Publicity Director Ella Presiado publicity@wkcr.org
Business Manager
Solène Millsap business@wkcr.org
Department Directors
Jazz Emma Lacy & Hadassah Weinmartin jazz@wkcr.org
New Music
Phi Deng newmusic@wkcr.org
Classical
Charlie Kusiel King classical@wkcr.org
Dear Listeners,
Casey Lamb Station Manager WKCR 89.9 FM
American Ben Rothman american@wkcr.org
In All Languages
Jayin Sihm ial@wkcr.org
Latin Damaris Lindsay latin@wkcr.org
News & Arts
Macy Hanzlik-Barend & Ian Pumphrey news@wkcr.org
Sports Mason Lau sports@wkcr.org
This month, we have a wealth of excellent programming ahead. We start out with the first leg of our Louis Armstrong Birthday Broadcast with 24 hours of his music on the 4th of July (the second leg is August 4th demarcating his actual birthday as opposed to the day he thought it was, July 4th).
On July 7th, we will be initiating a new birthday broadcast this year which will be an all day Gustav Mahler Birthday Broadcast. We intend to play all the symphonies and much more so be sure to tune in for the new special broadcast! We then continue with the Albert Ayler Birthday Broadcast on July 13th, one of our first birthday broadcasts ever returning for another year!
In this On-Air Guide read a fantastic interview with two time Jazz Department Director Stephen Park who just graduated, read an exciting piece about Porch Stomp–the folk festival that takes place on Governors Island every year, and read about the station’s favorite live venues and much more in this edition.
Thank you so much for tuning in continuously and for reading the On-Air Guide, we are eternally grateful.
Radio On,
Cover design by McCartney Garb
Month On Air
by Ella Presiado AMERICAN
OFolk Musique Concrète: Exploring the Spatial and Sonic Organization of Porch Stomp
n a very sunny Saturday morning, with a water bottle and lots of sunscreen in my backpack, I took to the West Side Highway for a sweaty bike ride down to Wall Street. I was making the pilgrimage down Manhattan and across the river to Governor’s Island for Porch Stomp, a festival that has been offering New Yorkers free folk performances for the last twelve years. As I sat on the ferry I could easily see the island. Despite sitting so close to the bottom of Manhattan when there, one feels worlds away. Soon enough, the ferry docked, I grabbed my bike off the rack, and rode around the perimeter of the island. Before this, I had never been to Porch Stomp; in fact, I had never even been to Governor’s Island. I quickly began to understand the charm of the island. It’s 19th-century architecture standing beside the rugged Manhattan skyline. It was striking; what used to be pressed up against what is. I made my way towards the interior of the island and met some friends in Nolan Park.
Covered by the shade of a pine tree, we sat on the grass and listened. Where we were sitting, we could hear bits and pieces of the many
groups playing all around us. Porch Stomp is unique among other festivals in that most of the stages are loosely demarcated areas. There are no barricades, no VIP areas, etc. The spatial organization of Porch Stomp enables a sort of borderless space in which festival goers can flow freely from stage to stage. More interesting to me was the way in which sound carried itself around the island. The lack of physical barriers at Porch Stomp makes the sonic experience undeniably organic. As I sat on the grass on the Northeast side of the island, I felt the soundscape of Porch Stomp fill the air around me. Directly in front of me, I listened to a fully instrumental set from a group on a seemingly unmarked stage. To my left, I could hear Steff Reed from the Folk Music Society of New York Stage. Behind me, a bass player was lightly plucking the strings of his instrument for tuning. All of this, combined with the general ambience of a park full of people, flowed into one big beautiful body of sound, like a kind of musique concréte.
The philosophy of sound at Porch Stomp is reflected in the festival’s entirety. In collapsing
the spatial and sonic exclusivity of the typical music festival model, community, which is so central to Porch Stomp and the folk music it highlights, can blossom. From the organizers to the artists and the staff, the festival is entirely volunteer-operated. Love for the music that moves throughout the space is the driving force behind Porch Stomp.
As I sat on the grass in Nolan Park and attuned myself to the sights and sounds of Porch Stomp, it became clear that it is a festival that could only happen in New York City. Behind the foreground of full trees and 19thcentury homes, the very top of the city’s skyline poked out, serving as a reminder of the artistic energy of the city, an energy that runs like a current throughout the island. Porch Stomp is an ode to the sprawling traditions of American Folk music, sung through the whine of slow fiddle, the chime of a washboard, the fuzzy
of an airplane in the distant sky. Through its many disparate sounds, which somehow, find themselves fluid next to each other, Porch Stomp invites us to embrace a collapse of sonic and spatial rigidity and sing along in the love song to Folk music.
Photographs by Ella Presiado
Ella Presiado is the WKCR Publicity Director.
A MEMBER
RAn Interview with Stephen Park
by Rachel Smith
achel Smith: How did you find your way to WKCR?
