Big Fat Sac, host of Both Kinds Radio

There are many reasons why I think WKNC is the best radio station on the planet, and a few weeks ago I was given another reason: a new show called Both Kinds Radio. Hosted by long time WKNC DJ Big Fat Sac, the show airs real country, not the pop-influenced stuff currently being produced:

With apologies to Toby Keith, Faith Hill and Scotty McCreery, the real sound of Country and Western music is hard to find on your radio dial, these days.  Both Kinds Radio aims to change that.  I am your host, Big Fat Sac (formerly of Wash Behind Your Ears 2003 – 2008), and every Sunday from 4pm until 6pm I’ll be presenting a wealth of Country and Western Swing music from the 1930s through the 1970s.

The show first aired during Memorial Day weekend, and plays artists such as Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Gene Autry, among others. It’s a perfect weekend complement to my other favorite WKNC show, Americana, Blues, and Company (now with a new host) that airs on Saturdays from 10AM until noon.

On the most recent show, the host played the Mac Davis classic It’s Hard to be Humble, and encouraged listeners to view the clip of his performance on the Muppet Show (above). He suggested on the show’s Facebook page that it could be WKNC’s new theme song.

Both Kinds Radio is a great addition to Raleigh’s airwaves, and yet another reason why WKNC is one of the greatest things about the area. Even if you’ve never considered yourself a fan of country music, I encourage you to listen to the show. You may be surprised at the number of songs you recognize as well as how much you enjoy these twangy classics.

Tune in (or stream it) on Sundays from 4PM until 6 to hear one of the best shows on radio.

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It is now officially Summer in Raleigh. Beyond the sweltering heat and humidity, it is also obvious when strolling along the NC State campus. Businesses that cater to students have cut back to summer hours, Hillsborough Street has significantly less traffic, and the number of young folks frequenting Downtown Raleigh’s hot spots have dwindled in number. WKNC isn’t in hibernation mode, though. They have a series of concerts and dance parties lined up for those who permanently reside here or haven’t returned home for the summer semester.

Today (June 23rd) will see a free concert on campus featuring Raleigh’s own Annuals and Bright Young Things with What Laura Says. It’s a benefit concert and attendees are encouraged to bring canned goods or cash to donate to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.

The event starts at 7PM in front of Witherspoon Student Center off of Dan Allen Drive.

The other exciting event by WKNC is a DJ dance party at Jibarra featuring Afterhours DJs. It coincides with Raleigh’s First Friday (July 2nd), and looks to be an exciting end to an already festive weekend. Jibarra has hosted DJ dance parties before, and have been a lot of fun. The infusion of WKNC to the mix can only make a great thing better.

Related Posts:

• Proto-Summer Beach/Dance Party at Jibarra
• The Afterhours Ten Year Reunion Show
• WKNC Program Spotlight: The Dance Dance Revolution

Further Reading:

• Annuals to headline on-campus benefit show (WKNC Blog)
• Annuals Playing Free Rock Can Roll Concert Wed at NC State (New Raleigh)
• WKNC Afterhours Dance Party!! (Facebook Event)

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When you tune into WKNC on Friday nights, you’re not going to hear any !!! or Grizzly Bear or Lion Threw Me Down The Stairs, or any of the other dance punk or indie rock that makes up much of the station’s daytime line up. Instead, you’re going to hear metal, rock, and thrash, because on Friday nights Uncle Paul hosts his popular show Friday Night Request Rock. While I love the regular WKNC lineup, for me, there’s just no better way to start out a Friday night than the solid rock on Uncle Paul’s show.

Paul reading a letter as part of Penitentiary Rock

However, Uncle Paul’s most loyal fans aren’t the typical station listeners, as every week prisoners from across the listening area write Uncle Paul letters requesting songs, which make up the highlight of his show – Penitentiary Rock. Recently I stopped by the studio to take a couple of photographs, and conducted an interview.

Q. How long have you been a DJ at WKNC?

A. I started working at WKNC in the Spring semester of 1990.  At that time everybody started out by learning how to read the news.  I had two news shifts each week, one was at 5:30 AM and the other at 6AM, on two different days each week.  I became a DJ later that year doing a 2-6AM Magic 88 rap and R&B show.

