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eric@kzsu.org
650.723.9010


KZSU featured in the College Music Journal:
story 1 (june 2, 2003)
story 2 (june 23, 2003)

Downloads:
--my mixes--
popmix.mp3   
(76Mb house)
7-eleven.mp3
(108Mb)
bigloveset.mp3
(90Mb tech house)
lazyeric.mp3
(59Mb lazy house)
mini8.mp3
(24Mb funky/vocal house)
dblo7.mp3
(22Mb tech/prog house)
k-mix.mp3
(42Mb deep/tech house)

--guest DJ mixes--
boissy+papp.mp3
(61Mb sexy house)
bonham+zephyr.mp3
(140Mb trance)
caldwell.mp3
(57Mb soulful house)
carrelli.mp3
(56Mb lush prog)
jason6.mp3
(61Mb scary psy-trance)
gametheory.mp3
(69Mb atmospheric d'n'b)
musselman_beech.mp3
(139Mb progressive breaks)
dj radius.m4a
(77Mb drum'n'bass)
shane+amber.mp3
(120Mb electro + jungle)


--other sets--
pbwolf-coho.mp3
(84Mb hip-hop)

RIP KZSU Poptronica
with DJ Eric, last heard on Thurs 6-8pm, summer 2004
From early 2001 until 2004 I hosted a radio show called Poptronica at Stanford on KZSU 90.1 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area, trying to popularize the many styles of electronica (house, techno, trip-hop, jungle, etc.) and occasionally hosting some of the very talented DJs in this part of the world. In the last incarnation of the show (summer 2004) I teamed up with fellow KZSU DJ Mehrshad, and we rechristened our joint programme as The Sound Initiative. After that, I filled in guest DJ spots (see playlists), focused on part-time club DJ gigs, and my other job.

Eric's mini-guide to electronica*

Electronica is a broad term covering several beat-centric genres of music including trip-hop, jungle, techno, house and trance. I often get asked for specific recommendations, or for what the best way for people to get into this kind of music is.

First, how can you tell house from trance from techno, or if you want split hairs, what's the difference between progressive and hard house? Epic trance versus Goa trance? What is Detroit techno? Allmusic.com has a decent guide to electronic music and then there are the Wikipedia pages linked here. Nothing is set in stone and some things are quite unclassifiable and genre-bending. (I'm still confused about how to classify Moby's chart-topping Play album.)

Overview of a few genres

Trip-hop was coined by the British music press to characterize a style of downtempo, mellow, jazz-, funk- and soul-influenced breakbeat (hence "hop") music. The songs are often ambient-leaning and infused with psychotropic atmospherics (hence "trip"). Notable artists: Massive Attack, Tricky, Portishead, Kruder/Dorfmeister.

Drum'n'bass is a rhythmically complex of form of electronica, relying on fast polyrhythms, breakbeats, drum machines and deep bass. Its variant, Jungle, has more overt reggae, dub and R&B influences. While house and trance practically do the dancing for the club crowds, drum'n'bass grooves are usually more difficult to follow. It is thus often seen as a genre designed for a smaller, dedicated audience. Notable artists: Aphrodite, Photek, LTJ Bukem, Roni Size.

Techno is rooted in the electronic music made in Detroit in the mid-80s and inspired by early acts such as Germany's Kraftwerk (self-described "robot pop" artists). Early techno productions emphasized electronic, synthesized beats and were largely intended for live DJ mixing. Later techno acts explored more ambient avenues (The Orb) and harder-edged tunes (Prodigy) with remarkable commercial success. Other notable artists: Juan Atkins, Orbital, Underworld, Moby.

House grew out of the post-disco dance culture of the '80s. The name comes from the Warehouse club in Chicago where DJs began mixing dance music with a strong mechanical four-four beat. Faceless diva vocals and pianos are often present in house music, as well as latin or funk influences. Notable artists: Daft Punk, Armand van Helden, DJ Dan, Jesse Saunders.


Past guests of Poptronica*

*warning: some links are old and may be broken