Stephen Park: Although I had first heard about WKCR while reading through various music blogs in high school (specifically those of Kevin Sun and Ethan Iverson, who mentioned the work of Phil Schaap on Birdflight numerous times, though I believe I stumbled across Ted Panken's site as well), I only became involved with the station during my Sophomore year (Fall 2021) through the sheer coincidence that I was living on the same floor as Sam Seliger, who would encourage me to get involved when we hung out. I began hanging around the station that semester and did my first show the following March.
Carvin's "Antiquity."
The recent live broadcasts have been really special as well, but the experience of doing the Village Vanguard broadcast has stuck with me in particular. The Vanguard has meant so much to me since I was a kid, and the enthusiasm for the broadcast was so pure and genuine among everyone involved. I'll remember that day for a long time.
RS: Can you pick a favorite WKCR memory, or a few, to tell us?
SP: My first regular show was "Jazz Until Dawn" in its Sunday 2am-6am incarnation, so I have a lot of fond memories of blasting music all night and talking to the regular callers at that time then getting fresh bagels from Absolute. I remember distinctly that the very first record I played on air was Jackie McLean and Micheal
RS: You’ve been Jazz Department Director here not once, but twice. What is special, for you, about the Jazz Department? How do you see your place in it?
SP: The most special quality of the department here is that it is truly part of the scene, and has been for decades. Within the department, there's a deep respect for the music and towards everyone who has contributed to it across every area and generation of the community. The department does what it can to help share and uplift the music and community around it and, in turn, has earned the respect of those involved. This being the case for decades, and with many fantastic alumni remaining involved with the station, there is an incredible amount of knowledge and stories and pure love for the music floating around the station, which makes for a wholly singular community.
Illustration by McCartney Garb
Regarding my part in it, I'm just another person who's happy to share this love for the music.
RS: You host “Out to Lunch” on Fridays. How do you plan what to play on your shows?
SP: While I'll sometimes have a few items in mind that pop up over the course of the week, I usually don't plan anything until the morning of, and even then I never fully chart out an OTL. Generally, I like to think about sonic and/or historical through-lines that connect recordings, especially recordings that might seem wholly unrelated at the surface, and give myself the flexibility to engage with these connections as they emerge from the sound of whatever is currently playing.
RS: You also host “Now’s the Time” on Fridays, dedicated to emerging jazz artists. On that front, who have you discovered recently? Who are you listening to now?
SP: There are an unbelievable amount of incredible artists on the scene today. Some, such as Immanuel Wilkins and Samara Joy, are at the forefront already. Among those who might be lesser known (and this is by no means comprehensive): Emmanuel Michael, Emilio Modeste, Nicole Glover, Alfredo Colon, Ekep Nkwelle, Jon Elbaz, Zekkereya El-magharbel, Nate Jones, Skylar Tang, Steph Clement, and Jayla Chee are all outstanding and performing regularly.
RS: You’ve also been a huge part of our live broadcasts lately: from the Vanguard, Close Up, and the Blue Note. So I wanted to ask you: what’s your favorite club in the city? And if that’s too hard, what’s the last club you went to and who did you see?
SP: Deep down, the Vanguard will always have my heart because of how long I've been going there (and listening to music recorded there). Of course, the Blue Note is an excellent venue as well and a real staple of the scene, as well as
one of the last venues that still does extended, multi-week residencies. Out of the newer venues, Close Up deserves special mention because, aside from the great experience that the club provides, they have truly cultivated a beautiful community of artists and friends around it. They recently celebrated their one year anniversary and I hope that they are open for many more years.
RS: Are you also a WKCR listener? Which shows do you tune into?
SP: Birdflight, of course (when I'm awake for it). Matt "Fatcat" Rivera's Tuesday OTL slots are especially delightful as well. Eastern Standard Time is always outstanding too. Most importantly, whatever show is on when I'm driving!
RS: Where do you see WKCR going in the future? What kind of legacy do you want to leave here?
SP: As long as the programmers at WKCR continue to have a deep respect for the music and the community that this station supports, I'm not too concerned about the direction it's heading in. Beyond the music, the work that WKCR has done to provide on-the-ground reporting on campus events in recent months/ years has been truly essential in providing accurate, contextualized information to the general public. The need for this kind of nuanced, on-the-ground reporting when the university is in the national spotlight is clear, and I hope that they continue to provide it uncompromisingly.
Personally, I'm just grateful to have been able to contribute a little bit to this department and to the station as a whole.