Q. How did you originally become involved in the station, and in that time, what are some of the changes you’ve seen?

A. One the guys that lived on the floor of my dorm my freshman year at State wanted to be a Chainsaw Rock DJ.  An upperclassman advisor that lived in my suite was already a DJ at WKNC and told him about a staff meeting where you could sign-up to start working at the station.  He asked if I would go with him so I tagged along and was assigned a few news shifts that nobody else wanted.  I stuck with it and he dropped out after a semester because he didn’t like reading the news.  The station was still in the old student center at that time.  We moved into our current location in Witherspoon the summer after I started.  All of the student media at that time came under pressure from the NAACP and we had sit-ins and NAACP organized student protests at the station.  I was the Program Manager and later became General Manager of the station at that time.  It took quite a commitment to address the issues the students were raising.  It played a role in my having to leave the University because I couldn’t keep up with my class work and put in the time required to effectively resolve the student group issues.  The station made a shift to a more college rock/alternative rock format a few years after I left.  Many of the specialty weekend shows have been around for a while and in my opinion offer some of the best programming on WKNC or any station in the Triangle.  It has also been interesting to see some of the technology change over the years.  When I first started most of the music we were playing was still on vinyl and eight-track carts. Now the station plays a lot of music directly from a computer or some kids bring up their ipods.  I primarily use CDs, but also some vinyl.  Most of the time I have to turn the CD players on when I’m preparing to start my shift because no one has been using them, that makes me feel like an old guy.

Q. I know you’re no longer a student at NC State, but when you were a student, what did you study?

A. I actually am still a student at NC State.  I was originally studying mechanical engineering and working on a minor in business.  I then transferred to the multi-disciplinary program before leaving State in the mid-nineties.  I started taking classes again in 2003 and am baby-stepping my way toward finishing my degree.

Q. Who are some of your favorite metal bands? Who would you say is the greatest metal band of all time?

A. My roommate in college had “And Justice for All…” by Metallica and that is what got me started listening to metal.  He was also a huge Rush fan.  I quickly moved on to Black Sabbath, Testament and Megadeth.  I started listening to Chainsaw Rock on WKNC and going to local shows.  Some of my favorites now are Corrosion of Conformity, Jam Pain Society, KISS, Primus and Clutch.  Greatest of all time…probably Black Sabbath.  It’s not easy to pick.  I’m not a one band type of guy.  I prefer a good spectrum of styles from which to choose.

Q. Do you listen to other genres of music? If so, who are some of your favorite bands in those genres?

A. I like all types of music except most pop music.  I don’t listen to a lot of new country music because I think country has become the new pop.  I do like bluegrass, jazz, classical, funk, 80’s rap, techno-industrial and most types of hard rock and metal.  I pretty much like anything in which the artist does a good job of communicating the feeling or inspiration behind their music.  I also appreciate professionalism and technical ability with an instrument or voice.  Bland, cookie-cutter offerings in any genre don’t appeal to me.  Some of my favorites in the genres I mentioned are Ralph Stanley, Acoustic Alchemy, Earl Wild (playing Chopin), Lakeside, Run DMC, Chemical Brothers, Rammstein, Sepultura, Motorhead, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Danzig.

Q. I know a lot of the bands you play aren’t releasing music that’s exactly Wal-Mart compatible, and you edit a lot of them yourselves to make the radio-playable. How much time does it take you to edit a song, on average, and how much time would you you spend per show to make different requests playable?

A. It varies from week to week.  I spend at least an hour each week prepping for the show.  If I am doing any editing, I normally do it at home.  I might spend another hour or so to edit three or four songs.  I prefer not to have to edit though.  You have to be careful not to miss something and another DJ might play the song thinking it is airable because they heard you play it and not realize you were playing an edited copy.

Q. How did the idea of Penitentiary Rock evolve? Did it evolve out of an earlier show organically, or did something inspire you to start doing it?

