The 1% of Radio

Since I have had two recent instances of scanning radio stations while driving around Brooklyn and landing on brilliance, I feel compelled to amend my previous complaint that all NYC radio is crap. Most of it is crap. But then one sunny afternoon, I happened upon a block of Harry Partch - Harry Effin Partch! - on a station in the low 90s. You know who can recognize Partch's Chromolodean or Spoils Of War in the first few seconds? This girl. Then, a week later, I flipped on WFMU and heard something so freakishly familiar I was momentarily disoriented. It was a song off of Hailu Mergia'sTche Belew, which I restored and remastered this summer for Awesome Tapes From Africa, and thus had listened to many, many, many times in exquisite detail. And it sounded great! Even across the airwaves into my early 2000s Volkswagen.

This does not change the fact that my two year old daughter requests "Bout That Bass" every time I put her in the car.