Courtesy of Chris Sanley
Traditions take time. At KDHX, the afternoon drive programming coalesced over the years into a “blues block,” though that umbrella term wouldn’t fully do justice to the individualistic nature of the five shows that settled into the 4 to 7 pm time slots on the community radio station. Recently, though, the period was given a real sense of variety with the addition of "The Future is Now," hosted by DJ Chris Sanley. The new show replaced the station’s popular, long-running "Blursday" program, which was retired by hosts John McHenry and Denny Clancy after a decades-long run.
And so, at 4:01 pm on June 1, a song called “The Ballad of Speck and Pebble” by Delicate Steve provided a clear signal that Thursdays on KDHX were going to have a completely new feel. (Nick Aquisto, the station’s music director and host of "The Space Parlour," interviewed Sanley for a KDHX blog piece on the day of that program going live and the you can read that here.) Since then, the show’s continued to find its audience, with Sanley’s wide-ranging playlists challenging the old ideas about what KDHX listeners want for their late-afternoon musical diets.
In the interests of disclosure, this writer does occasional, fill-in programming for the station, as well, which may mildly inform some of this conversation with Sanley, conducted via email over the last few days.
Can you give a general sense of how this show came into being? You were doing some fill-in shifts, yes?
I've dreamed of having a show on KDHX for over a decade, since I first started interning and volunteering at the station. I then moved away from St. Louis for work, but when I found my way back, I started to get that radio host itch again. In the summer of 2016, I was finally in a place where I knew I would be able to devote enough time. So. I got that application in, completed my training, and started subbing as often as possible. Thanks to Caron of "Wax Lyrical," Nick of "The Space Parlour," Andy of "The Rhythm Section" and Harriet of "Folks of the World," I was able to get comfortable in the DJ booth while filling in on their shows as I waited in the wings for an opening.
Was it surprising to go from not having a shift to a drive shift, especially as those don't turn over very often?
Incredibly! I practically did a spit take when I received the official offer to host afternoon drive on Thursdays. I was so excited, extremely humbled, and let's be real ... SO NERVOUS about taking over that legendary spot.
Guessing that you received some interesting feedback from listeners of Blursday when your show began. How'd that go?
Interesting, indeed. There were definitely some Blursday diehards that were/are just NOT into what I am doing. Which is fine! That's the beauty of KDHX. We have extremely diverse and eclectic programming, so there's going to be something for everyone. And when the schedule shifts a bit, there are going to be some growing pains. During the transition, I did receive some discouraging phone calls. However, the positive feedback has far outweighed the negative, which is pretty incredible. Hearing from folks that are digging the show and discovering new artists each week brings me so much joy. That's really what it's all about.
Recently, tuning into the show, I heard a lengthy cut from Can. That kinda track, obviously, wasn't in the afternoon drive mix previously. How far can you push the envelope during that timeslot? Any bands, sounds or genres that you'd play at 4 am that you realistically can't rock at 4 p.m.?
Ah yes! That was one of the more "out there" moments I've had on the program so far. Can's bassist, Holger Czukay, had just passed away that week, so I wanted to pay tribute to him. "Yoo Doo Right" is my favorite Can song of all time, so I just couldn't help myself. That behind said, I don't try to get too weird with my selections each week. As far as sounds that are harder to pull off in the 4 to 7 p.m. slot, you won't hear much in the vein of heavier punk, noise, super electronic/dance, etc. I do, however, try to have a very eclectic mix of different genres throughout the show, as your average music listener/fan doesn't typically confine themselves to one specific style.
Programmers have wildly different ways of constructing their shows: from doing it on the fly, grabbing CDs from the stacks on the way in, to having fully realized playlists on their laptops, ready to plug-and-play. Where are you at on that continuum?
I am a planner to a fault, so I'm certainly in the camp of having a fully realized show ahead of time. I don't have anyone assisting me during the show, so having a full plan before going on air helps me be more at ease, frees up a bit of time to answer phones and post on social media, including live tweeting the playlist throughout the show. Maybe 10 years from now (goddess willing) I'll be able to be one of those on the fly DJs. But for now, I'll stick with my overpreparing each week.
How many hours do you imagine you spend prepping a show? Either actively or passively?
That certainly varies, but I'd say somewhere around 10 hours of prep time each week. There is SO much new music coming out these days, so I end up listening to A LOT of stuff that never ends up making it on the show. My goal is to highlight the freshest, most exciting new releases (in my humble opinion), those relevant to the KDHX listener, and artists that are touring through the area soon.
Maybe it's a tad geeky, but: records, CDs, MP3s... what play platforms do you employ during the show?
I have embraced the digital, my friend. While I'm a huge vinyl enthusiast/collector, I find that digital files are the easiest for the show. Especially because I am focusing on brand-new music each week. It enables me to highlight the newest of the new, before the proper albums have officially been released.
You have some "bits" during the show, which isn't typically something you hear on KDHX, spotlights specific to your show. What kind of programming decisions did you come to when programming the general direction and vibe of the show, including these weekly bits?
While mapping out the basis of my show, I knew I wanted to focus on new releases. This is SUCH an exciting time for contemporary music of all genres, and the sheer volume being released on a weekly basis can be a bit daunting. My goal for the show was to help navigate these chaotic musical waters, pointing listeners to the new tunes that I find most compelling. And throughout all of that, I thought it would be fun to have two segments punctuating the show at the top of each hour. The first at 5 o'clock is the Throwback Thursday Block. With my program being all about new music discovery, this is a great way to throwback to some old favorites each week. And then coming back to music discovery, the other segment is the New Release Spotlight. With albums officially releasing on Fridays, I wanted to highlight a new album each week that would be dropping the day after the show airs. For this feature, I play two tracks from the album back-to-back, to help give the listener a better feel for the album as a whole.
Lightning round:
New(ish) act that you imagine playing regularly in coming months: Moses Sumney
Act that will always have a possible placement in The Future's rotation: I mean, I'll always find a way to work in Prince and/or Bowie.
Best caller so far: Oh man—that's tough! I've received several calls from folks stating that "The Future Is Now" is their new favorite show on KDHX, which just makes me grin like an idiot.
The Future is Now airs on KDHX on Thursdays, from 4 to 7 pm.
