by Joëlle Storet

(Illustration by Joëlle Storet) On Wednesday, May 25th, I broadcast my final episode of DJ EJ’s Wheels Of Steel on KXUA. The University of Arkansas servers were down during the show, resulting in the KXUA webstream not working as well. Thus many of you, particularly out of town friends and family, were unable to listen. Fear not! Here’s the podcast, featuring many heartfelt thanks, a replay of “The Cheapest Drinks on Dickson“, a blazing 82 minute final live mix, and an extended show promo compiling the voices of some of Wheels Of Steel’s most noteworthy guests. Download the full final episode here:

Wheels Of Steel 05-25-11

Want to cut through all the treacle? Get just the live mix here:

Wheels Of Steel Live Mix

Thanks to all the DJs who appeared on the show, Joëlle Storet, Sarah Levine, and last but certainly not least, all the fans. Click here to peruse (and download) the entire Wheels Of Steel corpus (every show, every mix, and some as yet unreleased gems) in one folder. All the best…Soli Deo Gloria.

~ DJ EJ

Illustration by Joëlle Storet

I’ve got a lot of great memories watching MTV back in the eighties with my older sister, even from the very beginning of the network back in 1981. For those of you too young to remember an MTV not dominated by reality programming, the music videos throughout the eighties ranged from high concept art to shaky camcorder footage recorded by friends of the band. Whatever their quality, they used to all be in one place and shown one after another after another. For this new phase of Wheels Of Steel, in which I perform and record a new mix each week, what better way to start it off than with a mix of some of my favorite songs from the eighties. Notice I said some, not all. There’s a lot more where those came from. Joëlle Storet‘s artwork is inspired by that iconic eighties puzzle toy, the Rubik’s Cube, which apparently sometimes even comes to life and has adventures. For the complete track list for this mix, visit the Wheels Of Steel Facebook group page Get your fix of aural nostalgia, either real or imagined, by downloading the mix here:

Wheels Of Steel – Totally ’80s Mix!

Illustration by Joëlle Storet

During this Thanksgiving week, we can certainly be thankful for the gift of music. In the above illustration by Joëlle Storet, Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun offer thanks to Ra-Horakhty for the gift of his latest album, “Two Horizons”. Egyptology jokes aside, last week’s Wheels of Steel with DJ Mixx Tenn was an episode for which we can be truly thankful. Growing up in Memphis, Tennessee afforded Mixx Tenn the opportunity of exposure to a variety of musical styles, and this eclecticism is reflected in the songs he chooses for his mixes. Click on the link below to hear his story of life in Memphis, moving to Fayetteville, and making it as a DJ in northwest Arkansas:

Wheels Of Steel – 11-17-10

When it comes to song selection, Mixx Tenn knows how to surprise you. His live mix on KXUA ranged from hip-hop to disco to R&B and funk, spanning 30+ years of music history. Despite this range of styles and time periods, the transitions are seamless and the mix…cooks. Get it here:

Mixx Tenn Live Mix

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, and join me on December 1st, 8pm to 10pm, for the next episode of DJ EJ’s Wheels of Steel!

Illustration by Joëlle Storet

If anyone can step back and take the long view of the history of the DJing scene in Fayetteville, DJ Derrick can. From spinning in Yocum Hall and countless fraternity and sorority parties, to DJ battles in the Union, and the current Dickson Street scene, DJ Derrick has done it all. These days you can catch him on Friday nights at Rogue Lounge, but this past Wednesday, DJ Derrick joined me in the KXUA studio for an informative interview and a superbly-crafted hip-hop/R&B live mix. Missed the broadcast and feeling left out? Chin up…here are the downloads you need to keep dancing. First, here’s the whole broadcast, including the interview and live mix:

Wheels of Steel 09-01-10

And here’s the live mix by itself…75 minutes of hip-hop from three different decades with a tempting taste of R&B thrown in (including the Toni Braxton song I requested!):

DJ Derrick Live Mix

DJ Mel flew in from Austin, Texas, for a live set at Club FIX last Wednesday night. Before that, however, he stopped by the KXUA studio for an interview. Bookended between excerpts from a couple of his most recent mixes, DJ Mel talked about how he got into DJing to begin with and his story of rising through the ranks of DJs in Austin to host two of the biggest regular dance party events in town. From his stint as a hip-hop buyer for a successful record label to his new work as one of the head organizers of Lollapalooza 2010, DJ Mel has his feet firmly planted in both DJ performance and in the music industry. Hear all about it from the man himself…here:

DJ Mel interview 05-26-10

Thanks to all the DJs and fans of Wheels of Steel for another awesome year of music on KXUA! An extra special thanks goes out to Joëlle Storet, Wheels of Steel’s official artist, for another year of fantastic illustrations. See all of her work and download every show I’ve podcasted on the Wheels of Steel facebook group page –> Wheels of Steel on Facebook.

Wheels of Steel will be back in July with more great music…including Cookin’ from Scratch! Details coming soon…