Dada Strain x The Lot Radio x Soundcloud
New radio program episode devoted to the legendary improviser-composer-shaman William Parker + Launching an archive of the three-years-running show on Bklyn's community radio station, The Lot
Launched in January of 2021, when Dada Strain’s intentions and purpose were still nebulous, Dada Strain Radio was actually my second program for the excellent Bklyn community station, The Lot Radio. (From 2017-2019 I hosted a program called The Morning After, whose archives are scattered all over Mixcloud, but whose tributes to Cecil Taylor, David Berman and Julius Eastman, featuring an interview with Tiona Nekkia McClodden I am pretty proud of.) From the get-go, the idea for Dada Strain Radio (every fourth Friday, 10a-Noon EST) was to play music that connects the improvised and rhythm worlds, and for the playlist to be heavy with local community artists. In the three years, the radio program has mostly stayed out of the newsletter to keep from swamping email inboxes with promos, instead announcing upcoming shows on InstaGram and in Notes. The plan is to keep it that way.
As Dada Strain has grown more focused, with both its radio listeners and newsletter subscribers coalescing into something like an audience, I knew I needed to organize the Dada Strain Radio archives. Especially as some of the things currently in Dada development will, in the near future, benefit from a designated audio platform. All of which is to say, Dada Strain has now launched a SoundCloud account. Here you’ll find all 43 The Lot Radio program episodes in a handy playlist (newest episodes first); it’s also where I’ll be reposting SoundCloud music that’s part of each week’s Bklyn Sounds newsletter, and where you will also soon find other original and premiere content. Please like, follow, subscribe, etc. etc.
Another impetus to organize the radio shows and hip you to the SoundCloud, was last week’s (June 21st) program with the legendary New York musician, community sage and shaman, William Parker. Knowing William’s proclivity for storytelling—a taste of which was in last week’s Bklyn Sounds—and the 50 years of far-ranging music he’s made at an almost unfathomable (dare I say, Sun Ra-like) pace, I knew it was gonna be a unique 2hrs of radio. (For bonus brains, I also invited longtime jazz-critical colleague, Jim Macnie, whose Lament For a Straight Line is an exceptional NYC musicking resource with an expansive, knowing POV.) The conversation and music flowed like fine wine. Link above. (I’ll post the full playlist in the SoundCloud comments as soon as I fill in some blanks.)
William Parker was the latest guest on Dada Strain Radio, which from the beginning, has been as a program for community members to come and play music, or speak on projects. Through the first couple of years, I intermittently hosted folks I’ve long known, and whose work I deeply admired, including Alexis ARP, DeForrest Brown Jr. (an incredible live Speaker Music set), the late great jaimie branch (who ended up playing trumpet over house music), Kassa Overall and Luke Stewart, among others. When I was out of town, I turned the show over to Tommaso Cappellato and Aquiles Navaro & New York Knick. In 2024, this policy has codified into a format: there’s now guests from the breadth of the rhythm-improvisation-community spectrum on every episode. So this year the program has hosted conversations with Wendy Eisenberg and Ava Mendoza (ahead of their performances at Winter Jazz Fest); DJ sets by Geng PTP & subt.le (promo’ing PTP’s great comp, RESIST COLONIAL POWER BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY), as well as A. Sarr & e.g. (of the Bossa beat night, Heart Beats); and live sets by Shara Lunon, and Bex Birch & Peter Zummo. I also handed over the booth to Kalle Miller, while out of town.
I am pretty happy with where this is all going. Excited to have you along on the journey. Thank you for reading, listening, following and supporting.