Song of the South

It was Civil War on the Feedback Farm last night as the Farmers took on the South. Vast, unique, diverse, full of history and potential, the topic was probably more than anyone could handle in 60 minutes. And even playing 4 hours worth of material in the course of 1 hour they didn't get to everything. I mean, they never even mentioned NASCAR, debutantes, or Cheerwine! (Not to mention Kentucky Nip*!)

Well, they tried. And it was great to once again hear the voice of WXYC-alum Nelson G, even if that voice was just barely audible.

It was surprising that the phone rang so many times during this particular programme. The Farmers themselves tried to come up with an explanation as to why, especially during what was supposed to be a big, close basketball game (final score, #1 UNC 98, #12(?) Michigan St 63), so many people called tonight compared with recent weeks.

Maybe people were listening to the radio instead of studying for finals?

Maybe the callers were boning up for their exam on Southern history and culture?

You can download the programme here (28MB MP3).


*According to the bottle, Kentucky Nip is "Smooth as a Southern gent, and sassy as a Southern belle." Gotta love it.

1-800-MAKE-MUS-ick

Maybe there was once a time and a place you might be able to do a little diddy on your daddy's cell phone-or maybe even the phone on the wall. Those rotary phones were kinda musical too weren't they? In any event, I once remember having the distinct opportunity to play 'Mary had a little lamb' using the very few butttons that were once on phones. Maybe you can try it yourself. here it goes...(dead serious try it)..

6545666 555 6 88

Ok the only part that doesn't work too well is the last two 8s but see for yourself. Also that is only the first part of it. You get the point though

Tekmology as Ali G would say has made a gargantuan leap since. So I am one of those people that got caught with the iPhone virus. I am doing just fine however. With this thingymagicgy I can make my own songs without that 6545666 shit to remember. I can play an octave on a keyboard, a set of drums, or a host of other noises. I can even do a turntable scratch with this application that goes by the name of MixMeister Scratch. The only application I have really used has been the iDrum. iAbhor whenever iShows up before everything iSee, but this program is pretty cool. You can program in what becomes 16th notes at whatever interval you would like and can either make a syncopated beat that would make your grandma shake, or a basic 4/4 banger. Of, course there is no soul inside the 8 gigs of memory.

A lot of issues are raised by the rise of these applications. Will these be the new instruments? What if a performer gets a call while he's playing a drum solo on his blackberry? Might they even supplant some whizz dj/producer's laptop? Nobody knows for now. A few years down the road, I'd sure as hell like to find out.

Tragic Kingdoms

Sam Cooke once famously professed that he didn't know much biology. Well, apparently neither do the Feedback Farmers. That didn't stop them from trying to explain it, though.

Last night's show was a wild ride through the realms of bacteria, other more bad-ass bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, and animals. Give 'er an ear here (27MB).

P.S. A belated welcome to Farmer Andrew Bryson, who journeyed deep into the Amazon with little more than a backpack in search of the fungi segment heard on last night's programme.

F-F-F-Fear the F-F-F-Farm

A few weeks ago, WXYC had a scare when its website disappeared from the face of the Internet. During that time the blog was also down and therefore as you are probably aware, I was unable to share the on-air scare that is the Feedback Fair, er, Farm.

But now you can relive the terror of the November 5, 2008 Feeback Farm as the Farmers explore your deepest fears. Click here to download the show (28MB MP3).

Not for the f-f-f-faint of heart.

Vote Early & Vote Often

The Feedback Farmers said that October 2008 would be a high water mark for their feeble show, and I think they were right. Coming off last week's programme on the Economic Crisis the Farmers put together 60 more mostly listenable minutes in their pre-election extravaganza. If they keep this up I may have to roll up my pants to keep my shins dry in the cresting deluge.

Have you decided who you're going to vote for? Still trying to make up your mind? Hoping that the Feedback Farm will resolve any remaining questions you have about the candidates?

