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.”

Wakeling makes his KCRW debut as our Guest DJ and he’s telling all: From being inspired early on by the surreal poetry of Tim Buckley’s lyrics to meeting John Hughes to watching dance floors fill over and over again to the sounds of Soft Cell’s cover of “Tainted Love;” he delivers the goods in conversation with KCRW DJ Nassir Nassirzadeh.

season finale of KCRW Presents: School Night. Also 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. Now, click the player to your left, scroll to 57:17, and listen on for selects and sweetness.