Stephen Park is a regular host of Out to Lunch on Fridays from 12-2 PM and Now's the Time on Fridays from 8:3 -9:30 AM
Human After All: Twenty Years Later
by Charlie Kusiel King
Listening to Daft Punk’s Human After All, released in 2005, one may not be quick to guess that it is the French band’s third studio album. Just off the heels of Discovery (2001), a record flush with rich, digital textures and romantic in scope–now widely regarded as being among the greatest electronic dance albums of all time–the duo decided to experiment. Instead of using a multitude of instruments, featuring guest vocalists, and taking as much time as they saw fit, Daft Punk gave themselves a box to work in: six weeks of studio time and hardly any equipment. “We really liked the idea of setting a new kind of parameter for us,” said Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter for TIME in 2013. “Two drum machines and two guitars and one vocoder and one eight-track machine. We were interested in the roughness somehow, and the contrast it provided.”1 In the vast world of computerized music today, the limited kit Bangalter describes is nearly unthinkable (imagine, for instance, a band limiting themselves to tin buckets). On the album, however, these self-imposed limitations are as impressive as they are evident.
The opening drum patterns of the first, and titular, track of the record signal immediately a stark departure from the lush style of Discovery. The minimal, industrial feel, usually loud and in the listener’s face, does not disappear for the 10 track, 45 minute long runtime–notably shorter than those of Daft Punk’s first two albums. Oftentimes, listening carefully to Human After All, one can count the sounds they hear on one hand. During offbeats, between
1 de Homem-Christo, Guy-Manuel, and Bangalter, Thomas. “Robocall: A Conversation with Daft Punk.” Time Magazine, 21 May 2013
the heavy, meatless drums, over-amplified guitar and barebones vocoder, silence slips through the cracks, again, a negative space unimaginable in the landscapes of their earlier music. Moreover, the songs are composed in a loop style, ready-made for remixes and the dance floor, compared to a classic ternary-type form (verse, chorus, verse, chorus) as present on Discovery (and most popular music).
Critical reception varied wildly, with a negative slant, upon the release of Human After All. The album possessed a “lack of invention,” noted Jack Smith of the BBC, and sounded like a “collection of demos that didn’t make the grade for the previous album.”2 Simon Reynolds wrote for Blender that it was “as if the duo–Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo–have retreated into their studio playpen to lick their wounds” after failing to become “more than merely a cult band.”3 Overall, many would go on to consider Human After All the weakest of Daft Punk’s records.
Despite mixed reactions at the time, the album grounded itself as an essential piece of both Daft Punk’s discography and electronic music in general. The French duo’s second live album, Alive 2007, relies heavily on tracks from Human After All. Their fourth and final studio album, Random Access Memories, hinges just as much on the philosophy and critical lessons learned from Human After All as it does from the pure, fun dance grooves of their earlier music.
2 Smith, Jack. “Daft Punk Human After All Review: A Very Difficult Third Album from France’s Foremost House Pioneers.” BBC Music, 2005
3 Reynolds, Simon. “Daft Punk, Human after All.” Blender, 2005, reynoldsretro.blogspot.com/search?q=human+after+all.
Human After
All also paved the way for countless other electronic-rock fusion projects, including major albums like Justice’s 2007 debut Cross. I first became aware of Daft Punk in 2013 during the sensation which was Random Access Memories. They remained on my radar for years–hits like “Digital Love” and “Instant Crush” were always favorites–but it wasn’t until more recently that I took the deep dive into their music. The record that finally convinced me of their prowess: Human After All. It seems to me that the biggest failures on the behalf of disappointed critics and listeners at the time were mistaking sound for artistic vision, showcasing an inability to move on from Daft Punk’s previous work and, finally, believing that the duo had moved in retrograde. Human After All is Daft Punk’s most, if only, personal album, and is not at all concerned with creating the feel-good experiences many associate with uptempo house music. In fact, among the most impressive traits of the album is its intersection of serious meaningmaking with electronic dance music, an accomplishment not to be understated.
The concept album, like the duo’s 2006 companion film Electroma, chronicles the quest of two robots seeking to understand human life; its minimal and unpolished nature is intentional, as if to say that human life is difficult to rationalize. What technology does, however, in attempting to understand the real world, is make reductions and averages (a phenomenon ever more prevalent with the advent of artificial intelligence), therefore it follows that the only style of composition ever available in Human After All could have been looping. Through the record’s simplicity and repetitive nature, Daft Punk strives to find a deeper meaning than they had in any music
up until that point. Instead of reliving–and becoming stuck in, like many of their peers–the club scenes of their earlier years, the duo created in their third album an opportunity to move forward. Bangalter and de HomemChristo, both on the brink of their 30s at the time of production, used this album to look inward and to draw connections with others in an attempt to reckon with the changing world around them. Much in line with this theme, “The Prime Time of Your Life” urges the listener to “come on and do it.”4
The album, Bangalter goes on for TIME, is ultimately about “the dance between humanity and technology,” a sentiment seen plainly in tracks like “Technologic,” which blurs the lines between the computer and daily life. But it is also a collection of highly interpersonal songs, such as “Human After All,” proclaiming that we have “much in common, after all,”5 or “Make Love,” which is, in my view, Daft Punk’s greatest romantic work, and arguably the simplest piece on the album. Like “Make Love,” the repetitive nature found throughout is perhaps its most moving quality. The duo’s ability to invoke complex emotional reactions from the listener by using single lines of melody played again and again is nothing short of remarkable.
