Get to know KEXP: the indie radio station putting out sweet in-studio sessions
- Text by Joshua Gabert-Doyon
From under-the-radar college bands to more mainstream festival hoppers, KEXP’s cramped studio is a music mecca. The independent radio station out of Seattle has perfected the art of in-studio sessions: high-quality videos of artists playing intimate, no-bullshit sets. Started by students at the University of Washington in 1972, the station showcases some of the best acts playing today.
KEXP’s speciality, as you might have guessed from a station in the Pacific Northwest, is alt rock and punk. But the station covers a variety of genres and has consistently solid performances from a mind-boggling number of artists. The sessions are well mixed, well filmed, and released almost every day.
Bands frequently use KEXP as a testing ground for new material. College radio stations offer a space for smaller bands to gain exposure even in an informal setting. The videos are stripped down: mostly just black studio walls and minimal banter, KEXP steps aside to let the bands do what they do. The West Coast station has become a pillar in independent music in the U.S. Supporting local acts and bands passing through Seattle, spinning them on the radio and releasing the videos online. Their Youtube channel has become an index of underground music in the States.
Bands frequently use KEXP as a testing ground for new material. College radio stations offer a space for smaller bands to gain exposure in an informal setting. The videos are stripped down: mostly just black studio walls and minimal banter, KEXP steps aside to let the bands do what they do.
The West Coast station has become a pillar of independent music in the States, supporting local acts and bands passing through Seattle, spinning them on the radio and releasing the videos online. Their YouTube channel has become an index of underground music in the States.
Here are some of our favourite performances from KEXP’s live in-studio sessions:
The Internet
Parquet Courts
Chastity Belt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkQomq_rgK4
FIDLAR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0X4U96OnpA
DARKSIDE
Savages
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