A. To my knowledge Penitentiary Rock started as a part of Friday Night Request Rock when Sam, Rich and myself were co-hosts of the show back in the early nineties.  Rich started getting letters from prisoners at Central Prison who wanted to hear requests on the show.  The station had already been receiving the occasional letter from prisoners, but Rich was the one that stated reading them on the air and wanted to dedicate a portion of our show to playing those requests.  The show used to be five hours long and we would break it up with several different segments including Mandatory Metallica, KNC KISS and Essential Slayer.  I think it was also Rich who came up with the idea to call that segment Penitentiary Rock.  We would only get about one to three letters each week.  If we didn’t get a letter one week, Rich would make something up.  The prisoners keep writing the station after we stopped doing Friday Night Request Rock.  When I started working at the station again in 2006 I started a show called School House Rock on Saturday mornings from 6-8AM.  After determining that most of the kids working at the station had no idea what metal was, my goal was to “School” them a little.  I started receiving letters from prisoners who remembered me from the nineties and I would play the songs they wanted to hear, but I didn’t read their letters on the air.  When the Friday Night Request Rock shift became available again I asked Brian, the GM at that time, if I could have the slot and he agreed.  Right away I started receiving letters and I started the Pen-Rock portion of the show again.  I started reading the letters over the air just like we had done back in the nineties.  The Pen-Rock portion of the show quickly went from fifteen to thirty minutes.  After several months of requests from the prisoners I extended it to an hour, which is now half of the show.  I receive about 16-20 letters a week and about 720-800 letters a year (the letters slow down during baseball season and woman’s basketball because some of the games pre-empt the show).  The record for most letters in a week to my show is thirty-four.  I get letters from many more prisons now than in the nineties because the power of the station was increased from 3000 to 25,000 watts and we now reach a much larger audience.  Friends and family members of the prisoners also listen to the show online.

Q. Does your show reflect any personal or political beliefs? i.e. are you involved in any sort of prisoner activism other than the show, etc?

A. The only belief I have in regards to the show is that if you write, phone or email me a request for hard rock or metal, then I should actively try to find it (edit it if necessary) and play it for you.  It doesn’t matter who you are.  If you want to participate and hear a song, then I will do what I can to play it for you.  Maybe that is why the show has become somewhat popular with prisoners.  I am not concerned with who you are or what you have done, only what you want to hear.  When I am reading a letter I consciously do my best not to edit or add color or commentary to what has been written.  It is their message, their voice.  The show should not be about me and I don’t think it would be popular if I tried to show how funny, entertaining or witty I could be at others expense.  I think it is also important to remember that WKNC is a non-profit student run radio station and part of NC State University.  To me that means the show should not serve as a soapbox for my views.  I am very grateful that the University supports the radio station and allows students to run the station and its programming as they see fit.  If we started getting political or became perceived as being political it might jeopardize our programming.

Q. Could you tell me about some of the more memorable letters you’ve gotten?

A. There were a few letters when I first started reading them that were a little hostile or very critical about the music I was playing.  They thought that I wouldn’t read those letters over the air because they were negative about me and the show.  I think once they realized that I would still read those types of letters on the air without editing them, I may have gained a little respect and they backed off the negative comments.  I have received letters detailing the mental struggles that many of the inmates go through as they serve their time.  Some of them tell me about things they remember doing as a teenager or what life was like for them before prison.  Most of those letters are not something they want read on the air.  I received a lot a letters when I announced that my father passed away last fall.  I received handmade cards and also received cards they made for Christmas and my birthday.  I receive artwork occasionally.  They will sometimes send individual works of art, include art on their letter, put artwork on the envelope or write poems to go along with their letters.  Occasionally, they will send me a picture of themselves or their friends.  It is always interesting when I receive a phone call from a police officer who also wants to hear a request.

Q. Do you have any regular writers, and if so, do you ever respond with letters, or just over the air?

A. Most of the writers are regular writers although I do encourage new listeners or people that have never written to write in to the show.  I get anywhere from one to four first-time writers each week.  There are some who write in every week (even when they know I will be off the air due to a game broadcast) and there are others that will write every so often.  I do not respond by writing back, typically because I stay so busy that I just don’t make the time to respond personally to 16-20 letters each week.  I think there is a silent majority who just tune-in and enjoy the music each week.  I have had requests come in from as far away as Texas and New York City from people listening in over the web.

Q. Have you ever gotten to know any of the requesters, and have you ever had anyone come visit the show after they’ve gotten released?

A. I have never met any of the requesters outside of reading their letters and the things they tell me about themselves and no one has come to visit after they’ve been released.  A few have called in their requests instead of writing once they have been released.  I do meet people all the time who tell me that they listen or have listened to the show.  Just recently, a listener asked for a recorded copy of one of my air-breaks so they could share it with a friend.

Q. Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about your show?

A. It’s just about hearing music you can’t or won’t hear on most other radio stations.  It’s about carrying on a WKNC tradition of playing hard rock and metal in the Triangle and it’s about getting your requests heard no matter who you are or what your current circumstances happen to be.  I encourage you to listen and participate, 8-10PM Fridays on 88.1 WKNC, FM or www.wknc.org.

