Isabel Khalili sits down with Brian, Jenn, and Dr. West, hosts of KEXP’s punk show Sonic Reducer, to celebrate its 20th anniversary. After reminiscing about the origins and evolution of the show, each DJ shares a new short, fast ‘n loud track they’re excited about. Plus, we hear about the show’s namesake song and what makes it an all-time great. As always, we end on one standout release from KEXP’s Music Director team. This time, we hear about a sprawling track with an unconventional story from ...
May 13, 2024•36 min•Ep. 5
To celebrate the start of “Pushing Boundaries,” KEXP’s programming for Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Isabel Khalili chats with Diana Ratsamee. Diana is the host of Eastern Echoes, KEXP’s weekly show exploring music of all styles from Asia and the Asian diaspora. They talk about the 1980’s Lao song that connects Diana with her family’s story, plus three new songs that span the globe, from brain-tingling electro-punk from Southern China to Middle Eastern surf rock. And, as always, we ...
May 06, 2024•32 min•Ep. 4
Janice Headley chats with Albina Cabrera, co-host of El Sonido, KEXP’s modern Latin music show, and also our Latin Partnerships and Editorial Manager. Albina shares highlights from her recent travels to SXSW in Austin, TX, and the Isle of Light music festival in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, plus three songs that are playing in her headphones lately, and one that reminds her of moving to Seattle. And, as always, we hear about one standout release recently added to KEXP’s rotation, straight ...
Apr 29, 2024•17 min•Ep. 3
In this episode, Isabel Khalili talks with Kevin Sur, co-host of KEXP's global Indigenous music show, Sounds of Survivance. They discuss the way he approaches his show and defining "Indigeneity," then Kevin shares the stories behind three new songs he's been loving. He also talks about his journey to find the origins of a West Papuan funk track from the 70s, and what it taught him about their freedom struggle. Plus, KEXP Music Director Chris Sanley shares a haunting new track about isolation and...
Apr 22, 2024•28 min•Ep. 2
On our inaugural episode of In Our Headphones, host Janice Headley chats with Cheryl Waters about three new songs that are playing in her headphones lately, plus one song that stands the test of time for her. They also talk about how Cheryl got her start as a DJ and some stand-out memories from hosting Live on KEXP in-studio sessions. Plus, as always, we hear about one standout single recently added to KEXP’s rotation, straight from Music Director Chris Sanley. Songs featured: Brimheim - “Fell T...
Apr 15, 2024•35 min•Ep. 1
Introducing KEXP’s newest music discovery podcast. In Our Headphones brings you five song recommendations every Monday, straight from KEXP’s DJs and Music Directors. We learn stories and insights about the artists, make connections between the music and the world around us, and get to know the diverse roster of DJs that make up the KEXP airwaves. Join hosts Janice Headley and Isabel Khalili on this never-ending journey of music discovery. Our first episode launches Monday April 15 with the legen...
Apr 13, 2024•1 min
Before introducing you to 2024's most downloaded Song of the Day, Janice Headley and Isabel Khalili share an exciting update about what's to come on this feed on Monday, April 15. Song of the Day has brought listeners full song downloads every weekday for nearly 20 years – that's close to 5,000 songs! We appreciate you being along for the ride, and we hope you'll stick with us as we evolve the series to bring you more of what KEXP does best: music discovery with a human touch. Next week, this fe...
