WXYC 89.3 FM is the non-commercial student-run radio station of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We broadcast at 1200 watts from the UNC campus, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In 1994 we became the first radio station in the world to rebroadcast our signal over the Internet.
Yeah, we double-blog it at XYC. The tumblr will be inundated periodically with archived scans of our old posters.
For the uninformed, over the summer most of our great, historic posters covering our walls were taken down due to fire code regulations. These days, our walls look like this:
(spacy, pasty, antiseptic office space 4 sale)
So that all is not lost, and we can revel in the nostalgia of the olden days, we thought it would be a good idea to save all the posters and feature them on their own tumblr. Mind you, for the time being, this will continue to be the actual blog. Just go to the tumblr to see cool pictures of the Partridge Family.
Once again, my name's Nel and I will be your general blog editor. What exactly that means, I don't really know, but I would make a conjecture that various other DJs and I will be at least periodically informing you all (dear readers) of the goings on around the station, special programs coming up, and cool things happening in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area. There's also a slight chance that this will devolve into a bunch of somewhat random musings fresh from the delightfully crazed heads of our various DJs.
There's a slightly smaller (but equally exciting) chance that this will become another blog devoted to posting cute pictures of cats.
In any case, we urge you to subscribe and check back frequently.
We here at WXYC are excited to announce that today at 5pm will be the first episode our newest specialty show, Fusion Youth Radio! Fusion Youth Radio is the result of a partnership between the Marian Cheek Jackson Center (http://www.jacksoncenter.info/), the Sacrificial Poets (http://sacrificialpoets.com/), and WXYC.
FYR, is a youth-produced program which will incorporate young people conducting interviews, discussing points of interest in their communities, broadcasting audio documentaries, inviting guest poets onto the show, and more. FYR is rooted in the idea that our youth must take active roles in shaping the futures of our communities.
Fusion Youth Radio will air biweekly at 5pm on WXYC. Tune In!
Looking through our past episodes, T.I. has been talked about more than any other rapper. We're 62 episodes and 1.5 years in, so that's saying a lot. On this week's episode ofWhere Is Hip Hop?, Randy and I talk about The King Of The South being sent back to prison for 11 months.
Back on episode 7 of Where Is Hip Hop? T.I. was going in right around the time Gucci Mane was getting out. Back then we wondered what would happen with Grand Hustle, would it flourish or flounder? Beyond the music repeat prison sentences does nothing for T.I.'s image so this time around we also discuss it's impact to endorsements, other business ventures plus more.
BET released it's Top 10 Rappers of The 21st Century list so we go in on that too. Here's a hint, after that good and terrible Hip Hop Awards, BET redeemed themselves, a little, with this list.
Where Is Hip Hop? Episode 62: T.I. Goes To Prison........Again
********************************** WHERE IS HIP HOP? will give you information on the current state of Hip Hop in the world today as seen by Randy Roper aka Randy Exclusive, Music Editor of Ozone Magazine and Nanci O. We talk about who is hot and who is not, interviews, how we feel about certain albums and the direction of Hip Hop culture in the world today.
Think of us as the Roeper and Ebert of Hip Hop.
Get ready to be EDUCATED, INFORMED and ENTERTAINED.
On this week's episode of Where Is Hip Hop?, Randy and I talk about the biggest hip hop festival in the Southeast. A3C goes down this weekend in Atlanta and entails 3 days, 250+ artists, b-girl/b-boy battles, producer showcases, plus much more.
On Saturday Randy will be moderating the "What Is A Mixtape?" panel with DJs Green Latern, Burn One, Trackstar and others. There's alot going on during A3C and the full weekend of events can be viewed here.
Where Is Hip Hop? Episode 61: A3C Hip Hop Festival
********************************** WHERE IS HIP HOP? will give you information on the current state of Hip Hop in the world today as seen by Randy Roper aka Randy Exclusive, Music Editor of Ozone Magazine and Nanci O. We talk about who is hot and who is not, interviews, how we feel about certain albums and the direction of Hip Hop culture in the world today.
Think of us as the Roeper and Ebert of Hip Hop.
Get ready to be EDUCATED, INFORMED and ENTERTAINED.
The Backyard Barbecue is WXYC's local music show. Tune in Sundays from 8 to 9 PM to hear live sets and interviews from North Carolina bands like these:
The Hot $pitta stopped through Greensboro, NC earlier this month (September 3rd) for a near sold out show at Festival Park located downtown. Yours truly captured some footage plus had a jamming good time. $pitta definitly puts on a show!
Where Is Hip Hop? Episode 60: Kanye Is Doing THE ABSOLUTE MOST Right Now ********************************** WHERE IS HIP HOP? will give you information on the current state of Hip Hop in the world today as seen by Randy Roperaka Randy Exclusive, Music Editor of Ozone Magazine and yours truly. We talk about who is hot and who is not, interviews, how we feel about certain albums and the direction of Hip Hop culture in the world today.
Think of us as the Roeper and Ebert of Hip Hop.
Get ready to be EDUCATED, INFORMED and ENTERTAINED.
At Raleigh's inaugural Hopscotch festival this past weekend, experimental wizard beardo Keith Fullerton Whitman calmly introduced his set by thanking the organizers and the other bands, inviting the audience to take a seat with him on stage, and nonchalantly stating, "I'm going to play some synthesizer music for you now." Did he ever. Underwater video game bleep stereo panning deep bone vibrating drone cloud...