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One of the reasons I love highlighting WKNC is because of the exposure it gives to genres of music that not only are impossible to find on commercial radio, but even on internet radio broadcasts as well. Americana, Blues, & Co. (Saturdays from 10AM until noon) is a great example, playing the likes of Townes van Zandt, Neko Case, and Willie Nelson. With soothing and soulful tracks, it’s the perfect way to ease in to your Saturday morning.

The show is hosted by Sweet Annie Rich,  who along with former host Steve McCreery was a finalist for Best DJ is the 2008 National Student Production Awards. She took over the show about a year ago.

According to her, one of the main underlying ideas of Americana music is the storytelling nature of it. She went a bit further in explaining it on the WKNC blog:

1. Wait, your DJ name is Sweet Annie Rich?  But that’s not your real name…
2. What is Americana?

To answer the first question, I must say to you: Gram Parsons.  If you do not know who he was, look him up.  It will make answering the second question much, much, MUCH easier.

Secondly… Americana is a LOT of things.  It’s not simply country or bluegrass or rockabilly or what-have-you.  It’s an amalgamation of the genres born right here in America (hence “Americana”), and, to quote the late great Gram Parsons himself: it is Cosmic American Music.  It is where all of the purely American styles come together to create the true spirit of music.  It is pure and transcendent.

–Sweet Annie Rich

Occasionally the show will revolve around a common theme. Past shows have played tracks that centered on religion, or outlaw culture. The next one on the docket is a Southern Gothic theme on Halloween.

The days in which I stayed up late partying and drinking are long gone, but I can say this – if there was a perfect couple of hours to listen to when waking up on Saturday morning with a headache and general malaise from a night of late night fun, this is it.

Sweet Annie Rich does a great job of finding the right balance between traditional favorites (Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, etc.) and playing the lesser known emerging artists in the Americana genre. Whether you’re a long-time fan of the older classics or a recent admirer for this style of music, you’re bound hear something new.

Tune in to 88.1 or catch the web steam on Saturdays from 10AM until noon to hear one of the greatest shows on radio: Americana Blues & Co.

Become a fan of the show on Facebook

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DJ Kyle, former host of the Dance Dance Revolution

Today at noon Mike Alston (General Manager) and Kelly Reid (former music director) of WKNC will be on The State of Things with Frank Stasio.

The two will be discussing the station during a 10-15 minute segment after the opening news slot, and will be the only college radio station to be featured as part of their “All Music Week”.

If you aren’t near a radio you listen in online, you can tune in live via your computer or check out the podcast.

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Admittedly, I know far less about the local music scene than I’d like, but what I do know I learned from the Local Beat. Hearing DJ Steve-O’s lyrical wit and entertaining interviews made the dreadful commute home via I40 on Friday afternoons pleasant. In addition to learning more about some of the area’s talented musical acts, the program also exposed me to some great local shows I wouldn’t have otherwise known about.

Steve with Gabriel Pelli and Django from The Old Ceremony

Steve Salevan first started out with WKNC only a week after arriving on campus. Brought to the area from Delaware by way of the reputation of NCSU’s engineering program, it wasn’t long before he began to establish his roots in the local music scene. By the end of his first semester, he was planning events for the Inter-Residence Council. After spending a few months with the station, he was inspired to plan his first musical event, “WolfStock”. It was this on-campus show which eventually launched him into the role as Local Music director.

The Local Beat co-host Hand Banana recalling his first on-air interview in which Steve helped make a potentially awkward first interview an exceptional one

If you’ve ever heard the Local Beat, chances are you’ve come to know Steve’s incredibly broad vocabulary and highly polished enunciation. It came as quite a surprise to me to learn that the first call-in to his show (broadcast live) was from someone who asked: “Do you know what you’re doing? Do you know how to speak on the radio?”. The caller taught classes on how to speak on the air, and had offered her services to him. He recalled it as being incredibly awkward and harrowing. Despite the somewhat mortifying nature of this first call, he got to know her and is friends with her to this day.

Mike Gray (aka Gray Matter) and Steve

Steve didn’t sign off for the final time this past Friday because he is no longer a student or because he is fully employed (as a QA Engineer for Red Hat). He did it to pursue a startup venture specializing in–you guessed it–local music. Titled “Neckbeard Records“, the idea behind this new label is to be service-oriented. This means producing a limited run of handmade CDs and promoting the band’s tour and CD until every unit they’ve bought is sold. He described it as a combination of a Team Clermont-like organization as well as record production company. Although details of the first group being signed on to this label are being kept under wraps, he said that you can “rest assured it will be a good one”.