Well, the biggest criticism I have of this episode of the Farm is that, like Sarah Palin, it was weak on the issues. The collages were better than usual, but the listeners expected insight and endorsements to help them make up their minds as Election Day (Tuesday, November 4th!) draws nigh.

Still, to give credit where it's due, I was able to listen to almost the entire show, which has only happened a few times before. See how much you can get through. Download the programme here (28MB MP3). If nothing else, it'll motivate you to VOTE! As the Farmers said, vote for whomever you like, but VOTE!



PS Kevin Clark tie-dyed with a terrorist.

Stock Markets Down, Feedback Farm Up

You can never be sure how the Feedback Farmers will perform, but after last night one might theorize the quality of their programme is inversely related to the Dow.

Taking on the many facets of the financial crisis, the Farmers actually put together a halfway decent show. They even seemed to find a new fan in their first caller of the evening. Or maybe it was just Peter Joseph slyly trying to get free advertising for his film Zeitgeist, the Movie.

If you're worried about your money, frustrated by the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street, concerned about not being able to get a much needed loan, or just want to learn more about economics, there are, of course, better sources for cogent commentary. But if you don't have time to do a lot of research and want to get the most bang for your buck (who doesn't in these times?), click here (28MB MP3) for 5 hours of information in 60 minutes. That's economy.

Live Hip Hop Comes to the Cat's Cradle

It's a Saturday night and a couple of thousand people are cheering as our Tarheels destroy UConn in a game of football. Not so far down the way a handful of people are spread throughout the floor at the Cat's Cradle, listening as opening act Mosadi Music appropriately opens the show with their vocally smooth and instrumentally abrasive hip hop. Poet and lyricist Shirlette Ammons trooped onwards alongside her band mates, giving an amazing performance to a sparse crowd. Guitarist Chris Boerner was especially impressive with his guitar solos, which were reminiscent of Eddie Hazel, guitarist for Parliament-Funkadelic. The rhythm section served as a backbone for Shirlette's machine gun vocal delivery. They closed out the set the same way they started it: strong and with a vibrant intensity. It was a shame that so few people actually got to watch them.

This was an important night for the Urban Sophisticates, since it was their CD Release Show for Classic Material, their third studio release. The floor got more crowded as the football game let out, and Urban kicked into the set with their usual intensity. Urban's live show definitely stands strong to the reputation, delivering a selection of both old and new songs, alongside a few surprise covers. Front-man Benton James eased through each tune as his brother, Aaron, offered soulful crooning intermittently throughout the night. The band, including a trumpet, trombone, bassist, guitarist, and drummer, crowded the stage and served as the perfect vehicle for Benton's smooth, laid back vocal style.

All in all, the show was amazingly fun and the only disappointing aspect was the fact that more people didn't get to see it.

Mosadi Music: http://www.stumphole.com/ ; http://www.myspace.com/mosadilive

Urban Sophisticates: www.urbansophisticates.com/ ; http://www.myspace.com/theurbansophisticates

Vote for WXYC!

Hey! Voting for the mtvU Woodie Awards is going on right now, and voting is open for WXYC in the "Best College Radio Station" category. You can vote an unlimited amount of times, and voting is open for our region until Sunday, so let's get a head start!

Here is the link to vote. No registration is needed, only one simple click and your vote has been gathered! This is the round that will help us move on to finals, so all votes are appreciated.

http://woodies.mtvu.com/nominees/college_radio

There is also a comment area - if you have an anecdote about why you love the station or something particularly interesting pertaining to WXYC, be sure to share it!





P.S. Every time you vote, we smile exactly like this ->

Thanks so much!

Not Quite First Class

As has been heard in the past, the Feedback Farmers love to host a birthday party. So when they heard the US Postal Service was turning 219, they jumped on the opportunity to fête our nation's mail system.

Of course, in typical Feedback Farm fashion, the party was about as exciting as a barrage of junk mail. Things started off slower than Parcel Post, and the first time they turned on the microphones they seemed as nonplussed as a soldier who has just received a Dear John letter. (I realize that using nonplussed in a sentence is nearly as pretentious as using vis-à-vis (which reaches the pinnacle of pretense when the effort is made to include the grave accent diacritic), but, really, how often does one have an opportunity to use the word?)

