IDLES - "Dancer (feat. James Murphy & Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem)" from the 2024 album TANGK on Partisan Records Today's Song of the Day teams up two powerhouse KEXP faves: UK band IDLES and LCD Soundsystem ’s James Murphy and Nancy Whang . It's the first single from IDLES' forthcoming fifth full-length, Tangk , due for release on February 16th via Partisan Records. IDLES frontman Joe Talbot says the new album will be full of enchantment. "I needed love. So I made it," he says in a press...
Jan 18, 2024•3 min•Ep. 4668
Stepan i Meduza - "Осеньs," a 2018 self-released single Ukrainian duo Stepan i Meduza evoke the spirit of early Depeche Mode on this captivating synthwave track. Kiev-based musicians Burkov Aleksandr (vocals, guitar, synth, programming, mixing) and Mashkin Dmitry (bass guitar, vocals, synth, programming) have been releasing music together for over a decade, starting with their 2012 debut LP Bludnitsa . Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystud...
Jan 17, 2024•4 min•Ep. 4667
Dharmacide - "Horses/Divorces" a 2023 self-released single Hailing from Madrid, Spain, shoegaze quintet Dharmacide thrilled with their dreamy debut LP, Cult Band Member , in 2021. With today's Song of the Day, they achieve one of the ultimate shoegaze honors of working with Mark Gardener of genre-icons Ride, who mixed, mastered, and produced the track from his OX4 Studios. Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...
Jan 16, 2024•4 min•Ep. 4666
Bien et Toi - "Haiku" from the 2023 Voici EP on Temple Records L.A.-based producer Gianluca Buccellati has been racking up accolades, especially for his work on the 2021 Arlo Parks album Collapsed in Sunbeams . He crafts just as much beauty on his own music, which he records under the name Bien et Toi. With its warm, sunny vibes, his latest EP — the six-song release Voici — is the perfect antidote to grey winter weather. "This collection of songs was created when I was in a completely carefree s...
Jan 15, 2024•3 min•Ep. 4665
Bella Cuts - “Until Everybody Is Free” from the 2023 album Rise Up: BDS Mixtape Vol. 2 on Amplify Palestine “The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free” — Dr. Maya Angelou Berlin-based artist Bella Cuts originally wrote today's Song of the Day as an anthem for the Internationalist Queer Pride Berlin. It has since gone on to become the theme song for The Solidarity Index , a podcast "exploring cultural power for collective liberation." The track was built around a vocal sample...
Jan 12, 2024•6 min•Ep. 4664
Bosq & Kaleta - “No Walls" from the 2023 compilation album By the People, For the People on House of Afandi Records Long-time collaborators Bosq & Kaleta team up again for an Afrobeat-inspired disco funk groove. Born Benjamin Woods in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Bosq is now based in Colombia where he has dominated dance floors with his blends of Afro-Latin music with Disco, Funk, Reggae, House, and Hip Hop. Singer/songwriter/producer/musician Leon “Kaleta” Ligan-Majekodunmi was born in Port...
Jan 11, 2024•5 min•Ep. 4663
Baraari - "Habal (feat. Jurum) (prod. Julmud),” a 2023 self-released single Based in Ramallah, Palestine, MC/singer Baraari blends Arabic melodies with hip-hop in today's Song of the Day. When not recording her own music, she's also active in pre-production of different audio/visual projects with artists Basel Abbas & Ruanne Abu Rahme, and organizes events and private parties in Palestine. Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listen...
Jan 10, 2024•2 min•Ep. 4662
Bint il Sham - "Ishtar” from the 2023 compilation album By the People, For the People on House of Afandi Records A relatively new singer/songwriter, Bint il Sham says her music is "driven by translating the journey of being a Palestinian refugee between Amman and Damascus." Her songs mix minimal electronica with poetry and sociopolitical messages related to her own experiences. Today's Song of the Day is the title track from her 2023 EP, inspired by the book Lugz Ashtar (or The Mystery of Ishtar...
Jan 09, 2024•4 min•Ep. 4661
El Waili - “TGLY” from the 2023 compilation album By the People, For the People on House of Afandi Records Egyptian artist El Waili — a project of rapper/producer Kareem Gaber — takes his name from a neighborhood where he once lived in Cairo. "I started to produce music that translates my sonic experience while living in the El Waili neighbourhood," he told Egypt Today . "I wanted to deconstruct the urban noises and present a perspective and a feeling with a distinctive music style and drops." R...
Jan 08, 2024•3 min•Ep. 4660
Hak Baker - "DOOLALLY" from the 2023 album Worlds End FM on Hak Attack Records / AWAL Hak Baker has penned a party anthem with today's Song of the Day. (It even garnered him a collaboration with spiced rum brand Sailor Jerry, who released a limited edition "DOOLALLY" bottle back in the summer.) The East London-based artist was born to a Grenadan father and a Jamaican mother, and combines his love of reggae and punk into his lauded debut LP Worlds End FM . “We thought we was big, big boys, going ...