Apr 12, 2024•11 min•Ep. 4729
On April 15, a new music discovery podcast is coming to this feed. Until then, we're counting down ten of the most downloaded songs from each of the last ten years. Today, Isabel Khalili brings us back to 2023 with ODESZA & Yellow House's "Heavier." Read more about the track on KEXP.org . Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 11, 2024•6 min•Ep. 4728
On April 15, a new music discovery podcast is coming to this feed. Until then, we're counting down ten of the most downloaded songs from each of the last ten years. Today, Janice Headley brings us back to 2022 with Samora Pinderhughes' “Masculinity (feat. Immanuel Wilkins)”. Read more about the track on KEXP.org . Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 10, 2024•7 min•Ep. 4727
On April 15, a new music discovery podcast is coming to this feed. Until then, we're counting down ten of the most downloaded songs from each of the last ten years. Today, Isabel Khalili brings us back to 2021 with Bizarrap, Duki & Nicki Nicole's "YaMeFui" chosen by Albina Cabrera and DJ Chilly. Read more about the track on KEXP.org . Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 09, 2024•5 min•Ep. 4726
On April 15, a new music discovery podcast is coming to this feed. Until then, we're counting down ten of the most downloaded songs from each of the last ten years. Today, Janice Headley brings us back to 2020 with Chicano Batman's "I Know It," chosen by Kevin Cole. Read more about the track on KEXP.org . Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 08, 2024•3 min•Ep. 4725
On April 15, a new music discovery podcast is coming to this feed. Until then, we're counting down ten of the most downloaded songs from each of the last ten years. Today, Isabel Khalili brings us back to 2019 with Hezza Fezza's "Like Prince," chosen by Kevin Cole. Read more about the track on KEXP.org . Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 05, 2024•5 min•Ep. 4724
On April 15, a new music discovery podcast is coming to this feed. Until then, we're counting down ten of the most downloaded songs from each of the last ten years. Today, Janice Headley brings us back to 2018 with Among Author's "Lure," chosen by Kevin Cole. Read more about the track on KEXP.org . Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 04, 2024•10 min•Ep. 4723
On April 15, a new music discovery podcast is coming to this feed. Until then, we're counting down ten of the most downloaded songs from each of the last ten years. Today, Isabel Khalili brings us back to 2017 with Nilüfer Yanya's "Baby Luv," selected by Kevin Cole. Read more about the track on KEXP.org . Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 03, 2024•5 min•Ep. 4722
On April 15, a new music discovery podcast is coming to this feed. Until then, we're counting down ten of the most downloaded songs from each of the last ten years. Today, Janice Headley brings us back to 2016 with Morgan Delt's "Some Sunsick Day," chosen by John Richards. Read more about the track on KEXP.org . Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 02, 2024•6 min•Ep. 4721
KEXP's Janice Headley and Isabel Khalili make an appearance on Song of the Day for a special announcement. Change is coming to this feed on April 15. Until then, we're counting down ten of the most downloaded songs from each of the last ten years. Today, we revisit Mike Gervais' "Lost (Sone Remix)" from 2015, selected by Sharlese. Read more about the track on KEXP.org . Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 01, 2024•9 min•Ep. 4720
Chalk - "Asking" from the 2023 Conditions EP on Dutch Tilt Belfast-based post-punk trio Chalk reflect on past relationships on today's Song of the Day. As vocalist Ross Cullen explains in a press release, “It’s a reaction to feelings of ours that look at the past and a longing for others who aren’t in your life anymore. How we grow as people and those we leave behind as a result. We wanted 'Asking' to follow the recollection of someone whose memories are fading when trying to remember about some...
Mar 29, 2024•3 min•Ep. 4719
Bantu Spaceship - "Bantu Cakes" from the 2023 album Bantu Spaceship on Nyami Nyami Harare, Zimbabwe-based duo Bantu Spaceship celebrates the music of their homeland with their Afro-futuristic self-titled debut album, out now via Nyami Nyami. Vocalist Ulenni Okandlovu incorporates Ndebele chants to the laid-back production work of his partner Joshua Madalitso Chiundiza. As they explain in an interview with 15questions.net , "The both of us were in search of unique alternative Zimbabwean sound, ha...
Mar 28, 2024•3 min•Ep. 4718
Ana Lua Caiano - "Deixem O Morto Morrer" from the 2024 album Vou Ficar Neste Quadrado on Glitterbeat Records Based out of Lisbon, Ana Lua Caiano combines traditional Portuguese music with modern electronica on her debut album Vou Ficar Neste Quadrado , out April 5th via Glitterbeat. Ana studied classical music for eight years, and then studied jazz for four years — a pedigree that can be heard in her complex compositions. Today's Song of the Day examines a man's death, and in a Google-translated...
Mar 27, 2024•3 min•Ep. 4717
Championne - "Bilboquet" a 2024 self-released single Vocalist/musician Mathilde Lejas has been active in the Rennes music scene for a while now, but has finally branched out on a solo project titled Championne . Her self-titled debut EP is a coldwave-tinged collection of dark dreampop, with Lejas's poetic lyrics spinning a web over it all. Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Mar 26, 2024•3 min•Ep. 4716
Flore Laurentienne - "Voiles" from the 2022 album Volume II on RVNG Intl. Recording under the name Flore Laurentienne , composer, orchestrator, and musician Mathieu David Gagnon captures rich, romantic instrumentals, inspired by the wilderness in his hometown of Montreal, Québec. In fact, his latest album — titled Volume II — was inspired by Canada’s St. Lawrence River, with the instrumentation designed to "illustrate and illuminate the river’s flow." Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the ...