Steve with Jonathan and Jason from Red Collar

Steve closed out his final show with a heartfelt thanks to his listeners as well as the area’s bands that helped form the show:

Everyone around here has been exceptionally grateful and gracious.  They’ve all been thanking me, and I think it’s time I took the opportunity to return that. I really can’t imagine how profoundly local music has affected me and how covering the music scene as part of this show and as part of doing this job has changed me as a person. As I seem to learn more about the music around here, I learn more about myself. It has changed me as a person, into the person I am today. I am exceptionally grateful–it’s been a true privilege to serve in this role. I am exceptionally grateful to everyone that has made it possible. Additionally, I’d like to thank everyone that’s been listening. They’ve been great fans of show, and I have appreciated your listenership, as always. It’s going to be an excellent next couple of years with DJ Mick and DJ Ray, you’ll definitely want to stick around for that. As for me, it’s been a hell of a ride. I think I’m going to close off the show with the song I can probably trace down to the point where I got involved in local music. It was back in my freshmen year when I helped put on a concert called “WolfStock” as part of the Inter-Residence Council. This group [Nathan Asher] graciously agreed to headline it that night. They played this song ["Turn Up the Faders"] and when they played it, I realized that it was something special and that everyone around here needed to listen to it. I will leave you now with that one last goodbye.  Be healthy, be happy, and always be sure to choose local music. This is DJ Steve-O signing off.

I must admit I’m sad and that I’ll miss the highly entertaining and vocabulary-building late Friday afternoon shows with Steve. However, I also know that I can count on WKNC to continue providing fantastic programming that highlights the great local bands that make staying in the area on a weekend evening worth it. Good luck, Steve.

For more info on Steve and the Local Beat, check out Grayson Currin’s great writeup in the Indy.

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On Monday night, three former WKNC DJs got together for an Afterhours reunion show lasting from 6PM until 1AM. Pictured above from left to right are Rob Rousseau, Ben Thomas, and Steve Brown. For the past ten years, Ben and Steve have got together shortly before the beginning of the new year for the show. Rob participated in the set for the first time this year, although he has made guest appearances on past shows.

Ben and Steve getting a good laugh in from one of the more humorous Public Service Announcements aired between sets.

The Roots of Electronic Music on WKNC

Afterhours officially got its start as a nightly format in early 1997. It was named for the initial time it started, 12AM. Not long after it began, the show as well as the electronic dance music scene in general started to gain in popularity. It then moved to the 8PM to midnight slot, where it has been ever since. Prior to the beginning of Afterhours, electronic music on the station consisted of a few scattered shows here and there, mostly without a slot title. Rob called in to one of these shows, hosted by Dave Brock, and began his stint shortly thereafter in 1996.


Steve talking to a listener who has called in to get recorded versions of the set for the past couple of years

Around the same time, Steve had been getting more and more interested in bringing electronica to the station. After hearing a show syndicated via newsgroups and cassette tape titled “The Digital Dream” out of Bath, England, he was inspired to start a program on WKNC that focused exclusively on this relatively new form of music.

During the first reunion show in 1998, Ben (above) called in and was invited to the studio. He then pursued an interest in being a DJ. His first slot was referred to as the PSA shift, as it was at 4AM and the first 30 minutes consisted of playing a recorded program before he got to select some of his own tracks for airplay. Shortly thereafter, he continued the show in the more primetime hours for a while after graduation.

The Reunion Show and the Future

Ben and Steve prepare for the show for almost a year prior to it. It’s always between Christmas and the New Year, which is more convenient when juggling a family and a full time job.

Lasting between six and seven hours, there is a lot of music to play. The sets are arranged and selected ahead of time, so they can concentrate on discussing the music amongst themselves and listeners of the show. They had 10 copies of the entire set to give away during the show, and several of the people calling in have been listening to the reunion show for the past few years.

They plan to continue on with the tradition and host the show again next year at around the same time. You can enjoy the legacy they started by tuning in to 88.1 or the web stream Monday – Thursday from 8PM until 12AM.

If you’d like to be a part of their mailing list to be informed of news and information on future shows and electronic music, contact us and we will forward your information to them.