You can hear the four minute grande finale here. ENJOY
At some point this summer, when I was falling asleep at the control board in my post-lunch stupor, something pretty awesome snuck into our rotation bin. Since then, over the past 2-3 months, WXYC DJs have been sharing little nuggets off of it on a daily basis. Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music From South Africa is yet another quirky compilation added to the thousands in the XYC library, and one of many beauties from our summer playlist. But, this CD sticks out for me. And part of it has to do with my fear of clowns. Firstly though, Shangaan Electro has warped my appetite for mbira. If Dumisani Maraire had recorded on a strict diet of eight-balls and nodoz he wouldn't even come close to the bpms Shangaan brings to the mbira. Fast mbira is pretty hot. Additionally, there are some pretty disturbingly soothing vocal antics to observe. Tiyiselani Vomaseve has a song called "Vanghoma", which I think translates to Awkward Bellows from Surly Gruff Old Dudes Induce Cardiac Arrhythmias in Innocent Schoolgirls. But more importantly, the cover of this compilation gives us a hint of what Shangaan Electro is all about...
Clearly, this music is about dancing obese clowns, old and young, doing some really obscene shit in public. If you have a clown phobia like I do, I'd recommend leaving now. The Tshe-Tsha Boys have two tracks on Shangaan Electro, but one track by them that is missing from the compilation explains everything you ever needed to know about Shangaan Electro in video. Now go buy it already.
The Monthly Old-Time Jam is starting up again this Wednesday, September 1st at Nightlight! Doors open at 5pm, jam will start around 6. This coincides with the beginning of Nightlight's extended hours--featuring delicious Open-Eye coffee (buy one get one free!) and wireless internets.
Come on out with your fiddles, banjos, guitars, mandolins, washboards, jaw harps and more, or just come to hang out and listen, drink a beer, sip a coffee, tap your foot, check your e-mail. All levels welcome. Support the Nightlight & tip your bartender! Facebook invite here.
OLD TIME JAM first Wednesday of every month 5-8pm at Nightlight
Greg Lowenhagen and Grayson Currin from the Independent Weekly already came on the Backyard Barbecue to give away two pairs of weekend passes to the Hopscotch Music Festival, but the BBQ will also be giving away tickets to the two headlining City Plaza shows right up until!
Tune in the next two Sundays(August 22nd and 29th) from8 to 9 PM for the chance to call in and win a pair of tickets to see Public Enemy on Saturday, September 11th at the City Plaza in Raleigh. And on Sunday, September 5th, we're giving away 2 pairs of tickets to the Friday (September 10th) City Plaza show (The Rosebuds, Broken Social Scene, and Panda Bear) and 3 pairs of tickets to Saturday's Public Enemy show, featuring The Love Language and No Age.
In the meantime, keep yourself busy by checking out our fall schedule or listening to archived sets from local bands (like our newest recording by Chapel Hill noise-maker NUSS).
P.Wonda ThursdayAugust 12 it all goes down once again. I'll be doing a new installment of "Hot, Dope, Fresh" ... the latest in hip hop and R&B along with classic forgotten about gems.
Both artists' buzz have been steadily inclining, P- Wonda's "B*tch I Do Numbers" has been going HAM in the clubs this summer and King Mez had a stellar write up in The Independent Weekly back in June, so I'm excited that both of them will be stopping by the studio that night!
One of my favorite DJ's, Miss DJ Gemz just released a mix of old, new, and rare Lauryn Hill tracks. If you're unfamiliar with Miss DJ Gemz, she's the official DJ for The Tri-City Suns Basketball Team (DC), DJ'ed our SOHIPOTOME women in hip hop events back in March, and does DOPE remix projects:
"I wanted to share my newest project by my friend SJ and me. It features some of our favorite Lauryn Hill tracks, some of which you probably have heard, others which you might not have. The main focus was to showcase her voice and powerful lyrics."
Where Is Hip Hop? is a weekly segment Randy Roper and I started over 1.5 years ago. Below is a breakdown:
********************************** WHERE IS HIP HOP? will give you information on the current state of Hip Hop in the world today as seen by Randy Roperaka Randy Exclusive, Music Editor of Ozone Magazine and Nanci O. We talk about who is hot and who is not, interviews, how we feel about certain albums and the direction of Hip Hop culture in the world today.
Think of us as the Roeper and Ebert of Hip Hop.
Get ready to be EDUCATED, INFORMED and ENTERTAINED.
Sidebar: Randy predicted 200,000, I was thinking more like 150,000.
If you're late, Teflon Don moved 176,000 units in it's first week out. If you're even more late, although Rozay moved that many in 7 days, Eminem still had the #1 album in the game, 5 weeks post release, with Recovery.
So while Rick Ross has *some* folks running around hollering they're BMF, Big Meech, Larry Hoover, Eminem has the crossover appeal on lock (Rhianna, anyone?). And as noted, man titties doesn't sell records. In other words, Bawse doesn't have a female fan base or a crossover market. So if Rozay wanted to cross over, we discuss the artists that may help (even though it may hurt his street cred). Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry and the like. Last, we speculate on how Teflon Don can break the one million records sold mark.
Local multi-instrumentalist and composer Crowmeat Bob stopped by the WXYC studios on Monday Aug. 6 for an on-air interview, and played some of his own music and favorite free jazz cuts.
A lot of my workday is spent on Archive.org, watching and capturing old 16mm educational films much like this Sparkling Gem of a video, featuring a jumpsuit-wearing safety superheroine from space:
Archive.org also has a great audio resource section on their website, chock full of interesting little things to listen to. Here are some of my favorites:
The Conet Project: WXYC used to have this compilation, and I played the hell out of it. Creepy recordings of spy / number station broadcasts.
Netlabels: "This collection hosts complete, freely downloadable/streamable, often Creative Commons-licensed catalogs of (1500) virtual record labels" such as:
(spacy, pasty, antiseptic office space 4 sale)
