Come on...admit it...most radio sucks in the Twin Cities. With the exception of KMOJ, the Beatbox (Radio K), and to please some of my emo and alternative rock friends...the Current 89.3. Everything else on the radio is only appropriate if you're trying to send a message to the passenger in your car that you don't like them or if you really really need to stay awake on a long drive. [Insert any Lil Wayne song or Country music.] Better than 5 Hour Energy, but at the end of it you still crash. I'd venture to guess that a lot of accidents happen in the Twin Cities because a song that has no business being heard [Insert Taylor Swift or any American Idol winner song] comes on and the driver frantically searches for the tuner to switch the station, only to instead hit a patch of black ice, lose control and get stuck in a ditch. That is Twin Cities radio stations in a nutshell.
With the emergence of the internet people locally and in other places have managed to break through the spectrum and provide us some musically titillating programming. Never Not Working is a radio show featured on East Village Radio from New York. Hosted by Radio Rios and Oskar Mann this show throws complacency and commercial music out the window. In their words:
With a deep respect for the past and a keen ear to the future, Rios and Oskar deliver the best in deep soul, funk, disco, breaks and hip-hop. The best New York and the world has to offer.
Its reach and impact could never compete with the likes of Kool 108, but their content would make Kool look like cheap posers. Their song selection will have you constantly checking back with the playlist, and writing that shit down. What I dig the most about it is their appreciation for all types of music and all types of people. They routinely feature guests that bring their personal flavor and style. The vibe of NNW, even if through an online medium is one of building community through music.
Their show airs every Friday night from 12am to 2am ET, but don't fret, you can listen to Never Not Working anytime of the day by visiting East Village Radio's website.
Among my favorite episodes:
July 25th
August 15th
September 26th
October 10th
It's all fire though, you can't go wrong. Check them out.
