Grown Kids Radio is comprised of a unique group of San Francisco DJs showing their appreciation of local and worldwide tunes. Grown Kids Radio is broadcast live every Thursday on All Day Play from 1-2 PST, and has garnered quite a following, including a recent showcase at SXSW.
We talk to member B Maj about getting into DJing and learn more about Grown Kids Radio. Check them out this Thursday, May 17 at Nightlife at The Academy of Sciences.
You got your start in radio, then decided to venture into DJing. How did that come about?
Growing up on the North side of Chicago in the late ’80s and early ’90s, my older sister was heavily into house music. At that time, it was artists like Ralphi Rosario, Cajmere and Dajae that I heard coming out of her garage parties at our house. I would watch her boyfriend DJ and become inspired with the art and technique of it all. It actually wasn’t until my freshman year in college, though, that I bought a pair of 1200’s and slowly started producing a specialty radio show on campus shortly after. Both DJ’ing and the radio show complimented each other for me at the time, and they came together in unison.
Where did the name B Maj originate from?
It actually started as a joke from a friend back in school. For a Midwestern college town, our group of friends were pretty diverse and would throw racial satire jokes at each other to expose our differences. For me, my friend would say I was like “brown magic” and it just stuck with me. Anyhow, that’s where the name is rooted in. It can have various implications, and may even sound kinky to some people, so I shortened it to “B Maj”, which is also open to interpretation. Maybe one day I’ll decide to use my real name when DJing, just like one of those dudes.
What prompted your move from Chicago to San Francisco?
I decided to make a living out West for a few different reasons. Growing up in the harsh Chicago winters was one major deciding factor. I was over the fact that most folks have to live indoors for almost 5 months out of the year, getting pale and sitting in front of a television. Most of my Chicago friends would probably bust my chops for talking like this, but it’s true. I was also born and raised in Chicago, so I was at a point in my life where I wanted to explore other parts of the country, and I saw plenty of opportunities in the San Francisco Bay Area. The landscape is just beautiful and life can be really good out here with all of the rich culture, history, musical offerings, human dynamic and intelligence. We’re surrounded by so many movements in the Bay Area, which can be inspiring to many people. No doubt, Chicago will always be home and heart. I’m in the process of setting up a quarterly residency for one of my Chi guys here in SF. We want to exchange the musical culture and influence that both cities have to offer.
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).