From there, the show dragged on for the balance of the nine o'clock hour. Although the Feedback Farm only lasts for sixty minutes, trudging through a programme with this crew can sometimes feel like an eternity. It's too bad they can't follow in the footsteps of their guests of honor for the night, the USPS. How wonderful it would be to be able to say that "neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these DJs from the SWIFT completion of their appointed rounds."

Don't believe me? Download the episode here (26MB MP3).

Processing + Audio = Remarkable Visuals

Processing is an open source programming language for people who want to program images, animation, and interactions. I've seen it applied in a bunch of situations, but my favorite iteration (and the iteration most relevant to this blog) is when it is used to program relations to audio.

For example:

A video compiled using Radiohead's "Weird Fishes / Arpeggi"


From the author: "it is Processing from start to finish. There is no post processing (oooh, a literal pun!) or editing after the fact. I import the audio data from the analysis, augment it with the direct FFT data from the Sonia analysis, press play, and after it is done, I have the finished piece."

Next, a video by the same author, flight404, with Helios's "Sons of Light and Darkness" as the audio source

If you're curious, this guy helped develop what would eventually become the new iTunes visualizer (featured in iTunes 8)

Finally, a slightly more impressive application of the software is featured in this video from the Milan Furniture Fair in April of 2007. The floor seen in this video is designed to respond to the audio being emitted by the Kef Muon Speakers (which are purported to have "the best sound quality in the world")


So there you go. Processing at its finest. Did I mention it's free software and apparently easy to use?

WXYC has been nominated for a Woodie Award

WXYC has received a nomination in the category of Best Campus Radio Station from MTVu. More info:

Best Campus Radio Station

For the first time ever, mtvU is honoring 20 pioneering college campus radio stations committed to bringing students the latest indie and emerging music. Lauded for championing artists before they achieve mainstream success, these student-run radio stations represent the new music vanguard long since abandoned by traditional FM radio. The top stations were chosen based off accolades from CMJ College Radio Awards, Princeton Review Nominations, and independent questionnaires completed by a cross-section of record labels. One station will bring home the inaugural Woodie for Best Campus Radio Station, as voted on by their peers.

Radio Woodie - (Best Campus Radio Station)

For the station out there breaking the latest, emerging music, acting as pioneers in the industry.

Nominees:

KALX, University of California, Berkeley

KZSC, University of California, Santa Cruz

KSSU, Sacramento State University

KZSU, Stanford University

KCSU, Colorado State University, Fort Collins

WSOU, Seton Hall University

WERS, Emerson College

WICB Ithaca College

WBSR Brown University

WUSB Stony Brook University

WUTK University of Tennessee

WRAS Georgia State University

WEGL Auburn University

WWVU West Virginia University

WXYC University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

KSLU St. Louis University

KUOM University of Minnesota

WGRE DePauw University

WDBM Michigan State

WITR Rochester Institute of Technology

Copied from http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/whos-getting-a-chunk-of,550523.shtml

The winner is selected by online voting on the MTVu website. Finalists are selected by a week-long regional vote. The blog will be updated with more information once full voting procedure and info is revealed.

Founding Pink Floyd Member, Richard Wright, Dead at 65

Founding member and keyboardist for Pink Floyd, Richard Wright, died today at the age of 65 after a long battle of cancer. Be sure to pull out that old vinyl or play some Pink Floyd on your ipod in memory of a true innovator.

Source:
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hWIGm5l-yoyRo6pTklrXqJB3BnmA

Speaking of Poetry...

People tune in to WXYC and don't necessarily realize that the DJs they hear have talent that goes beyond merely spinning records.

Take DJ Kevin Clark, for example.

Perhaps a lucky few of you heard his live, free-stylin' rap a few weeks ago. If you did, I'm sure you were impressed. He did a dam fine job impromptu and under pressure.

