DJ Miss Ashley

Welcome!! It's Sunday afternoon and you're listening to DJ Miss Ashley. This weekend marks DJ Miss Ashley’s 14th year anniversary as KEXP DJ! Join her for a mix of music containing some of the best songs from the year she started- 2009, some personal heavy hitters, + more music from the API diaspora for KEXP’s Pushing boundaries, and of course, the best in new music! Thanks so much for listening! -- This song was written by two British guys, Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, who offered it to Cliff Richard, the Brit rock and roller, who turned it down. Tina Turner, whose career had been flagging, sang it in a voice that's rugged, raw, and raspy, as if being pulled, phrase by phrase and still warm, straight from her heart. You hear her hurt and wariness, as she asks, "What's love, but a secondhand emotion?" "What's Love Got to Do With It" won three Grammys, and marked one of the great comebacks of music history.: bit.ly/4264Aji

Happy Birthday to 2022 Kennedy Center Award recipient, Gladys Knight, who turns 79 today (She was born on May 28th, 1944.) !!! Born in Atlanta, Knight got her start performing gospel music in her local church choir, and by the age of seven she won first prize on the TV show Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour. Shortly thereafter, Knight helped form the Pips with her sister Brenda, her brother Merald — better known as “Bubba” — and two cousins, Edward Patten and William Guest. : www.myradiolink.com

Oh, Sister Carol will perform at The Nectar Lounge on Thursday, July 6th! -- One of the dancehall era's few successful female DJs, Sister Carol was something like reggae's answer to Queen Latifah: a strong, positive feminist voice who was inspired by her faith. Sister Carol was born Carol East in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1959, and grew up in the city's Denham Town ghetto. Her father worked in the music industry as a radio engineer, and in 1973, he moved the family to Brooklyn in search of work. Carol got involved in New York's thriving Jamaican music scene, and tried her hand at singing. Learn more about this artist here: www.allmusic.com

"A bad attitude is like a flat tire...You can't go anywhere until you change it..." --- London's African Head Charge is a "long-running studio and live collaboration between master Jamaican percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah and English dub producer Adrian Sherwood, and a revolving cast of guest players. They are a unique blend of polyrhythmic outernational sounds." -- The band's first new album in twelve years, "A Trip to Bolgatanga." will be released on July 7th. You can pre-order it here: africanheadcharge.bandcamp.com

"2Wicky" is based on a sampled loop from Isaac Hayes' cover of the Burt Bacharach and Hal David-penned "Walk On By." -- Hooverphonic is a Belgian band that was formed in October 1995. The lead singer for this song was Liesje Sadonius. See the official video for the trip-hop classic, "2Wicky": www.youtube.com

Kassa Overall will be performing at the THING Festival in Port Townsend, Washington on Friday, August 25th. -- The new album, "ANIMALS," was released yesterday. This song is one of the many collaborator-heavy tracks on the album, with contributions from Lil B, Francis And The Lights, and Shabazz Palaces’ Ishmael Butler. (Kassa Overall and Butler attended the same high school in Seattle; he just wrapped up a tour supporting Butler’s Digable Planets.)

"The Golden Age of Apocalypse" was Stephen Bruner's debut album.

Fresh Espresso are P Smoov and Rik Rude. They are both Michigan natives but met in Seattle WA where they began creating music. P Smoov makes the beats, raps, and sings. Rik Rude raps.: freshespresso.bandcamp.com

SFDK (Siempre Fuertes De Konciencia), the hip hop crew from Seville, Spain collaborates with Lia Kali. -- You will not want to miss the official video for "El Blues del Condenado": www.youtube.com

Hailed for her 21st century blend of reggae and R&B, Jamaica’s rising vocalist Jaz Elise is back in 2023 with “Rice and Peas," The familiar expression, "I love you like cooked food," is deeply stewed in this new song produced by Jamaican Grammy-winning beatsmith Di Genius (Drake, John Legend). Jaz’s native signature dish of rice and kidney beans serves as a fitting metaphor for the blissful feeling of love. -- See the official video: www.youtube.com

