KCRW’s Jeremy Sole
Chicago-born Jeremy Sole has been a deejay and record collector for over 15 years. As a teenager, his education was throwing underground loft parties at the birth of Hip Hop and House music. He matured as a turntablist in Jazz, Dub and experimental hybrid bands. The rich Chicago history of Blues, Jazz, Soul and Funk were all part of his upbringing, and as a true music lover Jeremy has always found a way to blend them all together.
“When I was young, I would hang out in the alleys behind blues clubs so I could hear Buddy Guy and cats like that through the air vents. Those same nights I’d be mixing a Deep House or Hip Hop or Disco gig at some loft downtown.”
Since then his obsession grew to include music from around the world. As Co-Founder and resident deejay of Afro Funke’, Jeremy and his partners Rocky Dawuni and Cary Sullivan produce an event that brings a diverse mix of music lovers together each week at the Zanzibar in Santa Monica. Blending Afrobeat, Funk, Reggae, Latin and Brazilian; Afro Funke’ has hosted hundreds of international guest performers over the years, from Rich Medina and Cut Chemist to impromptu jam sessions with Zap Mama and Stevie Wonder. Every week is a future memory.
“If I’m playing a Dub tune, it might have a similar rhythm to Cumbia so it forms a bridge from Jamaica to Colombia. Then maybe mix into a salsa track, followed by a salsa remix with a dancehall pattern that translates into certain Afrobeat rhythms. It’s about finding similarities and using songs to connect cultures. On KCRW, (his show) Branches is built on that same foundation.”
Jeremy has had the honor of sharing the stage and the studio with hundreds of his deepest inspirations, including Roy Ayers, Ben Harper, DJ Krush, Lauryn Hill, War, The Meters, Chaka Khan, Seu Jorge, The Greyboy Allstars, Antibalas, Ray Charles, Reuben Wilson, Buck 65, Jerry Garcia Band and Joe Bataan.
As a musician and producer, Jeremy uses the word “Musaics” as both an artist alias and a conceptual approach; removing rhythms and samples from their original context, and juxtaposing them as a form of mosaic music. His “Musaics” have been released on Om Records’ Deep Concentration compilations, and recently featured Garth Trinidad on “A Call To Action”; the opening track of the re:BOOT compilation (Om/NextAid), raising funds and awareness for the children orphaned by AIDS in Africa.
As both a musician and a fan, Jeremy is honored to be a part of KCRW’s reputation for progressive and eclectic programming.
www.myspace.com/musaics
