KNOW a KAOS DJ: DJ Remy, Type II Era

What's your name?

Jeremy “Remy” Newton

What's your show called? 

Type II Era – it airs every 1st and 3rd Wednesday from 8-10pm (pacific time), only on KAOS 89.3 FM!

What's your show about? 

I spend a lot of time thinking about contemporary and independent music since the 1950s. In practice that means that I spend a lot of time trying to live up to being a “college music” dj, with a focus on independent music. I’ve tried to make the show “genre-less,” but there’s definitely a ton of “college rock” sounding stuff on the show, with explorations into hiphop, r&b, and electronic music. I try to curate a radio show each month focused on new music, and that usually airs on the first Wednesday of the month.

Someone once called my radio show ‘avant-garde,’ but that’s a stretch. Another listener referred to my radio show as ‘the one that plays the forgotten indie rock from the mid-2000s.’ That’s more likely.

When and how did you start at KAOS?

I started in 2012 after hearing about new volunteer trainings while listening to the station at home. I had just moved to Olympia in 2011, so it didn’t take long for me to get involved. Former KAOS Music Directors Nicki Thompson and Anna Gordon helped with my training, and I’ve always been super grateful for their patience from my KAOS beginner days.

Do you remember the first song you ever played on-air?

What’s crazy is that our current spinitron show archives reveal my first song played at KAOS was Melt Banana’s “Surfin’ USA / You’re Welcome” mashup from a Beach Boys tribute CD called ‘Smiling Pets’ which is on brand- February 8, 2012!

What’s the most memorable moment you’ve had live on the air? 

There are many! But probably doing fundraiser shows with Roxy ‘Music’ Boggio (the Divine Unheard), Richard Sinclair (from Dancing in Circles), DJ Nobody and Afrosheen (from the Mixtape Club). Did you know that community radio stations like KAOS are not possible without the support of listeners like YOU?

How do you prepare for a show — or do you just wing it? 

I always prepare. I usually build mixes for myself to listen to and then I share those through my radio show. Sometimes they are built out of recent record store pickups. Sometimes they are thematic, and sadly lately, they have been legacy themed shows after the passing of an artist (like recent shows on Sly Stone and Brian Wilson, or Will Cullen Hart of the Olivia Tremor Control) I will occasionally review mixes I put together back when I first started DJ’ing and see if they have aged well (or not), and pull songs from those. And that KAOS library – so much recorded history there!

The new music show is made from checking blogs, reviews, favorite labels, and playlists at other favorite freeform community radio stations (KDVS and WFMU come to mind).

What’s something you wish more people knew about community radio? 

On the personal side - It has been a genuine ‘community’ for me. My best friends are from my experiences in community radio. I’ve dj’ed (at least) four fellow community radio dj weddings!

 On the more contemporary side of things, I have often hoped that people understand how community radio has been the vanguard of the “college radio” influence on popular music. There is no R.E.M. or Nirvana (or for that matter DJ Shadow) without community / college radio. ‘Alternative’ music as we know it would not exist without the founders of subpop or K records (or for that matter foundation members of Quannum Records) hanging out at KAOS and other Community/College radio stations like KDVS or WUOG. Our soundscape would be much more banal and meaningless without the impact of freeform community radio.

What’s the last song you completely fell in love with? 

Can I name two? I really like this song ‘Elderberry Wine’ by Wednesday, which I did not expect – it has a straight-ahead country pop feel to it, but the song is absolutely an earworm. I’ve also been listening to Open Mike Eagle a lot and his track ‘Almost Broke My Nucleus Accumbens’ stands out.

What record made the biggest impact on your life? 

Seriously? This is *not at all* a difficult question. Probably R.E.M.’s Green or Nirvana’s Nevermind. I grew up rural and I really needed a record to ‘break through’ for it find me. They played R.E.M. on the local classic rock station and being in Georgia, I heard a lot of people talk about their personal encounters with the band. I bought their ‘Stand’ single at the corporate big box store (you know, K-mart’s still existing competitor). I saw the small print on the back of Nirvana’s Nevermind record -  “Subpop” and that connected me to Sebadoh’s Bakesale. I really didn’t understand that it was their common record label but from there it was off to the races.

I’ve already mentioned DJ Shadow, but I should mention the record Endtroducing…? Should I mention Laurie Anderson’s Big Science? A Tribe Called Quest’s Low End Theory? Kimya Dawson’s Hidden Vagenda? My mom’s copy of the Everly Brother’s Greatist Hits? Devo’s Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!? Pet Sounds?

I think that ‘biggest impact,’ ‘most important,’ or ‘favorite’ are all different concepts, but those listed above were probably the most impactful records I could think of in this moment.

What was your first concert? 

I saw Live / Buffalo Tom / Big Audio Dynamite at the Lakewood Amphitheatre in Atlanta, 1995. Earnest was my middle name.

What music-related hill will you die on? 

Other than feeling no shame about that first concert… There are elements of 90s popular country music that must be celebrated in the same way that classic and ‘outlaw’ country music are regularly heralded.

What’s your favorite local music memory from where you grew up? 

I’ve made my peace with the Allman Brothers band, but I drove from central rural Georgia north to Athens, Georgia to ‘find’ music that in those days, truly spoke to me. This was no small feat for a quiet teenager with a learner’s permit.

What’s your favorite local band or artist right now?

Genuinely? Probably whatever Roxy is playing on her show. Also – I’ve come to appreciate whatever is happening in Olympia right now, particularly around organized music “festivals” like Olympia Porch Fest, The free Sunday Concert Series outside Three Magnets Brewing, and the Northern Sky Festival, among others. Almost all of these (and others) have KAOS volunteers/DJs or KAOS adjacent folks involved. There’s your community in the radio… or is it radio in the community?

What genre do you secretly know way too much about? 

It wouldn’t be a secret if I told you it was 80s and 90s popular country. But I feel like I’ve told you this twice, already.

What artist do you like that would surprise your audience and friends the most?

Probably the Bee Gees and it’s not what you think (unless you’ve been paying attention).

Probably Drake, and it’s absolutely what you think.

What artist do you not like that would surprise your audience and friends the most? 

We’ve arrived at the ‘see above’ question. So yes – see the question above regarding ‘big impact’ records.

If you could interview any musician—living or dead—on your show, who would it be?

In the early days of Type II Era I was lucky enough to interview NeoBoys and I’ve always felt like that was a high point of the show – it’s certainly a moment I won’t soon forget. I’ve envied community radio djs who can make the musician interviews continuously happen on show after show – it’s a lot more work than people think! Anyway – Lonnie Holley comes to mind. Herbie Hancock. The aforementioned Laurie Anderson, Mark Mothersbaugh. Really though, I’d almost rather listen to another DJ who wouldn’t be so twitterpated do the interview.


What are a few of your desert island discs?

Again- I feel like this is different from the ‘biggest impact’ question – so maybe I’d want to have my favorites with me? And the technology would need to be full/foolproof given the environmental hazards and lack of resources that a ‘desert’ island would bring. So… maybe Archie Bell and the Drells? A few of those northern soul favorite singles that might be fun to spin? But what would happen to the vinyl in direct sunlight? Do you see the issue here? We need to consider how things would be going if we had the physical media, but no way to power the record player? And in the event that it did finally rain… what then?