With Human After All, Daft Punk bring the metaphor of their masquerade as two robots to life, commanding their audience to examine the world around them, filled to the brim with technology and separation from others, ultimately wagering that we are all Daft Punk, and we are all human. Now twenty years on since the release of their third album, this message, understated and yet loud, only seems more important.
4 Daft Punk. “The Prime Time of Your Life.” Human After All, Virgin, 2005.
5 Daft Punk. “Human After All.” Human After All, Virgin, 2005.
Charlie Kusiel King is Classical Director and host of The Early Music Show Fridays from 9:30-12:00pm
Human After All, Album Cover
am
am
Sin Fronteras
Jazz Alternatives
Nueva Canción
Som do
Special Broadcasts
SPECIAL BROADCASTS
Louis Armstrong Birthday Broadcast
Friday, July 4, all day
Satchmo’s autobiography, My Life in New Orleans, begins “When I was born in 1900…It was the Fourth of July.” A baptismal certificate discovered in the 1980s actually documents his birthday as August 4, but Louis and his mother maintained that he was born on July 4 (which is also, poetically, the birthday of the United States). Here at WKCR, we celebrate both July 4 and August 4 with a 24-hour birthday broadcast each.
Gustav Mahler Birthday Broadcast
Monday, July 7, all day
Gustav Mahler stands among the most important and revolutionary composers, particularly for the orchestra and symphonic format. He earned his living primarily as a conductor. Like any innovative genius, he often struggled to receive critical or popular approval during his lifetime for the works he composed. As usual, we will present a varied program of his most beloved and lesser-known works.
Albert Ayler Birthday Broadcast
Sunday, July 13, 2PM-Midnight
Avant-garde saxophonist and composer Albert Ayler was the subject of our very first jazz festival in 1970. His style is notoriously hard to categorize––because it knows no boundaries. While Ayler did not find a public during his lifetime to appreciate his work, he inspired the admiration of John Coltrane; at Coltrane’s
request, Ayler played at his funeral alongside Ornette Coleman. Listeners can prepare to ascend to the spiritual realm with 10 hours of nonstop Albert Ayler.
THEMED SHOWS
SUNDAY PROFILES
Sundays 2:00-7:00 PM
TBD
July 6th, 2:00-7:00PM
Host: TBD
TBD
July 13th, 2:00-7:00PM
Host: TBD
TBD
July 20th, 2:00-7:00PM
Host: TBD
TBD
July 27th, 2:00-7:00PM
Host: TBD
Photograph of Gustav Mahler by Moritz Nähr
Show Listings
JAZZ
Daybreak Express, weekdays 5-8:20am
Out to Lunch, weekdays 12-3pm
Jazz Alternatives, weekdays 6-9pm
The core of our jazz offerings, these three programs span the entire range of recorded jazz: everything from New Orleans jazz, jazz age, swing era, bebop, hard-bop, modal, free, and avant-garde. Hosts rotate daily, offering an exciting variety of approaches, some of which include thematic presentation, artist interviews, or artist profiles.
Birdflight, Tues.-Thurs. 8:20-9:30am
Archival programs from the late Phil Schaap, one of the world’s leading jazz historians, who hosted this daily forum for the music of Charlie Parker for about 40 years.
Now's The Time*, Fri. 8:20-9:30am
The newest show from WKCR Jazz is dedicated to jazz as a living art form, providing a weekly space to listen to the young and current musicians pushing the genre forward.
Traditions in Swing, Sat. 6-9pm
Archival programs from the late Phil Schaap, this awardwinning Saturday night staple presents focused thematic programs on jazz up until about World War II. Schaap presents the music, much of it incredibly rare, from the best sound source, which is often the original 78 issue.
Phil Lives*, Mon. 3-5am
Archival broadcasts of longform programs from late NEA Jazz Master Phil Schaap.
CLASSICAL
Cereal Music, Mon.-Thurs. 9:30am-12pm
An entirely open-ended classical show to start your weekdays. Tune in to hear the most eclectic mix of classical music on the New York airwaves!
The Early Music Show, Fri. 9:30am-12pm
Dedicated primarily to European medieval, Renaissance, and baroque music, all from before 1800 (±50 years).
Extended Technique*, Wed. & Thurs. 3-6pm
WKCR’s first interdepartmental show (in the New Music and Classical departments) dedicated to contemporary classical music. You’ll hear everything from 12-tone and minimalist compositions to film and video game scores, and all things in between.
Afternoon Classical, Fri. 3-6pm.
Similar to Cereal Music, most of Afternoon Classical has no restrictions on what type of classical music to play. The last hour of the show, however, is dedicated fully to the music of JS Bach.
Saturday Night at the Opera, Sat. 9pm-12:30am.
