Pushing Boundaries is KEXP’s celebration of Asian and Pasifika stories through music, taking place on-air and online throughout the month of May. Follow along as we explore the work of artists from Asia, the Pacific, and the diaspora. From stories that contemplate the differences between appreciation and appropriation in music, to highlights of the work and resilience of our local community.
We kicked things off on Wednesday, May 1st with a team of DJs broadcasting live from Seattle's Wing Luke Museum for a day of conversation, celebration, and of course music! Listen on-demand below via our two-week Streaming Archive.
If you missed a minute of our May 1st Kick-Off Day, re-listen using KEXP's Two-Week Streaming Archive. (Stream expiring on Wednesday, May 15th.)
Host: DJ Miss Ashley
Guest: Rochelle (YiuYiu) from Chinatown Records Project
Host: Mike Ramos
Guests: Richard Saguin from Trichome, and 90.TEEN DJs Kap Uwak & Montana
Host: Kevin Sur
Focus: Intertwining Pasifika + South Asian music
Host: DJ Larry Mizell, Jr. + Prometheus Brown
Guests: DJ Daps1 and Nobi
Host: Diana Ratsamee
Guests: Sokha from Mam’s Bookstore and Derrick from A Resting Place
Host: DJ Jewel
Focus: Playing tons of 70s Cambodian, Indonesian, Thai psych, modern explorations of Guruguru Brain label, and more
A Resting Place is a grief & loss cultural resource center located in Seattle’s Chinatown International District. A Resting Place provides a peaceful no-cost refuge for navigating separation & loss through letter writing, art, and bereavement resources. A Resting Place believes grief has the power to transform our communities towards a more just, loving, and accountable world. They are open on Fridays and Saturdays noon to 5 PM. Find them on Instagram at @arestingplace.sea.
Please join A Resting Place on May 25th, 12-6 PM for Memory Mixtape, a music event featuring local DJs spinning tracks in honor and memory of deceased loved ones.
UTOPIA Washington is a sanctuary for Queer and Trans individuals in Washington State offering free healthcare, food access, intergenerational support, cultural revitalization and preservation, and more. Founded in 2009, we envision a world of abundance, autonomy, and harmony, where all forms of supremacy cease to exist. We operate at the crossroads of cultural stewardship and social justice, acknowledging that the intersections that make us different are what bring us together. Learn more by visiting www.utopiawa.org
Dunya Productions: Established in 2019 by a group of primarily MENA (Middle East, North African) artists and supporters creating a space to amplify and celebrate our vibrant community. We are using our group’s diversity and extensive theatre and production skills to create a new voice in Seattle. Dunya Productions engages the Seattle community and beyond by producing and creating provocative pieces and supporting the development of new works.
CID Coalition is a grassroots group of community organizers dedicated to fighting displacement in the Chinatown-International District, centering the needs of the community in development decisions, and standing in solidarity with other groups who are fighting displacement. Connect with us at cidcoalition.com
This May, CID Coalition is supporting the reopening of Bush Garden — the country’s first karaoke bar and a longtime CID community hub that was forced to close its historic location in 2021. Join CID Coalition in making sure Bush Garden — and the CID — remain home for Seattle’s Asian and Pacific Islander communities for generations to come!
