by Natasa Kvesic |
As a freshman, it can be hard to find your niche on campus. For these five students, their on-campus job serves as a place they can thrive and be themselves. As KDUP DJ's, they get to host their own radio show and be surrounded by nothing but music during their time in the studio. We asked these newcomers a bit about the method to their music.
Molly Chase
Show: “Wider Circles”
Genre: Folk
What is the genre of your set?
Folk. It’s newer folk, I try to focus on music that is less well known and support newer artists. I’ve been playing quite a bit of Shawn James. He’s from Fayetteville, AR and is so so good. I’ve also been playing a lot of Rising Appalachia and Alela Diane, who is a Portland local. I want to play more of less-established local artists but I need to find them first!
What’s your favorite part about having your own radio show?
I guess it’s kind of freeing, I get to do whatever I want for an hour and just share music and hang out and say whatever I want. It’s a cool platform to have, I think. It’s so much fun and everybody is super nice.
Have you played any personal favorite songs so far?
My show is called ‘Wider Circles’ and I played the song ‘Wider Circles,’ which is by Rising Appalachia, so it’s the namesake of the show. That’s my favorite song. That’s the first song that I played on my first show, to set the mood.
Why should people be interested in folk music? How is your radio show going to possibly increase a student listener’s love for this genre of music?
Folk music has a really rich history in activism and social movements, which is why I’m so interested in it. Its simplicity has the ability to send really powerful messages, I think. It’s not stuff you’re going to party to, but it will make you stop and think. I think most young people have a desire for progress and social change because we are a group of voices that hasn’t had a chance to speak much yet. Music in general is a voice for the voiceless and folk music is just one outlet for that.
What are your plans for the show?
I want to do a live set and have a musician come in and play. I think that would be super fun, or I could just interview someone. My dream would be to have Alice Phoebe Lou. She is an artist from Berlin who started her career by busking on the streets. She is now playing festivals and touring and has turned down contract offers from major labels. She is the epitome of an independent artist to me and that’s what my show is all about! I am also a musician. I do folk music as well, so I’m going to funnel my music in, once I feel like I have done enough shows so I don’t feel like a total narcissist. I play guitar, banjo, mandolin, ukulele and autoharp and kind of mix those all up in my songs. I also sing.
Listen to Molly's music here.
When to listen: Sundays from 10 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Show: “Whiplash”
Genre: Hip-hop/Rap
What interested you in the job, initially?
My brother goes to University of Puget Sound and he had a radio show there last year, and I really wanted to do that too. I found out that UP had one and I wanted to apply, the day came and I applied. I think I just like the environment as well, it’s a really calm environment, it’s just you and it’s just comfortable.
Why hip-hop and rap?
[I play] old school hip-hop. I figured I would have a better chance at getting a show because when I was looking at the current DJ’s and they had that alternative genre for their shows. I also wanted to try on a new persona. There are very different cultures for every genre, so hip-hop is one of those genres with a different culture attached to it, so I could speak a certain way and say stuff like ‘sick!’ or something like that!
What’s your favorite part about having your own radio show?
It’s really relaxing! I don’t have many classes on the day of my show, so I’m done in the afternoon and I can just chill into the weekend. I just put some headphones on and do it for my own sake. Honestly, I don’t know who is even listening to the set.
Have you played a personal favorite yet?
The first song I played was ‘No Rest For the Weary’ by Blue Scholars; they’re from Seattle and they went to the University of Washington. It’s not old-school, which is what my genre’s supposed to be, but it’s like the early 2000’s, it’s good! I think they have a way better message than some of the music I listen to, I think they actually have like good stuff to say.
Why "Whiplash?"
Because you’ll bumping your head so much, your neck will hurt.
When to listen: Fridays from 5 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Show: “That’s Bassist”
Genre: Jazz
How did you decide on the genre of your set?
I like a lot of music but I’ve had a long history with jazz and I play upright bass, and have played in a couple of jazz groups back home. I wanted to play in the jazz band here and meet some new people but I missed some deadlines on that, so I just needed to [experience] jazz in any capacity. So I decided to play it to listeners on Sunday nights at 10 p.m.! I needed to have some jazz in my life.
What’s the name of your show?
It’s called ‘That’s Bassist’ and it kind of sounds like ‘That’s Racist’...but yeah, ‘Das Racist’ was this pretty cool hip-hop group that I listened to with some friends growing up. It was just a pun and I like puns and I like jazz, so it goes together.
What’s your favorite part about having a radio show?
I like to hear feedback on my set as well as talking with others to grow as a music listener.
When to listen: Sundays from 10 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Show: “No Frequency”
Genre: Electronic
Why did you apply for the job?
Mostly because I like music, especially over the last year. My senior year [of high school] I just started to find a whole new genre and feeling of music that I’ve never really experienced before. I used to listen to a lot of alternative music and stuff like that, which is still super awesome, but I started listening to the more EDM stuff at the start of senior year and I went to a couple of raves with my friends. Now I’m settled in more of an ambient kind of chill music. But on the show, me and Nick are playing a good combination of all that kind of stuff. So, you get even some indie music with Mac Demarco and we feature a lot of music from the ‘Play Shelf’ which is basically people who want their music sponsored. For the most part it’s like Odesza and Flume, but from there we branch out to dance music. All of it has an underlying feel of electronic.
What are your plans for the show?
We plan on doing themes for the show. We are going to do it so like every week is going to have a theme. So like a spooky theme around Halloween and then dancy type of music, cinematic or sad. That way we can like hone in on one type of electronic music every week.
Have you played a personal favorite yet?
My favorite that we’ve played so far is ‘Buggin’ by TNGHT. My friends and I listen to it, that’s like our banger song.
What’s your favorite part about having a radio show?
The exposure. Walking into the studio the first time, I was shell-shocked, almost. All of these records and tons of CD’s and all these new people and everything. Every show has it’s own distinct feel, so I am just constantly finding brand new music and learning to appreciate things that I wouldn’t listen to otherwise.
When to listen: Mondays from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.
