Rebel Radio

KC Lights is a house DJ from Scotland whose star is rising quickly. This summer's hit "Better Times" accelerated that process, and when you see him live, you'll understand why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crystal Waters is the queen of house music! She was making dance floor killers when most of you were still in short pants, and more importantly her songs still move like they did back then. We talk about her extraordinary journey as an artist and entrepreneur and the new ventures she's gotten herself into. She's wise but not jaded and I'm sure you're gonna enjoy listening. Go get it. Learn more ab...

Brand partnerships in music has become more and more important in recent years. It's been a big part of my business — putting partnerships together for brands like Scion, Mazda, 7UP, and for artists like Linkin Park — and today's episode is with two people at the top of the game. Joe Belliotti and Rebecca Jolly (are the authors of How Music Grows Brands — a field guide to building successful partn...

Today's show is less of an interview and more of a wine-fueled roundtable where we talk about music, friendship, business, and how they all fit together. My co-host is Dennis White aka Latroit. He was my guest on the very first episode of Rebel Radio and has made a few appearances over the years. We're interviewing his friend and fellow Berklee alum Ramin Sakurai of Supreme Beings of Leisure. You...

If you spend time in Venice, or follow West Coast graffiti, I'm sure you're familiar with the Art of Chase. His eye imagery has become iconic around these parts and he brings a bright playfulness to walls far beyond the beach. Our sometimes co-host Eddie Donaldson from Guerilla One helps us unpack Chase's story, which is way more interesting than you might guess. We touch on the history of graffit...

We're back with Part 2 with Evan "Kidd" Bogart. Make sure you listen to part 1 to hear about Evan's incredbile journey through the music industry. He's also executive producer, music supervisor, and composer for the new motion picture "Spinning Gold" which tells the story of his father, Neil Bogart, who discovered Kiss, Donna Summer, George Clinton, and built the most successful disco label in Ame...

Part 1 of 2 Evan "Kidd" Bogart seems like he would have had an easy ride to the top. He was born into music industry success — the son of Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart and Kiss manager Joyce Bogart Trabulus. And today has a Grammy (for Beyonce's "Halo") and a long list of hit songs (see below), and now a movie — Spinning Gold — which he made with his brothers, about his father. In between...

Few artists have experienced the extreme highs and lows of Moby's career, from the global dominance of his 1999 album Play and headlining festivals, to the despair of feeling it all slip away. We talk about all of it: fame and fortune, addiction and misplaced expectations, and the perspective you can gain through surviving what might feel unsurvivable. We also talk about Moby's new label, Always C...

Danny G set a goal to release 10,000 pieces of content in 2022 across all of his channels. That’s 28 a day for all our math nerds. That forced him to think differently about his process and to focus on creating momentum with the algorithms, and his career. Scary at first but we dig into how he organized his life and business around this type of growth. Make sure you check out his music and more at...

"The future is a mystery," Seun tells us, now back home in Lagos, Nigeria, after his latest world tour. He's been leading his father's band, Egypt 80, since he was 14, stepping up to the mic after Fela's untimely death. Twenty-five years later, he says he never "took over" the band, but instead "we just kept playing... it's always been a collective mission for me." Our interview gets into some rea...

Today I reach across the pond to talk to JODA, essentially a supergroup (superduo?) of Jono Grant — 1/3 of Above & Beyond — and Darren Tate — film composer, and producer under the name DT8 among others. They're also both label heads, Jono of Anjunabeats and Darren of Mondo Records. JODA is their side project born out of the pandemic. Maybe a bit of restlessness from not being able to tour, and may...

This week Eddie Donaldson and I talk to Michael Kirst, an artist on the rise. He gives us some great insight into why his career is progressing so quickly, after years of paying dues, developing a tireless work ethic, and humble, helpful attitude. He also blends a graffiti background with a fine art sensibility. This is a dude to watch. Check out Michael's art at https://www.michaelkirst.com And f...

ADE — Amsterdam Dance Event — kicks off this week. Now in its 26th year (with a break for Covid), it's the largest gathering of the global dance music community We sit with the festival / conference co-directors Jan-Willem van de Ven & Meindert Kennis to learn how to build a brand that endures and evolves with culture. We also dig into some of the particulars of how they've built a successful part...

