Rice Radio Folio

KTRU 91.7 FM
The Thresher is not responsible for the content of the rice radio folio.
Rediscovered Sounds
By Mark Flaum
Drop the needle and a ghostly warble
escapes from the speaker, barely audible
over the scratchy noise that accompanies it.
The song, barely 20 seconds long, is hard
to recognize as the French children’s tune
“Au Clair de la Lune.” This is the oldest
recording in existence, made in 1860, some
17 years before Thomas Edison invented
the phonograph. It’s also the first release
on Parlortone, the new vinyl sublabel of
Atlanta-based Dust to Digital Records.
Dust to Digital, run by former college
radio DJ Lance Ledbetter, goes to great
lengths to restore lost and forgotten music
for contemporary ears. The label title refers to the process of digitizing music from
78-rpm records, a technology that has been
theoretically obsolete since the middle of
the last century. In 2004 the label’s first
release, Goodbye, Babylon, brought to light
half a century worth of gospel, spiritual
blues, hymns, and sermons spread over six
compact discs and packaged in a beautiful
pine box. The music is full of fire and God
and the hiss and scratch of the recording
media of its time, preserved in the perfect
balance to unite power and history for
new listeners.
Later that same year, the label released
a follow-up of Christmas songs, and the
next year another ambitious project came
around—a complete retrospective of the
Fonotone label, the last 78-rpm label in
America and the work of Joe Bussard, lifelong record collector. Bussard recorded,
released, and occasionally performed on
Fonotone Records between 1956 and 1969,
clinging to the 78-rpm format even as the
medium fell from favor into obsolescence.
The set was released over 5 cds in an oldstyle cigar box.
The following years brought increased
activity from Dust to Digital. The label
released a DVD version of a documentary
about Bussard entitled Desperate Man
Blues, along with a soundtrack from the
film. They released a box set of string
band music gathering some of the earliest
recordings of the string bass in jazz and
blues bands. They released a collection of
Sacred Harp singers through history. They
also expanded their releases beyond just
American musical history with a collection
of Tuvan throat singing and a compilation of
78-rpm records from around the world.
Their next ambitious project was to
release the field recordings of music documentarian Art Rosenbaum. Rosenbaum
is not only a historical survey, but also a
deep expression of the spirit of the record
collector.
Robert Millis is also peripherally involved in another label dedicated to exposing unheard music. Based out of Seattle and
run by Sun City Girls bassist Alan Bishop,
the Sublime Frequencies label has built a
reputation for finding traces of Western
culture reflected in a kaleidoscope of international influences. Bringing together
field recordings (Bishop’s own along
with Millis and several other like-minded
listeners), tapes collected around the
world, and collages recorded directly off
the radio, Sublime Frequencies presents
world music in a new light.
Early on Bishop set out to avoid the
formal library archive feel of the great
Smithsonian Folkways, Nonesuch Explorer, and Ocora labels, among others. He
also sought to stay clear of ‘world music’
genre releases packaged for export. The
label’s first releases were all music from
around Indonesia: a collection of Sumatran
folk and pop music from tapes, a collage of
radio music and talk from stations around
Java from the same trips, and Bishop’s
own recordings of gamelan and street
music from Bali.
Melodii Tuvi, Dust To Digital
spent 50 years traveling America with his
recording equipment, knocking on doors
and tracking down lost and forgotten musicians. Spread over two 4-CD sets (with
the future possibility of a third from the
archives) these releases capture blues,
folk music, and all varieties of American
ethnic music from the source.
Desperate Man Blues, Dust To Digital
Dust to Digital always releases very
thorough liner notes, even books, with their
music. In two cases especially, the book
itself takes precedence over the music. The
most recent example is a collection of photographs of immersion baptisms, entitled
Take Me to the Water. Beautiful black-andwhite photos very nearly overshadow the
choir recordings and sermons from the
first half of last century. The label’s first
book release is entitled Victrola Favorites
and celebrates not only historical music of
the 78-rpm era, but also the record sleeves
and artwork that accompanied it. Compiled
by Robert Millis and Jeffrey Taylor (of the
band Climax Golden Twins), the 2-cd set
Thai Pop Spectacular, Sublime Frequencies
After their Indonesian musical tour,
Sublime Frequencies released two DVDs
of musical performances, one from Burma
and the other from Morocco. From there
sources became more varied: radio collages from Palestine, Syria, and around
north Africa, taped music from Mali, and
recordings from India, Thailand, and Nepal. They also continued to release performances and musical rituals on DVD. Field
recordist Laurent Jeanneau contributed
SPRINg 2010
recordings from around Southeast Asia.
A couple of releases from South America
came out as well, including some roughedged ‘forbidden’ electronic funk from the
gangland of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Bollywood Steel Guitar, Sublime Frequencies
In 2006, Sublime Frequencies added
a new direction to their catalogue—
collecting and recording works by artists
who wouldn’t other wise receive any
exposure in the western world. The first
musician to have a full release under his
own name on Sublime Frequencies was
Omar Souleyman, a musical legend in
Syria whose name whose mastery of the
cheap synthesizer was as yet unknown to
western audiences. A compilation entitled
Highway to Hassake gathered songs from
10 years of mostly cassette releases, and
three years later Sublime Frequencies
released an album of new material from
Souleyman. Other SF recording artists
include Group Doueh, a guitar-led band
from the western Sahara. Group Inerane
and Group Bombino, also from North
Africa, eventually followed. Last year the
label helped arrange a European tour
for Omar Souleyman and Group Doueh,
the first time either artist had performed
outside their home country.
Sublime Frequencies and Dust To
Digital are just two of the labels bringing
lost and forgotten music out of obscurity
and straight to our ears. Soundway Records
and Analog Africa are revealing the influence funk and rock have had in Nigeria,
Ghana, and Benin. Mississippi Records
out of Portland has gathered an extensive
following for their releases of forgotten or
overlooked blues, punk rock, and more. As
the 21st century gets under way, these labels
are helping ensure that the hidden gems of
the last century—the first full century of
recorded music—are not lost forever.
Learn more about these pioneering
labels and their upcoming releases at
www.dust-digital.com and www.sublimefrequencies.com.
Africa’s Greatest Band:
What is the
Rice Radio Folio? Franco et le TPOK Jazz
By Chris Spadone
Congolese guitarist, singer, bandleader and composer Francois Luambo
Makiadi, better known as Franco, “the
sorcerer of the guitar,” was 20th century
Africa’s most important musician. This
bold statement is amply supported by
the recent release of two double CD
retrospectives, Francophonic Volume
1(1953-1979) & 2 (1980-1989). The sets
demonstrate Franco’s amazing longevity,
prolificacy, and innovation. From 1950
until his death in 1989, he recorded over
a thousand songs, created a dominant
style of African guitar playing, trained
generations of musicians, and in Africa
attained a celebrity status equivalent to
Elvis or the Beatles in the West. These
new collections allow the listener to discover not only the evolution of a musical
genius, but also the history of one of the
world’s great dance traditions, Congolese
rumba. The Folio is first and foremost a programming and listening
guide designed to help you keep up with what’s on air. For your
pleasure, our DJs also generate a healthy serving of album
reviews, playlists, band profiles, concert calendars, interviews,
and news and information about KTRU and the Houston music
scene.
The Folio was a more regular feature from the 1980s through
the early 1990s, when it educated and entertained readers on
a weekly basis. The station’s boost to 50,000 watts and resultant lack of a reliable on-campus signal until the late 1990s
contributed to its (partial) abandonment. Now the folio lives
gain, in a longer, if less frequent form. If you are new to KTRU,
the Folio is an excellent place to begin what will no doubt be a
long and fruitful love affair. If you’re already hooked, the folio is
just another way to get more of what you love.
1
1953-1979 charts Franco’s progression from hotshot Afro-Cuban guitarist
to master bandleader. 1980-1989 features
fluid guitar work and the distinctive rumba
sound of TPOK Jazz (Tout Puissant Orchestra Kinoi, the powerful Kinshanan
Orchestra). Both collections include a 48page booklet of photos, recording notes,
translations, and biography. Compiler Ken
Braun distills Franco’s vast catalogue
down to 28 essential tracks on the first
set and 13 on the second. Even the most
fanatic Franco-philes have nothing but
praise for his choices. I prefer the second
for personal (memories of my lost youth
working in Africa) and musical reasons. In
the 1980s, OK Jazz stretched out in long
complex jams, called sebenes, of percussion, guitars, and horns, which build in
tempo and rhythm, sounding a bit like an
Afro-Latin Grateful Dead.
Continued on page 3
KTRU NEWS & Upcoming events
rice radio folio
SPRINg 2010
Top 10 Eat the
Crayon Stories
2009-2010
Ordered by number of listens @ eat-the-crayon.tumblr.com
Student-run Matchbox
Art Gallery
The gallery in Sewell Hall opened for the
first time September 29th with an installation by Erin Rouse titled To Uncle Buddy,
with love.
length: 6 minutes
aired: Nov. 13, 2009
produced by: Rachel Orosco for Rice’s
Radio Journalism class
Poet RT Castleberry
RT Castleberry is a Houston poet with a day
job ordering cloning kits for the Rice Biochemistry Department. His first collection,
Arriving at the Riverside, was published
Jan. 15th by Finishing Line Press.
length: 32 minutes
aired: Nov. 20, 2009
produced by: Rose Cahalan and Carina
Baskett
interviewee: RT Castleberry
Artist profileS & Letter from the station manager
Found Footage Fest
Found Footage Fest hosts Joe Pickett
and Nick Prueher’s previous jobs include
the Onion and the Late Show with David
Letterman. They presented their neverbefore-seen lineup of found video clips
and live comedy Oct. 24.
length: 31 minutes
aired: Oct. 23, 2009
produced by: Chad Miller
interviewee: Nick Prueher
probably think of video games and online
computer games, but OwlCon isn’t into the
digital revolution. The main categories of
games at OwlCon are board games, historical miniatures, tabletop role-playing
games (RPGs), and live action role-playing
games (LARPs).
length: 25 minutes
aired: Mar. 12, 2010
produced by: Carina Baskett
then a birthday party with the girlfriends,
something has to give. Students end up
sacrificing their health and sleep to fit
everything into their schedules.
length: 14 minutes
aired: Dec. 4, 2009
produced by: Jenny Chan for Rice’s Radio
Journalism class
Philosophy of Nonviolence
Perhaps because of its heat and sprawl,
Houston isn’t exactly known for a thriving
bike culture. But cycling is a growing trend
in our city.
length: 12 minutes
aired: Oct. 2, 2009
produced by: Magdalena Wistubia and
David Kim
Bootown
International Day of
Nonviolence and
Houston’s Gandhi Library
The founder of Houston’s Gandhi library
speaks about the philosophy of nonviolence.
length: 17 minutes
aired: Oct. 16, 2009
produced by: Carina Baskett
interviewee: Atul Kothari
The Legend of the
Detached Arm
We all like a good show, but the theater
can be a little too formal sometimes. So
let’s take a theatrical show… minus the
theater, minus the fancy clothes, and add
some beer and the occasional adult theme.
