fixing it immediately. After that, I layered the "Istomonography" track, which perhaps just added a lot of white noise to the equation, along with the jungle sounds, which was more white noise, in a sense. As I listened back to this, it was almost annoying, until the Carpet Musics track came in, which I simply put on repeat for the duration of the layering. I think that this gave a lot of stability to the layering. It had the same calming sound like Robert Lax, but brought together the noise to make aural sense. The Ravi Shankar track was next, which was an interesting balance for the layering, because at times it went together well with the Carpet Musics track, and at times it went together with the noise tracks.

A little infographic I modded for y'all. You're welcome.

Throughout the track, I found myself really focusing on Robert Lax and Carpet Musics, and grouping the others together in a separate track completely, as if the layering was composed of only 2--maybe 3--parts. This brought me to a small revelation about freeform, and the layering technique: it must be aurally comprehensible. I don't know about all of you, but for me, my brain can only take so much of a "noise" soundscape before my ears shut down from listening critically, and therefore must have something to separate. Instead of having 6 things to try to understand, my brain split it into 2 or 3. To successfully layer something, I've concluded that the listener must be able to divide and comprehend it aurally, and that for a long layering, it's best to add things one at a time, with a good solid space in between.

Robert Lax

My favorite thing about the layering piece was the moment when the tracks slowly started ending, but Robert Lax was still talking. I could feel my body relax more and more, especially after such tension throughout the piece, and when it came down to just 1 track (still Robert Lax), my brain had no choice but to focus itself completely, almost like meditation. Like I said before though, I definitely have mixed feelings about how it actually sounded, but the fact that I strandled the line of failure helped me really understand more about how I create more interesting pieces for you guys. 

Let me know what you thought of the show, and especially the layering! 

[Artist: Song - Album]

1. Ladysmith Black Mambazo: Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain - Shaka Zulu
2. Hugh Masekela: Motlalepula (The Rainmaker) - Techno Bush
3. Edith Piaf: D'Accordéoniste - Disque D'or de Edith Piaf
4. Kohwi: Rem - Hidden Trees
5. Moe Tucker: Hey, Mr. Rain - Moe Tucker
6. Mira: Don't - Mira
7. The Marcels: Blue Moon - The Best of Doo Wop Uptempo
8. Los Marimbas Caliente: Macarenas - The Gaiety and Romance of a Holiday in Mexico
9. Kid Loco: (track 1) - The Graffiti Artist
10. Julius Katchen: Variations & Fugue on a Theme by Handel - Brahms: Complete Piano Works
11. Whale: Deliver The Juice - All Disco Dance Must End In Broken Bones
12. Bob Dylan: Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 - The Essential Bob Dylan
13. Coco Rosie: Trinity's Crying - Grey Oceans
14. Mo Kenney: Eden - Eden/Great Escape
15. Tabla Beat Science: Triangular Objects - Tala Matrix
16. Billie Holiday: Stormy Weather - The Unique Billie Holiday
17. Ed Sullivan: How Are Things In Glocca Morra? (From "Finian's Rainbow") - Songs of Ireland
18. Daedelus: Fair Weather Friends - Love To Make Music To
19. Bobby Darin: Mack The Knife - Beyond The Sea/Mack The Knife
20. The White Stripes: Red Rain - Get Behind Me Satan
21. Amon Amarth: Across The Rainbow Bridge - Versus The World
22. Kazumi Totaka: Rainy Day - Animal Crossing GC OST
23. Santiago Navascues: Gaspar Sanz: Twelve Dances from "Instrucción de Música Sobre la Guitarra Española" - Music For The Spanish Guitar
24. Robert Lax: Various - Wake up re:lax
25. Nautical Almanac: Istomonography - Cisum
26. Rainy Season Sounds - Sounds of a Tropical Rain Forest in America
27. Carpet Musics: Hail Storm - Weekday
28. Ravi Shankar: Raga Kaushi Kanhara: Gat in Dhamar - Full Circle Carnegie Hall 2000
29. Bonnie Pink: It's gonna rain! - Rurouni Kenshin Themes
30. Red Sea Pedestrians: Golden Apple - The Electromagnetic Escape
31. Osibisa: Seaside Meditation - Welcome Home
32. The Andrews Sisters: Rum & Coca-Cola - Rum & Coca-Cola/Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
33. The Supremes: The Lady Is A Tramp - The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart
34. Rafael Mendez: The Little Russian Donkey - Magnificent Mendez
35. Madeleine Peyroux: California Rain - Half The Perfect World
36. The Carpenters: Superstar - Superstar/Beasts & Children
37. Himadari: Lucid Lure + Ah, Elektra - Himadari
38. Trio Mediaeval: Nu solen går ned (The sun is setting) - Folk Songs
39. Faze Action: Là-bas c'est naturel - I <3 Serge
40. Regina Spektor: Raindrops - (unreleased demo)
41. Cookie Monster and the Girls: Me Lost Me Cookie At The Disco - Sesame Disco
42. E. Koestyara and Group Gapura: Sangkala - Sangkala

Good things:

1. Rum & Coca-Cola: I bought this gem at the NXNE Record Fair, and I hadn't listened to it before bringing it to you guys, so this was as much a surprise for me as (possibly) you. Can't wait to play Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy sometime.
2. Cookie Monster: I think this was a pretty nice way to wrap up the show. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for die Discothek now. 
3. Ladysmith Black Mambazo: I've been listening to this record for the past week quite a lot, and I keep falling in love with it. I'm really happy I got to share it with you guys. You'll probably hear it again. 

