Here's a true story some of you may find hopeful:
I DJed at 91.3 WVUD FM for about a year, in '96 -- back before ANYONE here
had any clue about IDM. It was a thankless shift from midnight to 3 AM,
with few listeners and even fewer fans. One of my proudest moments, for
example, was when I got an advance copy of the Richard D James album
before ANYONE, and I mean ANYONE else. I played half the tracks on my
show the day I got it; the phone never flinched.
Anyway, on to the story. I had had a particularly rough day - bitched out
at work, came home to snarling roommates - and wanted nothing more than to
sleep. As I was literally laying my head on the pillow, I suddenly
remembered having agreed to cover Maryann Atkinson's shift on the ambient
show. Grudgingly, I yanked myself back out of bed, surly, and went over
to my CD collection. "Fuck formats," I thought to myself, "I'm playing
whatever I damn well please tonight."
I got to the station just in time, and took over from the previous DJ, not
even announcing before I played my first track. For the next 45 minutes I
threaded together a set to sooth my frazzled nerves: Global Communication,
Muslimgauze, Biosphere, Banco De Gaia. After about 9 or ten songs, I
opened up the mic and gave a station ID and the phone number, then went
back into my set.
Well, no sooner do I close the mike, the phone rings.
"Hello, WVUD."
"You finally back-announced! I've been listening for the last 45 minutes
waiting for you to give the number so I could call!"
It was a college girl named Valerie. She caught the show in her car
coming home from her own rather stressful day at work, and was immediately
intrigued by this epic, textural music she had never heard anything like
before -- her best description of it was "Like Enigma, but better."
She then made me dictate MY ENTIRE SET thus far to her over the phone,
including album names, so she could hit the record stores first thing in
the morning and buy as much of this "IDM" as she could find.
We talked for about 45 minutes, and then she bid me farewell, thanking me
profusely for introducing her to something new and wonderful. And the
rest of the night, not surprisingly, seemed a whole lot better.
m@2zo
www.thechisa.com
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