Wrap Up: Jeremy Sole’s Australian Adventure

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KCRW DJ Jeremy Sole returned from his Australian adventure with bunch of new records and many stories to tell. I asked him to round up some of his favorite moments below

(Editor’s Note: he dedicated his most recent show entirely to the music he discovered “down under” and you can see videos, photos, blog posts and more here)

Band I’ve Been Listening to on Repeat Since I Got Back: Laneous and the Family Yah

I play an a capella song on my KCRW show every week, so I went around recording them in my travels. I literally hand recorded people in back alleys behind clubs. Laneaous and the Family Yah were one of my favorite of the bunch, and their latest “Scissors” EP is out this mon.

Best Records Store: Northside Records

They have an entire wall of local funk and soul 45s. They also have hard-to-find “holy grail” records for those obsessive collectors, and all the latest vinyl at good prices. Owner Chris Gill is one of the original characters of the Melbourne music scene, and has done a lot to support and forward the local scene.

Most Unlikely Person to Rep the Australian Sound: Dereb the Ambassador

He’s making traditional 1970’s-era Ethiopian soul, recorded in a vintage analog way. This is not an easy style to sing, yet Dereb shows why he’s been a well-known artist in Ethiopia, and soon to be… the WORLD.

Lived Up to the Hype: Sydney Opera House

You walk in there and you’re instantly blown away. Tourism Australia brought me down to cover the groundbreaking YouTube Symphony Orchestra. Essentially, 101 YouTube video stars won a chance to fly to Sydney and participate in the event. You had an Argentine violinist, Brazilian guitarist and a Japanese gu-zheng player, featured on classical standards and contemporary arrangements. Symphonies normally have a very specific way of doing things, and this was breaking the mold. It worked well and really brought the orchestration to life.

Elusive Artist I Couldn’t Track Down: C.W. Stoneking

He lived up to the mystique, if only just for the fact that I couldn’t track him down! His sound has elements of 50’s “exoticism” like calypso and barrelhouse blues. Before the world was connected culturally, any music with global influences was considered risqué and he draws from those styles. When I told people I was seeking him out, they laughed and wished me good luck.

–Jeremy Sole