Five albums into their career, Brighton’s The Go! Team remain as vibrant and hard to pin down as ever. Ninja and co.’s kaleidoscopic fifth album, Kaleidoscope, weaves hip-hop beats, vivid horns, and a kinetic energy that shines through in this performance in the KEXP Gathering Space. Recorded 03/30…
DJ Miss Ashley brings you some of her current favorites from Jamaica to Zambia, Toronto to Italy, spanning reggae, Latin pop, and hip-hop beats. Let new songs from Jah9, Alex Anwandter, Waahli, and more bring you the right vibes from all over the globe!
Prepare for liftoff with London duo Simian Mobile Disco's kosmische influenced electronic beats. While their array of sequencers, keys, colorful wires, and a mixer might call the duo's namesake mobility into question, they've had no trouble traveling with their equipment (or "mobile studio"). Their…
When asked to describe his music, Zach Saginaw, operating under the pseudonym Shigeto, urges prospective fans to "have a listen". Drawing on his jazz background, instrumental hip-hop and years of drumming to create beat-heavy electronic tracks, Shigeto's music does indeed transcend traditional genr…
Two of Seattle’s premiere DJs and producers chat about their process ahead of their S’women/Love Memo split vinyl release on Crane City Music.
Mexico City-based sibling duo Sotomayor share a guest DJ mix full of vibrant Afro-Latin rhythms and progressive electronic beats that reflects the addictive sound featured on their recent album Orígenes.
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Afte…
French musician/producer Jean-Christophe Le Saoût first emerged as Wax Tailor in 2005 with his breakout album, Tales of the Forgotten Melodies, showcasing a confident and refreshing fusion of cinematic trip-hop, hip-hop, and soul styles. Since then he's continued to master an eclectic fusion of div…
Los Angeles-based DJ/producer Captain Planet takes the listener around the world on his guest DJ mix for Midnight In A Perfect World as he connects funky beats and hypnotic rhythms from different pockets of the globe.
Icelandic songster Júníus Meyvant and his nine piece backing band deliver a long set of richly textured arctic soul. Live from Kex Hostel in Reykjavik during Iceland Airwaves 2014. Recorded 11/06/2014 - 7 songs: Hailslide, Gold Laces, Neon Experience, Beat Silent Neat, Mighty Backbone, Color Decay…
It's surely no coincidence that a couple of these new releases came out on the eve of the 2016 Presidential Election. Veteran Chicago rapper Common shares his 11th full-length, an album KEXP's Music Director Don Yates calls, "a powerful set of politically charged hip hop with gritty, cinematic, sou…
Melbourne-based rapper Sampa The Great shares an eclectic mix of hip-hop, R&B, Afro-beats, reggae, and more on her guest DJ mix that illuminates the diverse global sounds that influenced her recent breakout debut album The Return.
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…
November spawned a lot of good releases this week, including the debut release from Les Sins, a side project of Toro Y Moi’s Chaz Bundick. KEXP's Music Director Don Yates notes the album "is a smartly constructed blend of house, techno and hip hop beats with warm synths and repeated vocal hooks."
New York duo Phantogram delivers a set of electronic pop-rock layered with breathy vocals, hip hop influenced beats and densely textured synths. Featuring songs from "Voices" and live instrumentation from touring members Chris Carhar and Nicholas Shelestak. Recorded 08/09/2014 - 4 songs:…
Scott Hansen is known as ISO50 for his photography and design work. For his music, he and his band mates are known as Tycho. Closing down Saturday night at Sasquatch! Music Festival, Hansen and crew displayed how the two creative works aren’t mutually exclusive. Sharp images of distant landscapes a…
KEXP is sad to report that legendary local photographer Lance Mercer has been diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s follicular lymphoma. Not only is he a fixture in the Seattle music scene, but he's also father-in-law to KEXP DJ Troy Nelson. His daughter Mackenzie explains:
Groundislava is the alias of Jasper Patterson, a Los Angeles-based electronic producer and founding member of the Wedidit Collective alongside his friends Shlohmo, RL Grime, D33J, and Nick Melons. His exclusive guest DJ mix for Midnight in a Perfect World is a dreamy journey through nostalgic beats…
With albums released on top-tier labels such Ninja Tune and Brainfeeder, Vienna's Dorian Concept has been one of the electronic music world's more fascinating producers for the past decade, and his guest DJ mix for Midnight in a Perfect World delivers a fittingly unpredictable journey through dizzy…
East London-based DJ/producer India Jordan showcases the high-energy club beats found on her recent debut EP DNT STP MY LV on her Midnight in a Perfect World guest DJ mix.
