12:00 AM: Tuesdays
A Box of Toys is a radio program dedicated to the tireless pursuit of obscure musical artifacts. The explosive growth of DIY digitized archiving and recording means that now, more than any previous time, we can find lost and buried treasures, filter them through discerning ears, and present them to you in a way that renders them coherent and relevant. Join us on this journey through the dusty corners and hidden pathways to bring you the most creative part of our musical human cultural experience.
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This show collects songs and artists from several of our recent shows that didn’t fit on past episodes. This includes our recent two show feature on artists from across Africa, noise music, and post-rock. photo via Dennis Anderson on Unsplash
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We continue our dive into noise music, exploring the fringes of the genre and how it intersects and has influenced more mainstream acts. We look at a variety of styles and artists, from rock, ambient, to alternative, industrial, and beyond. Some of this music is hopelessly obscure and some of it on the older side, … Continued
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Part one of our exploration into the bizarre world of noise music. We begin by asking what music itself is and discussing how often “noise music” falls outside of the bounds of classical definitions of music itself; subverting traditional understandings and conceptions. Often harsh and difficult to listen to and other times soothing, we venture … Continued
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On episode #36 of A Box of Toys, we continue our exploration of musical artists across Africa. Last week, the box overflowed as we began our journey. We tried to take a trip from Ethiopia to the Atlantic, but got stuck in Nigeria. We’re picking back up by going from country to country by starting … Continued
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Today on A Box of Toys, hosts investigate entirely new territory. Overwhelmed by the diversity of music emanating from the tropical region of Africa, on today’s show we present selections from Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Senegal. Specially, our show will focus on music produced in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, where artists from these countries gained … Continued
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On the 34th episode of A Box of Toys, we look at post-rock. While the term post-rock is limiting and never really stuck in the wider culture, this term could still be used to describe a wide range of bands and artists making ground breaking music outside the convention of the traditional rock format; embracing … Continued
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Today on A Box of Toys, we journey to “the land of ice” to look at how isolation of island nations and smaller musical communities has led artists to adapt other forms to their own context and borrow from original folk music to create innovative musical creations. Specifically we turn to Iceland, where following the … Continued
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This week on, A Box of Toys, we continue our exploration into Jazz, covering the years 1966 to 1972. While last week we played jazz from the late 1950s to 1966, this week we’re going to move past the middle of the genre and present artists that began to experiment with other styles and spilled … Continued
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On this episode of A Box of Toys, we examine the Jazz movement from the years 1956 to 1966. We present at and discuss several artists from this period which is often overlooked and forgotten. Shout out to people playing and performing jazz and those committed to the genre, including the programs on KPFA keeping … Continued
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On episode number thirty of A Box of Toys, hosts present an eerie and haunting soundscape that makes up The Humble Cassette. Hosts ask: causes a band to release a cassette? Why do people make mix-tapes? They’re cheap, easy for bands to make, they’re rare, and also help promote tours and bands. The tradition of … Continued
