Roddy Nikpour revisits 1986 with the track “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” from the Beastie Boys’ debut album.
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Dusty Henry revisits 2012 with the track “Oldie” by Odd Future. The posse cut led to the rise of one of the most influential groups of the last decade.
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Rachel Stevens takes us back to 2021 with the track “Industry Baby” by Lil Nas X.
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Dusty Henry takes us back to 2005 with the track “luv(sic) pt 3” by the late, legendary Japanese producer Nujabes.
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Dusty Henry takes us back to 1980 to pay homage to rap’s first superstar, Kurtis Blow, and his legendary hit “The Breaks.”
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Roddy Nikpour talks with Canadian author Mike Sholars about the 1997 Playstation game PaRappa the Rapper.
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Jasmine Albertson revisits 2015 with the track “The Blacker the Berry” by Kendrick Lamar.
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Martin Douglas revisits 1991 with the track “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” by Geto Boys.
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Larry Mizell Jr. revisits 1979 with the track “Rapper’s Delight” by Sugarhill Gang.
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Dusty Henry revisits 2013 with the track "3005" by Childish Gambino (aka the actor, writer, rapper, and all-around wunderkind Donald Glover).
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Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by Larry Mizell, Jr., host of the Afternoon Show on KEXP, is "New Years UnResolution" by L'Rain, a 2023 single from Mexican Summer Records.
Larry Mizell Jr. revisits 1985 with the track "I Can't Live Without My Radio" by LL Cool J.
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Dusty Henry and Martin Douglas team up to revisit the 2003 double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below by Outkast.
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If you're only aware of one Daniel Johnston album, Hi, How Are You is probably that one album - whether you've heard it, heard of it, or seen its cover image on a t-shirt worn by Kurt Cobain. As far as I can tell this was the first of his cassettes to receive wide release as an LP (five years after…
Composing great dance music is more than just choosing the right beats per minute and finding a catchy synth patch. It's about capturing an emotional impulse in the groove – that indescribable, wordless "something" that resonates beyond how it booms out the speakers. It's an idea that Seattle produ…
DJ NHK Guy is the alias of Seattle-via-Fukuoka electronic producer Jesse Lopez, creator of some of the finest juke/footwork rhythms to emerge locally as well as internationally in the last few years. Fusing a love for disco, J-pop, vaporwave, R&B, and video game soundtracks through frenetic and…
Live in the KEXP's gathering space last Tuesday, we celebrated a special edition of our Songbook Live series, featuring an hour-long conversation between DJ Kevin Cole and Pearl Jam guitarist, and photographer, Mike McCready. Mike's new book, Of Potato Heads and Polaroids, is filled with photos, mo…
Sigur Ròs want you to go to hell. No, wait. The Icelandic icons have announced they'll be organizing their own festival, Norður Og Niður, a name that translates to “go north and go down” but can also mean “everything’s going to hell.” From December 26th through 31st, the venue Harpa will host musi…
It's morbid, but you're probably thinking it, too: after losing so many musical icons in 2016 (see here and here), I felt it was important to see Brian Wilson in concert. Now 74 years old, the brilliant but troubled songwriter celebrated the 50th anniversary of The Beach Boys' landmark album Pet So…
Last year, the documentary The Smart Studios Story premiered, a tribute to the now-legendary recording studio, founded by also now-legendary producer/musician Butch Vig and Steve Marker. Opened in 1983 when the two were college students at the University of Wisconsin, and closed in 2010 after a dec…
