Straw

Hi all. New episode of Panoramic is up and it's really cool. Link's up top. My friends in 魚の家 (Fish House, aka my Japanese class) stopped by and we dropped over 90 minutes of our favorites from Japanese shoegaze, dream pop, and more. One of the selectors, @brittanyjustice , did the artwork inspired by Mr. Oreo, who is owned by @joelhansenlol Thank you, y'all for coming on and being dope humans. Also shoutout to @sillygenius for coming by to hang out. Speaking of Silly Genius, they're a dope local artist who designed the really dope Jet Set Radio inspired t-shirt for @wrir97.3fm Spring 2026 Fund Drive. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far, especially in this weird and overall trash climate. If you have the capacity to do so, you can also donate in my bio. I hope you enjoy this.

First solo panoramic in a long while Link in bio Art by local legend and friend @benrine , "L O VE," 2025. Been a year and a half since I posted one of these solo, and most of this was recorded in the middle of the night. It was my mom and dad's birthday the next day, as well as my homie Melissa's memorial. She'd have a word or two if I aired another rerun. There's a lot of new stuff in here I really resonate with, plus some new old favorites that have bubbled back up. Plus, a dying HitClips. Flowers for inspo goes to @genggrizzly and @disappointmentkink To all artists featured, thank you for your time and work.

New show is up at the link in bio++ my guest this time was @omololu.refilwe art entitled “violet haze,” digital collage by ọmọlolú, date unknown. their work was first aired on panoramic in early 2023, and their new LP is incredible. ọmọlolú's guest mix is an offering "that explores breath, desire, and becoming. u deserve to break thr(u), the nerve!” YOU. yes, you. you deserve to break through, too. ọmọlolú Refilwe Bàbátúndé (ọrB) (shx/they) is a multimedia artist rooted in sound who makes sonic ritual works that explore recovery, becoming, and breaking into affirming possibilities. Her practice is concerned with how Black sound moves through, connects, and shifts space/time. Through looping, harmonization, instrumentation, field recordings, and sampling, they explore the power of repetition, mantra-making, and collective breathing as ways to propel those who listen through the cycles and deepening of our becoming. In their practice, they also explore video, image, archival work, prose, and performance as ways to activate, visualize, and embody the sonic encounters they strive to expose. thank you to ọmọlolú for their time and work, and all the artists featured too. and apologies in advance: first time in new WRIR studio and my mic volume is not as high as it normally is. enjoy!

New archival work up link in bio++ For the first show of 2026, I was humbled to welcome one of my oldest mentors+homies of this weird little LP-FM zone we got, @thediscocat Sean's one of those friends whose work and intention is frequently inspiring to me on a personal level. It's become a regular practice between the two of us for 15 years to hit each other up while live and just go, "oh, you're playing THAT? Hell yeah." Community (and community radio) is cool like that. His offering focused on a wide spectrum of crucial modern jazz, while I open and close. And as always, 🖕🏻🧊 Gratitude to you as always, Sean, and thanks for your patience.

🚕💕 Because you asked for it, city pop rides again in Richmond this coming Valentine's Day! In the spirit of Tokyo Melody, Ride on Time is a new Richmond-tailored city pop special. Come warm up with myself, Headhunt, and blobject (appearing here as Difference Clouds) as we traverse Japan and other hi-fi boogie-inflected tunes from around the world. Excited to see you out there as we explore the 80s and 90s and beyond. Come bust a move, maybe even slow dance? Graititude to @brittanyjustice for the awesome flyer design! @banji_kaicho we miss you! Tix link in bio 🎫

Final pano of 2025 Link in bio++ This past Saturday on the pano I welcomed into the fold the homie and NYC-based rapper/curator @merkeba_ . His project a Metal Snake came onto my radar during my October trip up to NYC (s/o always @ptp.vision ), and it’s been steady in rotation ever since. Merkeba’s music taste is excellent. His guest mix, in his own words, “attempts to trace the influence of dub reggae and dancehall in many underground music traditions around the world. We are the originators of so much of what ppl now call experimentation and imagination. Many homies in the mix as well.” Lineage and origin, influence and appreciation. It's awesome. See above shout-out. Art and design is by Merkeba as well. As always I open and close. Stay safe and sane; see you next year, Straw

When I dropped Kadomatsu’s Hatsu Koi / 初恋 at @losorichmond last month, something hit me right in the chest. The intro rolled in and suddenly I was back in every Tokyo Melody moment—the rooms that welcomed me, the people who helped along the way, and the incredible crowds who made this City Pop dream feel real. (Plus of course, all the goofy fun, the nerves, and everything in between with my dearest partner in crime, @straw_______ 🙏🏼) It reminded me why this all started back in Richmond… a feeling almost like a first love. Goodbye Memories… Thank you for making them hit as deeply as it did and giving me a reason to come back. May it find us again soon! 🎵🗼

