DJ Q&A: B Maj of Grown Kids Radio

How did you get started with Grown Kids Radio and how did you connect with the members?

Michael aka Diversify and I envisioned Grown Kids Radio after several conversations back in 2008. I met Michael through mutual friends, and vibed on a lot of levels, so we discussed how to bring forth a new concept show that would feature a lot of emerging music and genres that weren’t getting shine. We wanted to recruit a few other like-minded music heads that we knew would bring integrity and value to the crew, so we reached out to Eric aka E da Boss, who I was working with at the time and knew from DJing; Dan aka Spinnerty, who I actually went to college with; and Dusty aka Cyclyst who went to college with Diversify. Ironically, Spinnerty and I crossed paths in college radio, and the same with Diversify and Cyclist, so it all made sense that we would eventually team up over the airwaves. Peter West was a later addition to the collective, and has been dubbed the moniker Papa West, because he’s about to have his second child. Congrats Papa Peter!

Take us through a typical radio show of yours.

A typical episode can range from a guest feature, to current news and local events, a straight up DJ set, or anything else we can pull out of our collective asses to keep our listeners not knowing what to expect. But generally you will hear future classics and new/unreleased music ranging from beat generation, modern soul, house, UK inspired, funk, hip hop, and indie rock. Previous guests on the live show have included Mr. Lif, Ancient Astronauts, Chief Boima, Searchl1te, and Frank Mitchell Jr. We’ve also covered cultural movements with field recordings such as Occupy back in the fall, and in general you can usually find us roaming the city collecting sound bites to throw into our shows.

We broadcast live on the interwebs every Thursday from 1-2 PST on alldayplay.fm, and stream exclusive podcasts on grownkidsradio.com that are also available for download via iTunes, and our site.

You guys feature a lot of local musicians on your mixes. Who do you think is making some great tunes, locally?

This is always a tough one because I don’t want to pigeonhole, or generalize all the amazing local talent, but to name a few off the top of my dome – THEMAYS, Myron & E, Teeko, Siddartha, B. Bravo & The Starship Connection, Maus Haus, Secret Sidewalk, Exray’s, The Park, Benito, Tommy Guerrero, Sleepy Sun, Zion I, and Jel, to name a few…

You guys will be spinning at Academy of Sciences “Art of Illusion” night. What kind of tunes will you be playing?

This is exciting because the Academy of Sciences is a unique environment for Grown Kids Radio. We plan on getting crafty with the ambiance by segmenting the tempos and genres by floor level. Downstairs in the Coral Reef area you can expect to hear more atmospheric/left-field, nu jazz, downtempo, or “whale music” according to Cyclyst. Upstairs will offer more uptempo, bass, future boogie, funk, and anything under the feel good sun! I don’t want to give it all away, so step inside on the May 17th anticipating some surprises too.

What do you hope to achieve with Grown Kids Radio this year?

The goal is to continue building the GKR brand into an influential destination for music podcasts and broadcasts. We want to expand by transforming our online presence into live physical experiences. We take pride in knowing that we’ve built solid curation and programming, and now Grown Kids Radio is expanding into live events. We teamed up with The Mint Collective this past March at SXSW 2012 and curated a daytime showcase with several of the artists that we’ve featured on our shows and podcasts over the past few years. Together with local clothing designer Mister, we produced a limited edition SXSW 2012 Henley tee. Overall the feedback on the lineup was great, and folks really appreciated what we put together. For those that missed out, stay tuned for the full-length video recap!

Aside from the live experiences and recorded episodes, we also have a gang of collaborations down the pipeline with labels such as Numero Group, and artists like Myron & E (who just got signed to Stones Throw). Maybe you’ll also find a GKR produced piece of vinyl circulating record stores in the future, or more clothing collaborations. Ultimately, the goal is to develop into a permanent physical studio with a variety of online media options and cultural affairs. Stay close!

Visit the Grown Kids Radio website to hear the latest radio show. California Academy of Science hosts Nightlife every Thursday from 6-10pm. Tickets are $12 ($10 for Academy members).