If you missed his performance, no problem. Simply click here (3MB MP3) to hear. Enjoy. WXYC DJs are encouraged to play this on the air. Often.

Iambic Pentameter, etc

The Feedback Farmers tried to get all high-brow last week but instead got in over their heads. They don't know much when it comes to the finer things, and they sure don't know nothin' about POETRY. And anyway, I thought it was a MAN from Nantucket. I don't even know what the next line would be if it was a GIRL from Nantucket.

Hear with your own ear here (29MB MP3).



PS I vaguely remember deleting a file from my hard drive I didn't think I needed. I am coming to the realization that that file was the Feedback Farm Back to School Special. It's never a great loss when a Feedback Farm episode is lost to the aether. This programme was no exception.

Going for Gold

Posting in world record time, here's a recap of the Feedback Farm programme from mere hours ago.

Filling in for Bret D (who recently relocated to Chicago or San Francisco), the Feedback Farmers guest-hosted a special edition of SportsRap by covering the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, live from Beijing. With in-depth, behind-the-scenes looks at the athletes, the events, and all the scuttlebutt from the Olympic Village, the Farmers' insightful commentary made clear the reason they were chosen to take the helm of SportsRap full-time beginning this fall.

Click here (30MB MP3) to hear.

PJ wanted me to add the following: Sorry Bret, somehow the interview with you was completely blank! And sorry Steve, the phones wouldn't work so we couldn't get you on the air to talk about your experience training the US Olympic field hockey team!

Trippy Autechre Vid Delivers

Rabid Autechre fans have always described the venerable duo as composing "architecture for sound," roughly. It sounds pretentious, but the title track video to the group's 2002 EP "Gantz Graf" nailed the synesthetic fix perfectly: Alex Rutterford, the video's director, admitted swallowing a hard dose of hallucinogenics before starting work. If you don't believe me, see for yourself:

And if you're left pining for more delicious sound squiggles, director Lucio Arese gives us possibly Gantz Graf's direct followup, though he has no official ties to the band or their label. A sound production all around:

Happy Hour

This past Wednesday, the Feedback Farmers gave us an intoxicating 60 minutes of radio.

No, actually, this past Wednesday, the Feedback Farmers stumbled and slurred through an hour on the air that would have been best experienced while inebriated. That's more accurate.

The topic was alcohol, and you know what they say about drunks: they flock to inane radio programmes. I hope this is true, at least, because then we'd finally have some explanation for the idiocy that seizes WXYC every other Wednesday at 9pm.

You'd have to be completely wasted to click here (29MB MP3).

Free Club Tix

It's practically a breeze to socially engineer your way into any club by pretending you're the DJ. Observe.

Learn how to hack at 5min.com

We Pledge Allegiance

The Feedback Farmers and John Wayne pledged their allegiance to the U S of A on the last episode of the Farm. Also making cameo appearances were a gazillion residents of the Triangle who chimed in about what they like and, gasp!, what they don't exactly care for about this country.

WXYC was contacted by the Department of Homeland Security following the airing of this program. The nice people wanted to know the names of the people who were interviewed for the show. If you contributed, fear not--the station refused to turn over the names. However, we have decided to comply with Viacom's request to turn over the names and IP addresses of anyone who downloads the archive of this show. Click here (29MB MP3) at your own risk.

Farced in Flight

The Feedback Farmers soared through the last episode with samples, interviews, and songs about flying. Yes, flying. As in airplanes, airports, airlines. All in all it was, according to PJ's mom, "an interesting choice of topics" and, according to Dale, "Pretty good--it didn't blow me away, but it was pretty good."

As an added bonus, Cole drove through town on his way back to DC from Myrtle Beach and paid the Farm an in-studio visit. Cole has never flown in an airplane. Could not have picked a better episode to crash?

Hear it for yourself here (29MB MP3).