What do you get? Bootown.
length: 4 minutes
aired: Oct. 23, 2009
produced by: Patricia Diaz
interviewee: Emily Hynds
OwlCon Gaming Convention
When there is that big English paper to finish, that pirate-themed party to attend, and
The story of a running joke involving a
doll’s arm.
length: 4 minutes
aired: Oct. 30, 2009
produced by: Kaily and Carina Baskett
When you hear the word gaming, you
College Student Health
Houston Bike Culture
and Safety
Happy 140th birthday to Mahatma Gandhi!
Oct. 2 was the International Day of NonViolence. The founder of Houston’s own
Gandhi Library speaks about the library
and the events celebrating the holiday.
length: 10 minutes
aired: Oct. 2, 2009
produced by: Carina Baskett
interviewee: Atul Kothari
rice radio folio
SPRINg 2010
Africa’s Greatest Band:
Franco et le TPOK Jazz
Continued from page 1
Franco was popular across Africa.
When I lived in Cameroon in the 1980s,
his music was ubiquitous. His band was
one of the few to break the barriers of
national styles to reach an audience in
Anglophone and Francophone countries
alike. OK Jazz was a formidable group
ranging from six to over 20 musicians
who produced a “who’s who” of African
musicians and vocalists.
Songs start slowly with gentle vocal harmonies, incrementally building
speed and adding layered instruments
into funky sebenes leavened with
strong Latin flavor. Cuban music was
as essential to the development of
modern Congolese music as African
slaves were to the creation of Cuban
music. Franco’s pan-African popularity
was never matched by his reputation
among Western “world music” fans;
to most casual listeners, his music just
sounds like salsa. However, there is a
tremendous difference, as the guitars
are more forceful and the rhythms
more urgent, paired with a unique vocal interplay. Franco’s music has been
difficult to find in the US, shunted aside
by more popular Afro-funk re-releases.
For example, Pitchfork’s recent “Africa
100” playlist ignored Congolese music
altogether. But among Africans over
forty, the music of OK Jazz is regarded
with reverence, and his monster hits of
Photo courtesy Sterns Music
The sorcerer of the guitar
Franco’s work chronicles the social
transformation of urban African society.
the 1980s are inevitably played at parties and village reunions. When Franco
comes on, smiling old-timers shake their
heads, muttering about what passes for
“music” today.
Franco’s mother, a professional
mourner and market-woman, brought
the young Luambo to funerals, steeping
him in traditional music. At age 12, he
was recruited to his first professional
band while playing a homemade guitar to
attract customers to his mother’s market
stall; at 15, he was writing and recording.
Franco is noteworthy for modernizing
Congolese music while also remaining
grounded in tradition. Some suggest his
finger-picking style was derived from the
thumb piano, or likembe.
Franco never forgot his roots in the
poverty of Kinshasa and celebrated its
day-to-day life in his song cycles. His
work chronicles the social transformation of urban African society, especially
gender relations. Franco’s lyrics scold
men and women alike for misbehavior.
In “Mario,” a saga stretched over two
LPs, he chastises a young gigolo preying
on a widow of a prominent politician; he
berates Mario to return to the farm and
earn an honest living. To Franco’s fans,
he was a child prodigy, a bad boy arrested
by colonial police for reckless driving, a
playboy, and autocratic bandleader. His
political views and romantic exploits
made ample fodder for gossip.
1953-1979 begins with his first recorded song, “Esengo ya mokili.” The song
and most of the first disc have a strong
Cuban flavor. Franco even recorded
several songs in Spanish; one discusses
the perils of witchcraft. By the late 1960s,
Franco had embraced the electric guitar
and trap drums, developing an entirely
new, raucous sound of jazz-like repetition
and reinterpretation. While Congolese
hipsters wanted Africanized soul and
funk, Franco transformed folklore into
dance floor classics. “Boma L’Huere,”
a feminist anthem, is built around log
drums, honking saxophones, and a
strangely tuned vocal chorus.
1980-1989 chronicles Franco as Le
Grande Maitre (grand master) of African
music. His relationship with Mobutu deteriorated, as did conditions in Kinshasa.
Franco began to focus his operations on
Brussels and touring the rest of Africa.
The switch from 45s to 33-rpm LPs allowed the band to stretch out, with one
or two songs per album side. 10 of the
13 tracks clock in at over 10 minutes
with no wasted notes or meanderings;
one highlight is an unedited version of
“Princesse Kikou” four minutes longer
than previous releases. Typically, a
gentle horn riff and singing open the
songs, at between three and six minutes
the speed begins to increase, intricate
guitar jams build and explore subtleties,
punctuated by horns and occasional vocal chorses, culminating in the sebene,
a race between drum and guitar. Guitar
skills undiminished, the aging Franco
began to use his rich baritone to admonish listeners on the social issues of the
day. The complexity and depth of these
epics earned him the nickname “the
Balzac of Africa.” 1980-1989 is a triumph
and amply demonstrates why OK Jazz
was so revered.
Franco and OK Jazz were one of the
world’s greatest bands, and Congolese
music remains sadly underrepresented.
You owe it to yourself to discover
Franco’s musical legacy and these CDs.
Franco’s music remains as vital and
thrilling as ever after 30 years of listening and dancing.
Hit the Ground Running:
SPRING 2010 Recommended shows
Houston’s scene runs the gamut from experimental to bubblegum pop,
death metal to gamelan, so mark your calendars and check out KTRU’s
upcoming shows page, and other sites that note upcoming shows in the
area. Don’t forget to ask around or make a call to see if the show is sold out.
Also, stay tuned to 91.7, and you just might pick up a few free tickets.
Friday, April 9: Dug Faulk/Dave Dove/Muzak John @ Super Happy Fun Land
Saturday, April 10: 19th Annual KTRU Outdoor Show, featuring Rafter, Fat Tony,
Ghost Mountain, Space City Gamelan, Wasp and Pear, Rachel Buchman, & Office
Party @ Rice University campus (12PM – nightfall)
Tuesday, April 13: White Rabbits/Here We Go Magic @ Walter’s
Wednesday, April 14: John Butcher/Joe McPhee @ Richmond Hall
Saturday, April 17: Casiotone For the Painfully Alone/Magical Beautiful @ The Husk
Friday, April 23: Bee vs. Moth @ Super Happy Fun Land
Lauren Pemberton
KTRU Grabs the Bull by the Horns
Saturday, May 15: Caribou/Toro Y Moi @ Warehouse Live
Friday, May 29: Koboku Senju, Venue TBA (Check namelesssound.org for info)
KTRU Board members attended the College Broadcasters, Inc. conference at UT Austin with
partner station KVRX in October 2009.
Make sure you check out calendars online for a full list of upcoming shows:
www.spacecityrock.com www.namelesssound.org www.superunison.com
The Crayons Are Better and Better
By Carina Baskett
It’s almost three years old and finally
capable of eating solid, albeit waxy, foods.
Eat the Crayon, KTRU’s news and culture
magazine, airs every Friday from 5–6
p.m. The show was previously known as
KTRU News, but most of our pieces are
creative features rather than hard news, so
we changed the name last fall. Our name
isn’t the only recent change; the quality of
our programming continues to improve,
though our commitment to expose untold
stories remains unwavering.
One of this year’s major accomplishments is the creation of a sleek blog where
you can listen to all past Eat the Crayon
shows aired since October 2. Visit eatthe-crayon.tumblr.com or link to the blog
from ktru.org/news. You can subscribe to
an RSS feed there, and we’re hoping to get
a podcast up and running soon.
Another upgrade we’ve made is the
recent addition of fantastic introductory
theme music, composed by KTRU DJ and
Music Composition major Joelle Zigman.
In general, the show has become much
more musical this year, as we have begun
to regularly incorporate songs into the
bodies, intros, and outros of most pieces.
All of our music comes from the Free
Music Archive (freemusicarchive.org),
so you can follow a link from the blog to
download anything you hear.
At the risk of doing injustice to our
past seasons, I believe this season has
seen a real improvement in the quality of
the journalism and sound production, as
returning reporters gained experience
and were able to more extensively train
incoming recruits. In addition, over a third
of the season’s stories were produced by
students in Martel College’s Radio Journalism class, which I taught last fall.
As our program introduction says, Eat
the Crayon features stories and interviews
about everything, from poetry to policy,
from science to storytelling. We usually
focus on Rice and Houston, and our aim
is to broadcast stories that can’t be found
elsewhere.
One story about which I’m particularly
excited is on the Equality Ride, a group of
GLBT activists bringing traveling forums
on faith and sexuality to religious universities. Darren Arquero, a Rice junior, is going
on the Ride this semester and planning on
writing his senior thesis on the experience.
We aired an interview with Darren on Feb.
19, just before he left, and he’s planning on
sending regular updates to create a radio
2
diary, so stay tuned!
A new trend for Eat the Crayon this
season is the personal story, more in the
style of a small documentary than a report.
For example, Amy Liu, Matt Wesley, and
Katherina Alsina produced a piece that
aired Feb. 12 that featured the stories of two
illegal immigrants from Guatemala. The
men discussed their reasons for coming
to the US and the dangers of crossing the
border. Feb. 26, Amanda Hu interviewed
Kelley Liao about her unique experience
volunteering at an orphanage in rural Mongolia last summer. The charming piece
billed as a “Halloween bite-sized treat” is
a short interview in which my sister asks
me about a bizarre joke between my roommate and I involving a doll’s arm.
