KCRW Music Announcement, Station Announcement

KCRW Unveils Next Stop for Global Beat

KCRW UNVEILS NEXT STOP FOR GLOBAL BEAT
Global Beat México
Hosted by Raul Campos, Betto Arcos, and Junf
Audio Series Features Emerging Artists from Around the World
Airs Weekly, Thursdays at 10am on Morning Becomes Eclectic

Santa Monica, CA (August 18, 2022)KCRW unveils today the next stop for Global Beat, the weekly music segment that highlights emerging artists from around the world. Global Beat México, hosted by Raul Campos, Betto Arcos and Junf, airs weekly on Thursdays, at 10AM, during Morning Becomes Eclectic. The first Global Beat México featuring Los Vaguens, Don Couto, and Costa Felina airs today, August 18.

KCRW’s Global Beat takes a deep dive into the music scene of a singular country. The inaugural edition Global Beat Australia launched in 2021 with hosts KCRW DJ Raul Campos and Andrew Khedoori, and featured more than 100 artists from the region. The next stop on the world tour is Global Beat México, hosted by Campos who will be joined by longtime broadcast journalist Betto Arcos, and tastemaker DJ from Mexico City, Junf. 

“KCRW Music’s mission has always been to share what we love not only from our SoCal backyard, but from all over the world,” says KCRW Program Director of Music Anne Litt. “When Raul, along with the Australian Music Alliance, brought KCRW the idea for Global Beat, we knew instantly it was a perfect fit. Global sounds are already an integral part of our music programming, but this allows us to explore the world of music in an even more focused way. It’s a celebration of worldwide cultures and perspectives to hopefully shift our perspective and make us closer than sometimes we think we are. Raul is the epitome of the curious, crate digging music lover, no matter the era or genre, so he’s the perfect host for this around the world journey.”

“As a DJ and programmer, I’m always searching for new sounds that will challenge and inspire our passionate listeners,” remarks Raul Campos. “This extra effort from our hosts is why KCRW has led in music discovery for decades. And as any music fan knows, the only way to really find out what’s happening in new music is to go to the source.  Last year we went to Australia and had a blast. And now as the Global Beat continues, what better place to do a deep dive than the vibrant and colorful sounds from our neighbors south of the border.  Our ears-on-the-ground include Junf, one of CDMX’s hippest curators and DJs, along with our explorer Betto Arcos, the highly respected and charismatic dear friend. We’re excited for you to join us on this musical journey throughout the vast regions of mi Mexico, lindo y querido!”

In addition to the audio series, KCRW will produce Global Beat México live showcase events featuring artists directly from the country this Fall. 

KCRW’s Global Beat is generously supported by the Australian Consulate in Los Angeles.

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Raul Campos
The voice of pirate radio in the mid-’90s and a native Angeleno, Raul Campos came from the underground to represent the eclectic airwaves of KCRW. His youthful affection for music began with the 8-track and vinyl collection of his Mexican parents and six older siblings that ran the gamut of genres and styles. His own assorted collection of music expanded as tapes became the format of choice and Raul began to experiment with cutting and “mixing” tapes on his boombox. At the age of 14, he finally put the needle to the record and stepped behind the decks as a DJ. Specializing in house parties, college mayhem, nightclubs and underground events, Raul quickly developed a following across Los Angeles. He established a residency on Power 106 FM’s longest running after hours mix show Power Tools, along with Richard Vission and Swedish Egil, cutting his teeth banging out mega-mixes. But it was in KCRW’s basement in Santa Monica that Raul would find a home for his motley musical influences. Under the attentive and personal mentorship of renowned Music Director Nic Harcourt, Raul quickly worked his way from volunteer to production and on-air stints, securing a weekly show, formerly called Nocturna, and ultimately moving to his current weekend afternoon show. Campos still loves to rock the club and has been billed along with some of the world’s biggest talents, including deadmau5, Kaskade, Moby, Armin Van Buuren, Louie Vega, Paul Van Dyk, and Mark Farina, to name a few. He’s also opened for some of music’s greatest artists, from Martin Gore (Depeche Mode), Stevie Wonder and Cafe Tacuba, to Booka Shade, Groove Armada and Lionel Richie. Raul co-hosts the podcast Pili, Raul, and La Musica, has hosted the Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC) in New York for the last six years, and continues his work behind the scenes as a remixer, putting his special spin on tracks by Femi Kuti, Supreme Beings of Leisure, Aterciopelados, and Jill Scott. 

Betto Arcos
Betto Arcos is a radio journalist, curator and music promoter based in Los Angeles. He is a regular contributor to NPR and BBC Radio 3, writing and producing stories about musicians and music from all over the world. Arcos is the Latin music curator at the San Jose Jazz Festival. He recently published his first book, “Music Stories from the Cosmic Barrio” (Fogra Editorial) and is a founding member of REDPEM – Red de Periodistas Musicales de Iberoamérica. In addition to his work in public radio, Betto has taught arts & culture and broadcast journalism at Loyola Marymount University. He developed a musical component for two different courses at Harvard University’s Divinity School, “Religion in the Latin American Imagination” (2002, 2011, 2015) and “Latinos Remaking America” (2014, 2016) taught by Prof. David Carrasco. Since 2014, Betto has been a guest speaker at the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute, lecturing on Latin American Music to career diplomats. Starting in 2014, Betto has been traveling extensively in Latin America, offering workshops on music journalism, podcasting and the music industry at major international festivals, including: Asunción Jazz Fest, Ecuador Jazz Fest, Panama Jazz Fest, Colombia al Parque, Bogotá Music Market, AM-PM in Havana. From 1997-2015, Betto created, produced and hosted the daily music program “Global Village” on Pacifica Radio’s 90.7 FM-KPFK in Los Angeles. In 1993, Betto received his Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism with honors from the University of Colorado-Boulder. Betto is a native of Xalapa, capital of the state of Veracruz, Mexico.

Junf
Content Curator and Music Supervisor for Mexico City-based Canela Music, Junf’s passions lie in world music and broadcast radio, leading him to contribute to diverse and popular stations such as DUBLAB (Los Angeles), KPFK 90.7 (Los Angeles), WFMU (Jersey City), The Lot Radio (NY), Rise Radio (NY), Aire Libre 105.3 (CDMX) and more. Junf spreads his radio and world music ideology through the telling of his own experience across prominent music conferences, encouraging future and emerging artists to embrace and share their own perspectives. As a resident DJ in many of Mexico City’s hottest spots, he also takes his signature fresh mix of eclectic sounds, new music, and future roots to dance floors around the world. Junf was host and DJ on Mexico City’s popular radio station Ibero 90.9 where he created an overnight loom of ritualistic sounds through the weekends. Junf also created music discovery mixes for the MAKENWA radio show on Saturday nights with the aim of connecting sound and space, and was a producer/music curator of the popular radio show, Radio Pocajú Internacional on Ibero 90.9.

For more information, please visit: https://www.kcrw.com/music/shows/kcrws-global-beat

For media inquiries, please contact:
Laura B. Cohen, LC Media: lcmediapr@gmail.com

About KCRW
KCRW is your always-on connection to music, news, culture, and each other — on the radio, online, and in-person. We belong to Los Angeles, connecting diverse perspectives and the sounds of Southern California with curious communities around the corner and around the world. We are NPR’s flagship member station in Southern California and a community service of Santa Monica College. You can find our broadcast signal in LA, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Mojave, Palm Springs, San Luis Obispo, and worldwide via the KCRW app and at kcrw.com.

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