Public Service Announcement from WXYC

Just a timely reminder,

FOUCAULT
is
A UFO CULT

Fill 'Er Up

The Feedback Farmers (sans Bryson) explored the rising cost of gasoline on their most recent radio programme. The entire country is in a transportation crisis with the steady increase in the cost of a barrel of oil. At this writing, oil is $130 a barrel and gasoline is nearly $4 per gallon nationwide. By the time you read this it might be $6 or $8 a gallon. Is that a good thing? How will rising fuel prices affect our lives? Listen to the show here to find out all this and more.

Oh, Bryson couldn't make it because he couldn't afford the gas to get to Chapel Hill from Charlotte.

Recipe for Disaster

1 cup samples
1/4 oz. effects pedals
2 cups commentary
5 lbs. (dry) technical difficulties
1 pinch of credibility (optional, to taste)

Pre-heat your favorite audio software to 89.3 FM. Then be sure to get out your deluxe whisk set and pick a monosyllabic spice-throwing mantra in anticipation of this week's Feedback Farm!

Last night, with help from professional and (many more) amateur foodsmiths alike, the Farmers whipped up a batch of audio delights and helpful(?) guidance on the subject of COOKING. Click here (28MB MP3) to begin.

(Thanks for the text, KC.)

XL

Now I suppose one doesn't tune in to the Feedback Farm in hopes of hearing "good radio," but the Farmers took radio to a new nadir with the most recent episode. Personally, I suspect they weren't actually prepared for the promised show about cooking, so they spent 60 minutes yammering about 40 years in the life of Farmer PJ, who apparently had a birthday recently. Well whoop-dee-doo.

And while PJ repudiates accusations that he was behind it all (listen to his feeble exclamation of surprise toward the end of the programme), he sure played along quite happily at his fete, didn't he?

Really, if these folks can't get their act together and responsibly use the invaluable outlet they have at their fingertips, they should be tossed out on their ears. Somebody else would put the airwaves to better use. The Feedback Farm is a Radio SHOW, not a birthday PARTY.

If you missed the nonsense, you were lucky. If you click here (28MB MP3), your luck will shortly run out.

Political Party Hardy

There's nothing like a presidential election to remind you that America is doomed, but last night the Feedback Farmers got mildly political anyway, taking stabs at both sides as well as some innocent Young Democrats, callers, and historic recordings in their typical endearing way. Since the North Carolina Democratic primary arrives May 6, along with a barrage of advertising and mediocre bands, the nomination war between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton was the main topic of discussion, though McCain and his alleged "chipmunk cheeks" cropped up, too.

If you missed the programme, it's available in one whopping nugget of an MP3 file, downloadable here. (26 MB)

DJ Wicky Wick was not in attendance during the show, and thusly I blog-post this episode instead.

Buchla Buchla Boo

If the folks behind My First Sony truly had any interest in holding my attention past age 7, they would have done everything in their power to slap their name on the Buchla Music Easel and maybe I wouldn't be the schlub I am today.



The Music Easel was one of the many brainchildren of Don Buchla. It combines nearly every sound generating element found on a synth: a keyboard, multiple oscillators, cartridges, reverberation, envelope filters, as well as a variety of modular components. In fact, a majority of its charm stems from its interconnectivity. The only way he could have made it more over the top would be to graft on a baboon's heinie.

I stumbled across a great video of Charles Cohen going to town on the music easel. If the video is any indication of the Music Easel in raw form, it's even somehow producing sound in stereo. Here's the blib from the site and then the video:

/ / / / / Viewing with headphones or a stereo source is highly recommended / / / / /


This colorful video features sound artist Charles Cohen improvising on a 1970's Buchla Music Easel. This extremely rare instrument is one of Don Buchla's 200 series. Buchla (a pioneer of audio synthesis) only manufactured 14 of these units. The entire film was edited from an hour-long set of free improvisation, with audio was taken directly from Charles' mixing board.All of the photography and editing was produced by Alex Tyson, a sound and video artist from Pennsylvania. The film was shot in 16:9 720p High Definition format, using a 35mm LensBaby 3GPL




CHARLES COHEN AT THE BUCHLA MUSIC EASEL from Alex on Vimeo.