As usual, many of our features deal
with on-campus events, though we aim
to avoid replicating Thresher coverage.
Many of the stories produced in the Radio
Journalism class focused on Rice: Alicia
Dugar reported on the football team’s
early-season struggles, and Rachel Orosco
covered the grand opening of the studentrun Matchbox Gallery (both Nov. 13).
Jenny Chan produced a piece on Wiess’
freshman one-acts (Nov. 13), and a longer
feature on college student health (Dec. 4).
We also discussed online journalism with
the Rice Standard in a live interview on Nov.
6. Finally, one of my favorite recent stories
is the one that aired Mar. 12 about the 29th
OwlCon, an annual gaming convention at
Rice. If you don’t know what the acronyms
RPG, GM, or LARP stand for, it’s high time
you find out.
I do not have enough space here to give
you a preview of all our excellent features—
these are just half of the pieces that have
aired on Eat the Crayon since September.
Check out the blog for more pieces about
poetry, children’s music education, bike
culture and safety, and the philosophy of
nonviolence.
Though we have made several great
improvements to the program, there’s
a major and perhaps insurmountable
challenge ahead for Eat the Crayon: I’m
graduating and no one has yet volunteered
to direct the show. If you’re at all interested
in getting involved in the program, contact
me at [email protected]. Perhaps
it will be your last chance to try out radio
journalism before the program dies, or
perhaps you will take a liking to it and take
over my position. Either way, I’d love to
hear from you. Thanks for listening!
Letter From the Station Manager
By Rachel Orosco
As the academic year comes
to a close, there are several proud
moments from KTRU’s recent operations. We have greatly expanded our
efforts to continue promoting Rice’s
student-run initiatives with a focus
on partnering with other on-campus
arts, entertainment, and cultural
groups. We have also continued to
reach out to the Houston community,
and we have successfully continued
and established KTRU traditions.
KTRU is very proud to have
partnered with Matchbox Gallery,
Rice’s first-ever completely studentrun and student-operated art space,
since its opening exhibit in fall
2009. We have provided live DJs to
every gallery opening. The Matchbox
art openings have provided a highly
entertaining and enlightening means
to promote, explore, and discover
student artwork, and they have
shown how powerful the alliance of
student-run organizations on campus can be. The whole experience
has been very rewarding to Matchbox, KTRU, and art viewers alike,
and we are definitely looking forward
to continuing to work with Matchbox
organizers in the coming years.
Another on-campus partnership
that we are very proud of this year,
with the Shepherd School of Music,
has also been an excellent way for
KTRU to further its mission to provide educational programming to its
audience while furthering the reputation of Rice’s fine music school. This
past year, we have begun broadcasting several Shepherd School
performances live on our station and
giving student performers the opportunity to be heard citywide, and
even worldwide through our online
streaming.
In only one week, on Saturday,
April 10, we will be holding our 19th
Annual KTRU Outdoor Show. We
are excited to be continuing this
long-honored KTRU tradition that has
been very well-attended and well-received by Rice students and the Rice
community for nearly 20 years. The
all-day music festival will last from
noon to night, and KTRU is proud
to present seven great acts from
3
around Houston and beyond. Our
2010 Outdoor Show acts will include
Children’s artist and Rice community
member Rachel Buchman, Jones
College rock band The Office Party,
Houston noise group Wasp& Pear,
Austin electro-pop Ghost Mountain,
the always wonderful Space City
Gamelan, Houston hip-hopper Fat
Tony, and nationally successful Rafter. With this lineup, we will stay true
to our progressive, educational, and
underexposed music philosophy, and
we hope to help expand the musical
palate of Rice and Houston concertgoers, while also simply providing
a beautiful and exciting music-filled
Saturday afternoon.
The Outdoor Show is not the
only KTRU staple that will continue
into this year. 2010 also marks the
continuation of our production of a
live compilation album, which began
in 2009. We have begun to release
a compilation CD of live, in-studio DJ
performances to showcase talented
Houston artists who have performed
in the KTRU studios here on campus. This year, unlike last year, we
will be hosting a CD release party to
kick of this studio-produced album
at Avant Garden on Westheimer. The
CD release will be held on Friday,
April 16 and will feature several live
performances from local artists who
appear on the CD.
Finally, after the success of
the return of our KTRU Polar/Roller
Prom last year, we will be hosting
another free Roller Prom event on
Saturday, March 26 at the Dairy
Ashford roller rink. That’s right! This
year we are going all out and hitting
the roller rink retro style. Show up
in your finest 80’s prom attire, and
support our return to the roller rink
(real skates!)!
The 2009-2010 school year has
been an exciting one. We are happy
to continue expanding our efforts
to promote the arts on the Rice
campus and throughout the Houston
area as well as to keep our longstanding traditions alive.
As always, KTRU encourages
you to check out our wide variety of
specialty shows by looking at our
programming schedule at www.ktru.
org. We are constantly expanding
our music library in all genres and
hope that you will find the music
that you never knew you loved.
Thanks for listening. Viva ktru
ear fuck radio, out.
ToP 35 & aFRIcaNa ToP TeN
lIve FRoM KTRU & oUTdooR ShoW PRevIeW
RIce RadIo FolIo
SPRINg 2010
ToP 35 FoR THE WEEK oF 04.04.2010
ARTIST
ALBUM
Various Artists
Miami Sound: Rare Funk And Soul From Miami
LABEL
Slavic Soul Party
Taketron
Various Artists
The Minimal Wave Tapes Volume One
Lightning Bolt
Earthly Delights
Load
Bird Show Band
Bird Show Band
Amish Records
Espers
III
Various Cats
Cats & Kittens : Natural Sounds
Various Artists
Singapore A-Go-Go
Various Artists
KVRX Stimuluis Package
Rita J
Artist Workshop
Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O.
Are We Experimental?
Dam Funk
Toeachizown
Various Artists
Pomegranates
Various Artists
Shir Hodu: Jewish Song From Bombay
Joanna Newsom
Have One On Me
Drag City
Om
God Is Good
Drag City
Etienne Jaumet
Night Music
Soul Jazz
Barbes
Stones Throw
Drag City
Our World’s Sounds
Sublime Frequencies
Self-Released
All NaturAl
Prophase
Stones Throw
Finders Keepers
Renair
Domino
Hanne Hukkelberg
Blood From A Stone
Various Artists
Tumbele
Nettwerk
Dokaka
Human Interface
AnchiskHati Choir
Polyphonic Voices Of Georgia
Clarinette
Nul
Tom Waits
Glitter And Doom Live
Brother Ali
Us
Rhymesayers
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra
Kollaps Tradixionales
Constellation
Buckethead & Viggo
Pandemoniumfromamerica
Various Artists
2131 South Michigan Avenue: 60s Garage & Psychedelia From U.S.A. & Destination Records
Lester Bowie
All The Numbers
New York Art Quartet
Old Stuff
Cuneiform
Child Readers
Music Heard Far Off
Soft Abuse
Evangelista
Prince Of Truth
Various Artists
New Thing At Novara
Sonig Records
Shafiq Husayn
Shafiq En’ A-Free-Ka
Plug Research
Novalima
Coba Coba (Remixed)
Stellari String Quartet
Gocce Stellari
Soundway
Dual Plover
World Audio Foundation
Cassetto
Anti
Perceval Press
Sundazed
Nessa
Constellation
Cumbancha
Emanem
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
ROBO
3 am
ROBO
ROBO
ROBO
ROBO
4 am
2 am
ROBO
ROBO
3 am
4 am
Marc M.
5 am
5 am
6 am
6 am
7 am
8 am
7 am
Kelsey Y.
Joseph R.
Chris C.
Brittany R .
Kelly T.
Juan Ga.
Prabha P.
ROBO
Ally J.
Juan Ga.
Patricia D.
Tobias P.
Nancy N.
Neal C.
10 am
Will R.
Myra L.
Melanie J.
Shibu M.
Patricia D.
Megan W.
Cory D.
Gary P.
Jake B.
Kristie L.
Brian B.
Kendra E.
Pamela T.
Marcus R.
Rachel G.
Rachel O.
Jeff M.
Joey Y.
Harold H.
ROBO
Alex R.
ROBO
Carina B.
Rose C.
1 pm
2 pm
3 pm
4 pm
5 pm
6 pm
7 pm
8 pm
9 pm
Vincent C.
Jesus U.
Lily I.
Anneli R.
World
Music
Post-Punk
Americana
12 am
Genetic
Memory
News
Reggae
2 pm
3 pm
Scordatura
Jazz &
Improvised
Music
4 pm
5 pm
6 pm
7 pm
Spoken Word
8 pm
Miguel Q.
Ayn M.
Chickenskin
Nick S.
Katie M.
Tom Z.
11 am
1 pm
Africana
Electronic
Treasures of
the Sixites
Hip-Hop
10 am
12 pm
Kids
Revelry Report
Funk
Local
Preston P.
Bryce P.
Scordatura
Blues
10 pm
11 pm
ROBO
Navrang
11 am
12 pm
8 am
9 am
9 am
9 pm
10 pm
MK Ultra
Jerroid D.
Stephanie M.
Hardcore
Metal
Kevin B.
KTRU 91.7 FM RICE RADIO CURRENT ON-AIR SCHEDULE
4
By Ian Wells
Almost every week, some brave DJ
decides to pack a group of unwitting
musicians into our server room-slashrecording studio, stuff battered microphones into their confused faces, and
frantically struggle with the mixer in
an attempt to broadcast 50,000 watts of
live music to unsuspecting Houstonians.
Regular listeners and dial-wanderers alike
are treated to the spectacle of hearing
something sometimes even perfectly
listenable come over the airwaves – it’s
just like a live concert, minus the ticket
price, the chattering fans in the back, the
dude blocking your view, and the long
line for beer—on an otherwise perfectly
normal weeknight.
While KTRU occasionally broadcast
live shows during most of the 1990s, in the
last few years we’ve seen a resurgence in
the number of brave DJs willing to chance
our sometimes-finicky equipment and
locally-renowned bands willing to grace
our graffiti-covered studio. In any given
month a lucky listener can tune in to everything from gentle folk, to ear-splitting
punk rock, to bleeding-edge improvisa-
tional music, to traditional music from
the Indian subcontinent, all performed
live in our studio.
