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Some do it for the fame. Some do it for the money. But the very best selectors play music for the love of it. Take DJ Junior,
one of Philadelphia’s premiere purveyors of indie hip-hop, house, rare grooves, broken beat and afrobeat.
“I’ve never wanted to be the center of attention,” explains Junior, who grew up on his Jamaican parents’
socca and reggae and began collecting hip-hop and soul records at age 15. “I’m just a fan of music; I love introducing
listeners to artists from different genres that they might not get a chance to hear.”
Each Friday from 6 to 9 PM EST, Junior shares this passion for independent artistry on Eavesdrop, the radio show he co-hosts
with Philly producer Lil’ Dave . The 5-YEAR-OLD show, which is broadcast by Drexel University’s WKDU-FM and airs
on Junior’s web site, www.recordbreakin.com, features interviews with artists like King Britt, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Ursula
Rucker, Dwele, Lizz Fields, Platnium Pied Pipers, Jazzanova, and tracks by hundreds of signed and unsigned musicians. By providing
a platform for those outside of the commercial loop, Eavesdrop has attracted a worldwide following of thousands, including
?uestlove, Zap Mama, Benji B (BBC 1Xtra), Rich Medina and Foreign Exchange’s Nicolay.
Although Junior is as low-key as they come, his unique gifts haven’t gone unnoticed, On the strength of his Eavesdrop
interviews and the content he writes for recordbreakin.com, Junior was invited to Amsterdam, London, Manchester, and Lisbon
where he did a dj tour, guest radio spots on BBC Radio 1Xtra, and interviewed various musicians and producers for various
publications. He also pens music reviews for Beautiful Decay magazine, The Philadelphia Weekly and writes a column for Dork
Magazine. In 2005, Junior was selected to design a sneaker for Puma’s Mongolian Barbecue project. He also began Excursions,
a monthly listening lounge at Philadelphia’s Latest Dish.
2006 will mark Junior’s first foray into recording. He served as the executive producer for a compilation of forward
thinking artists that he felt compelled to push to the world. DJ Junior presents Lend Me Your Ear will hit stores throughout
Europe, Japan and North America and on-line outlets in 2006 and early 2007. He also dabbled as one of the producers for Wale
Oyejide’s upcoming afro/broken-beat album The Afrofuture that will also be hitting stores in 2006. Junior also served
as Nicolay’s beat finder for “I Love The Way You Love” featuring Darien Brockington that will appear on
Nicolay’s 2006 album Here .
But even as DJ Junior extends his reach, he remains focused on his original mission: to spread the good word on good music.
“I’m very approachable,” says Junior. “ I don’t just play tracks and say, ‘Whoever gets
it, gets it.’ That would be doing a disservice to the audience and the artists. My goal is to share. That’s why
I write pieces about the artists who come on Eavesdrop, that’s why I post track lists on my site, and that’s why
I archive everything I do. My goal isn’t to get a certain audience. It’s for everybody to hear quality music.”
Written by Akiba Solomon
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