DJ El ToroBio: DJ El Toro: Variety Mix, Weds. 9PM—1AM By day, El Toro masquerades as bespectacled writer Kurt B. Reighley. Raised in Virginia, educated in Indiana, and schooled by New York City, he has interviewed such diverse icons as Mel Tormé, Loretta Lynn, Antony, and Brian Eno, swapped trousers with Robbie Williams, and shared his popcorn with Björk. He is the author of several books, including “United States of Americana: Backyard Chickens, Burlesque Beauties & Handmade Bitters – A Field Guide to the New American Roots Movement” (Harper Collins, 2010). His prose currently appears on MSN Music and the KEXP blog, and in The Stranger, SF Weekly, and Time Out New York; he also maintains too many blogs, including www.kurtbreighley.com. His favorite album is “Shag Tobacco” by Gavin Friday (Island Records, 1995). In his spare time, he is reproducing a series of classic LP covers, full-scale, in 18 gauge needlepoint; his current subject is Talking Heads’ “Remain In Light.” |
Inspired by the success of this summer’s “4AD 4VR” theme show (as well as some surprising results in the countdown of the Top 500 songs of all time), tonight my program celebrates Manchester’s seminal Factory Records. From 9PM to 1AM, “FAC 90.3″ will showcase the artists, both legendary and less so, that made this upstart one of the most influential independent labels in music history. In addition to the big stalwarts like Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays, Durutti Column, and A Certain Ratio, you’ll hear tunes from Section 25, Crispy Ambulance, and Quando Quango, plus representative samples from Factory’s sister labels, Factory Benelux and Les Disques du Crépuscule, a few covers of Factory catalog classics, and much more. You want rarities? How about Kevin Hewick‘s “Haystack” (the first recording by the surviving members of Joy Division after the death of Ian Curtis) or the original Factory version of “Almost” by OMD? From 1978 until its demise in 1992, Factory was a label defined by attitude, eclecticism, style… and occasionally willful obstinacy. “FAC 90.3″ aspires to reflect that spirit, with KEXP’s distinctive flair and deep musical knowledge.
 KEXP's Cheryl Waters introducing OMD at Mellow Johnny's during SXSW I geeked out hard about my adoration of UK synth-pop duo Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark on the KEXP blog last year, and I was beside myself with joy when they played live for KEXP during the 2011 SXSW music conference. Well, except for the fact that I wasn’t there! Happily, OMD are touring the West Coast right now, playing Seattle tonight, September 29 at the Showbox SODO. Paul Humphreys of OMD was kind enough to hop on the phone with us for a few minutes to bring us up to speed on the band’s current activities and future plans, plus a few reminiscences. DJ El Toro: Thank you again for playing on KEXP during SXSW. That was one of the best-received live performances we’ve hosted in the five or six years I’ve been at the station. Paul Humphreys: That was our favorite show at SXSW. We did some pretty crazy things, but that was a really good one. That’s really nice to hear that kind of feedback. We had fun. We love playing live. Because we stopped playing live for a quite a long time, we’ve really been enjoying it again. People have been telling us they think we’re better live now than we ever used to be—probably because we can play better!
Almost inevitably, when I meet with clients for weddings and other events where I’ve been hired to DJ, and I ask what kind of music they like and dislike, they say “…and no disco.” But after digging a little deeper, what usually comes forth is that they really don’t want to hear the same half-dozenRead more –
When I read the opening paragraphs of Frank Bruni’s editorial for the Sunday New York Times, for a moment I thought the Op-Ed contributor had been flipping through my diary: IN the mid-1980s, when I was in college, what concerned and frustrated my peers and me was how few states had basic statutes forbidding discriminationRead more –
We’ve all heard about locavores, foodies dedicated to consuming only products grown and made in their immediate geographic region. At KEXP, our passion for promoting music made close to home is insatiable. “Locavoracious,” as it were. Yes, we’re counting down the very best Local Albums of all time in the final hours of the SummerRead more – |