In the past we were perfectly content
to embrace the impermanence of our
broadcast and leave recording to the bootleggers, but after last year’s successful
release of our first KTRU Live compilation, we’ve decided to make an annual
thing out of it. This year, our in-house
engineers have worked hard to tape over
20 hours of material representing a broad
cross-section of KTRU’s live presence.
Featuring cuts from the Mutant Hardcore
Flower Hour, the Revelry Report, Genetic
Memory, Navrang, and the Local Show,
KTRU Live Volume 2 is a two-disc double
album with nearly 30 tracks and 120 minutes of music. Produced with local talent
and featuring entirely local musicians, the
album represents not only some of KTRU’s
favorite material, but also offers a deep
look into Houston’s underexposed music
scene. Pick one up today, relive your latenight memories of KTRU, or discover the
talented musicians that you never knew
share our wonderful city.
ROSA GUeRReRO
The Homopolice live at KTRU
The Homopolice obliterate the Mutant Hardcore Flower Hour.
Selected KTRU Live Musical Guests
The Mathletes
Wild Moccasins
Giant Princess
young Mammals
Listen Listen
The Takes
The Wrong Ones
Michelle yom
Sandy Owen and y.e.T.
JD emmanuel
Runaway Sun
Female Demand
Pandit Suman Ghosh
Balaclavas
The Sour Notes
Paris Falls
Sarah Van Buskirk
BLACKIe
Fat Tony
KTRU 19th Annual Outdoor Show
Rafter • Fat Tony • Ghost Mountain •Wasp and Pear
1 am
2 am
Live from
KTRU
featuring
Sunday
1 am
SPRINg 2010
Noon-10 pm • FREE • Rice University
Please note that our newest crop of DJs are already on the air so spaces marked “Robo” will be filled with live bodies.
Monday
RIce RadIo FolIo
11 pm
12 am
Space City Gamelan • Rachel Buchman’s Homemade Band • Office Party
Outdoor Show Preview
By Kelsey Yule
The 19th Annual KTRU Outdoor Show
will be held on Saturday, April 10th, in
the Brochstein Quad of Rice University
between Herring Hall and the Rice Memorial Student Center. As always, the
show will be free and open to the public,
providing musical delight from noon until
night. Due to the generosity of our sponsor, Saint Arnold’s Brewing Company, free
beer (while supplies last) will be available
to those of age throughout the day. This
year we will also be collecting donations for
the Houston Food Bank, so we encourage
you to bring non-perishable food items to
the show.
Beginning with an act for the kids,
Rachel Buchman’s Home-Made Band
will take the stage at noon to kick off this
year’s show. Shepherd school lecturer,
Buchman’s children’s albums have been
nationally recognized with a slew of awards
and accolades. Next will be Rice Battle
of the Bands winner, Office Party, who
will surely be a crowd-pleaser. Later on,
local noise band Wasp and Pear, recently
returning from a long hiatus from live
performances, will represent Houston’s
active experimental noise sector with their
electrifying style.
Two teens from Baytown comprise
Ghost Mountain, the extraordinary talkrap, psychedelic, electronic-pop duo. A
favorite of KTRU, Ghost Mountain layers
catchy, humorous lyrics over atmospheric
melodies. Both childish and complex,
Ghost Mountain’s sound is undeniably
sincere and refreshing—a combination
you won’t soon forget.
The show will continue with Space
City Gamelan, Houston’s own Indonesian
musical ensemble, complete with metallophones, xylophones, drums, gongs,
and more. This unique group performs
regularly to audiences around the city.
Although gamelan was traditionally trance
inducing with the purpose of providing
ambiance, Space City Gamelan focuses
on a more dynamic and accessible sound.
With its array of fascinating and beautiful
specially crafted instruments, the opportunity to witness Space City Gamelan’s
performance will be both a spectacle and
a learning experience.
A true Houston legend, the Nigerian-American rapper Fat Tony has earned
the Houston Press’ “Best Underground
Hip Hop” Award the last two years. Also
an excellent producer, Fat Tony does not
disappoint when spouting his characteristically positive rhymes in live performances,
where his reputation for energy and charm
precede him. Later this year, his newest
self-released album, RABDARGAB, will be
released to countless eager Houstonians
and hip hop enthusiasts everywhere.
Rachel Buchman’s Homemade Band
5
Headlining the show will be Rafter
Roberts, also known as Rafter, of San
Diego. With his latest album set to drop
just three days after the show, you can be
sure that he will be performing the freshest
electropop around. Infamous for his crazy
red hair and stage antics, Rafter produces
a unique blend of danceable pop and R&B
under layers of experimental noise. With
music that is deeply personal, unavoidably infectious, and effervescently fun,
Rafter will surely put on a show worthy
of concluding the day. Come out to the
19th Annual Outdoor Show on April 10th
to enjoy an all day musical extravaganza
FREE courtesy of KTRU.
KTRU InterviewS & Artist Profiles
rice radio folio
KTRU InterviewS & Artist Profiles
SPRINg 2010
KTRU: Why the name “Infant Mortality
Rate”?
Our psychology is shaped not only by
who we are but also by our environment,
particularly when we are children. That
upbringing can be severely dysfunctional.
During those early years, we pick a way
of reacting to the offenses against us and
many, probably most, of us are never
able to overcome our learned behavior.
That behavior can be self-destructive,
antisocial, or obsessive-compulsive. It can
lead to depression, suicide, and a host of
other problems. Infant Mortality Rate is
my attempt to bury this aspect, to unlearn
responses and behaviors by dealing with
them via the music.
KTRU: How did IMR start?
I’ve been a fan of sound art for a very
long time, at least since the 1970s, when
I bought my first electronic music record.
Later, I discovered groups like Nurse With
Wound, who took the concept of experimental music out of academia and into a
more artistic, visceral domain. That’s what
really got me interested in trying my hand
at it. Still, I didn’t start IMR simply because
I thought it would sound cool, but simply
as an outlet for my pent-up angst.
KTRU: Describe your first recordings and
musical collaborations.
When I was in junior high school, I’d
go to my friend’s house and we’d watch
old Godzilla movies that were dubbed in
English. We would tape the audio from
the first half of the movie and play it
back over the second half. The nonsensical juxtaposition of the taped dialogs
over the new movie scenes were often
hilarious—we’d be rolling on the floor
laughing hysterically.
Sometime during the 80s I started
building sound circuits. My first major
instrument was based on a complex
sound effects chip and had a couple dozen
buttons and switches. After doing some
preliminary recording of it at home, along
with pieces of junk and sound samples I
taped off the TV, I got together with some
other like-minded people and we formed
Turmoil in the Toybox. We were 5 guys
on stage making an awful racket.
My first home recordings were done on
regular stereo cassette decks, and I would
take two of those stereo recordings and
mix them down to a third cassette, so it
sounded like a (muddy) 4-track. I would
“splice” things together using only the
pause button. Soon after I bought a 4-track
cassette recorder, but continued to use
the pause button method of collaging.
These 4-track recordings ended up on
my first release, a cassette I called ‘big
secrets’. The songs were heavily based
on the TV samples, while the electronics
and acoustic recordings played a less
prominent role.
It was around this time I decided to
leave Turmoil, but a little while later was
asked to join the punk/psych band Sad
Pygmy. I mostly played theremin in that
band, not only because it fit well with the
psychedelic component we were after, but
it was the only homemade instrument of
ayn morgan
Infant Mortality Rate performs at the 2009 KTRU Outdoor Show
mine that garnered any audience reaction.
Seems everyone wanted to know what it
was or can they try it too please.
KTRU: Would you describe your work as
sound collage? Most of what I record falls into that
category. I try to juxtapose sounds and
words from various sources together for
a purpose, or a theme. If I am playing a
show, doing that is more difficult. I often
use some prepared collages over which
I perform live electronics and acoustic
noise, similar to the performance at the
KTRU Outdoor Show last year.
Almost anyone can make experimental
music, and if just being sonic satisfies
you, then great. I can dig that, too. But
it’s my goal to make more than just ear
candy, to have the pieces deal with real,
personal human traumas. My first tape
was rather unfocused in this regard, as I
didn’t consciously understand what I was
doing. Later releases show it, though.
More often than not, a song determines
its own psychological content as I have
to use the phrases and subject matter I
am able to find.
KTRU: What inspires your work? Is it
internal? External?
Well, certainly events in my own life. I
Artist Profile: Nanda
By Varsha Vakil
While searching for Indian musicians
in the Houston area, I stumbled across
the website of Nanda Banerjee and was
immediately interested. Banerjee was
born on the east coast of India, now part of
Bangladesh. Her family moved to Kolkata,
the unofficial mecca of North Indian classical music, when she was two years old.
Indian children’s lives are often deeply
shaped by their parents’ interests, and this
was the case for Banerjee, whose parents
affinity for North Indian Hindustani music
impelled her to begin training at an early
age, earning her music degree at only
16. Banerjee then joined gurus Pandit A.
Kanan and Pandita Malabika Kanan for
further study. Both of her mentors were
recipients of prestigious classical Indian
music awards, such as the Sangeet Natak
Academy Award.
Banerjee was quick to reply to my
inquiry about sharing her music with
KTRU listeners, sending two albums to
the station without delay. The first, titled
Classical Vocal, features her purist singing
accompanied by none other than the world
renowned tabla artist Ustad Zakir Hussain.
In her personal e-mail to me she shared
her great respect and gratitude towards
this tabla maestro not only for sharing the
stage with her, but also to help her towards
a successful career. Another celebrated
SPRINg 2010
Artist Profile: Frank
An Interview with
Infant Mortality Rate
By Ayn Morgan
Infant Mor tality Rate uses found
sounds, homemade and circuit-bent electronics, tapes, and other sources to create
psychologically charged and complex
soundscapes. Their compositions are surreal and have nightmarish, catastrophic
or science fiction themes. Listening to
their work can be cathartic, hypnotic or
traumatic, yet always empathetic.