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The best way to visualize the Dance Dance Revolution (Sundays at 8:00 P.M.) is to use an analogy Kyle mentioned when describing his show: If indie rock were fire and electro were ice, DDR would be the lukewarm water between the two. The official show tagline reads:

Start your Sunday nights off right by listening to all the best in synth-rock, dance-punk, electro-pop, electro-indie, and various other hyphenated genres.

Kyle isn’t just a DJ, he’s also the General Manager of the station. Whereas most DJs may have a one or two hour slot once a week, Kyle puts in around 30 or so hours a week running the place. This means WKNC is a student run operation at all levels–something that is not common amongst college radio stations.

Kyle has produced the Dance Dance Revolution for over a year and a half now, but has been with the station for four years. Running a college radio station involves overseeing many supporting roles: Web Developers, Production Assistants, Copywriters, Promotions Assistants, Various Engineers, among others. He puts in about 30 hours per week keeping everything running smoothly. There are 122 people on staff at WKNC, 83 of which are on-air DJs.

Some of the artists you may hear on the Dance Dance Revolution include (but are certainly not limited to):

• Justice
• The Rapture
• MSTRKRFT
• Cut Copy
• Daft Punk
• Black Ghosts
• The Chemical Brothers
• Crystal Castles
• Digitalism
• Shitdisco

An interesting fact about FCC laws and regulations involve the display of profanity on smart radios (iTunes, intelligent car stereos, etc.). On the air Kyle can’t mention the band name Shitdisco (he may say “expletive deleted Disco”), yet there is no problem with profanity appearing on the radio or software display.

Something else Kyle mentioned that I thought was interesting was the frequency at which Boy Scout troops come and tour the station–1-3 times per year. It could be because WKNC responds to email inquiries when others don’t, that the station has more sound equipment (as opposed to only computers) than mainsteam radio stations, or has the higher eduation tie-in. Whatever the reason, it’s neat that a generation of Boy Scouts gets to be exposed to independent broadcast media at a young age. I’d be interested to know if Scout leaders are aware that Ol’ River Haynes (host of the Hippie Hour) is an Eagle Scout.

Kyle graduates this Spring with a double major in History and Chemistry, but plans on handing over the reins to another like-minded electro-indie individual to continue the show.

Be sure to tune to 88.1 on Sunday evenings at 8:00PM or tap in to the webcast to hear the Dance Dance Revolution on WKNC.

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Eric S., aka Surge, hosts the show on Afterhours on Wednesdays from ten until midnight. Each show he plays one of two almost completely opposite genres: 80s house or liquid funk drum and bass.

GNR: You must be one of only a handful of radio DJs that exclusively use vinyl. In an era where more and more DJs are switching over to CDJs and using MP3s, what is it about vinyl that you love?

S: I love the sound that comes off the vinyl. CDs and MP3s have a metallic tone that’s just not as full in terms of the sound that’s produced compared to vinyl. Every DJ has their own preference, and most of the time it really depends on the DJ’s musical ear.

The other thing about vinyl that I love is the control it offers. CDs/MP3s and CDJs don’t allow for the DJ to come in direct contact with the track as is the case with vinyl. So with a lack of contact, you lose a little bit of control in terms of beatmatching.

GNR: Have you ever played sets other than drum and bass and 80s house on your radio show?

S: Right now I strictly play dnb and 80s house sets. I’ve been interested in moving into other genres like techno and gabber for a while, so I might add some genres to my repertoire before I sign off and begin producing only recorded and live sets upon request.

GNR: How often do you perform at Switch (Tuesday night drum and bass at The Berkeley)? Do you ever try and introduce 80s house to that scene?

S: I perform at Switch once in a blue moon, if you know what I mean. There are so many dnb DJs out there that the “DJ market” is really quite flooded at the moment, so trying to break the pattern and introduce 80s House like I have been is tough to do.

GNR: How long have you been a part of Afterhours on KNC?

S: I’ve been a part of Afterhours at WKNC since 2001. I started training with DJ Spunky, but I never really started spinning vinyl until 2003. By then I had made some friends that DJ’d vinyl, so finding equipment/records was never really a problem, and some of my friends were willing to give away their old records.

Starting out, there was never really anybody there to show me how to DJ, which made things really difficult, since I started out not really knowing vinyl was still being sold. When it comes to mixing, I consider myself a self-taught DJ.

