Here’s a recap of some notable broadcasts from last week.
Cosmo Lopez
Producer, DJ, and co-founder of LPZ Records, Cosmo Lopez has been a regular presence in the community since the start of the new year. Last week, he returned to the Blast Radio airwaves with fellow Asunción-based producer, DJ, and co-founder of the label Inbetween, Victoria Mussi, for a futuristic showcase of house and techno stylings. Coming off of their dual success in 2021 – Lopez and Mussi both saw their releases and the activities of their respective labels receive well-deserved accolades – their joint broadcast served as a tandem victory lap for listeners tuning in. Treading in similar yet complementary territory, Lopez set the mood with groove-oriented, jungle- and acid house-derived tracks that ebbed and adjusted to allow for Mussi’s harder-hitting, rave-minded techno selections to find a firmer launchpad. But while each half demonstrated a slightly different interpretation of the ideal dancefloor, Lopez and Mussi are both indicative of a multifaceted techno scene in Paraguay that’s poised to shift the culture.
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Flapjaques
Chicago-based producer, beatmaker, and grillmaster behind the long-running mix series ground beef radio, Flapjaques has become a regular presence on the Blast Radio airwaves. Known for firing up the coals and searing off some choice cuts in real time, Flapjaques made the most of his recent featured broadcast by donning the apron for a special, live edition of ground beef radio that delivered over 4 hours of lofi knockers, cooked perfectly to temp. In keeping with his prolific release schedule and near-constant collaborations, Flapjaques dropped brand new joints into the mix, including a recent track with YGKL the pair had just finished up the day before. Featuring work by friends and fellow producers, local and regional MCs, and curated selections from every corner of the meat locker, Flapjaques brought his usual creativity and tenacity to a wider audience with this feature, and served up a full spread of chops and flips to feed the community’s hungry heads. Keep it locked on ground beef radio for more protein-packed beats.
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Goon
To celebrate the release of Goon’s new EP, Paint By Numbers, Vol. 1, the creative force behind the Los Angeles-based outfit, Kenny Becker, took to the Blast Radio airwaves for a special featured broadcast to debut the effort a day early, and play a selection of tracks that inspired its creation. Layering his voice under a bed of YouTube-generated bird songs, Becker spoke about the project with an affable candor, and introduced an hour of eclectic selections from Bibio, Robert Wyatt, and the indomitable Astrud Gilberto – to name a few – which gave listeners a lot to ponder as to how it all might fit together. With the accumulation of source material front and center, Paint By Numbers, Vol. 1 felt like a correct conclusion: homegrown warmth combined with a bucolic or youthful melancholy. Before closing out with his choice for the greatest song ever written, the Philip Bailey/Phil Collins powerhouse "Easy Lover," Becker invited listeners to stop by the Lodge Room for the EP release party the following night, and keep the party going.
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Love Lion
Bassist, writer, and creative director for the label Love Lion, Emily Elhaj returned to the Blast Radio airwaves with a special featured broadcast of Love Lion Radio, curated by Los Angeles-based sound explorer and music coordinator Burgers Rana, and featuring his favorite Desi music across genres and through the decades. Referring to the merging of western musical traditions with those of the Indian subcontinent and its diaspora, Rana’s selections presented listeners with a broad understanding of the rich cultural layers and nuance the term implies. Highlighting the surf guitar of Pakistani ‘60s rockers The Panthers, alongside the disco delight of Nazia Hassan’s “Boom Boom” and the synth wizardry of Charanjit Singh, each selection presented a different arrangement of influences that seemed to evolve and recombine as the mix unfolded. Just as the taxonomy of genres can make diverse musical ecosystems appear monolithic, Burgers’ Desi Music Hour was a helpful reminder that convenient terms can also collapse their contents if we’re not willing to dive in and go deep.
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Sunday Dinner Records
Few things get the family together like a home-cooked meal, and Dallas-based label Sunday Dinner Records is helping drive that point home by bringing their in-house blend of hip hop, R&B, soul, and jazz stylings to the Blast Radio airwaves. The label and their many affiliates have been bringing a steady stream of vibed-out and inclusive broadcasts that highlight the label’s aesthetic and big-tent approach to lifting up new sounds within their ecosystem. By pivoting their established mix series, DRIVETHRURADIO, to the Blast Radio community, as well as offering curated selections from the label’s founder under the banner 100% Cashmere, these broadcasts have given listeners the opportunity to experience all of what Sunday Dinner Records has on the menu. From elevating tracks and artists who inspired the label’s vision, to celebrating the producers and innovators busy bringing those ideas to life, keep it locked across the Sunday Dinner Records family for new flavors and aromas wafting from their test kitchen.
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Truncate
Los Angeles-based DJ, producer, and label head David Flores recently brought his unique brand of raw, hard-hitting techno to the Blast Radio airwaves for an inaugural broadcast. Emerging from the ‘90s rave and warehouse scenes, Flores pivoted his skills behind the decks into being a production powerhouse: first under his previous moniker, Audio Injection, and now, under the alias/record label Truncate. Combining high-octane drums and rolling basslines into a series of tight concentric circles, Flores maintained complete control over the fluctuating pulse and atonal buttressing that helped funnel each track through the set’s tornado of low-end frequencies. Once inside the mix, time’s worn elasticity revealed moments of uneasy calm, where layers of sound would peel away, only to wind up and spring again suddenly like a trap. But despite the menacing overtones functioning as pretense for the mechanical and acid techno stylings that have always shook industrial zoning, it’s still important to remember not to rave against the grain.
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Wigflippa
While writing on social media, “Not the New School or the Old School, the Whole School,” may sound like bravado, in the case of Wigflippa, it’s the perfect summation. The Sikeston, MO-based producer, MC, and Sunday Dinner Records affiliate recently stepped onto the Blast Radio airwaves, and brought their long-running mix series, Wig Weekly, along to readjust your hairpiece. Featuring an eclectic buffet of homegrown and locally sourced selections, each edition of Wig Weekly takes on a potluck approach, urging listeners to make room on their plates for portions of emerging hip hop, classic rock, bedroom beats, UK post-punk, and more, and even bring a little something of their own to share and snack on. Ever the gracious host, Wigflippa encourages listeners to submit their own tracks via email, and pairs each episode with a carousel of relevant information on IG about upcoming releases and shows by artists included in each broadcast. For a changing menu and warm hospitality, tuck in with Wigflippa the next time you’re feeling peckish.
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