Morning Becomes Eclectic
Morning Becomes Eclectic
Dave Wakeling: KCRW Guest DJ set
The English Beat’s Dave Wakeling makes his KCRW debut in conversation with DJ Nassir Nassirzadeh, spinning selects from Soft Cell, Tim Buckey, and more.
The English Beat’s Dave Wakeling makes his KCRW debut in conversation with DJ Nassir Nassirzadeh, spinning selects from Soft Cell, Tim Buckey, and more.
The English Beat are one of the most influential acts to emerge from the early 1980s “Two-tone” scene which fuses traditional Jamaican ska, rocksteady, and reggae music with elements of punk and new wave. Alongside their peers including The Specials, Madness, and The Selector (to name a few), The Beat struck a chord with fans worldwide on the strength of hit singles “Mirror in the Bathroom,” and “Save It For Later.”
Eventually settling in California in the 1990s, Wakeling put down roots by starting a family and working for the environmental group Greenpeace. Music has remained a constant as he continues to play and tour under The English Beat moniker. He’s also made solo albums, and combined his passion for environmental preservation with his passion for songcraft by using a solar powered mobile studio to produce the Greenpeace benefit compilation Alternative NRG which features U2, R.E.M, and The Jesus & Mary Chain.
Wakeling makes his KCRW debut as our Guest DJ in conversation with KCRW DJ Nassir Nassirzadeh and he’s telling all. From being inspired to form a band after hearing the surreal poetry of Tim Buckley’s “Quicksand,” to the first thing groundbreaking teen movie director John Hughes ever said to him: “Anybody who's got the balls to put a bassoon on a pop song and make it a hit is my kind of guy. Hello, I'm John Hughes.”
More:Lost Notes Returns with the True Story of ‘Tainted Love’
Plus, he’s got well-researched intel about the dancefloor-filling power of Soft Cell’s cover of “Tainted Love” and touching reflections on his own work. He breaks down his place within the larger John Hughes canon through a spin of his side project General Public’s “Tenderness.” He also shares a turning point moment where he realized that he’d written songs that mean as much to subsequent generations of music lovers as “what the four top songs of the ‘60s meant to me.” In a tip of the hat to one such fan, KCRW’s dearly departed Eric J. Lawrence, the set ends with a spin of The English Beat’s “Save It For Later.”
Be sure to check in with your favorite record store to see about snagging a copy of the Record Store Day x Black Friday double LP expanded edition of the band’s classic 1980 album, I Just Can’t Stop It. And hit the player to your left for the Guest DJ goods.
Tracklist
Show Credits
Continue Listening
See AllMore Shows
Live on KCRW
Live on KCRW is KCRW’s performance series featuring artists recorded live at our Santa Monica studios. From emerging acts to established voices, the series offers artists a space to present their music in an intimate setting that puts the focus on performance, sound, and personality.
Peanut Butter Wolf
Peanut Butter Wolf goes deep into a lifetime of collecting, pulling from more than 50,000 records alongside a digital archive packed with unreleased music and overlooked discoveries. The founder of Stones Throw Records favors the underdog, moving through hip-hop, funk, soul, electronic music, oddball records, rarities, and sounds that resist easy categorization. Inspired by generations of adventurous DJs and selectors, the show treats digging as an art form and the unexpected find as the ultimate reward. Tune in every third Sunday of the month from 8 to 10pm.
Henry Rollins
A mix of all kinds, from all over and all time. Henry Rollins treats the radio as a place for serious musical exploration, bringing punk, experimental music, jazz, global sounds, independent releases, archival discoveries, and whatever else demands to be heard into the same restless orbit. The selections can travel across decades and continents in minutes, driven less by genre than an insatiable appetite for records and discovery. It’s radio for listeners willing to follow the music wherever it goes. Tune in Mondays from 10pm to midnight and Fridays from 8 to 10pm.
SiLVA
A dance-forward mix that moves freely between house, disco, boogie, electronic music, global club sounds, and plenty in between. SiLVA’s sets are built for Saturday night, mixing new tracks, classics, edits, and deep cuts without getting boxed into one genre. The emphasis is on movement, surprise, and keeping the energy alive from one record to the next. Tune in to SiLVA Saturday evenings from 6 to 8pm.
Jason Bentley's Metropolis
Metropolis captures the hypnotic pulse of modern city life through electronic music built for movement, atmosphere, and late-night discovery. Jason Bentley connects current releases with foundational tracks, remixes, underground club sounds, and artists continually reshaping the possibilities of dance music. House, techno, electronic pop, and leftfield productions move together in a fluid weekly journey that reflects both the history and the evolving future of the dance floor. Sophisticated, immersive, and always looking ahead. Tune in to Metropolis Saturday nights from 8 to 10pm.