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Wes Hall, aka Infrared, is the host of the TranceFusion Revolution on Tuesday nights from eight until ten as part of the After Hours segment on WKNC. The show consists mostly of various flavors of electronica including experimental, live trance, dubstep, and space rock. You can find the TranceFusion Revolution on MySpace and Facebook.

GNR: How long has the TranceFusion Revolution been on WKNC? Were there any shows prior to you coming on board that were similar?

Infrared: I started TFR a couple of weeks after I officially became a DJ in April 2006.  That first summer and fall semester of 2006, the show was Saturday night midnight until 2 AM. It was fun, but everyone was out partying.  So, at the beginning of 2007, we changed it to Tuesday night where it has stayed.  Before I came to WKNC, there weren’t any DJs focusing on “trancefusion” or live electronica, although there were (and still are) some great After Hours DJs focusing on house, D&B, downtempo, trip-hop, etc.  As far as I know, I’m still the only DJ at the station playing in the genre, except when Ol’ River Haynes throws some in on the Hippie Hour.

GNR: I know that you’ve been involved with jam/electronic music for a long time. What inspired you to become a DJ?

Infrared: I’ve always loved sharing the music that I’m passionate about with people.  Back in 2006 I was really excited about all the new music I was seeing and experiencing, so when my friend, Johnny C (former After Hours DJ), told me that the sign-up for that semester’s DJ class was happening, I jumped at the chance.  I took the class and passed the written and on-air tests, and was Johnny C’s training monkey that spring.  The rest is TFR history.

GNR: What is your typical routine before a show? How do you get prepared for your set?

Infrared:  I made Monday and Tuesday my weekend this summer.  I have those two days to compile what I’ve been listening to and taking notes on all week. I try to know when to start a transition, what song goes best where, etc.  Sometimes I just bring my laptop and my CDs and completely wing it.  Usually about a hour or two before the show, we go up to the Farm House on Hillsborough St. and eat cheese steaks while downing some beers.  Only then am I ready to rage the airwaves.  If I don’t get Farm House beforehand, TFR usually suffers.

GNR: What percentage of your show comes from requests? How else do you incorporate requests in to your show?

Infrared: Because a lot of my shows are semi-planned out for smooth transitions, I don’t take too many requests.  But when people call in with a request that will fit in some way, I try to incorporate it into the mix later in the show.  Occasionally, I will post on PhantasyTour-Bisco a day or two in advance and take requests from listeners.  I enjoy doing this because listeners are how I find out about new music, and it makes them happy to hear their request on air.  People also IM, text, and send requests to TFR’s MySpace.

GNR: How do you involve the various web communities that you are a part of in to your show?

Infrared: The online community is such a crucial part of my show.  I post every week on PhantasyTour-Bisco right before (or sometimes days/hours before) TFR starts.  I get a lot of good requests, suggestions, and criticism from those listeners.  PhantasyTour also has given me a lot of listeners from up and down the East coast mainly, with some listeners all over the country.  WKNC’s live internet stream allows my friend in South Korea to check out the show, although its 9 AM there.  Nothing like some nasty untz to get you going in the morning.  The CrunchyGroove guys are awesome – they posted a couple recordings of my shows up there.  I haven’t worked with them as much as I should be, though.

Also, having a MySpace page dedicated solely to TFR has helped me to get some new artists on the air that have never had air time. It has also helped me get in touch with bands and DJs about their music and shows.

GNR: How much longer do you anticipate being a part of the WKNC community?

Infrared: Well, I am graduating this semester… finally!  It’s been fun, but some people get a doctorate in the time I’ve been in school.  Its really only because I really like being a DJ at KNC and I don’t want to leave.

KNC lets alumni keep their shows if they want for a little while.  So, after an epic New Years in NYC, I think I’ll keep TFR on the air as long as I’m Raleigh (March-ish?)

GNR: You referred to your show as the “TranceFuture Revolution” in your most recent set. What does that refer to and does it reflect a change in your style of music that you share with listeners?

Infrared: It reflects on my mood while I was putting that show together.  I wanted to focus on music that evokes the feeling on being somewhere intergalactic – like an alien bar in some far galaxy, or being chased through space, or floating peacefully amongst the stars.  I try to give each show some kind of overall feel even if not everything fits together perfectly.  The TranceFuture Revolution show did get me thinking and I think I may try to develop that theme a little more and help bring the feel of the future a little closer – I mean, it is 2008 – where’s my hoverboard?

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