DJ Spotlight: Space Granny
Year: 2nd
Major: Physics
KCPR Schedule: Friday 3-6 pm
How did you get involved in KCPR?
I honestly don’t really know. I was at the UU [University Union] one day last year and KCPR had a little booth. I just went up and talked to some of the people. Everyone seemed so cool and I was like, I want to do this. So then I applied and got in!
What is your DJ name?
Space Granny
How did you select/create this name?
Well, space came from my love for physics and outer space, obviously. Then granny basically came because I wear a lot of my grandmother’s clothes. People always ask, ‘Oh, my gosh, where’d you get that jacket?’ And I’m like, ‘It was my grandma’s,’ so it’s kind of two random things in my life. So Space Granny.
For someone who’s never listened to your show before, what would you tell them in order to entice them? Give me your pitch!
I like to play pretty upbeat stuff. Most of what I listen to is fast-paced and filled with energy, so I like to play lots of heavy drum instrumental tracks with pretty powerful vocals. Some of my favorite artists are Joy Division, Babe Rainbow and Le Tigre. So if you like high-energy stuff, you’ll probably like what I play.
What is your favorite album released in 2020 and why?
It seems like Pitchfork and I are obsessed with Fiona Apple and I think that’s pretty funny. I love “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” from Fiona Apple, [which] was released earlier in 2020. I mean, it’s been playing constantly in my head and I play her songs on my show quite often. I think what I like about it is how different it is from her earlier work and how obscure some of the tracks on the album are.
If you could go on a date/outing with any artist, who would it be and what would you do?
I don’t know. I would love to have a conversation with Brian Eno. The amount of talented people he’s worked with over the years is insane and being able to pick his brain about the music he’s produced would be so amazing. It seems like all of my favorite artists and tracks are tied to him in some way. I would probably annoy him with all my questions.
Describe your show/music taste with a season/mood:
I’d say it’s pretty spunky, and I don’t know – I always picture myself, when I’m planning my shows, if I was driving in the car, would I be excited for this song to come on? Would I start bobbing my head in traffic, you know?
Do you notice your own taste changing a lot?
I think my music taste completely changed when I joined KCPR. I mean, I definitely loved music and I had a different taste from a lot of my friends. But since joining KCPR, I’ve learned so much about music and the music industry, and kind of how different people like different artists for different reasons.
I think I’ve really changed my music taste and developed my own unique sound. I’ve really learned a lot about how vast the music world is, in terms of genres and ways to manipulate sound. But yeah, I definitely did not know as much about music as I do now.
How has Covid-19 changed the way in which your show is run? Can you tell me a bit about your at-home set-up and any challenges you may be facing?
I mean, it’s so different since we’re not in the station. I think it’s kind of limiting in terms of the things that we can play, obviously, but I think my sound has definitely become more uniform in terms of what I play because I have more time to plan my show and make sure that songs go together and kind of form nicely throughout the show.
I think that’s something that’s kind of beneficial from being in COVID and in quarantine, is the shows make more sense in some way. But, I mean, we just have less ability to play other artists.
Do your career goals include radio and/or music?
Not really. I mean, going into physics, I don’t really know how I would incorporate the music industry into that, but I think I definitely see myself keeping DJing and music as a hobby. Obviously because I love music, as everyone does in KCPR, but yeah, I don’t see myself having a career in the music industry.
You also do incredible artwork for KCPR too, so, what got you into art? How does that tie into everything?
Well, thank you. I mean, I’ve always been doodling on everything. If you look at my notes, it’s practically half drawings and half actual notes. But I grew up going to art museums and my mom has a degree in art history, so she loves to talk about paintings and artists.
So I guess I’ve always been interested in art, especially creating it myself. I think especially in KCPR, it’s kind of fun putting an image to KCPR’s sound and making that tie between our visual appearance and our radio appearance. I think that’s a cool aspect of the art team in KCPR.