Jan 05, 2024•3 min•Ep. 4659
Aphex Twin - "Blackbox Life Recorder 21f" from the 2023 EP Blackbox Life Recorder 21f on Warp Today’s Song of the Day marks the first new music from electronic music icon Aphex Twin (aka Richard D. James) in five years. (And it's been nearly ten years since his last album, 2014's Syro .) His latest EP — titled Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / In a Room7 F760 — is a percussive-heavy delight. with a surprising synth-laden sensitivity. His signature glitchiness is ever-present, but the song also reflec...
Jan 04, 2024•4 min•Ep. 4658
Afrosideral - "Aggayu El Immenso" a 2023 single on Ocha Records Under the moniker Afrosideral , multi-instrumentalist/producer/songwriter Kumar Sublevao-Beat explores the mystical side of his culture. On today's Song of the Day, in particular, he pays tribute to the Aggayú Orisha, which is said to be "an esteemed Yoruba deity of wilderness and change," most associated with powerful flowing forces like volcanic lava and raging rivers. (An "Orisha" is a divine spirit that play a key role in the Yo...
Jan 03, 2024•6 min•Ep. 4657
Troy Kingi - "All Your Ships Have Sailed" from the 2020 album The Ghost of Freddie Cesar on All Good Absolute Alternative Records When he began his career, New Zealand-based actor/musician Troy Kingi set a goal to release 10 albums in 10 genres across 10 years, which he calls the "10/10/10 project." Today's Song of the Day comes from his funk-inspired album, which is also his most personal album: it was inspired by a cassette tape owned by his father, who tragically disappeared around Christmas ...
Jan 02, 2024•4 min•Ep. 4656
Lord Echo - "Whoa! There's No Limit (feat. Mara TK)(Alternate version)" from the 2023 album Rarities 2010-2020: Japanese Tour Singles on Soundway Records. New Zealand-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Lord Echo (aka Mike Fabs) digs into the vault for a new compilation from London's Soundway Records, titled Rarities 2010 - 2020: Japanese Tour Singles . The title really does say it all: the eight-track LP shares digital versions of what were vinyl-only singles released only in Japan, at the...
Jan 01, 2024•4 min•Ep. 4655
Freekind. - "Visualize" from the 2023 album Since Always and Forever on Butter92 Croatian duo Freekind. combines the talents of pianist and vocalist Sara Ester Gredelj and drummer Nina Korošak-Serčič. On their debut LP, Since Always And Forever , they craft a soulful sound with nods to pop, hip-hop, and jazz. Today's Song of the Day, in particular, brings a peaceful groove they say is meant to inspire. As they write on their website , "We were at a period in our lives where we had the possibilit...
Dec 29, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4654
Bulgarian Cartrader - "Golden Rope" from the 2022 self-released album Motor Songs . Berlin-based musician Daniel Stoyanov pays tribute to both his birthplace and his love of cars with his musical project, Bulgarian Cartrader. "My name sounds Eastern European, and to be precise I was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, and came to Germany when I was 4. I grew up in Germany, but stayed connected to Bulgaria, kept the language, and mingled a lot with friends and family," he explained to Exberliner.com . As fo...
Dec 28, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4653
Pearly Drops - "I Cry While You Sleep (Dream, Ivory version)" from the 2023 EP Haunted Expansion Pack on Cascine Helsinki-based duo Pearly Drops pull '80s influences through their prismatic synthpop sound. Their latest EP — titled Haunted Expansion Pack — features special remixes of tracks off their sophomore LP, A Little Disaster , which came out earlier this year. Today's Song of the Day is a remix of "I Cry While You Sleep," reinvented by Dream, Ivory , a production team of siblings Louie and...
Dec 27, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4652
Berry Galazka - Leash from the 2023 Leash EP on Climax Records & Sweat Entertainment Each artist we're featuring this week is a Music Moves Europe Awards nominee. The MME Awards are the EU-funded prize for emerging artists. There are 15 nominees for these prestigious awards and the winners will be announced Thursday, January 18 at the ESNS festival in Groningen, NL. Listeners/viewers can vote for their favorite artist for the MME Public Choice Award here . Born in Poland, raised in Florida, ...
Dec 26, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4651
Ana Lua Caiano - "Mão na Mão" from the 2023 self-released album Se Dançar É Só Depois Portuguese multi-disciplinary artist Ana Lua Caiano studied classical music for eight years, and then studied jazz for four years at the prestigious Escola De Jazz Luiz Villas-Boas, the oldest jazz club in Europe. In 2017, she joined the acoustic ensemble Os Vertigem, but when the pandemic hit and she couldn't play music with others anymore, she decided to embark on a solo endeavor. Caiano combines traditional ...