This is Jorja Smith's sultry cover of French musician St Germain's "Rose Rouge." The original version is purely instrumental, so Smith plays around with her vocal range as she repeats the lines, “I want you to get together / Put your hands together one time.” -- The song features a music video that supported the 2020 BLM protests throughout the globe: youtu.be

American Horror Story” serves as the lead single from Earthgang’s 2022 album “Ghetto Gods”. Throughout the track, Johnny and WowGr8 examine the horror stories they’ve lived through. Johnny Venus raps about America’s unending legacy of slavery and racism — “Stuck over here like 400 years/ Stayed iced-out through the pain and my tears/ Ice in my veins, ice in my ears” — while Doctur Dot tries to envision a better world.' bit.ly -- Here are the lyrics; genius.com

IV of Spades is a Filipino rock band from Metro Manila, Philippines, consisting of vocalist, bassist and keyboardist Zild Benitez, vocalist and lead guitarist Blaster Silonga, and drummer Badjao de Castro. Unique the meme served as the band's lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist until 2018. Here's a biography: aminoapps.com

Watch a live performance by Junior Boys in our studio back in 2016: www.youtube.com --

This is the instrumental version of the first single from ATCQ's third album, Midnight Marauders."

This 1994 classic featured Jeru the Damaja. Here's a 2022 interview with Kendrick Jeru Davis (Jeru the Dmaja): www.udiscovermusic.com -- Larry Mizell, Jr and Martin Douglas interviewed Ishmael Butler for "Fresh off the Spaceship", the story of the Seattle artist collective The Black Constellation -- www.kexp.org

This song was written by Arin Ray and Dinner Party, the supergroup featuring Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, Kamasi Washington & 9th Wonder.

"It Could Be Sweet" was the first recorded track for their acclaimed debut album. That's Beth Gibbons' wonderful singing. Check out KEXP's 2019 interview with Portishead's Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley 25 years after that album was released: www.kexp.org

Brijean will be at Neumos on Wednesday, July 19th, 2023. -- See the official video for "Take A Trip": www.youtube.com

German duo Florian Seyberth and Peter Heider record as Boozoo Bajou. This is a remix of a track from their 2001 debut album "Satta". www.boozoobajou.com

Pitchfork called this second album from Rosalía "best new music,," saying that it " is a remarkable feat, seamlessly linking flamenco’s characteristic melodrama to the heart-wrenching storytelling of modern, woman-flexing R&B.": pitchfork.com -- Here's an interview with the Spanish singer-songwriter about life during quarantine and making music during that time: www.elle.com

Antón Álvarez Alfaro (C. Tangana) is a Spanish rapper and songwriter from Madrid. Released in 2021, 'El madrileño' was the first Spanish album to reach #1 on Spotify's global albums. ctangana.com -- Enjoy KEXP's Albina Cabrera's interview with C. Tangana in 2021: www.kexp.org

On their homepage, Osaka artist Kiyo writes, "Hi, I’m Kiyo, a singer songwriter on a little journey that started in fall 2016. I sing and play piano and guitar since childhood. Rolf Munkes (guitar, backing vocals) and a cellist accompany me on live shows.": kiyomusic.com www.kexp.org

Anna-Sharé Blake "is the quintessential triple threat talent – singer, actress, and model – making her Jamaica’s “it girl.” Sevana got her musical break in 2008 with the girl group SLR.": www.reggaeville.com -- Watch her 2020 LIVE on KEXP at Home performance and conversation with DJ Miss Ashley: youtu.be

As Lord Echo, Mike August (aka Mike Fabulous) churns out productions that alternate between and synthesize obscure corners of vintage disco, funk, rocksteady, and various African and Latin forms, all the while displaying a love of dub, as reflected in the alias. A native of Wellington, New Zealand, August has also been part of the bands the Black Seeds and Shogun Orchestra. --- This song features New Zealand vocalist Lisa Tomlins.: www.facebook.com