One of NYC’s longest running opera shows, Saturday Night at the Opera is a 3.5 hour show that allows operas to be played in their entirety, with room for commentary, descriptions, and some history.
NEW MUSIC
Afternoon New Music, Mon. & Tues. 3-6pm
Our daytime new music program features a wide variety of music that challenges boundaries and subverts categorizations. Shows include everything from seminal new music compositions to the most challenging of obscure deep cuts and new releases.
Transfigured Night, Tues./Thurs./Sat. 1-5am
Our overnight explorations into the world of new music, Transfigured Night rewards our late night listeners with a wide range of sounds and experimental music.
Workaround*, Fri. 9-10pm
WKCR presents live DJ sets from Columbia students and local artists.
Live Constructions, Sun. 10-11pm
This weekly program features a live in-studio performance or a performance pre-recorded specially for the show.
AMERICAN
Honky Tonkin’, Tues. 10-11pm
One of WKCR’s longest-running American music programs, Honky Tonkin’ lands in the harder side of Country music. Emphasizing the greatest voices in the genre, Honky Tonkin’ is a country music dance party every Tuesday night.
Tuesday’s Just as Bad, Tues. 11pm - Wed. 1am
Tuesday’s Just as bad explores the world of blues prior to World War II. Shows weave their way through the first decades of recorded music history and turn to the postwar years in the final half hour.
* Indicates show was created after January 2022
LISTINGS FOR LISTENERS
Night Train, Wed. 1-5am
All aboard! One of our two overnight programs in the American department, Night Train rolls through the postwar R&B and soul tradition, from the genre’s emergence in the 1940’s and 50’s through the funk revolution in the 1970’s. Shows often feature extended live recordings and concerts.
Offbeat, Fri. 1-5am
Offbeat is committed to broadcasting undiscovered new hip hop music. Shows typically focus on exposing underplayed or up-and-coming new artists, including experimental instrumental artists not typically played on mainstream hip hop radio.
Across 110th Street, Sat. 12-2pm
Kicking off our Saturday afternoon American music run, Across 110th Street airs soul, funk, and dance music from the 1960’s through the 1980’s and 90’s.
Something Inside of Me, Sat. 2-4pm
Something Inside of Me is WKCR’s Saturday afternoon blues show, focusing mostly on the electric and post-war styles.
Hobo’s Lullaby, Sat. 4-6pm
Rooted in the folk revival of the 1950s and 60s, Hobo’s Lullaby airs American folk and traditional music styles from the early 20th century through the present day. From old staples like Leadbelly, Elizabeth Cotton, and Woody Guthrie to contemporary stalwarts like the Carolina Chocolate Drops and lesser known artists, domestic traditions are alive and well on Hobo’s Lullaby.
Notes from the Underground, Sun. 12:30-2am
Notes from the Underground showcases contemporary hip hop and rap music with an emphasis on emerging and experimental artists. The program also hosts local and visiting artists for interviews, freestyles, and guestcuration.
Amazing Grace, Sun. 8-10am
Greeting listeners on Sunday morning, Amazing Grace shares with listeners the world of the African-American gospel tradition.
The Moonshine Show, Sun. 10am-12pm
On the air for nearly 60 years, The Moonshine Show showcases the American Bluegrass tradition, from the earliest roots in vernacular string-band music, through
* indicates show was created after January 2022
the genre’s pioneers in the 1940s and 50s and advancements in the 60s and 70s, through the leading innovators and stars of today.
The Tennessee Border Show, Sun. 12-2pm
One third of WKCR’s country music programming, along with Honky Tonkin’ and the Bluegrass Moonshine Show, Tennessee Border highlights the singer-songwriter tradition, from Hank Williams and Townes Van Zandt to Lucinda Williams.
LATIN
Caribe Latino, Mon. 10pm-12am
Caribe Latino is a music program that features the diverse, upbeat music from numerous Latin communities in the Caribbean. Popular Latin rhythms such as Salsa, Merengue, Bachata and Latin Jazz take center stage throughout the program.
Urbano Latinx, Tues. 12-1am
A weekly Latin show airing contemporary sounds from Latin America, the Caribbean, and the diaspora, Urbano Latinx features mixes of salsa, merengue, Latin punk rock, and more.
Sin Fronteras*, Wed. 12-3pm
Falling in the space of Out to Lunch on Wednesday afternoons, Sin Fronteras explores the tremendous Latin Jazz tradition.
Nueva Canción, Wed. 10-11pm
Nueva Canción is an exploration of protest music created throughout Latin America during the 60s and 70s and its numerous other manifestations throughout other countries and time periods.
Som do Brasil, Wed. 11pm - Thurs. 1am
From samba and bossa nova to MPB, hear the numerous and enchanting sounds and rhythms of Brazil.