Feedback Fashionistas

Does your closet contain anything you should really just throw away? Are outmoded styles keeping you from getting that promotion at work? Do you just plain need fashion advice?

This week the Feedback Farmers (in their expanded form) welcomed spring with a look at this season's hottest new fashions. Yellow is in, leggings are out. Waists are going higher, pant legs are wider. Strap on your gladiator sandals and click here (28MB MP3) to listen to the latest episode of the Feedback Farm!

Hot Diggity Dog!

Frankly, hot dogs are a pretty curious food. Thusly inspired, the most recent
episode of the Feedback Farm was about all things wiener. By the end of the hour, the Farmers managed to encase their listeners in an array of collage and discussion that can only be described as intestinal and dubiously sourced, albeit protein-rich. New Farmers Steph, Andy, and Bryson joined the posse.

Download the programme here (28MB MP3).

This blog-entry guest written by Feedback Farmer/wanted criminal Kevin Clark.

Recurring Dreams

The Feedback Farmers revisited one of their favorite topics last week: Dreams.

The third installment in the series again featured dreams collected in the Chapel Hill area. The Farmers accosted people on the UNC campus, at the Weaver Street Market, and at a local bike shop.

The maximum-density collage may not have quite worked out the way the Farmers (Kevin, in particular) envisioned, but all in all it was a pretty good show. If you sometimes find the Feedback Farm hard to take, this show was one of the more listenable, actually.

Many thanks to all the dreamers who helped make this show a reality!

Click here to download the March 12, 2008 Feedback Farm Dream programme (44MB MP3).

=====================

As a special bonus, click here to read about and download the dream collage that aired on the March 17, 2005 Thursday Night Feature on WXYC (a 40MB MP3 awaits you).

As an extra-special bonus, click here to download the dream collage that started it all, broadcast on WXYC March 29, 2004 (20MB MP3).

Hot Topic

The Feedback Farmers had a heated discussion about all things flammable and inflammable on the programme last week. Fire safety, forest fire suppresion (thanks to special guest via telephone Charles Hill), burning Beatles albums, and the burning of the Reichstag were all at least mentioned.

Lest we forget our ABCS, a big thanks for the contributions to this show made by Andrew, Bryson, Chris, and Steph.

If you have a burning desire to hear the show, click here to download (27MB MP3).

Farm Aid '08

It doesn't happen often on WXYC, but when it does happen, the outpouring of love from our listeners is nearly overwhelming. Yes, last night WXYC held its pledge drive, and, thanks to you our loyal listeners, we reached the mark we needed to stay on the air. Many thanks and a big Valentine's Day kiss to the 30 of you who gave us pledges of your money, souls, cat pelts, exotic birds, and half-eaten sandwiches.

Of course, if you didn't pledge during the on-air drive, it's not to late to show your support for the unique personalities and programming that WXYC offers. It's as easy as sending an email with your pledge to wxycfeedbackfarm at gmail dot com. And remember, we don't want your money, we just want you to pledge your money.

We know how much everyone loves to turn on their favorite public radio station to discover that a pledge drive is in progress. And so we know that if you didn't tune in to the 2008 Pledge Drive on WXYC, you will wish you hadn't missed it. If you did miss the pledge drive, don't despair! You can download the entirety of the programme here (29MB MP3) and listen to it now! And if the show motivates you to pledge, send an email to wxycfeedbackfarm at gmail dot com with your pledge! It may be too late to win the trip to Paris, but it's never too late to support WXYC!

As a special thanks to you our loyal listeners, we also present to you a special Bonus MP3 (2MB MP3) that unfortunately wasn't played on the air but which (as you will hear) should have been the first item in the broadcast.

K-Rox on the New Science Experience

Hailing from NYC and residing in Durham, K-Rox has been rocking house music in all it's various forms for close to 15 years. K-Rox hosts deep, a night devoted to underground house music at Sirens Lounge in Durham.

