On: The radio

If you know me, you know I love music. Recently, I discovered two stations which play straight bangers - KOKAKO 96.1FM, and ANTHEMZ 100.9FM. When I want to listen to older music, I used to turn the radio to BREEZE 94FM - they play 70s-90s hits, classics like these:

Great, but what's better than one station with good music taste? That's right, two or even three radio stations! ANTHEMZ is my newest discovery - they play similar music to KOKAKO, focusing on 90s-2000s hits. I'm in awe of their range of music picks, playing moody rock and then club music in the span of only a few songs. Overall, their discography really captures the feeling of the time period they stick to, and they aren't afraid to dip into the 2010s from time to time. Here's some of their recent plays:

I really like the colour scheme of these albums too - probably not planned, but cool to see! Even if they play songs I'm not familiar with, they're just as good and I'm always interested in expanding my music taste. Cheers all round for ANTHEMZ! Great music whenever I tune in, and especially great for a late night drive. 

This brings me to KOKAKO, which is different to BREEZE and ANTHEMZ - because it wasn't always "KOKAKO". its former channel was "BASSLINE", a funky station with focus on early hip-hop and sweet R&B vibes ranging from 2000-2025! I remember BASSLINE fondly, and enjoyed being able to hear artists such as Tyler The Creator and Kali Uchis on the air.

That was until the day KOKAKO took over. I was apprehensive at first, and put off from the beginning due to the heavy metal and rock that seemed to be the primary playlist. Not my cup of tea - until I turned on my shower speaker one night, and found myself pleasantly surprised: Mac DeMarco?!?! No way. No way one of my all time favourite indie artists (slightly controversial to some who believe he changed it for the worse), was on the radio! Safe to say, I warmed up to KOKAKO quickly after that.

So what made BASSLINE leave the air? Turns out, 96.1FM isn't an independent station. They're student run, founded by students of the broadcasting school who want to feature their own music tastes and share different genres on the radio. 

KOKAKO still plays its share of rock music from time to time, but their focus has shifted: they describe themselves as being built on "indie beat and local heat", playing hit after hit with zero ads in-between. Their mix of local music and feel-good indie music is an amazing blend, and I'm thrilled to say the least. Even if KOKAKO isn't here to stay, I'll enjoy it for as long as it's on the air. That's all from me! Feel free to share your favourite songs below.

- Emma