This interview is part of our new series, “Get to Know Your DJs.”

What inspired you become a DJ?

Mix tapes were a huge passion of mine when I was growing up. I used to queue up for songs on the radio late nights and make mixes for crushes and friends. I started losing that later in adulthood when tapes, then CDs, and then free downloads all kind of went away for the most part. I started fixating on getting a DJ set-up to more or less listen to my records more actively, like a live mix tape by myself at home. Coincidentally, right after I got my set-up the way I wanted, I saw a Freeform Portland DJ recruitment flyer and thought, “Why not?” Here I am.

Tell us about your show!

Beginner’s Mind Riot is primarily an exploration of psychedelic music—a bit of a catch-all for 60s/70s psych, freakbeat, prog, krautrock, jazz, acid rock and soul. I play other stuff for sure, but that’s the bread and butter of it. Not only is “psych” music massively foundational for nearly all contemporary genres from hip-hop samplings to punk rock anti-authoritarianism to most of indie’s emotional and shoegazing fundamentals—it’s also got a lot of something we don’t have enough of these days in my opinion: a quest for insight/right mind. I don’t hear a lot of new music actively seeking an internal presence of mind that wants to engage the self and the world both positively and consciously. I don’t hear a lot of new stuff that’s willing to live in that space. I think pure anger, pure nihilism, pure coldness, pure overwhelm, or on the other hand, pure party, pure vapidness, pure “good vibes” are all kind of lost on me. Psych music, and soul for that matter, have lyrical and musical dimensions that speak with an unmatched warmth to constant change, transformation, and struggle. So that’s what I try to get at with my show!

What do you love most about DJing?

I love the songs I find and I want to share them and hope people feel what I feel or dig on it the way I do. I love getting to throw things out there for anyone listening. I love having a show and DJing out because it takes that idea of making someone a mix tape out into the world at large. I DJ like it’s more of a listening party than a dance party. There’s also an essence to anything I play: It’s gotta have a hook/riff/break/moment!

What advice can you offer to aspiring DJs?

Unless you really love just one thing, don’t stick to one style, whether it’s collecting or DJing. Plenty of DJs just want to rock a party with disco and boogie or whatever. Nothing wrong with that, but I’d challenge any DJ to push the boundaries of what a set can sound like. It’s like movies to me: If you want a non-stop, adrenaline-fueled action flick, that’s can be awesome, but that’s not the only thing people need or deserve to see. If all that appears in theatres were action flicks, that would end up being all people expect going to the movies.

I feel the same about the DJ booth. Music is here to engage in not just our senses, but our sensibilities. You can dance to it or have it in the background sure, but music can also evoke deep thinking, complex feelings, memories, ideas, inspiration, conversations, touches with history, and expansion. Always consider expanding a listener. The honor of people listening is also a responsibility and a platform. Try to give listeners something to take with them.

Listen to Beginner’s Mind Riot every other Friday from 8 – 10 p.m.

How did you first get involved with Freeform Portland? My old pal was one of the original founders of the station and invited me to participate. I’ve been involved off and on since 2017. 

What does Freeform Portland mean to you? Live, volunteer-driven, non-commercial radio is a rare breed these days. I’m a big advocate of keeping it alive and well, building community through the aural landscape, and playing eclectic tunes that fall outside of the mainstream. Freeform Portland is an incredibly imaginative group of humans. There’s not a single time that I’ve tuned into the station and not found myself in a place of discovery. It’s nuanced and totally unpretentious. 

What inspired you to become a DJ, and what do you love most about it?
I’ve been mixing tapes, CDs, and playlists most of my life–for parties, for openings, for coffee shops and bars, for friends and lovers. Being a DJ seemed like a natural next step. I love sitting and/or dancing in the studio while dedicating two solid hours to the earscape, without distractions. It’s a very present experience. 

Tell us about your show! It’s called Bachelard’s Panty Drawer and it’s a theme-based show that includes music, musings, readings, and sometimes interviews.  

Who are some of your favorite artists or bands? I like a wide range of music from all over the world, from many eras: funk, disco, pop, punk, classical, metal, wave, goth, soul, hip hop, old country, folk, jazz, experimental, blues, minimal, meditative, and so much more. If I were to look back and assess which artist I’ve played the most on my show it would probably be Nina Simone. She’s a force.   

What was your most memorable radio show? The one I did most recently on the olfactory. I played smell-themed songs, read smell-themed excerpts from poems and essays, and had a sniff-off with an ASMR pro. It was a true smell-o-radio highlight. 

What record can you listen to over and over and never tire of? There are so many so it’s hard to choose, but the one album I’ve listened to the most in my life is probably Yo La Tengo’s “I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One.”

What advice would you give to aspiring DJs? Have fun! Because when you’re having fun,  listeners can feel it. 

Outside of radio, what are your other interests or hobbies? Writing, dancing, cooking with plants, growing plants, walking amongst plants, diatoms, shamatha-vipashyana meditation, elephant umwelt, desert camping, star ogling, mud wrestling, cuddling with my partner and child and canine, traveling, reading creative non-fiction, floating on water, doodling, sending real mail, visiting dusty museums, taking pictures of flowers, watching documentaries, seeing folk art, crooning, playing instruments, and so much more. Life’s a mega-wonder. 

TUNE IN TO BACHELARD’S PANTY DRAWER 
EVERY OTHER WEDNESDAY FROM 4 – 6 P.M.

When Freeform Portland first broadcast eight years ago, at the beginning of April 2016, it changed the Portland radio landscape for the better. My first show was April 5 that year, and I’m happy I was part of the initial schedule.

I chose “It’s a nice world to visit” as my radio show name because it reflects a less cynical nature. Over the years I’ve tried my best to honor that ideal. As circumstances in my personal life have changed, my show has moved to a few different days and time slots. You can hear it now every Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.

I’ve made a commitment to the station and more importantly, the listeners: I endeavor to do a new show every week. When you tune in at 2 p.m. on Saturdays, you’ll hear two hours of music selections that aren’t the same as the prior week. The show I present has no higher purpose than to be entertaining. If you happen to tune in to my show, and crack a smile, tap your foot to the beat, enjoy a segue from one song to next, or hear a song you might never have heard before and are intrigued by that song, well then, I’ve done a good job.

Freeform Portland broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and has a full schedule of all sorts of music, presented by a number of volunteer DJs—emphasis on “volunteer.” Everyone at Freeform Portland volunteers their time, energy and knowledge by choice, because they want to. 

My time at Freeform Portland has been my best experience in radio because of the people who are dedicated to making great radio, and a great radio station. The volunteer nature of the station is one of the best aspects, as it helps to ensure that there are always new voices and ideas coming to the station, adding new shows and diversity of sounds for our listening audience.

I’m among a handful of people who were a part of the first schedule and remain with the station. And I hope that years from now I’ll still be a part of Freeform Portland. I’ve loved music since I was a small child. And as I collected music, I learned the joy of sharing music. Thank you everyone who has listened to my show and supported Freeform Portland over the years. It’s truly you who makes it possible for me to do my weekly show, and for that I’m extremely grateful and appreciative. 

Listen to Jeff Ross’ “It’s a nice world to visit” 
on Saturdays from 2 – 4 p.m.