Sonidos Colombianos, Fri. 10-11pm
Sonidos Colombianos presents music from one of the most culturally diverse countries of Latin America: Colombia! Our bilingual musical tour is guaranteed to include not only cumbia, but also the guitar-based bambuco from the Andean region, the harp llanero music from the Eastern Plains, the marimba-infused currulao from the Pacific Region, and the accordiondriven vallenato of the North Atlantic Coast.
LISTINGS FOR LISTENERS
The Mambo Machine, Fri. 11pm - Sat. 2am
The Mambo Machine is the longest running salsa show in New York City. The program presently plays a wide spectrum of Afro-Latin rhythms, combining new and old into an exciting, danceable mix.
El Sonido de la Calle*, Sun. 2-4am
A companion show to Saturday night’s American Notes from Underground, El Sonido de la Calle highlights the diverse world of contemporary Spanish-language hiphop and dance music.
IN ALL LANGUAGES
The Celtic Show, Mon. 12-1am
Music from across the island of Ireland throughout the era of recorded music, particularly focusing on traditional folk and vernacular music forms.
Coordinated Universal Time, Mon. 1-3am
Coordinated Universal Time brings our listeners the latest cut of music from anywhere in the world, especially highlighting music that does not get attention in America. Our programming tries to bring the hottest and the most recent tunes to WKCR’s airwaves.
The African Show, Thurs. 10pm-12am
The longest running African music radio show in the United States, the African Show brings you a variety of music from the entire continent of Africa.
Middle Eastern Influences, Fri. 12-1am
During the hour-long show, Middle Eastern Influences features a wide range of beautiful tracks from regions of the Middle East, North Africa, and even, at times, South Asia.
Sounds of Asia, Sat. 6-8am
Rechristened from Sounds of China, Sounds of Asia explores the recorded musical traditions and innovations of Asia and the Pacific islands.
Eastern Standard Time, Sat. 8am-12pm
One of New York’s most popular Reggae programs, Eastern Standard Time takes listeners through Saturday morning from 8 am to noon with the hypnotic sounds of Reggae and Jamaican dance music.
Field Trip, Sun. 6-8am
Field Trip focuses on the music and practice of field recordings: music recorded outside of a studio. Tune in and you may catch field recordings that were recorded fifty years ago, others that were experimented with by your favorite Afternoon New Music artist, or even those documented in New York City by WKCR itself.
Raag Aur Taal, Sun. 7-9pm
Raag Aur Taal explores the sounds and rich cultural heritage of South Asia. The term “Raag Aur Taal” roughly translates to “melody and rhythm,” indicating the classical nature of this program.
Back in the USSR, Sun. 11pm-12am
Back in the USSR features music from across the former Soviet Union and soviet states across Eastern Europe and East and Central Asia, from the mid-20th century through the present.
NEWS & ARTS
Monday Morningside*, Mon. 8:30-9:30am
Monday Morningside is WKCR’s morning news broadcast to kick off the week, featuring news segments on events around Morningside Heights and upper Manhattan. If you’re not an early bird, all episodes are available as podcasts on Spotify!
SPECIAL BROADCASTS
Sunday Profile, Sun. 2-7pm*
A WKCR staple, programmers use five hours to showcase longform profiles of pioneering artists. While the primary focus remains on jazz music, we also feature other styles and traditions from across WKCR’s different programming departments.
* indicates show was created after January 2022
IN ALL LANGUAGES
BAn Enya Introspective
by Jem Hanan
efore I could even speak in full sentences, I could hum the melody to every song on The Very Best of Enya. At night, when I couldn’t fall asleep, my dad would play the album with the pale woman at the center of a blooming, deep red flower. Her voice, soft and haunting, would lull me to sleep with images of Caribbean blues, trains and winter rains, and wild children. When I reached the age where I no longer needed music to fall asleep, Enya still thrummed in the back of my mind, and I’d catch myself mindlessly singing “Flora’s Secret” while walking down the street. In a taxi cab, Metro Boomin, the Weeknd, and 21 Savage’s song “Creepin’” plays on the radio. The opening strains sound familiar, and I realize the artists referenced Enya’s “Boadicea,” which was originally used in Mario Winan’s “I Don’t Wanna Know,” the predecessor to “Creepin’” (the latter a name that Enya herself chose1). As of the time of writing, “Boadicea” has been sampled a total of 51 times2. In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship
of the Ring, you can hear Enya’s stirring vocals (both in English and Tolkien’s Quenya) on “May it Be.” In the radio and television coverage of September 11th, Enya’s now-ubiquitous “Only Time” provided evocative accompaniment. In interviews, people ranging from Nicki Minaj to Pope John Paul II to Princess Diana have named Enya as a listened-to artist. With 2025 being the 10th anniversary of Dark Sky Island, the 20th anniversary of Amarantine, and the 30th anniversary of The Memory of Trees, there is no better moment to look back on the scope and brilliance of Enya’s musical career.
