Jeff Staple: KCRW Guest DJ Set

Streetwear designer, agency head, sneakerhead, and all around creative visionary Jeff Staple brings his expert taste to the MBE DJ booth.

“[KCRW is] the soundtrack to my life,” he says. “For any creative that works in the industry, you know that music is the fuel for your engine. And what kind of gas you put into your engine is so important. You provide that high octane, high energy stuff for me.”

Staple’s guest DJ set is gassing-up our tanks today, from his opening rejoinder of a cut from Black Star’s debut album (for which he designed the cover art) to his tip off to rising artist Shirt, whom the designer calls a “marketing genius with no filter.” (See: Shirt’s song “Dave Chappelle is Wrong.”) He also serves up his go-to dance jam from Wizkid and Tems, and tells us about the vast reserves of existential loneliness he hears in Elton John’s “Rocket Man.”

Elsewhere in the convo, Staple waxes philosophical about Novena’s sneaker choice (beat-up Chucks) and his love for interacting with strangers on the street and breaking bread with new friends.

“That’s what streetwear is all about,” he says. “To me a collaboration starts over a great meal.”

Click through for more street(wear) smarts and choice song selects, and grab Staple’s new book “Not Just Sneakers,” which is out now, and covers 25 years of his career over 300 pages.

Tracklist:

Respiration - Black Star

Rocket Man - Elton John

Dave Chappelle is Wrong - Shirt

Essence - Wizkid feat Tems