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 Sarah Levine

Illustration by Sarah Levine

On May 11th, I recorded live on KXUA a mix of Arabic music, Arabic influenced music, and music which derived samples from originally Arabic compositions. Many of the songs have personal meaning for me, Assi Helani’s Ahebak Jedan is but one of many songs my Syrian friends taught me to sing while we worked together on the excavation. I distinctly remember listening to the Cheb Khalid song, Abdel Kader, while driving late at night through the Ghab Valley with American and Syrian friends. The Chemical Brothers’ song, Galvanize, derives its powerful string sample from the song Hadi Kedba Bayna (Just Tell Me the Truth) by Najat Aatabou. Q-Tip’s lyrical call to galvanize is timely, considering the struggle the Syrian people are currently engaged in for their freedom. Today, as the Syrian military shelled its own citizens in Maarat al-Numan, surrounded Jisr al-Shaghour with soldiers and helicopter gunships, and killed livestock and torched fields in the surrounding countryside, my thoughts and prayers are with the Syrian people and most of all my friends, who live but two miles south of Jisr al-Shaghour. Most of these songs have no political overtones. They’re about love and relationships (you’ll come to recognize the frequently used word “habibi” – “my beloved”). However, after twelve years of working there, what better way to express the love I have for Syria, her people, and my Syrian friends with these songs. I think of them often, pray for their safety, and dedicate this mix to them:

Syrian Solidarity Mix

1. Fairouz – Wa Habibi
فيروز -واه حبيبي
2. Toufic Farroukh – Lili S’en Fout
توفيق فرّوخ –لي سي فوا
3. Najwa Karam – Habeeb El Zain (Remix)
نجوى كرم- حبيبي الزين
4. Sharif – Shiraz
شريف –سيراز
5. Diana Hadad – Ghaltity
ديانا حداد- غلطيتي
6. Assi Helani – Ahebak Jedan
عاصي الحلاني – أحبك جداً
7. Hisham Abbas – Intil Waheeda
هشام عباس- إنت وحيدة
8. Cheb Hasni – Bledi
شاب حسني- بليدي
9. Rashid Taha – Ya Rayah
رشيد طاها- يارايح
10. Amr Diab – Habibi
عمر ذياب- حبيبي
11. Gypsy Kings – Habibi
جيبسي كينغ- حبيبي
12. Anouar Brahem – Ronda
أنور إبراهيم- روندا
13. The Chemical Brothers – Galvanize
ذا كيميكل بروذر- غالثانيز
14. Aleen Khalaf – Ya Zeen
ألين خلف- يا زين
15. Amr Diab – El Alim Allah
عمر ذياب- العليم الله
16. Anouar Brahem – Kerkenah
أنور إبراهيم- كركينه
17. Cheb Khaled – Abdel Kader
شاب خالد- عبد القادر

(Illustration by Sarah Levine)

Nineties trip-hop, a fitting soundtrack to all of the damp, cold, and rainy weather of the past couple weeks in northwest Arkansas or…lazy summer days (beginning today I hope). It’s cool, it’s chill, it’s atmospheric…however you want to describe it. Whatever the weather, drop this in for some Massive Attack, Portishead, and Morcheeba mixed with other old and new music, not all trip-hop, but definitely mellow. Peruse the complete track list and download the full mix (recorded live on KXUA 88.3FM April 6th, 2011) here:

Wheels of Steel – Chill Vol. 1

(Illustration by Sarah Levine)

“Don’t mess aroun’ with Foxy Brown. She’s the meanest chick in town! She’s brown sugar and spice, but if you don’t treat her nice, she’ll put you on ice!” For this mix (recorded live on KXUA 88.3FM on March 9th, 2011), I’m bringin’ the funk and breakin’ the funk barrier…and throwing in a little disco when you least expect it. Inspired by some of my favorite late seventies and early eighties funk and disco tracks, I’ve used a lot of these songs while DJing at the Starlight Skatium. Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll over here to check out the track list, and download my 56 Minutes of Funk! mix here:

Wheels of Steel – 56 Minutes of Funk!

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!