The DJ Takeover is a program for listeners to discover their favorite artist's favorite artists, working to foster connection to the music and makers inside and outside our city. For the entire hour, we go down the rabbit hole of stories from their past, experiences of the present and goals for the future.
Let this be proof that our members have taste.
Walking through our front doors in a “Heaven is a Junkyard” Youth Lagoon tee, I knew Dalyn Ward meant business. Winner of our SoundBites raffle prize, he joined as my guest for this DJ Takeover — bringing not only an incredible lineup of eclectic songs, but also a true history lesson in the emo-kid-to-cool-adult pipeline as we traversed an encyclopedic journey of indie music.
An involved and longtime member of the station, Dalyn works in tech, design and … wood (go-to artist in his woodworking shop: Bon Iver). The third song he shared, “Major Leagues” by Pavement, spoke to high-school days draped in the artistry of longing. Soon after, Big Red Machine’s “Latter Days” pointed to similar notes of bittersweet symphonies, yet found itself in his present-day song rotation.
Seeing how Dalyn and my tastes in music aligned drew parallels to how the broad range of sounds on 88Nine brings people together. We are two people who started as listeners, fell in love with the station and then found ourselves sharing a mic on-air, all while bringing new music to a station that shaped their taste in music. It was a full-circle experience that showed firsthand how a nonprofit radio station is not just listener supported, but listener driven.
I continued to find myself forgetting we were on-air as Dalyn connected the dots between bands like Apostle of Hustle and Broken Social Scene, Xiu Xiu and Perfume Genius, and Romy and The XX until we were both staring at constellations mapped out by the song long on the computer in front of me.
The greatest takeaway Dalyn gave me was the importance of people behind public media outlets, art, music and community. Without the faces, the transferred knowledge and the bridge of genuine personal interests, so much would be lost — including how special it is to experience a shared love for music with another person.
DJ Takeover: Dalyn Ward playlist
- Jackson Frank, “Blues Run the Game”
- McKaya McCraven, “Slightest Right”
- Pavement, “Major Leagues”
- Apostle of Hustle, “National Anthem of Nowhere”
- Xiu Xiu, “Clowne Towne”
- John Moreland, "Hang Me in the Tulsa Country Stars"
- Big Red Machine, “Latter Days”
- Digable Planets, “Rebirth of Slick”
- Romy, “Enjoy Your Life”
- Amen Dunes, “Miki Dora”