Mar 25, 2024•3 min•Ep. 4715
mega cat - “Rat Fight” from the 2024 album mega cat on Share It Music Sure, we've all been witness to a rat fight, but leave it to Seattle's own mega cat to capture the energy in today's Song of the Day. After co-founders Kim West (piano and synthesizer) and Ryan Devlin (bass and guitar) watched the melee in a neighbor's yard (the press release reveals "one rat picked the other up and threw him down with such force that the couple heard an audible thud"), the couple knew the song they'd been wor...
Mar 22, 2024•3 min•Ep. 4714
Les Amazones d'Afrique - “Flaws” from the 2024 album Musow Danse on Real World Records On today's Song of the Day, all-female African supergroup Les Amazones d’Afrique — which translates to "The Amazons of Africa" — celebrate the so-called imperfections that make each of us unique. “The song has a simple message,” Malian singer Mamani Keïta explained in a press release. “The perfect person does not exist. We all have our flaws and imperfections which we carry with us through life. But there is b...
Mar 21, 2024•3 min•Ep. 4713
Nusantara Beat - “Kota Bandung” a 2023 single on Bongo Joe Amsterdam-based sextet Nusantara Beat is comprised of members of EUT, Altın Gün, Jungle By Night, POM, and Surf Aid-Kit. Together, they celebrate Indonesian classics, like on today's Song of the Day, which is a cover of a traditional '70s single. Their interpretation of "Kota Bandung" brings a modern vibe to its garage-surf-rock style, with psychedelic guitars and Megan De Klerk's alluring vocals. Read the full story at KEXP.org Support ...
Mar 20, 2024•4 min•Ep. 4712
Francis of Delirium - “Blue Tuesday” from the 2024 album Lighthouse on Dalliance Records Francis Of Delirium — a project of Luxembourg-based artist Jana Bahrich — is set to release their debut LP, Lighthouse , on March 22nd via Dalliance Recordings. “For this album, hope is the prevailing feeling I’m left with after making it and listening to it,” Bahrich said in a press statement. “The idea is that there is this light guiding you out into a space where you can be more open and accepting of love...
Mar 19, 2024•3 min•Ep. 4711
Four Tet - “Loved” from the 2024 album Three on Text Records Long-running electronic artist Four Tet — real name: Kieran Hebden — returns with his twelfth studio album, titled Three, which came out last Friday via his own label, Text Records. Four Tet's previous LP was 2020's Parallel . Last year, he teamed up with Skrillex and Fred Again for a sold-out five-hour show at Madison Square Garden. Read the full story at KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listen...
Mar 18, 2024•4 min•Ep. 4710
Clinton Fearon - "LOL" from the 2024 album Survival Vibration on Kool Yu Foot / Boogie Brown Productions Seattle's own reggae legend Clinton Fearon returns with his 14th full-length solo album on April 5th, titled Survival Vibration . He declares today's Song of the Day as "one of my very favorites on the album," adding, "I love the simple ways of how it reminds us to take care of ourselves. For over 30 years I’ve been telling my friends and fans to do what they love and love what they do. Final...
Mar 15, 2024•4 min•Ep. 4709
Summer Pearl - "feel right" from the 2023 album outmysystem on Kitto Records London-based artist Summer Pearl taps into her Jamaican/Grenadian heritage on her debut mixtape, outmysystem , which was released late last year. Infusing reggae and dub influences into her neo-soul sound, her latest release features a guest appearance from reggae royalty Liam Bailey and production by the prolific broken beat pioneer, Kaidi Tatham. "This project is a collection of songs, some of which I wrote almost eig...
Mar 14, 2024•2 min•Ep. 4708
GC OConnor - "Love on High" a 2023 single on Low Key Source Australian artist GC OConnor makes a powerful introduction with her debut single "Love On High," capturing a jazzy alt-R&B sound that she describes as "stoner-soul." The single was produced by Sydney/Gadigal-based duo The Goods. In a press release, OConnor shares, “This track speaks to all the years of chasing the dance floor ‘love at first sight’ feeling. The brief elation of fleeting entanglements. And the lows of not actually car...
Mar 13, 2024•4 min•Ep. 4707
Quantic - "Run (feat. Andreya Triana)" from the 2023 album Dancing While Falling on Play it Again Sam For the past twenty years, DJ/producer/multi-instrumentalist Will Holland has crafted a unique blend of dance music under the name Quantic , mixing in funk, soul, bossa nova, cumbia, jazz, and more. The British-born New York-based artist calls his latest LP — titled Dancing While Falling — his most "grown up release to date." Citing disco influences like Bohannon and Larry Levan, Holland explain...
Mar 12, 2024•4 min•Ep. 4706