Go to the New Science Experience Site for track listing and my mix from the second half of the show.

Download: K-Rox on nse radio 2.3.08

New music at the Station!

Check out these new albums at the station!



Hugh Masekela: The Chisa Years 1965-1976 (rare and unreleased) (Africa Vinyl MA 12/8)
This compilation caught me by surprise with its pure greatness. These tracks were recorded for his Chisa label, and are often way better than his hits. Most sung in a South African language. I expected these to be would-be pop songs that failed, but damn I was wrong. These are hot hot hot African soul songs that are always being awesome, never just trying. (thats right bitches, African vinyl. aww yea)

Oneness of Juju: African Rhythms (Africa Vinyl ON 2/1)
Oneness of Juju: Space Jungle Love (Africa Vinyl ON 2/2)
From 1975 and 1976 respectively.
This group headed by James Plunky Branch was all over the New York loft scene in the early 70s. They took the style and feel of Sun Ra and Pharoah Sanders and gave funky R&B rhythms. Both fine albums, never yet played on our radio station.


Tony Allen - Jealousy Progress (cd Africa AL1/4)
Tony Allen - No Accommodation for Lagos - No Discrimination (cd Africa 1/3)
Tony Allen is the drummer for Fela Kuti through so many years and albums. These albums were recorded directly after Tony's peak years with Fela and are in the same league as Fela's best. The songs are long and heavy on the bass with horns punctuating and soloing into the sunset.


V/A African Disco: Deep Disco from 1970's Africa (Africa cd V/A 153)
This is the only hit or miss in the bunch. Some pretty cheesy stuff here, although that seems to be coming back in style. There are some hot spots though; the best track (in my humble opinion) is Afro Disco by tony allen, which is on one of the above mentioned tony allen records.


Reece

You've Come A Long Way. Baby.

After over a month of well-deserved R&R, the Feedback Farmers lit up the airwaves last night with a smoking return to their bi-weekly broadcast. Inspired by the newly implemented UNC campus ban on smoking within 100 feet of any building, cigarette smoking was the topic of discussion.

Missed it? Drag your mouse here (29MB MP3) to download and give the show a listen.

Global Music Show

Specialty shows are controversial on a free format radio station, so they need to be good as hell to justify their existence. Lord knows we've tried. So, instead of letting the global music radio waves disintegrate into nothingness somewhere over Durham, they've been meticulously recorded. They're all archived in chronological order and labeled with region, DJ, and guest Professor name. Give a little listen, and feed back to me if you'd like.

http://www.unc.edu/areastudies/publicprograms/global-music-audio.html

This show is one of the more overtly educational broadcasts on xyc, and I'm interested to know: has anyone learned anything? Have we promoted intercultural understanding? Or provided some context to music that was otherwise simply "foreign"?

The purpose of the show is to educate and entertain, but I think its real value is allowing interaction between xyc and the professors of our university. When profs come to the station, they aren't selling their knowledge like they do in class, they're sharing it. I know I'm sounding a little lovey dovey here, but xyc might be the only place on campus where students and professors interact on equal ground, and I like that.
Thanks for reading,
Reece

Femme French Pop?

Recently came across a blogspot devoted to 60s French Language Femme Pop Music, plus some other stuff - http://dansmoncafe.blogspot.com/

I haven't had a chance to really dig in, but this is a taste of the offerings:

Rogue Bloggers Unite

In the spirit of meta-blogging, I must remark that as a WXYC DJ we have both the privilege and the expectation to post entirely nonsensical or otherwise random content to the blog out of hazy motive voids.

I just watched my friend's dog eat some leaves off of a plant. Then she walked over behind the couch and vomited up the leaves, along with some green bile. Then she made another puke on the floor next to that spot. Then she went back and licked up the goop, but not the partially chewed hunks of leaves, which are still on the floor. Thus I am reminded of that age-old rhyme "fatty fatty two by four" - you know how it goes .. .