Category: Blog

Synthetic Pioneers: Wendy Carlos

Post author By DJ Sharkbite
Post date August 21, 2025

Music production soundboard. Licensed CC0 1.0 Universal

Wendy Carlos is an extremely influential composer who shaped the way that modern music evolved. Even if this is your first time hearing that name, you may already be familiar with her work. If you’ve ever watched A Clockwork Orange or The Shining, Wendy Carlos is the genius behind both of those soundtracks. Her work on movie soundtracks doesn’t start and stop with Kubrick, she also composed the soundtrack for the sci-fi movie Tron. If you listen to electronic music, you have Wendy Carlos to thank at least in part. She was a key part of popularizing and legitimizing synthesizers as a real instrument.

Tags music history, synthesizers, wendy carlos

Miscellaneous

Music’s Limitless Potential

Post author By dj dragonfly
Post date August 17, 2025

Music production soundboard. Licensed CC0 1.0 Universal

Seriously, how cool is music?

There is so much history, variety and potential that it’s almost impossible to be familiar with everything about it.

Growing up, I honestly didn’t know that there was such a thing as new music. I grew up listening to the various eclectic collections of my family members and had no comprehension of the fact that people were making new music every single day. I thought Mozart, Alla Pugacheva and nursery rhymes were the cream of the crop.

I think I was in second grade when I realized that my friends were listening to and singing songs I have never heard before and finally realized that there was so much more to this hidden world.

Now as an adult, I love everything about music. I love that you can pick something for literally any mood. I love the variety that different cultures have to offer. I love seeing how music has evolved over time.

Tags covers, dj dragonfly, WKNC

Playlists

Covers are Sick

Post author By dj dragonfly
Post date August 16, 2025

Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged (1993). Image by Mahesh Sridharan, licensed CC BY 2.0 Generic.

** Image license **

I love a good cover song. There are so many different avenues an artist can take when they decide to cover a song. They can try to keep it as similar to the original song as possible or they can go a completely different direction. Some of my favorite covers have been changed so much that you can clearly see the artist’s personality.

Tags covers, dj dragonfly, Playlist, WKNC

Weekly Charts

Chainsaw Charts 8/12

Post author By WKNC Admin
Post date August 15, 2025

Scimitar's "Scimitarium I" on Crypt of the Wizard

Scimitar dropped off the charts last week, but is back as the top-played song on WKNC’s Chainsaw.

Top Metal Songs on WKNC

Rank	Artist	Title	Label
1	SCIMITAR	Scimitarium I	Crypt of the Wizard
2	SPITE	The Third Temple	Invictus
3	BLIND GIRLS	An Exit Exists	Persistent Vision
4	DORMANT ORDEAL	Tooth And Nail	Willowtip
5	HIGH ON FIRE	Cometh the Storm	MNRK Heavy
6	PHRENELITH	Ashen Womb	Dark Descent
7	DRAWN AND QUARTERED	Lord of Two Horns	Nuclear Winter
8	VILDHJARTA	Dar Skogen Sjunger Under Evighetens Granar	Century Media
9	BLOOD ABSCISSION	I I	Debemur Motri
10	EMMA GOLDMAN	All You Are Is We	Zegema Beach

Tags charts, college radio, Metal, NACC Weekly Charts, WKNC, WKNC 88.1

Weekly Charts

Afterhours Charts 8/12

Post author By WKNC Admin
Post date August 15, 2025

Vylet Pony's "Love & Ponystep"

Vylet Pony keeps the top Afterhours spot for the second week in a row, with zzkillme in second place.

Top Electronic Songs on WKNC

Ranking	Artist	Record	Label
1	VYLET PONY	Love & Ponystep	Horse Friends
2	ZZKILLME	Lucky Star ✰	Self-Released
3	TURQUOISEDEATH	Guardian	Plantasia
4	MADELINE KENNEY	Kiss From The Balcony	Carpark
5	JAMIE LIDELL	Places Of Unknowing	TODO
6	SHHAU	Higher Entropy	Self-Released
7	CLUSTERFUNK	forestry	fakenumberland
8	SHINJONG	Freewillpilled	Self-Released
9	ALIA LAIN	is this the pulse of mechanical ruins	Self-Released
10	IO-NULL (.DRN)	µnerves	Self-Released

Top Adds This Week

	Artist	Record	Label
1	ZZKILLME	Lucky Star ✰	Self-Released

Tags charts, college radio, Electronic, love and ponystep, NACC Weekly Charts, vylet pony, WKNC, WKNC 88.1, zzkillme

Weekly Charts

Underground Charts 8/12

Post author By WKNC Admin
Post date August 14, 2025

BAMBII's "Infinity Club II" EP

BAMBII’s “Infinity Club II” EP moves up two slots for the top spot this week on WKNC’s Underground.