Francis Mercier is building an Afro House empire by integrating inspiration from classic house, tech house, and the European dance music giants. All he needs is the time to run his multiple labels at the same time as his flourishing DJ career. Listen in to how he navigates it all. Dig into his music at https://solo.to/francismercier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Comedian / actress / podcaster Helen Hong schools us on why you have to talk about the elephant in the room and get it out of the way first. We also talk about... - Smoking cigarettes at Depeche Mode - Margaret Cho - Connie Chung - Yamenika Saunders - Joan Rivers - What's unique about comedy among the performing arts After you're done, here, make sure you check out Helen's new comedy special, Well...

Terry and his crew at Secret Walls are building a global graffiti brand, with live in-person battles happening all over the world and a growing presence online and soon to be in the metaverse. Behind all the business moves is a love and respect for the culture. Support Your Local Artist is their motto and the driver for everything they do. We dig into Terry's journey as well as his vision for Secr...

Sitting down with multi-faceted artist ToBy (aka Reggie B) to talk about new projects and how he handles rapping, singing, acting, comedy, and more. He's signed to Magnetic Moon, the label owned by Thievery Corporation's Rob Garza, which should tell you something about his level of creativity and willingness to color outside the lines. We loved ToBy's laidback approach. He's sort of taking cues fr...

Beth Bowen is an exciting new artist. Just a couple years into her career, her work has already been shown in the Louvre, Cannes Film Festival, and a growing list of galleries and collectors' homes. She's also a mom of four and a former reality TV actress. What stands out about Beth is her lack of fear, or maybe her unwillingness to let fear hold her back. "I have nothing to lose" seems to be her...

This week we chop it up with hip-hop and skate photographer T. Eric Monroe about his book series — Rare & Unseen Moments of 90s HipHop — and about his career which has put him face-to-face with some of our culture's biggest stars and underground heroes. Love his stories and the way he just flows in life. Check it out for yourself. Make sure you follow T. Eric and buy some shit from him: http://ins...

And another one in partnership with Guerilla One, co-hosted by Eddie Donaldson. Bagel is a Venice legend — documenting skate, surf, and street culture from the inside as a local carrying around his camera since the 80s. We had our conversation on the patio at The Rose Venice, one of the best food spots in the new Venice, and talked about music, art, business, and how this tiny little town of three...

Back with my co-host Eddie Donaldson of Guerilla One, I sat down with Guerin Swing, talented artist / interior designer and longtime fixture in LA's nightlife and celebrity culture. Man, this dude has some stories! House of Pain, Pam and Tommy, graffiti battles — we cover a lot of ground. What I found most interesting is the way Guerin connects all of these different worlds, brings beauty and spir...

Daddy Kev is the homie from way back. He's also one of the leaders of the LA beat scene and part of the reason we're bumping cats like Flying Lotus and Thundercat. He's the founder of Alpha Pup Distribution and the new club night Scenario, which replaced the longtime favorite Low End Theory. Kev schools us on how he's trying to make the industry safe for artists and at the same time build a dynast...

The Pandemic changed everything. It meant the end of some companies, the beginning of others, and for still others — a pivot, or multiple pivots. Perhaps no industry was reshaped more than live entertainment. In many ways, we still haven't reached the other side, as performers, promoters, technologists, and fans continue to reevaluate how they're going to behave, with a mix of in-person and virtua...

Eric Hilton is one half of Thievery Corporation, the DC-based duo who made a big impact on the way the genre incorporates electic elements from other genres and parts of the world. They might be considered pioneers of the album format in electronic music, and were among the few artists who could make you dance, chill, and think all on the same record. Eric is now releasing solo projects, including...

Artist Republik is out to democratize music distribution and marketing, part of the wave of companies supporting the idea of a "middle class" artist through a combination of technology tools and a mindset of transparency and empowerment. Founder and CEO Nick Cianfaglione gives us a bit of insight into his vision, as well as the tireless work ethic and optimism it takes to fight it out in the digit...