1 Okazawa, Ben. “Metro Boomin and the Weeknd’s Hit Collab ‘Creepin’’ Almost Got Axed Because of Enya.” Exclaim!, 2 Oct. 2023, exclaim.ca/music/article/metro_boomin_and_the_ weeknds_hit_collab_creepin_almost_got_the_red_light.
2 Betts, Will. “Why the Enya ‘Boadicea’ Sample Keeps Resurfacing in R&B and Hip Hop.” Musiio Blog, 9 Mar. 2023, https://blog.musiio.com/posts/enya-boadicea-resurfacing-rb-hip-hop.
Enya, born Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin, grew up in Gweedore, located north-west of Ireland3. Although she grew up playing the piano, partaking in her mother’s choir, and performing at local events, Enya’s first real musical endeavor was at 18, when she played alongside her family’s Celtic folk band, Clannad. Clannad was made up of Enya’s uncles, cousins, brothers, and sisters, and was managed by Nicky and Roma Ryans. In 1982, the group broke up, and Enya decided to take a leap of faith in pursuit of a solo career, moving into Nicky and Roma’s home in Dublin. There, they renovated their old garden shed into a
3 Carroll, Rory. “Donegal Locals Campaign to Turn Beached Boat into Work of Art.” The Guardian, 31 Aug. 2020, www. theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/31/donegal-locals-campaign-to-turn-beached-boat-into-work-of-art.
The Very Best of Enya, Album Cover
recording studio, and Enya set to work. Until 1985, Enya’s credits appeared under her name, “Eithne,” until Nicky Ryan suggested she go by “Enya,” the phonetic spelling of the name. Therefore, Enya’s soundtrack to the 1984 film The Frog Prince, directed by David Puttnam, is the first of her albums to appear under “Enya.” Enya’s debut solo album (originally titled Enya, then renamed to The Celts in a 1992 international re-release) was also a kind of scoring, with the music being a selection of pieces Enya had recorded for the BBC documentary, The Celts. The album performed modestly well, although it garnered even more attention when one of its tracks, “Boadicea,” was sampled by The Fugees in their 1996 hit, “Ready or Not.” The group didn’t ask Enya's permission to use “Boadicea,” nor did they credit her on the song. While initially inclined to sue, Enya instead settled for a 3 million dollar fee after listening to the track4.
Released in 1988, Enya’s sophomore album, Watermark, is what truly propelled Enya’s fame to new heights. Marketed as “new age,” Watermark charted in both the US and the UK, with its single, “Orinoco Flow,” becoming an international hit. After this point, Enya became a relatively well-known name around the world. This stardom was only bolstered by the release of her next album, Shepherd Moons, 3 years later. The album won Enya her first Grammy in the Best New Age Music category. Following Shepherd Moons, Enya released The Memory of Trees in 1995, an album that continued her signature blend of layered vocals, ambient synthesizers, and Celtic motifs. It was another commercial success, earning her a second Grammy and cementing her place in the mainstream. Her 2000 release, A Day Without Rain, marked a slight departure. More piano-driven and melancholic, it included “Only Time,” which would become her most iconic track following its use in post-9/11 media. Amarantine followed in 2005, featuring 4 “The Fugees Nearly Lost The Score over Uncleared Enya Sample: How a $3 Million Settlement Saved It.” Nolazine, date unknown, www.nolazine.com/post/the-fugees-nearly-lostthe-score-over-uncleared-enya-sample-how-a-3-million-settlement-saved-a.
songs in both English and Loxian, a fictional language created by Roma Ryan. Critics noted a quieter, more meditative quality to the album, which nonetheless won Enya another Grammy. And Winter Came... (2008) leaned into seasonal themes without being strictly a Christmas album, showcasing her mastery of mood and atmosphere. Her most recent work, Dark Sky Island (2015), was inspired by Sark, a designated dark-sky region, and marked a return to the grandeur of her earlier albums— lush, cinematic, and unmistakably Enya.
The unexpected combination of Irish jig, synth, and Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” technique is what I think makes Enya’s music so universal and versatile. While her sound has evolved over the years, Enya has managed to maintain a particular sound that is both musically unique and individual to her. Enya’s emphasis is on the sound and texture of her music, more than the content itself. This aural priority is what has allowed her to sing in Gaelic, Latin, Welsh, English, Japanese, Quenya, Sindarin, and Loxian (a language of Roma Ryans’s own creation). While she primarily uses piano, synth, and voice, she will occasionally include strings if she feels the song needs another dimension. After all of that, Enya’s melodies take center stage of her work. Perhaps it is that Enya imbues her melodies with narrative that makes them so memorable and timeless: “Each melody has a little story, and I live through that whole story from the beginning. I can remember writing the melody, working on the song, having Roma put words on it, and if you read a diary, especially if it's your own diary, when you read a particular day, your mind goes back to that day and what you were thinking5.” In Enya’s hands, music becomes not just sound but a place anyone can enter, a wind-stirred glen, a starlit shore, a dream that belongs to all who listen.