Bad things: 

1. Pauses: I don't think they were tooo long, but there were a few pauses that I didn't have a handle on because I was previewing the next song to play, and just lost my head. That'll teach me not to drink coffee before coming to the station.
2. Yawning: Sorry about this. Maybe you don't care, but if we were having a conversation and I kept yawning like I was, that would just be flat-out rude, and not my style. Was this distracting for you?
3. Trio Mediaeval: I just wasn't digging this. The recording was too quiet, and it was just a bit languid for where this was in the set. 

Thanks a lot for listening, and please give me some feedback if you have any! Or even just say hey. Until next week! 

Freestailo #37 - 6/8/12

Right Click/Ctrl-Click to Download Freestailo #37 Here

Hey gang.

This show had its ups and downs, I'm not going to lie. There were moments where I was screaming in the studio because I thought that the Hellmouth had opened up to swallow my radio show.

The real story of why WCBN is in the basement of the Student Activities building.

Anyway, despite all of that, I ended up really enjoying my show. I had a couple of really encouraging callers, and especially towards the end of the show I started to really get into a groove.

[Artist: Song - Album]

1. Jody Miller: Under Your Spell Again - Sings the great hits of Buck Owens
2. Claude Nougaro: Le Gardien de Phare - Nougayork
3. The Macpodz: 9 Lives - The Truth EP
4. Goran Bregovic and his Wedding and Funeral Band: Venzinatiko - Alkohol
5. Flaco Jimenez: Por Una Mujer Bonita - Flaco Jimenez
6. The Chemical Brothers: A Modern Midnight Conversation - We Are The Night
7. Bernard Herrmann: Twisted Nerve - Kill Bill Vol. 1
8. Radiohead: Motion Picture Soundtrack - Kid A
9. Hajime Wakai, etc.: Theme of Skyward Sword ~Ballad of the Goddess~ - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
10. DJ Spooky: Ibid, désmarches, ibid - Optometry
11. Messer Chups: Satan Jeans - Crazy Price
12. Laximikant Pyarelal: Aa Jaane Jaan - Bollywood Bloodbath
13. Mortician: Zombie Apocalypse - Zombie Apocalypse
14. Vladimir Horowitz: Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 1 - Horowitz Plays Chopin
15. The Button Pushers: Music To Shoot People To - Music For 8-Bit Video Games
16. Chicago Symphony Orchestra: Mvt. 1: Rêveries, Passions - Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
17. Caspian: Ghost of the Garden City - Tertia
18. Emeralds: Diotima - Emeralds
19. Pentangle: Meat On The Bone - Think Of Tomorrow
20. The Terraplanes: She Loves Me - Peak Performance
21. The Klezmatics: Ergets Shtil/Baym Taykh (Softly Somewhere/At The River) - The Well
22. Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra: Three Orchestral Pieces: Präludium - Berg: Violin Concerto, etc.
23. Billie Holiday: I love you Porgy - Greatest Hits Vol. 1
24. Single Cell Orchestra: Heaven Knows (Twitch Mix) - The Liberated EP
25. Ralph Thamar: Les enfants du soleil - Ralph Thamar
26. Rasputina: 1816, The Year Without A Summer - Oh Perilous World
27. Cinematic Orchestra: Brotherhood - The Allenko Brotherhood Ensemble
28. Radiohead: Lozenge of Love - Lost Treasures 1993-1997
29. The Mabuses: Tiger Lilies - Mabused!
30. Coppé: Watch Radio - Mercury
31. Goblin: Suspiria - Suspiria
32. Mark Kirschenmann: SilverSkyScape - The Bionic Trumpet
33. Klaus Schultze: Irrlicht, I. Satz: Ebene - The Essential
34. Nawal: Salama (Peace) - Aman
35. Cat Power: He Turns Down - Moon Pix
36. Cat Scientist: Cicada - Cicada
37. Solvent: Mitgang Audio Remix - Radio Ga Ga Pt. 2

He Turns Up:

1.  Suspiria: I had no idea what to expect with this (as with 70% of the soundtrack section), and I think this was probably the highlight of the show for me. I can't wait to listen to the rest of the soundtrack, and I really want to watch the movie now. 
2.  Twisted Nerve: This is always good, and always makes me want to watch Kill Bill. 
3. The Mabuses: I pulled this at random because of the cool cover, and I liked it way more than I thought! Will be playing this again. All of the tracks sound really different, and are all a lot of fun. 