IMR has made noise and sound collage
in Houston since 1991 through Mayday
Records. He was also in the local noise
band Turmoil in the Toybox and the punk/
psych band Sad Pygmy. Recently, IMR
played theremin in a local independent
theatre production of Elmer Rice’s The
Adding Machine. He also collaborated
on a customized voting booth with audio
that was set up randomly in public spaces
around the city.
rice radio folio
artist for whom she proclaims her greatest
respect for is Pandit V. G. Jog. The other
disc she sent was titled Language of Peace.
As I listened to the CDs, I was totally
captivated by her talent. Her outstanding
voice and brilliant singing style builds a
unique combination that leaves listeners
totally mesmerized.
This wasn’t just my personal point of
view. No sooner was Banerjee’s album
played on KTRU when I started getting
calls at the station inquiring about this
unique artist. One occasion I vividly recall is when a listener waited specifically
to contact me at the Navrang Show to
ask about the fascinating singer he had
heard when listening to Robo, KTRU’s
automated DJ that plays when no one
can be at the station. He and many others
were greatly surprised to learn that this
world-renowned talent resides among us
here in Houston.
Classical Vocal ranges from the intricate
raga hansdhwani, to the mesmerizing
Thumri in Misra Kafi, and a soul stirring
devotional bhajan. It is difficult to describe
the bliss one experiences when listening to
the tracks. At times the soulful voice makes
one long for more, at other times one finds
the playful nature of the ragas compelling.
Indian Express, a leading Indian newspaper,
describes Nanda Banerjee’s Khayal singing “that due to her perfect command over
by cellist Fred Longberg-Holm, a quartet
with guitarists Nels Cline and Jeff Parker,
and his own quintet Viscous (featuring
former KTRU DJ Kyle Bruckmann). As
if this were not enough, he also leads the
Cicada Sextet, a group notable for its inclusion of B-flat, bass & contrabass clarinets.
While most of these groups center around
an expression of free jazz or European-style
free improvisation, his group with Rob
Mazurek, Mandarin Movie, hews more
closely to the metal/no-wave spheres
traversed by former Chicago colleague
Weasel Walter.
In addition to his extensive ensemble
work, Rosaly holds down two distinctive
solo projects. His performances and
recordings under the moniker Milkwork
deploy a unique electroacoustic setup,
whereby he triggers oscillators, feedback
loops and the soundbanks of analogue synthesizers to augment his already expansive
vocabulary for the drumset. Literally left
to his own devices, Rosaly shuffles the
deck deftly, integrating polysymmetric
drumming patterns with hip hop-inspired
grooves and minimalist strategies straight
from the Lamonte Young playbook. His
other solo endeavor, Softbeater, plays to a
deep love for the laid-back beats and effortless freestyles of late Detroit producer and
rapper J Dilla, an appropriately off-kilter
take on the singer-songwriter genre.
Rosaly’s playing has often been praised
for the compositional sophistication of
his playing, which is aided by a very
involved physicality behind the kit. He
creates a great deal of motion above and
around the drums before articulating a
note, which on the surface appears to be
a kind of apoplectic showboating. Upon
deeper reflection, however, it becomes
apparent that Rosaly’s hyperkinetivity is a
manifestation of the multiple possibilities
KTRU: What current music are you listening to?
Actually, I discover a lot of good releases by listening to KTRU. Daku, a collaboration of Bryan Lewis Saunders and
Z’ev comes to mind. Also Acid Mother’s
Temple, Horders, Ursula Bogner, and
Oneohtrix Point Never. I find Liszts’ “Big
Trouble in Little China” very likeable
weird pop.
I do hope that more people get into
musical experimentation, and do it more
than for the sonic quality or the academics
of it. And get off your laptop, there’s no
soul in that machine.
For more information and current work
visit: maydayrecords.com
Banerjee
technical nuances - acquire a rare blend of
expertise and aesthetic grace, while her
casual and lively disposition enhances her
process of communication with listeners of
varying kinds. Her melodious voice, her
mastery over the notes and her composure
about the taals make her raag-vistaar enormously involving.” The “varying kinds”
probably referred to the well-acquainted
Hindustani music audience of India, little
known that the same stir would be caused
among eclectic music lovers right here in
Houston. As often heard, good music has
no language barriers; Nanda Banerjee
seems to easily prove this notion.
After developing a powerful Hindustani
music background Mrs. Nanda Banerjee
took the initiative to experiment with
Western music, not only to explore the
inner depths of music but also to satiate
the curious musician that lay within her.
The Sept 17, 1997 Houston Chronicle’s
Lifestyle & Entertainment Section featured
an article on Nanda Banerjee by Rick
Mitchell called “Raga On: Indian singer
to jam with western musicians.” Nanda
Banerjee joined classical cello player Max
Dyer and the piano/key board artist John
Hardesty to form the Language of Peace.
Max Dyer was intrigued by Indian ragas,
meeting Mrs. Nanda Banerjee proved to
be a perfect encounter to explore the zest
for intricate ragas. They both later joined
6
see people whose lives are permanently
disabled by traumas and abuse in their own
past. I am also attuned to world events and
the incredible suffering humans create
for each other. There is so much potential
for compassion, yet we always prefer to
screw up other people’s lives. And animal
exploitation really ticks me off, they are
the least able to defend themselves. All
these things inspire me. But not all I do is
a downer. Sometimes I try to be humorous,
sometimes just calming and meditative.
By Lance Higdon
Frank Rosaly is an American drummer, composer & improviser who has
made quite a name for himself, both for
his virtuosic playing and innovative approach to extending the sonic palette of
the drumset. Born in Phoenix, Arizona,
he began studying percussion at a young
age, earning a degree in music performance from Northern Arizona University
after studying with famed percussionists
Billy Higgins and Steve Hemphill. After
completing his schooling, he relocated to
the fertile musical environs of Chicago,
where he subsequently set about applying
his talents to the many facets of the Windy
City’s sonic underground.
He is currently involved in over 20 projects spanning North America and Europe,
joined by some of the greatest names in
improvised music. He plays drums in a duo
with saxophonist Dave Rempis, a trio led
Rosaly
hands with the piano/keyboard player
John Hardesty to expand their creative
music flair. Nanda Banerjee writes to me, “I
still perform pure form of Indian classical
singing, although now try to blend with
the western style. My emphasis is more
on improvisation. This is an experiment at
the same time try to work with few open
minded musicians. We all seem to be enjoying a lot. This divine music gives us a
lot of Peace.”
The group often performs around
Houston area. Although Nanda Banerjee Classical vocal CD is obsolete, the
Language of Peace CD is available for the
eclectic music collectors. The ‘Language of
Peace’ CD is east-west improvisation. Her
most recent Language of Peace concert in
Houston was held in March 2010. Nanda
Banerjee has performed at the World
Music Festival held in New York and at
the Beethoven Music Festival that was
held in California. Her music is preserved
at the archives of the San Francisco Asian
Art Museum, San Francisco being her
prior city of residence. KTRU listeners
are rare breeds who seek eclectic music
in their daily lifestyle. If you never had
the opportunity to venture on a rare mix
of North Indian-Hindustani ragas and
jazz, keep a watch for Language of Peace
concerts. These concerts are affordable
and a rare treat to music lovers.
7
Photo courtesy Phoenix Cultural Partners
steeping in his mind—especially when they
bubble over in a cascade of notes over the
entirety of his setup. Given his tireless work
ethic and broad-hearted love for musical
collaboration, the motion may eventually
become perpetual.
album reviews
rice radio folio
programming guide
SPRINg 2010
Artist: Burkina Electric
Title: Paspanga
Label: Cantaloupe
By Alyssa Ibarra
Artist: Mario Diaz de Leon
Title: Enter Houses Of
Label: Tzadik
By Miguel Quirch
Paspanga is the first full-length album by Burkina
Electric following their 2007 double EP Rê em Tekré,
which featured remixes by DJ Spooky and Paul de
Jong from The Books. Primarily based in Burkina
Faso, Burkina Electric is made up of Lukas Ligeti
and Kurt “Pyrolator” Dahlke on electronics, Wende
K. Blass on guitar, and Maï Lingani on vocals. Zoko
Zoko and Idrissa Kafando round up the band with
background vocals and dance, the latter explicitly
referred to on the album’s insert, showing just how
significant dance is to the composition of what Ligeti
dubs “African electronica.” And truly, if anything, upon hearing this album, dance you will.
Paspanga isn’t an album to passively listen to while tackling your latest homework assignment. No, this is the album you play when you’ve finished your work and just can’t contain
a celebratory dance. Granted, the beats and rhythms can get a bit heavy and overpowering
at times (“Gom Zanga,” “To mi to zi”) but Lingani’s voice is always strong enough to match.
Her vocals are frankly what make this album; they show an incredible range of intensity, at
once sounding powerful and in-your-face (“La voix du Boulgou”) at times playful and joyous
(“Gom Zanga”), and even at moments sounding oddly like Joanna Newsom (“Mdolé“). But one
thing is for certain: they are always delivered with the same confidence and force that is sure
to intrigue you. The album is even comprehensive in terms of linguistic range; it’s sung in 5
different languages (Mooré, Dioula, Bissa, Bêté, and French), demonstrating the depth of the
cultural terrain being navigated on this album. Although Ligeti specifically refers to the band
as “post-intercultural” with aims at creating its own culture, the album is very much concerned
with offering interpretations of traditional stories and traditional rhythms, most notably the
Mooré ouaraba. The interpretations, however, are consistently fresh, giving way to a more
contemporary feel with well-placed guitar melodies (“Ligdi”) and mixes of overlaid voices and
found sounds (“Mdolé,” “Sankar Yaaré,” respectively). It is truly a cultural blend with textures
that cannot easily be pegged, but it is one that will easily get you moving.
KTRU receives a many, many albums that vie
for space in the stacks. Mario Diaz de Leon’s Enter
Houses Of is one album that quite readily stands
out. Taking a blend of classical instrumentation
and electronically ear bashing distortion, the work
creates something that is truly unique in a genre of
unique ideas.
