
Ultra-soothing songstress and producer Anna Wise has developed a reputation as a consummate collaborator. The Grammy winner has worked with all your faves (think: Kendrick Lamar, Sonnymoon, Nick Hakim). As a solo artist, Wise’s alt R&B-tinged work aims skyward across her new album Subtle Body Dawn, a record she says is about “embracing imperfection.” She draws inspiration from nature — ethereal, amorphous forces alongside the more grounded presence of trees and rocks all find their way into her compositions.
True to her earth mother persona, she showed up for her KCRW Guest DJ set in a billowing white dress, smelling of what she refers to as her “grounding spray.” Her song selections are grand yet meditative, calming yet cosmically minded, ranging from the ambient jazz of Pharoah Sanders to what she describes as “the Kid Cudi-esque” chants of Brainwave Sync. Her conversation with Novena Carmel and Anthony Valadez follows suit. The longtime confidants reunite in their common bond to share music with a purpose.
“We’ve always gravitated towards her honest, sincere, and organic sense of self and sound,” says Valadez.
Gravitate into their serene orbit as Wise reveals her favorite music to drive to, her kid’s musical quirk, and the classical bop that sparks a spontaneous duet with Anthony.
Tracklist:
The Creator Has A Master Plan - Pharoah Sanders, Leon Thomas
Drume Negrita - Bola de Nieve
Om Mani Padem Hum - Brainwave Sync
Jealousy Blocks Your Blessings Every Time - Anna Wise
John Tejada maps electronic music across time, connecting the underground’s history with the sounds shaping its future. Deep cuts and new releases move through techno, electro, house, ambient, and other corners of electronic music, with each selection building naturally into the next. The show is as much about flow as discovery, tracing the ideas, rhythms, and innovations that continue to push electronic music forward. Expect established innovators alongside emerging producers and overlooked gems from decades past. Tune in to John’s show Tuesday and Saturday nights from 10pm to midnight.
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.
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.