DJ Spotlight: The Zoetrope
Name: Zoe Boyd
Year: 2nd
Major: Journalism
KCPR Schedule: Monday 4-5 pm and Wednesday 4-6 pm
“KCPR has been my favorite part of my college experience so far. Everyone is so accepting, so kind, and so willing to help you grow. I’ll be the first to admit that I was intimidated when I first joined because everyone seemed so well versed in music, but everyone is so friendly and I’m friends with absolutely everyone. We can text and make music jokes- it’s so nice when someone you look up to and respect texts you ‘Hey! I’m listening to your show right now!’, it really warms my heart.”
What is the name of your show?
The Zoetrope
How did you select/create this name?
I was trying to think of cool names and I was asking my family – they were all coming up with Zoe puns – and then my grandma said ‘Oh! The zoetrope!’
It’s an old film technique invented in 1834 and was an early form of motion picture projection. It’s similar to a drum with a strip of paper with pictures across it and, when you spin it and look inside of it, you can see a movie basically. I actually saw one at Disneyland once that was Toy Story themed when I was much younger. I thought it was really cool – especially because it always reminds me of my name.
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 play a lot of fun stuff – some new and some old. Some throwbacks, mainly to 2010 indie pop, because that has a special palace in my heart, some punk, some hip-hop and electronic pop.
I actually get a lot of my inspiration from my fellow DJ, Francisco Martinez, because he gave me advice one time to play something that people know and then play something like it that they may not know. I think it’s good advice for being a DJ and I’m really trying to hone it in with my show.
Have you yourself ever played/created music?
I play guitar – kind of. I got my first guitar when I was nine years old. It was a little pink electric guitar that my dad gave me for my birthday.
Do you still play?
Off and on. I have a guitar and I wish I was better at it. I’m certainly not amazing, but it’s a little fun hobby.
What is your favorite album released in 2020 and why?
I know The Avalanches came out with a few singles, not a complete album, but “Running Red Lights,” I really like that song. Then, I liked Fiona Apple’s “Fetch The Bolt Cutters.” I really enjoyed that album because it’s super different and unique – her comeback was really cool. The album was really appreciated at our station as well. It was a fun experience having such a big music release in my first year of working in college radio.
If you could go on a socially distant date/ outing with any artist, who would it be and what would you do?
David Bowie, because “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust” is one of my favorite albums of all time and I would just like to pick his brain a little bit – I think his whole aesthetic and what he did for culture was amazing. I would sit and talk with him, it would be really interesting!
I think there would be a lot of great fashion on this outing…
I would definitely be sure to wear a good outfit, because I sure would have some tough competition.
Describe your show/music taste with a season/mood:
I love Fall – fall-time, absolutely. Yesterday I even said on air, ‘It’s a lovely Fall afternoon, so I’m going to play some Car Seat Headrest and American Football for you.’ I’ve been playing a lot of Sufjan Stevens and Fleet Foxes lately, a lot of stuff that really hones in on fall time and feels cozy.
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?
First of all, we’re learning a completely new software. Second of all, we used to just go into the studio for two hours each week and d[idn]’t really need to think about your show outside of that, except for planning it, like hearing a song and thinking ‘I want to play that this week!’
Now I need to separate listening to my show and working on my show. It definitely takes a couple hours each week to curate the music and record the voice tracks. There’s also the matter of hearing your own voice and then wanting to re-record.
So, you can record everything you say before it’s on air?
That’s how we do it. I go in on Tuesday evening and pick out all of the songs I want to play. Then I go in and record. Nothing is live. Interestingly I think I work better under the pressure of me giving the show just one time and then being done. Now I’m worried about not being happy with how I say something and wanting to go back and change it.
Prior to COVID-19 were you primarily using CDs and records for your show?
Yeah, but we do have someone who goes in every week – with a CD suggestion form – and then will upload those CDs. Our music library is currently a bit more limited in comparison to the literal thousands of CDs and records we have in the studio. I see this [as] an opportunity to learn more about the music at the station and in our software, so it’s definitely been a way for me to learn a lot of new music.
Do your career goals include radio and/or music?
Yeah, I’m a journalism major and I’ve truly grown to enjoy the radio and audio aspect of journalism, as opposed to the written part. I would really like it if that could play into my career.
Growing up in San Luis Obispo, did you know about KCPR and know you wanted to get involved prior to attending Cal Poly?
My dad grew up in SLO too and he had friends that worked at the station. He always told me funny stories about him going into the station and playing records that were just released. So, when I started college, I applied and got in!
Check out Boyd’s DJ spotlight playlist here!