5 “PTSWS 3.” Enya Book of Days, archived 19 June 2010, originally published on EnyaBookOfDays.com, Web Archive, https://web.archive.org/web/20100619113819/http://www. enyabookofdays.com/articles/ptsws-3.htm.
McKenna Roberts, Programmer: I don’t know if I could say it’s my favorite, considering I’ve only seen a handful of shows there, but The Gorge in Washington State is one of the coolest venues I’ve ever been to. Overlooking the Columbia River and sitting on the grassy hillside makes it pretty life-changing.
Natalie Lahr, Programmer: I’ll always be partial to the Karate Church in Bellingham, WA. It’s an old church that was made into a music venue, and all the local bands play there. I also love Barboza in Seattle, and the “Zoo Tunes” concert series at Woodland Park Zoo.
Jem Hanan, Programmer: Since it’s summer, I’ll admit that I’ve always had a soft spot for the Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury, NJ. It’s an outdoor stage right near the beach. My favorite is when the sun starts to set while a band is playing—it feels like something out of a movie.
Cory Alessandro, Programmer: I love Irving Plaza and Webster Hall in New York City. Both have really nice sound and are pretty venues. Beautiful old architecture and great places to have intimate concert experiences with your favorite artists!
Ella Werstler, Programmer: Despite my growing admiration for the new and shiny Salt Shed on the banks of the Chicago River, Thalia Hall in Pilsen hold a special and significant place in my heart.
Ella Presiado, Publicity Director: The Roxy in West Hollywood, CA, purely for nostalgia reasons. The first concert I ever saw was there! I went with my older sister to see a local surf rock band (shout out Spendtime Palace). It’s a super small space, which makes for a fun and intimate show. It’s also a classic LA spot; many a great live album has been recorded there.
AROUND THE
What is your music venue?
Charlie Kusiel King, Classical Head: It's gotta be Blossom Music Center, just outside Cleveland, OH! I have so many great memories of picnics on the lawn, hearing the Cleveland Orchestra play. And for an outdoor venue, the acoustics are great!
Blossom Music Center, 2008
Taylor Sierra-Ward Guidry, Programmer: I guess my favorite music venue is the Wellmont Theater because it is in my hometown of Montclair, NJ!
The Gorge Amphitheater by Shawn Anderson
Thomas Preston, Programmer: Mansions or Nightgrooves on a Sunday night. Incredible DJs and a crowd who are there because they love to dance. Mansions has a carpeted dance floor, which I love, and Nightmoves has lightup panels, which I also love.
THE STATION
Ian Pumphrey, NARTS Head: The Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, CO, is breathtaking!
your favorite venue?
Sophie Sorensen-Wald, Programmer: I love outdoor venues. The Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California, and the Hayden Homes Amphitheater in Bend, Oregon, are my favorites.
Ale Díaz-Pizarro, Programmer: Roulette in Brooklyn. Great acoustics, incredible programming, cheap beer—what’s not to love?
Casey Lamb, Station Manager: I miss the old David Geffen, where the Phil plays at Lincoln Center. The new renovation is great and sounds amazing, but nothing beats the old one. Honorable mention goes to Forest Hills Stadium for non-classical shows.
Tanvi Krishnamurthy, Former Publicity Director: Cats Cradle in Carrboro, NC! 15 minute drive from my house and situated in a part of Carrboro that my friends and I would always hang out in during middle school and high school. You queue up for shows at the back of the venue by the dumpsters, which is always a fond memory for me.
David Gonzalez, Former Programmer: Orthodox answer would be Union Transfer here in Philly since it’s intimate, has solid acoustics, and has a good beer setup. I look forward to every show there (and they’re usually cheap!). Unorthodox answer is a tie between the Wanamaker Building and Grand Central. The former is located in Philly and has the largest living organ in the world, which was played for free every day when there was a Macy’s in it. The acoustics were perfect for that instrument. I heard a crazy version of Nessun Dorma that almost made me cry on the second-to-last day before the Macy’s closed on the organ’s final run before the building was vacated. I’m looking forward to it opening again when they decide its fate. Grand Central just has crazy acoustics for street performers, and you can hear it throughout the entire station, which makes for really pretty string performances.
Red Rocks Amphitheater by David Fulmer
Wanamaker Building from the Library of Congress
Illustration of Louis Armstrong by McCartney Garb
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On Air 's editorial board is McCartney Garb, Ella Werstler, Jem Hanan, & Olivia Callanan.
The editorial team for this issue was Charlie Kusiel King, & Maya Phillips,
Special thanks to Ale Díaz-Pizarro, Casey Lamb, Cory Alessandro, David Gonzalez, Ella Presiado, Ian Pumphrey, McKenna Roberts, Natalie Lahr, Sophie Sorense-wald, Tanvi Krishnamurthy, Taylor Sierra-Ward Guidry, & Thomas Preston.