Instrumentation includes: cello with Kivie CahnLipman and Adam Friedberg, alto flutes with Claire
Chase and Eric Lamb, flute with Claire Chase, violin
with Justin F. Chen and Michi Wiancko, viola with
Glenda Goodman and Wendy Richman, percussion with Nathan Davis and Dave Schotzko,
and clarinet with Joshua Rubin. The instrumentation on its own might be considered fairly
conventional, but combined with Leon’s electronic skill, it truly meshes well and manages to
stand out even though at times, the sound can be grating. Once one is accustomed to the
pangs of high pitched dissonance, the album begins to become quite endearing in its crafting
of a beautiful landscape plagued by conflict. The warmth of Leon’s audible world is built by
conventional instrumentation, and trampled by sonic dissonance.
The album introduces it distorted dreamscape with an explosion of chaos in “Mansion” that
smashes through wicked electronic instrumentation and then settles into a dark dream with
ominous implications. Even though the track lasts for almost 12 minutes, it does not settle on a
single set of ideas and continually evolves throughout. Towards the end the beating of a paranoid heart keeps the listener on the edge as flutes and distortion chase the mind around.
“The Flesh Needs Fire” shows a more peaceful side to the album with less blatant discord
that sneaks at the edges of the overall sound and shows up in subtle corruptions of something
that would otherwise be pleasant to the ears. Tension builds to a high level as the listener
expects a nasty assault. Of particular note on this track is how out of tune instrumentation
contributes very appropriately to the quiet anger evident in this fantastical world. The painful wobbling of their conflict strikes the appropriate nerve and is further augmented by the
electronic background static. The overall effect of the track is one of a harsh beauty in an
everlasting fight for survival. The track reaches a dread filled crescendo in the last minute that
brought to mind a giant, carnivorous insect making its naturally vicious way.
“2.20” sets the stage for its dramatic conflict by beginning with what almost seems like cruel
whispering urging its prey on a cat and mouse chase. Quiet tension builds as the overall volume
drops but still maintains a soft shriek that builds in volume as it is accompanied by a cello
assault. The rest of the track continues the exciting chase to a soft but cruel conclusion.
Enter Houses Of is a fascinating album for its excellent blend of traditional instrumentation
and electronic terror. The two styles of music combine to make a monstrous entity in what
was one of the better compositions of 2009. For the aforementioned reasons, Mario Diaz de
Leon’s Enter Houses Of belongs in the KTRU stacks.
Artist: Kedar Naphade
Title: Swaadini: Voice of the Harmonium
Label: Underscore
By Varsha Vakil
In this debut album, Kedar Naphade makes
an effort to revive a lost era of the essence of the
harmonium in Hindustani or North Indian classical music. The harmonium is an instrument that
originated in France but easily found recognition in
India, especially among the Parsis and Maharastrians peoples. Introduced in mid 19th Century the
harmonium is now seen as losing its luster among
traditional Indian musical instruments such as the
sitar, sarod, santoor, and others. Maharastrians
are inhabitants of the state of Maharastra on the
west coast of India, its capital is the popular city Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. Kedar Naphade born January 10, 1972 a Mumbai resident underwent his training first with his
grandfather Shri Dadasaheb Naphade and later with Pandit Tulsidas Borkar. Pandit Tulsidas
Borkar is a celebrated harmonium player of India and he is said to have revolutionized the art
of harmonium over past several decades. This trend seems to be religiously pursued by his
senior disciple Kedar Naphade in this album Swaadini: Voice of the Harmonium.
Kedar Napahde’s excellence is experienced by the artistry in which he plays track 3 an
intense twilight melody, raga puriya dhanashri in drut teental. Raga hansadhwani a popular
night time melody sways one involuntarily to its truly enjoyable tune. The rhythm openly wins
one over in no time. This instant musical transformation leads to nothing but complete submission to the soul stirring ragas played on the harmonium. To assist Kedar Naphade create this
enchantment the accompanying tabla artist is none other than Pandit Shantilal Shah.
Pandit Shantilal Shah is well known amongst KTRU listeners, his disciples gave an awesome
tabla performance at the 2009 KTRU Outdoor Show. The young tabla performers became an
instant sensation not only among the genetic memory and electronic music savvy KTRU DJ’s,
but also among the hip ktru outdoor show audience. Pandit Shantilal Shah a gold medalist
from the Sangeet Natak Academy of Lucknow, India, is also a well known artiste of All India
Radio and Television. Pandit Shantilal Shah is now a proud Houstonian. World renowned
Pandit Shantilal Shah’s expertise gives the accurate touch of tabla accompaniment to Kedar
Naphade’s clever and engrossing Swaadini: Voice of the Harmonium.
In addition to classical music Kedar Naphade also plays the semi-classical forms of music,
like the Natyasangeet (which is associated to Indian theater or an Indian Opera), Bhajans,
Thumri, Dhun etc. A glimpse of these exotic styles is seen in the album. The harmonium is
the most common musical instrument found in Indian households especially among families
which have an affinity towards music. One of the reasons for this could be that it is portable,
reliable and easy to learn. To many it still remains a mystery why this wind instrument which
is popular and common among Indians remains to be one of the least played and heard
instrument in solo style.
Kedar Naphade has performed harmonium solo and also has accompanied vocalists
at numerous concerts in India, Europe and in the U.S. This album Swaadini: Voice of the
Harmonium gives hope to revive the tradition and bring back its popularity. The album has
proved to be a true enchantment; the simplicity and depths of a harmonium incorporated with
intricate ragas are bliss to a chaotic world. Swaadini: Voice of the Harmonium is a must have
music CD especially if you aspire an eclectic collection. This music CD is available online at
underscorerecords.com.
Artist: Slug’s Revenge
Title: Revenge is Never a Four Letter Word
Label: Saw Jaw
By Kelsey Yule
The term “folk punk” conjures up all sorts of
unfavorable images—some crusty kid plucking an
acoustic guitar while wailing barely discernable
songs about trite and generic political concepts,
i.e. Free Mumia, fight the system, etc. So perhaps
Slug’s Revenge should not be categorized as folk
punk, but rather folk music with a a strong bunk influence, as if Woody Guthrie was a member of Grass.
Consisting primarily of Kevin Wykoff, formerly of the
Black Death All Stars and occasional backing from
friends, Slug’s Revenge can only be described as
fast and furious. With Wykoff’s incredible talent and flat picking style, every track on the debut
album, Revenge is Never a Four Letter Word, reveals a high level of complexity with minimal
production for an overall crisp and intimate sound. Although the album is now over two years
old and many of the tracks are highly politically charged, Wykoff’s messages are still topical
and even insightful, an almost unheard of phenomenon in today’s punk music.
The album begins with the exquisite guitar work and clever wordplay of “Media Song.”
Discussing the corporate ownership of the media, Wykoff briskly sings “ so we live in a world
based on privatization/ and if the public found out it might cause a big sensation/ so in irony
this way they suppress the education/ by privatizing the public’s very source of information.”
This original track is followed by “Freeborn Man,” a reworking of the classic folk tune to
incorporate manic guitar picking. Back to Wykoff’s political musings, “Prison Song” remarks
on the transgressions of the industrial prison complex. Perhaps the gem of the album, “I
Don’t Care to Know the Method to the Madness” soulfully weaves a less in-your-face message with dreamlike imagery. “If You’re Ever in Oklahoma” moves ploddingly through a dark
and heavy melody with lyrics about the perils of life on the road. Incorporating spoken direct
quotes from the recruiting handbook, “Notes on Military Recruitmet” caustically offers some
disheartening facts about military recruitment in schools. Other highlights of “Revenge is Never
a Four Letter Word” include two instrumentals: “Dailey’s Jam,” which includes some Slavic
sounding accordion accompaniment, and “Blackberry Blossom,” an intricate and lightning
fast exhibition of Wykoff’s guitar skills.
Some people dismiss folk music as simply a pleasant background to the campfire, but the
exhilarating debut album of Slug’s Revenge proves otherwise. With his fresh infusion of a punk
perspective, Kevin Wykoff follows in the tradition of folk heroes of the past—ballsy, talented
and uncompromising. Look out for his second album to drop later this year.
rice radio folio
Specialty Shows
Specialty shows make up around 30 percent of our programming hours,
most during the evening hours between 5 p.m. and 1 a.m. These shows endeavor to play unexposed music from genres other than rock. Some of our
specialty shows, such as Chickenskin and Jazz, have been going strong for
over 20 years; others, like Africana, are fairly new. KTRU strives to play the
greatest variety of music with the least trash of any station in the Houston
vicinity, and specialty shows help us toward this goal.
Africana
The African/African Diaspora show explores the music of Africans and communities of
African descent wherever one finds them. This last is what is sometimes referred to as “the
African diaspora.” Africa is home to some of the world’s greatest musical traditions. Our goal
on the Africana show is to expose introduce the Rice community listeners to the rich diversity
of some of the world’s greatest, and still evolving musical traditions. We to the rich diversity of
these still evolving musical cultures. Hosts Joe and Chris have spent years collecting African
music, and we play everything from traditional and folkloric music to the classic recordings
of the sixties and seventies to today’s dance hits. Not only do we present the music of 54
African countries, but we will also explore African music in the Americas, Europe and the
Indian Ocean: everything from reggae, to jazz, to Colombian cumbias, and Cape Verdean
mornas, and more. Tune in to KTRU every Saturday from 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. and join Joe and
Chris us on an exciting journey into the music of the Africa and its Diaspora.
Americana
Every Monday night from 9 – 10 p.m., the Americana show explores the roots and history of American music (and sometimes, American history through music). For example, on
MLK Day, we played speech excerpts from MLK, RFK’s famous speech on the assassination,
plus songs by Otis Spann, Nina Simone, the Staple Singers and others who recorded civil
rights and MLK related material. On the birthday of the Houston blues legend Big Mama
Thornton (now deceased), we played a selection of her music, and on Election Day we’ll play
appropriately themed songs (Blue Mountain’s “Jimmy Carter,” the Austin Lounge Lizards’
“Ballad of Ronald Reagan”). We try to cover as many American genres as possible—jazz,
blues, bluegrass, gospel, cajun, zydeco, rockabilly, country, western swing, etc. Other themes
have included Halloween, Veteran’s Day, Sarg Records (an obscure but important indie label
from central Texas), the best of Bob Wills, the accordion, Motown, songs about food, Sam
Cooke (on his birthday) and Townes Van Zandt (on the anniversary of his death).
Blues
Join us on Wednesday nights for an exploration and insightful look at the world of blues.