Top Hip-Hop/R&B Songs on WKNC

Rank	Artist	Record	Label
1	BAMBII	Infinity Club II [EP]	Because
2	MXNXSTXR AND DESTRUCTO	“What You Need” feat. Thundercat & Channel Tres [Single]	All My Friends
3	AESOP ROCK	Black Hole Superette	Rhymesayers
4	BUTCHER BROWN	Letters From The Atlantic	Concord Jazz
5	KOKOROKO	Get The Message [EP]	Brownswood
6	CHEW	“Horseheads” feat. Day Tripper [Single]	CorpoRAT
7	DUCKWRTH	All American F*ckboy	Them Hellas
8	FLY ANAKIN	(The) Forever Dream	Lex
9	AJ TRACEY	Don’t Die Before You’re Dead	Revenge
10	LORD SKO	PIFF	Stimulated

Tags BAMBII, charts, college radio, Infinity Club II, NACC Weekly Charts, Rap, WKNC, WKNC 88.1

Weekly Charts

Sunset Charts 8/12

Post author By WKNC Admin
Post date August 14, 2025

"On The Inside" by Gotts Street Park

Top Jazz Songs on WKNC

Rank	Artist	Record	Label
1	GOTTS STREET PARK	On The Inside	Blue Flowers
2	JAMIE SHEW	Spicy, Classy (and a little) Sassy	Self-Released
3	RENEE ROSNES	Crossing Paths	Smoke Sessions
4	DANA AND ALDEN	Speedo	Concord Jazz/Concord
5	HIROMI	OUT THERE	Telarc/Concord Jazz
6	TYREEK MCDOLE	Open Up Your Senses	Artwork
7	JUAN PEREA	Lightkeeper	Zoho
8	STAN HARRISON	Some Poor Soul Has A Fire	Adhyaropa
9	MILTON NASCIMENTO	Minas	EMI Brasil
10	PETER BERNSTEIN	Better Angels	Smoke Sessions

Top Adds This Week

	Artist	Record	Label
1	JOSHUA REDMAN	Words Fall Short	Blue Note
2	PAUL CORNISH	“Queen Geri” [Single]	Blue Note
3	ITAI KRISS	Daybreak	Jojo
4	RYAN KEBERLE AND COLLECTIV DO BRASIL	Choro Das Águas	Alternate Side
5	JOE FARNSWORTH	The Big Room	Smoke Sessions

Tags charts, college radio, Gotts Street Park, jazz, NACC Weekly Charts, On The Inside, WKNC, WKNC 88.1

Weekly Charts

Top Charts 8/13

Post author By WKNC Admin
Post date August 13, 2025

Mae Martin "I'm A TV" from Casablanca/Republic.

Mae Martin’s “I’m A TV” tops WKNC’s charts this week, moving up from 10th place. Animal Collective also moves up two slots for second place.