He Turns Down:

1. Radiohead debacle: Yeah I'm so sorry about that. *shrugs* Oh well. 
2. My way of words: I have no idea what I was saying tonight guys. Apparently I was a huge mess. Haha. I don't think it was too terrible, but definitely not my best composure on a show. 

 See you next week.

Freestailo #36 - 6/1/12

Right Click/Ctrl-Click to Download Freestailo #36 Here

Guten Tag, meine Freude! Wie geht's?

So I was looking up pictures for this blog post, and because I few songs were German, and I've been wanting to go to Heidelberg here in Ann Arbor, I decided to give you many pictures of German bar maids carrying copious amounts of Bier. Magst du das? Auch, wer will trinken viel Bier mit mir am Donnerstag? Vielleicht nicht.

This show (despite being only slightly German), was pretty dark, compared to my usual shows. I blame it on the rain, and honestly, I think it was pretty perfect for a rainy day. I even had a caller affirm my feelings, so thanks dude. There was lots of German schtuff, metal, and lots of weird ambient music, and I had a pretty good time of it. What do you think?

This show was one of those days where I realized when radio is truly relevant in my life, because when you're listening to internet radio, or a CD you like, you can only get a certain feeling. When you're listening to the radio, the DJ can change how they feel at any second, and often will be feeling similar things to what you are feeling, especially in lieu of shitty weather.

Anyway, onto the playlist!

[Artist: Song - Album]

1. Aretha Franklin: Nobody Knows The Way I Feel This Morning - Aretha Sings The Blues
2. Les Satellites: La Basse L'a Rendu Fou - Riches Et Célebres 
3. Gipsy Kings: Canto A Brazil - Compas
4. Freeze Puppy: June On TV - Animation
5. Kill Memory Crash: Crash V8 - Kill Memory Crash
6. Kassav': Bolero - Kassav'
7. Benny Goodman: Oh, Lady Be Good! - The Complete Small Combinations
8. IAYD: Red Giants (Pts I & II) + Like A Phoenix - Like A Phoenix
9. Hanzel und Gretyl: ich bin über alles - über alles
10. Rammstein: Sonne - Sonne EP
11. Carpet Musics: sleeping (on trains) - Weekday
12. Taraf de Haïdouks: Bartok: Ostinato & Romanian Dance - Maskarada
13. Sigur Rós: Dögun - Von
14. Anthony and the Camp: How Many Lovers (a capella) - How Many Lovers
15. Zach Hill & Mick Barr: Lakes in Space - Shred Earthship
16. Sigur Rós: Hafssól - Von
17. Radioinactive: Pyramidi - Mush filmstrip (frame 1)
18. Gotan Project: triptico - la revancha del tango
19. Stevie Wonder: Happy Birthday - Hotter Than July
20. Ruth Wallis: My Children Are My Treasure - Love Is For The Birds
21. Jean-Jacques Goldman: C'est ta chance - Traces
22. Baloji w/Konono No. 1: Karibu Ya Bintou - Kinshasa Succursale
23. Rare Air: Treebranch - Space Piper
24. Mariza: Boa Noite Solidão - Fado Tradicional
25. Black Joe Lewis: Please Pt. Two - Tell 'Em What Your Name Is
26. Coldcut: Just For The Kick - Sound Mirrors
27. Maya Angelou: Sepia Fashion Show - Black Pearls
28. Mamud Band: Zombie - Opposite People the Music of Fela Kuti
29. J Dilla: Body Movin' - The Shining
30. Fra Fra Sound: Mampira - Dutch World 2005
31. Yma Sumac: Chuncho - Yma Sumac Recital
32. Terrorizer: Dead Shall Rise '06 - Darker Days Ahead
33. The Scammers: Sally's Walk - All System Are Go Go
34. Takako Minekawa: Never/More - Roomic Cube
35. Towa Tei: Technova - Future Listening!
36. Smoke City: O Cara Lindo (Mr. Gorgeous) - Onda Sonora

Lady Be Good:

1.  Dögun/Lovers/Lakes Layer/Hafssól: This was probably one of the darkest pieces I've done in a long time, and definitely the noisiest. And when I mean noise, I do not mean that negatively. There was a whole lot of stimulation in this, and I did a lot of playing with the turntable as well, going fast and slow and backwards, etc.
2. Kill Memory Crash: Wow I didn't know I would like this so much. This is beautiful. I want all of it.
3. Rammstein: I love me some Rammstein. This takes me back to high school. I'll have you know I had the speakers turned up as loud as I could stand in the station. 

Lady Be Bad:

1. Goldman: I'm sorry for anyone who liked this, but this is really not my bag. I also think it kind of put the show in a weird lull. What do you think?
2.  Towa Tei: Eh. This was OK. I have a fairly neutral opinion of Towa Tei after I grabbed a bargain CD at the WFMU Record Fair, so maybe I need to reassess my opinions to be unbiased...
3. Freeze Puppy: This wasn't as good as the cover led me to believe, with it's cartoon boy and cartoon boy with a cartoon frisbee playing outside. 

See you next week!