Taking the genre beyond 12 bars and 3 chords, this two hour program brings the stark beauty
of Billie Holiday, the pleading of James Brown, the delta sound of Robert Johnson, and the
relentless sounds of Howlin’ Wolf, Otis Rush, and many others to one meeting place here on
KTRU. It’s Blues in Hi-Fi; Wednesdays 7 – 9 p.m. on KTRU Houston!
Chickenskin
Chickenskin Music airs Thursday Evenings on KTRU from 8 – 10 p.m. The show gets
its name from an old blues expression referring to music that gives you ‘chickenskin’, or
goose bumps. At the beginning it was collage of bluegrass, folk, rockabilly, classical and
jazz. The idea comes from a thought that all music from A to Z is related, and can be played
together. It’s just a matter of how you get from A to Z. Live guests have always been a part of
the show. Over the years we’ve hosted Lyle Lovett, Eric Taylor, Jason Eklund, The Neville
Brothers, James McMurtry, Preston Reed, Sue Foley, Tish Hinojosa, Ani di Franco… and
the list goes on.
Electronic
First there was the theremin, humming like a flying saucer to the wave of a hand. Then
along came giant modular synths and Australian computer music. As the twentieth century
trickled onward, electronic music developed from an academic experiment to the dominant
force on many dance floors. It has rewritten pop music, re-arranged the classical canon and
played a key part in the development of hip hop. But today, electronic music has emerged
into an abundance of music in a genre all its own. Undanceable IDM, blast-happy breakcore,
synth-buzzing electro, glitch, lap-pop and more. You can sample the spectrum every Friday
evening from 7 – 9 p.m. on the Electronic show. As a special treat, on several occasions, the
electronic show has presented electronic works from students in the Shepherd School of
Music here at Rice.
Funk & Soul
The Funk show airs every Thursday evening, from 7 – 8 p.m. What began as monstrous
drum lines, super rhythmic electric guitar rifts, and an extra tight brass section has since
evolved into one (wo)man bands intent on conquering the same soulful journey foreshadowed
by their imaginative ancestors decades ago. Henceforth, each week, the Funk show sets out
to pay proper homage to the commendable funk purveyors, while acknowledging the soul
scholars of today and introducing the mission controllers of tomorrow. No corner of the world
or era of time is left uncovered. The declaration remains: “One Nation Under A Groove.”
Genetic Memory
Genetic Memory is a series of three-hour experiments within the sonic void. It is a continuously redefining aural enigma, wrapped around a divergent collection of reference points,
from percussive implosions to explosive decompressions, from trepanned sound poetry to
doomed Grimmrobe sludge, from the meticulous and improvised to the orchestrated and
chaotic, from old school industrial to new school drone, from free-jazz freakouts to freaky
prog noodlings, from primitive electrons to digital dust devils, from Dadaist spasms to Actionist Grand Guignols and a myriad of tangents in between. A rotating crew of hosts and
hostesses gives each show a constantly shifting center of gravity, with each DJ formulating
his or her own definition of “music minus one chromosome.” On Monday nights, from 10
p.m. – 1 a.m., follow the unraveling strands of Genetic Memory.
Hip Hop
The Vinyl Frontier airs every Tuesday night from 10 p.m. – 1 a.m. The show primarily covers the latest releases from the underground hip-hop world with the occasional classic thrown
in. Multiple styles are covered—from abstract ruminations backed by laptop glitch to gritty
street tracks from upcoming MCs and even a club banger thrown in for good measure.
Select invited local DJs will occasionally appear on the show to illustrate their turntablism
skills. Short interviews are also sometimes conducted with local and national hip-hop acts,
and the roots of hip-hop and rap are explored by delving into the funk, soul, and jazz breaks
that started it all.
Jazz/Improvised Music
The KTRU Jazz and Improvised Music Program presents the living legends, unsung
heroes, rising stars and timeless pioneers in the world of creative improvisation, from the
innovations of classic American jazz to the rigorous explorations of today’s European and
Japanese free improvisers. From New York’s downtown sounds to regional styles and beyond.
The Jazz and Improvised Music Program presents the vast spectrum of the music of the
moment which you can hear broadcasting every Sunday from noon until 9 p.m.
Kids
Do you remember Saturday morning cartoons? Do you remember the joyous anticipation
that you felt on Friday night, knowing that Heaven was only a few hours away? Well, you
can feel that joy, again! Every Saturday, the KTRU Kids’ Show digs up the songs that made
8
SPRINg 2010
your childhood. Old favorites and forgotten memories are intermixed with new classics and
rarities that you may have never heard before—and they are all family friendly and youth
oriented! Hear cartoon theme songs, stories, children’s artists, child artists, and more! Hosted
by the lovable DJ crew of Jane, Jenny and Tom, it’s sure to be the most fun you’ve had on a
Saturday in a long time! (Don’t forget to let your kids listen, too!). Saturdays, noon – 1 p.m.,
only on KTRU!
Local
The Local Show brings Houston musicians to the forefront, with occasional forays into the
rest of the Lone Star State. From Lightnin’ Hopkins to Jana Hunter, from The Red Krayola
to The Fatal Flying Guilloteens, and from ZZ Top to Drop Trio, the show presents over five
decades of Bayou City punk, jazz, blues, psych, noise, and everything in between. Tune in from
8 –10 p.m. every Tuesday to delve deep into the scene. Bi-weekly feature shows broadcast
live sets and interviews with Houston heavyweights and newcomers alike, direct from our
studio. Listen and discover the incredible bands you share this city with.
Metal
From The Depths, KTRU’s metal show, features 3 hours of underground metal, without
a trace of commercial pseudo nu-metal. Death metal, black metal, thrash metal, raw, ugly,
and heavy, with an impressive amount of vinyl: 7 inches, 12 inches, etc. Real metal from real
metal-heads. From the old school to the newest underground releases. Sundays from 10
p.m. – 1 a.m.
MK Ultra
Need a fix of the latest in underground electronic dance music? Not to worry - MK Ultra
has you covered, and we’re one of the very few Houston radio shows that does. Every Friday
night from 9 p.m. – 12 a.m., we showcase three hours of live in-station DJ-mixes from the
cream of the crop of local acts (and every now and then some international acts). We hit all
the sub-genres, whether it’s house, drum n bass, progressive, breaks, etc. You can check
us out on the web, at www.mkultra.us for recordings, details on sending promos, and how
to submit DJ demos.
Mutant Hardcore Flower Hour
Once upon a time, when today’s college freshmen were little more than a staring complex
and a bad perm, alternative, indie rock, garage, emo, grunge, and hardcore all had the same
name: punk. Every Thursday night from 10 p.m. – 1 a.m., the Mutant Hardcore Flower Hour
explores the genre that gave birth to all the lame bands that annoy your parents, your roommates, and your friends, proving that nothing is more cathartic than giving everyone the
finger at the same time, including yourself. Like Steven Van Zandt, we play the Ramones,
everyone who influenced the Ramones, and everyone the Ramones influenced. If it’s fast
and loud, if it’s angry, if it rocks, we’ve got it—but it’s more complicated than that. D. Boon
of the Minutemen put it simply: Punk is whatever we make it to be.
Navrang
The Navrang (“Nine Colors”) Show covers the music of the Indian subcontinent, naturally
with a focus on music from films, but also capturing the diversity of the region with Indian
classical, folk, Indipop, Asian underground and “Western fusion” music out of the region in
a “spicy musical curry.” Check it out Saturday mornings, 10 a.m. – noon.
KTRU News
KTRU News focuses on local (and especially Rice Community) leading thinkers, professors, news makers, community organizations, nonprofits, arts organizations, politicians and
the like, in a talk format, trying to capture what others might miss. If you have story ideas
or want recordings of past shows, check our page at www.ktru.org. Tune in Fridays from
5 – 6 p.m.
Post Punk
The Modern Dance, KTRU’s post-punk show, airs every Tuesday night from 7 – 8 p.m..
Focusing on underground music of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, we play all genres of post-punk,
from the mutant disco of Cristina to the avant garage of Pere Ubu. Despite their differences,
almost every artist that we play exhibits a willingness to play with—and rebel against—pop
music clichés. Take the rebellion and brashness of punk rock and add an experimental
aesthetic edge and you have post-punk.
In addition to playing mixed sets and taking requests from our listeners, we often build
the post-punk show around a theme. This year, for example, we have devoted entire shows
to the Rough Trade label, to inaccessible music, and to synth pop. Tune into the post-punk
show and you’ll get “The Modern Dance.”
Rice Radio Reggae
Wednesdays from 5 – 7 p.m., KTRU’s Rice Radio Reggae takes listeners on a tour of some
of the many facets of Reggae music. While having its origins in Jamaica, Reggae now comes
from countries across the globe, and each week Rice Radio Reggae attempts to present an
overview of the genre. You’ll hear the Roots Reggae Bob Marley made famous, instrumental
Dub, Dancehall, and more. It’s eclectic (just like KTRU!) and, who knows? You could just
hear a side of Reggae you never knew existed!
Spoken Word
The Spoken Word show offers performances from musicians, writers and poets, and
politicians and random diatribes. Saturdays 7 – 8 p.m.
Scordatura
The Scordatura Show explores modern and contemporary classical music: i.e. experimental, electronic, or otherwise unusual music voiced for more or less traditionally
orchestral instruments, generally since 1900. Representative artists would include Glass,
Reich, Cage, Stockhausen, Pierre Schaeffer, and the like, though we try to emphasize lesser
known material, as our show bleeds across into the glitchiness of the Electronic Show, the
experimentation of the Jazz Show, and the noisiness of Genetic Memory. We also regularly
feature material composed or performed by members of Rice’s Shepherd School of Music,
including live performances.
Treasures of the Sixties
If you enjoy the music of the Sixties, but are sick and tired of the same old, played-out
rotation of classic rock radio, you’re not alone. Every Wednesday night from 9 – 11 p.m., the
Treasures of the Sixties Show revisits the decade of boundless energy with an ear for what
sounds fresh. You’ll hear cult artists such as Spirit and Love who deserve more, well, love.