Meshell Ndegeocello is a German-born American singer-songwriter, rapper, and bassist. She has been nominated for eleven Grammy awards. -- “The 5th Dimension” is the latest single from Ndegeocello’s upcoming "The Omnichord Real Book" (out on June 16th), an album which explores her musical roots and features a number of guest artists: www.meshell.com

Originally titled "Mouse, Bird, Dog," this song was first performed on acoustic guitar at Thom Yorke's solo benefit gig for the Green Party in Cambridge in February 2010. -- Here's a deep, deep dive into this song, minute by minute: drakeandersen.com

This Pittsburgh-based band was our guest DJ on Midnight in a Perfect World in 2018. Check out their selections (and don't miss the picture)!: www.kexp.org -- See the video for this radiant song: www.youtube.com

"With its glowering Reese bass and liquid breaks, EP opener “Ode 2 Maya Angelou” also pays homage to the civil rights activist who has “a massive place in my heart,” she says. The cover artwork, designed by Nia herself, is a love letter to all the people who have shaped her, from Burial to her grandma Liz. Sandwiched next to Grace Jones, Dot Cotton and her younger brothers, are figures like Angela Davis, Mary Seacole, Rosa Parks and Harriet Tubman. “I’m always trying to satisfy my inner child and do stuff for younger me that I would’ve appreciated when I was younger,” she says. “It’s also for an audience that might not have known their stories or those aspects of Black history.” Read this essay about London artist Nia Archives' powerful 2022 album, "Forbidden Feelingz": www.dazeddigital.com

Before her rap career, Rapsody started out as a poet, with Angelou being a major influence early on. In this song, she and collaborator K.Roosevelt elaborate on the themes of Angelou’s poem, “Caged Bird,” expressing that black people have wings and can go as far as they want, even though society may try to trap them in a cage. -- Here is Maya Angelou's poem: www.poetryfoundation.org

This song was written by Irving Berlin and first performed live in December, 1926, by Belle Baker. In 1958, Ella Fitzgerald interpreted the song with her scat singing. -- Maya Jane Coles is a music producer, audio engineer and DJ based in the United Kingdom, born in London of British and Japanese descent.

Lil Yachty is one of the headlineers for this year's THING Festival at Fort Woren in Port Townsend, WA, August 25th-27th. -- In January, KEXP's Sound & Vision aired a feature entitled, "Lil Yachty's Psych Rock Album Isn't Surprising." Take a listen and find out why not: bit.ly

This is a new song from Australian singer-songwriter Chet Faker. The track, is his first new music of the year, Chet Faker wrote, recorded and produced the track himself. Clint Gibbs (Doja Cat) mixed the song.

"Don't stop!" -- The dancing in the video for "Free Yourself" is quite moving: www.youtube.com

Jungle will be at WaMu Theater on September 15. Their fourth album, "Volcano," is set for release on August 11th.

Little Dragon is a Swedish electronic outfit formed in 1996. The band consists of Yukimi Nagano (vocals, percussion), Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrik Wallin (bass) and Håkan Wirenstrand (keyboards). This July, Little Dragon will drop their latest studio production, "Slugs Of Love," the follow-up to 2020’s "New Me, Same Us."

"A dozen roses" to Gladys Knight, whose 79th birthday is today!! -- Did you know that she's on a 17-stop Farewell Tour this year?: nypost.com

"Amerimacka Oh what a beautiful lie Amerimacka It's like licking honey off of a knife Amerimacka Oh what a beautiful sight Amerimacka Oh what a beautiful lie..." Here are the lyrics: genius.com

It's a gorgeous Sunday in Seattle and you're listening to KEXP with the fabulous Evie! Thanks so much for being here! -- André Allen Anjos performs as producer and remixer RAC. He's well-known for collaborating with musicians from around the world -- including Colorado singer-songwriter Katie Herzig, purveyor of whispering, wistful songs which span folk, country, and synth-textured indie pop.: www.allmusic.com