Gotta say, would not be the DJ and music lover that I am without @banji_kaicho This dude right here is my musical brother. Back in the dark times when my show was still called Pandemic, the first hour was the more accessible one. The SECOND, on the other hand, was a Tempest-- usually a squall of skronk and noise with the occasional slow jam or rap to ground it out... then right around the time Banji Kaicho started up on WRIR I started getting messages from Freddie about how amazing these late night walls of feedback were. Oh, hell yeah, here comes a real one. Somewhere along this journey of music appreciation we started talking city pop, and somewhere along the way we started collaborating on Tokyo Melody, Freddie leading the way. Gotta say too, what a crazy beautiful thing we built. Richmond, Raleigh, 757, 703x y'all all come out. We had @lestalusan @1aura1opez and @plum_eternal all play and inspire too! Only place I know of where Miho Nakayama shares a floor with the DANDADAN OP. This isn't a goodbye by ANY means, just a show of gratitude and thanks for Freddie and for Tokyo Melody. Thank you for kicking it with me and us.

New episode up++ Link in bio 📻 Art by @headhunt Once again it is our fall fund drive and this go-round I was joined in person by fellow WRIR tastemaker and videographer Headhunt! Their sets (in italics) prioritize texture AND the dance floor, with a focus on good grooves and Filipino producers (including @anitosoul , who had a guest mix earlier this year). There's also a lot more goofing off than what makes most Panoramics. At one point Freddie J of @banji_kaicho and Tokyo Melody stopped by to hang out. I just want to say thank you to everyone who's signal boosted this show over the years. I don't ask a whole hell of a lot, but if this show or community radio matter to you, please drop a tip into the jar of wrir.org. Without you, there's no station. FM radio forever. Thank you to Headhunt, and all the artists featured for their time and work. *Outtakes from @nakama.wtf curation from last episode ** FCC Clean your tracks, kids *** May have misspoke on air and said "Watersnake" instead of "Waterdancer." Was thinking about the song and the [excellent] album ("a metal snake") at the same time. Hat tip to @merkeba_ . ^Talk beds, not every talk bed is listed.

New collaborative work up in bio++ 📡📡 Round 2. Last year I spoke with my friend, the friendly neighborhood conduit @nakama.wtf and off the release of their new LP EVERYTHING BURNS! we sat down again. This LP is a tremendous, complete work, and the conversation we have around it (and other things) weaves between nerding out about this and that and drills into the psychology in our current environments and how influenced the creative process behind the record. Nak also supplied supplemental audio curation to give the convo context, and handpicked the LP featured (with the exception of "Under the Porch.") Thank you, Nak, for trusting me this and to all artists thank you for your time and your work. Also, NYC, thank you once again for the birthday hang.

Friends of Banji Kaicho! The curtain is closing — let’s gather one more time for City Pop Night at @losorichmond on Thursday 10/16, celebrating our love for Showa funks and Japanese mellow together 🪩👠🎌 Bittersweet to say this will be the final Tokyo Melody I host as I’m leaving Richmond. I couldn’t have asked for a better ride tho — two years of building a home for City Pop in RVA, together with all of you who kept the dance floor glowing and growing. We’ll end it exactly how we started: @straw_______ and I on deck with nonstop jams, our top blends and signature edits, and all those tracks everyone asks about after the show. With the best sound system in town, nothing’s going to hold us back this time — it’ll be great music at its fullest. It’s a celebration, more than an ending, for this beautiful thing we created as a community. I hope to see you all there, so I can thank you all in person for being part of this unforgettable journey. 🎟️ Ticket link in bio 🎇 Flyer by @groovychoco . . . #citypop #シティポップ #japanesemusic #80s #jpop #soul #funk #disco #aor #boogie #vaporwave #futurefunk #synthpop #synthwave #retro #retrowave #anime #lofi #aesthetic #citypopmusic #japanesecitypop #hiphop #jazz #vinyl #vaporwaveaesthetic #recordcollection #rva #richmondva #djevent #danceparty

We are thrilled to be participating in the @icavcu ’s FULL HOUSE event on Saturday, August 23rd from 1 PM - 6:30 PM. 🗓️ Mark your calendars and set your alarms, because this is one Richmond community building event you do not want to miss! More details below👇 The ICA is hosting a celebration of the Richmond arts community and 3 new exhibitions in their galleries, Julien Creuzet: Attila cataract your source at the feet of the green peaks will end up in the great sea blue abyss we drowned in the tidal tears of the moon”, Lily Cox-Richard: Disquiet in the Sand, and Ayida. From 1–4 PM, guests can tour the galleries, meet representatives from local arts organizations, attend panel discussions, enjoy mini-food-hall offerings in the ICA’s Abby Moore Cafe; participate in make-and-take crafts and recording sessions in the VPM + ICA Community Media Center; screen printing; and music from your very own WRIR DJs. From 4 - 6:30 PM, celebrate the opening of the new exhibitions, attendees will be able to enjoy refreshments, remarks by VCUarts Dean Carmenita Higginbotham, ICA Executive Director Jessica Bell Brown, ICA curators Amber Esseiva and Egbert Vongmalaithong, and guest curator Serubiri Moses. WRIR DJs spinning: DJ Graybeard 1 - 2:30 pm @straw_______ 2:30 - 4 pm @tedikuma 4:30 - 6:30 pm