Dec 25, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4650
Panthervision - "Wish You Were Here (Baby it's Christmas)" a 2023 single on Fetish Pop This week, we are continuing a long-held tradition of featuring Christmas-themed Songs of the Day, selected by Brian Foss, one of the hosts of KEXP’s punk show Sonic Reducer. He will be hosting his 20th annual Punk Rock Xmess on Saturday, December 23rd from 9 PM to midnight PT, and then tune in on Monday, December 25th from 7 AM - 4 PM PT, for No Standards Christmas. You won't hear a single "holiday standard,"...
Dec 22, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4649
Problem Patterns - "Christmas Number One" a 2020 self-released single This week, we are continuing a long-held tradition of featuring Christmas-themed Songs of the Day, selected by Brian Foss, one of the hosts of KEXP’s punk show Sonic Reducer. He will be hosting his 20th annual Punk Rock Xmess on Saturday, December 23rd from 9 PM to midnight PT, and then tune in on Monday, December 25th from 7 AM - 4 PM PT, for No Standards Christmas. You won't hear a single "holiday standard," but instead get ...
Dec 21, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4648
Ricardo Autobahn - "Christmas Isn't Halloween," a 2020 single on Banoffee Sound Today's Song of the Day isn't Ricardo Autobahn 's first Christmas hit, not by a long shot. Under his birth name of John Matthews, he had a smash single with his band Cuban Boys in 1999, with the track "Cognoscenti vs. Intelligentsia" reaching #4 on the UK charts on Christmas week, and topping the infamous John Peel's Festive Fifty that year. You may also recognize Autobahn's talents in the projects Barndance Boys and...
Dec 20, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4647
Longboat - "Christmas Socking" from the 2018 self-released album Come and Get Your Christmas This week, we are continuing a long-held tradition of featuring Christmas-themed Songs of the Day, selected by Brian Foss, one of the hosts of KEXP’s punk show Sonic Reducer. He will be hosting his 20th annual Punk Rock Xmess on Saturday, December 23rd from 9 PM to midnight PT, and then tune in on Monday, December 25th from 7 AM - 4 PM PT, for No Standards Christmas. You won't hear a single "holiday stan...
Dec 19, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4646
SQUISH! - "SNIFF MY PISS FOR CHRISTMAS," a 2023 self-released single This week, we are continuing a long-held tradition of featuring Christmas-themed Songs of the Day, selected by Brian Foss, one of the hosts of KEXP’s punk show Sonic Reducer. He will be hosting his 20th annual Punk Rock Xmess on Saturday, December 23rd from 9 PM to midnight PT, and then tune in on Monday, December 25th from 7 AM - 4 PM PT, for No Standards Christmas. You won't hear a single "holiday standard," but instead get a...
Dec 18, 2023•1 min•Ep. 4645
Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 15, 2023•7 min•Ep. 4644
Zaid Kreshan - "Shadeed" from the 2023 compilation album By the People, For the People on House of Afandi Records Cairo-based Jordanian artist Zaid Kreshan can often be found doing production for Arabic Pop artist Zaid Khaled (and as a content creator for SceneNoise), but he steps to the forefront for today's dreamy, yet frenetic Song of the Day. Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 14, 2023•2 min•Ep. 4643
Oun Jweinat - "Love We Battle" from the 2023 compilation album By the People, For the People on House of Afandi Records DJ/producer Oun Jweinat divides his time between Liverpool, England, and Amman, Jordan, where he's part of the music-collective-turned-record-label House of Afandi, who've released this week's Songs of the Day. Jweinat began mixing and DJing at the age of 11, inspired by his older brother. His captivating compositions make him a stand out in the Middle-Eastern electronic music ...
Dec 13, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4642
Arabian Panther - "Gaza’s Tears" from the 2023 compilation album By the People, For the People on House of Afandi Records French/Lebanese DJ/producer Arabian Panther has long used his music as a platform for social justice. He performs on stage obscured behind a black keffiyeh, as a sign of support to the Palestinian cause and to his roots. To him, the "Arabian Panther" is a fictional character, a warrior atop a feline, inspired by Alamut and the Ashashins. He has long been a staunch supporter o...
Dec 12, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4641
Moktar - Free Palestine from the 2023 compilation album By the People, For the People on House of Afandi Records Egyptian-Australian artist Moktar proudly infuses influences from his Middle-Eastern heritage into his techno, house, and electro compositions. (His father is a famed Egyptian conductor and composer of Arabic and folk music.) As he states on Instagram , "I’ve witnessed many talented musicians in Palestine and Europe facing significant challenges, losing opportunities, and being pushed...
Dec 11, 2023•7 min•Ep. 4640
ODESZA - "In the Rain," a 2023 single on Foreign Family Collective Beloved Bellingham-based boys ODESZA share a new single, both as a stand-alone track and available on volume two of the Rave.wavs compilation series released via their own Foreign Family Collective label. The duo of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight state simply, "'In the Rain' was written on the road while performing our The Last Goodbye Tour. We wanted to make something fun and high energy that would particularly work well in a...
Dec 08, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4639