Top Songs on WKNC

Rank	Artist	Album	Label
1	MAE MARTIN	I’m A TV	Casablanca/Republic
2	ANIMAL COLLECTIVE	“Love On The Big Screen” [Single]	Domino
3	CLEOPATRICK	Fake Moon	Nowhere Special/Thirty Tigers
4	DOUBLE WISH	Deeper Ecstasy [EP]	Hit The North
5	FOXWARREN	2 (Two)	Anti-
6	JADE BIRD	Who Wants To Talk About Love?	Glassnote
7	LIGHTHEADED	Thinking, Dreaming, Scheming!	Slumberland
8	SASAMI	Blood On The Silver Screen	Domino
9	SEA LEMON	Diving For A Prize	Luminelle
10	STEREOLAB	Instant Holograms On Metal Film	Warp/Duophonic
11	SUBSONIC EYE	Singapore Dreaming	Topshelf
12	SUNBATHE	Myself To You	Time Release
13	APRIL MARCH	“Surfing Castafiore” [Single]	Bong Load
14	BUG CRUSH	Somehow I Go In Circles All The Time [EP]	Self-Released
15	DAUGHTER OF SWORDS	Alex	Psychic Hotline
16	FEEBLE LITTLE HORSE	“This Is Real” [Single]	Saddle Creek
17	FRANKIE COSMOS	Different Talking	Sub Pop
18	GRAHAM HUNT	Timeless World Forever	Run For Cover
19	MAMALARKY	Hex Key	Epitaph
20	MEI SEMONES	Animaru	Bayonet
21	ALL FEELS	This Place Is A Message	Flower Sounds
22	BABE HAVEN	Nuisance	Self-Released
23	BEN KATZMANS DEGREASER	Tears On The Beach	BUFU
24	BOB JUNIOR	Friends Vol. 2	777
25	COSINEVI	Tales From The Rainbowlands	Tree Critters
26	DISCUS	To Relate To	Sun-Rom
27	FIND MY FRIENDS	Find My Friends [EP]	Bloody Knuckles
28	FLORRY	Sounds Like	Dear Life
29	JADE THE MOON	“Dirty John Type” [Single]	Self-Released
30	KINOTEKI	The Visitor	Limiting Factor

Top Adds This Week

	Artist	Record	Label
1	HORSEPOWER	Horsepower [EP]	Rose Garden
2	SMUT	Tomorrow Comes Crashing	Bayonet
3	LIGHTHEADED	Thinking, Dreaming, Scheming!	Slumberland
4	GREET DEATH	Die In Love	Deathwish
5	ANIMAL COLLECTIVE	“Love On The Big Screen” [Single]	Domino

Tags Animal Collective, charts, college radio, Mae Martin, NACC Weekly Charts, rock, WKNC, WKNC 88.1

Miscellaneous

Understanding Martin Beck

Post author By esdallma
Post date August 12, 2025

“… for hours, days, or weeks at a time”

sedative sounds

Martin Beck’s exhibit at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum reinvigorates an old story and pokes at sound as a medium we move through and with, often without recognition.

Informed by the “environments” records in the 1970s, which aided in synchronizing work, sleep and relaxation, Beck works to understand our industrialized soundscape as it relates to neuroscience, behavior, our internal worlds, and of course: capitalism.

His title ‘for hours, days, or weeks at a time’ is reminiscent of the infinite lull, hum, and buzz we find ourselves engrossed in a hyper produced world, whether self-selected or accidental background noise.

The exhibition uses sound, drawing, video and installation to curate a lively yet sterile environment, controlling the chaos we find ourselves drenched in our day to day worlds.

Tags attention, audio art, cultural critique, environmental justice, industrialization, martin beck, noise pollution, soundscapes, touching grass

Miscellaneous

Musician’s Block

Post author By dj dragonfly
Post date August 10, 2025

Discarded ideas on balled up notebook paper. Image by Steve Johnson, licensed CC0.

You’ve hit a wall. Nothing feels right. You lost motivation.

That’s okay.

Writer’s block is a very common occurrence for creators of any kind of art or media. There’s no reason to get discouraged. This happens to everyone.

The real question is what does one do to fix it. Everyone gets burnt out at some point. All you have to do really is reignite the spark. A little can go a long way. Maybe you need to take a small break and come back with a fresh mind. Alternatively, you can push through and keep pushing until you break through.

Take a Break

I think both methods have their pros and cons. One the hand of the former, a small break could lead to a longer hiatus. Maybe that’s what needs to be done. Sometimes we aren’t in the right field and need a change of pace. I know that I’m not very good at knowing when something has run its course but sometimes we are trying to force a puzzle piece into the wrong place.

However, I do believe in coming back with fresh eyes and a fresh mind. Taking a small break for a breath of fresh air and some rest, maybe even a change of perspective, can be the difference between a frustrating and painful experience and a pleasant and challenging one.

Tags Composition, dj dragonfly, WKNC, writer's block