We like to play Texas legends like the 13th Floor Elevators, Sir Douglas Quintet, and Mayo
Thompson. You’ll even hear album cuts from the likes of the Kinks and Otis Redding, artists
with much deeper catalogues than commercial radio would have you believe. And with the
armies of pop culture archeologists out there who make new discoveries every week, we’ll
prove the saying, “If you haven’t heard it before, it’s good as new.” Fight the tyranny of Oldies
radio! Catch the Sixties show on Wednesdays.
World
From ancient Asian traditions to highly innovative Brazilian jazz, the KTRU World Music
Show covers the globe. Natural indigenous music of the rainforest gets equal play with exciting Indian Bhangra and African pop. From the most talented musicians the world has to offer
to the most joyous and liveliest, listeners can hear it all on Monday nights from 7 – 9 p.m. A
rotating volunteer staff with experience in international music and cultural education curates
diverse set lists each week. We present acclaimed musicians like Talip Ozkan, Ali Farka
Toure, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, and Mongo Santamaria, as well as many underrepresented and
independent musicians around the world. Listeners will find out about world music events
in Houston and the surrounding region. Occasionally the World Music Show may highlight
regional events that feature international music, as well as Native American powwows and
regional traditions with international origins.
9
KTRU Interview
rice radio folio
ktru 91.7 fm
SPRINg 2010
rice radio folio
meo)))w
An Interview
with Composer
SPRINg 2010
by myra lara
Kyle Bobby Dunn
by Melanie Jamison
The Canadian-born, primarily selftaught composer Kyle Bobby Dunn
escapes academic process and contrived
approach, instead exploring individual will
and styling in his compositions. Dunn once
worked in England with British composer
Gareth Hardwick of the Low Point label,
who recommended the recent release of
compilation album A Young Person’s Guide
To Kyle Bobby Dunn (which Dunn insists is
not a retrospective or greatest hits collection, “simply a title”). The album consists
of fluid acquisitions of reductive elements
in piano, bass guitar, and small string and
horn sections, consisting of some of the
composer’s most astute works of the past
six years. Not quite what he would consider
improvised, Dunn explores the formation
of music on an intuitive basis, often allowing the sound itself to guide his work.
Dunn now lives in New York where
he frequently performs in solo and collaborative efforts with other musicians.
Live performance in addition to personal
recording sessions will continue to take
precedence in his work. With A Young
Person’s Guide being a recent acquisition
in the KTRU music collection, I contacted
the composer about his music philosophy,
background, and approach.
KTRU: What were some of the most formative early sounds or music you heard that
have now influenced the way you listen?
KBD: Sounds that were just sort of
negative to me, or that I didn’t actually
like… I had sleeping problems when I
was really young, and my mom would
suggest playing her radio to help try to get
me asleep, and it made matters worse…
Sounds that I would hear in daily situations
were the most formative, probably… I lived
downstairs, so I would sometimes hear
the sounds coming through the floors,
and it kind of muddied them… That’s
what I’m thinking about the unconscious
formation in what I started to create. In
terms of music that I liked, I really got
into a lot of contemporary classical and
even traditional classical music when I
was pretty young. It somehow translated
into what I was doing.
KTRU: Music terminology seems to keep
expanding. How would you currently classify
your music?
KBD: I feel like I sound more and more
ridiculous and pretentious when I describe
it to somebody, and that is the big difficulty
with music that’s being made today. You’re
either trying to break out of a mold or stay
inside a mold… I look at it no differently
than I look at a lot of music. At the end
of the day, it’s a product, it’s packaged,
it’s sold. It’s available just like any other
music is available. I’ve even half-jokingly
called it pop music before and “pop music
for our time.” I think we live in sort of a
weird time, and I think pop music is sort
of “of the era”… People have labeled it as
ambient music, or drone music, but I just
really don’t think of it as in those terms.
I’m not creating it in that headspace.
KTRU: Do you find it essential today as
a contemporary composer to have classical
training (such as music theory, maybe
even proficiency in an instrument) or do
you interpret composition or essentially a
sound vocabulary as a personal developed,
cognitive skill?
KBD: I am all for it… A lot of the friends
or people that I work with are classically
trained, and I really like somebody who
has perfected their instrument, especially
when I’m working with them. I have pretty
little academic music background. I know
a little bit of theory, and I’ve learned the
instruments I have played in my own weird,
intuitive way. I’ve taken enough time and
flirted with the instrument in ways that I
have just come to like. I think in terms of
my own creative process or ways of composing, I have never really used traditional
theory. I feel that if I learned more of it
maybe it could just really limit my ability
or even my want to keep doing music. I
would maybe get bored with it, or just not
find anything interesting about it.
KTRU: Do you feel like it is possible to
find form in the absence of form?
KBD: Yeah, I think it’s obvious in some
of my pieces that I’m really into silence, and
I am utilizing it to the best of my ability. It’s
sort of a subjective theory, with form. Everyone’s got a take on form. There could be
a “formless form.” As long as I’m creating,
I know there has to be something there.
I don’t think I am an extreme minimalist,
or I don’t think that I am creating with the
mindset that I am.
KTRU: Technology seems to be an integral part to your composition process. What
would you say is the ratio of electronically
generated/manipulated sound vs. raw sampling and instrumentation we are hearing
in your music?
KBD: I would say now it’s pretty even
keel, 50/50, process vs. the actual ensemble playing the music…in my newer
works and playing live, I’ve tried to water
down more of the electronic and computer
stuff. I’m just not really a huge computer
fan…I know it’s sort of an inescapable
beast at this point, but I’m learning more
and more about bleeding the instruments
or the sounds of the instruments in ways
that don’t rely so heavily on process or
the computer…In the raw process for this
album, the “’Young Person’s Guide,” there
was a lot of playing that you don’t hear.
On the record, I am playing mainly guitar
and piano. That’s kind of the forward for
the string players to the horn players…
they’re interpreting the sounds through
my guitar changes or piano progressions
and then adding their own sort of beauty
to the mix.
Varsha Vakil
Pandit Suman Ghosh
Pandit Suman Ghosh gave lessons on the Hindustani (North Indian) style of singing during
a recent live performance on the Navrang Show.
what ktru music sounds like, according to people unaware of drone
KTRU: How does the way you utilize
technology differ from the recording of this
album vs. when you play live with other
musicians?
KBD: I’ve been trying to play more with
the string ensembles and string sections.
They’re not really under as much control,
so to speak. When I am working with them
I tend to have a lot more time and control
over the sounds that they contribute…in
a live setting it’s a lot more organic, fresh,
natural progressions with their playing.
Again, trying to play more of a natural
reliance on their natural resonance…it’s
a nice meeting point for live stuff…in the
recording, there is no jamming going on,
no practice sessions or anything. It’s really
painfully boring, really just a conversation
that might resurface later.
KTRU: A Young Person’s Guide to Kyle
Bobby Dunn successfully conveys human
emotion in electronic music, something
that perhaps couldn’t easily be conceived
without being heard. Where do you find this
inspiration? Would you say this parallels
your aesthetic appreciation?
KBD: It’s really just drawn from my
general view of society and what is going
on in my own life… It might seem isolated,
but that might be because I am a pretty
isolated person, isolated as a composer
for sure…The pieces on this album in
particular have a lot of strange, hidden connotations or messages. They will not apply
to everybody…You just know something
you are attracted to with sound. That’s
why it’s so subjective.
2006: Best Radio Station
“Rice University’s KTRU gives Houston the very thing
most other radio stations lack: quality. The kids cutting
their teeth on indie rock, hip-hop and electro manage
to pull off a better radio station than Clear Channel
could ever dream up.”
2003: Best Hip-Hop Show
(for The Vinyl Frontier)
“Dennis Lee’s radio show, which broadcasts every
Tuesday night out of the Student Center
at Rice University, is three hours
of unadulterated hip-hop ecstasy.”
2000: Best Radio Station
“The 50,000-watt outlet is a throwback to a time when
stations were programmed by people who really liked music.”
10
11
KTRU Staff/Folio Staff/Contact KTRU
rice radio folio
SPRINg 2010
KTRU SPRING 2010 Folio STAFF
How Can I Contact KTRU?
Listen to or read about KTRU at www.ktru.org.
On air music requests: 713.348.KTRU (5878)
You can also find email addresses for all of our directors at ktru.org.
General correspondence can be directed to [email protected]
Editor: Rose Cahalan
Layout and Design: David Wang
Contributors: Carina Baskett, Mark Flaum, Lance Higdon, Alyssa Ibarra,
Melanie Jamison, Ayn Morgan, Rachel Orosco, Lauren Pemberton, Miguel Quirch,
Christopher Spadone, Varsha Vakil, Ian Wells, Kelsey Yule, Joelle Zigman
How Can I submit music?
To submit music for airplay consideration:
Music Directors
C/O KTRU MS-506
P.O. Box 1892 • Houston, TX 77251
How Can I contact other people?
<Insert Name of Director/ Department/ Specialty Show>
C/O KTRU MS-506
P.O. Box 1892 • Houston, TX 77251
KTRU STAFF LISTING
Station Manager: Rachel O
Program Director: Zach R
DJ Directors: Carina B, Patricia B, Jay H
Music Directors: Miguel Q, Kevin B
Business Manager: Buton D
Publicity: Anneli R, Kendra E
External Ventures: Brittany W, Joelle Z
Folio: Rose C
Outdoor Show: Kelsey Y
Operations: Mark H, Joelle Z
Promotions: Burton D, Mars V
PSAs and Community: Varsha V, Emma T
News: Carina B
Sultan o’ Stick: Lauren P
Socials: Pamela T
Webmaster: Lauren P
Student Engineer: Andrew L
KTRU carries Rice
Women’s Basketball and
Rice Baseball. Check out
www.ktru.org or the
respective Rice Owls
team pages for broadcast
dates and times.
If a game isn’t on air,
it’s probably
streaming online!
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Steven Crowell
General Manager: Will Robedee
Chief Engineer: Bob Cham
Office Manager: Scottie McDonald
KTRU 19th
Annual Outdoor Show
noon-10 pm • FREE
Rice University
featuring
Rafter
Fat Tony
Ghost Mountain
Wasp and Pear
Space City Gamelan
Rachel Buchman’s Homemade Band
Office Party
sponsored by:
Bring canned goods for the Houston Food Bank!
12