For this issue, we asked several of our contributors to curate hour-long DJ sets that were related, in some way, to the articles they wrote for print. All shows are available for free at BFF.fm/believer.
1. “A Map of the Soul,” Aku Ammah-Tagoe and Mimi Lok
Two learned fans highlight the BTS songs that illustrate Jungian concepts of the self, and discuss what sets the group apart in the broader pop landscape.
2. “Back to Basics,” Carrie Brownstein
Our advice columnist reminds you of the many reasons to love the electric guitar.
3. “Iceberg Heart,” Gabriel Bump
A selection of songs dealing with conflicted romance.
All the best NBA rappers in just one hour, with a few wild cards thrown in there.
5. “Musical Substitutions,” Paul Collins
Can auto junkyard 8-track decks replace the orchestra in a Top 40 hit? Maybe. Can four kazoos replace a pipe organ? Maybe not.
6. “Updated Mailing List,” Anaïs Duplan
On the most recent wave of “intelligent dance music,” in which artists of color are reworking a (historically white) category of electronica.
7. “CDMX Love Songs,” Ricardo Frasso Jaramillo
A series of love songs that feature Mexico City as a setting or muse, with a focus on recently released music by the CDMX-based experimental collective Amor Muere.
8. “Music for Dungeons,” Stu Horvath
Descend into the depths of dungeonsynth’s thirty-year history.
9. “I Believe in You and Your PowerPoint,” Jeremy Gaudet and Ryan H. Walsh
Two musicians select the most lyrically creative songs they know and discuss what makes them so exceptional.
10. “Little Sparrow,” Emma Ingrisani
A look at the prodigious musical talents of Dolly Parton, whose connection to rock and roll has been complex and oddly fraught.
11. “Love and Basements,” Casey Jarman
An unapologetic (OK, slightly apologetic) return to the Portland, Oregon, house show scene circa 2005–10.
12. “Above and Beyond 10,000 Maniacs,” Lauren LeBlanc
A deep dive into the forty-year (and counting!) career, collaborations, and activism of Natalie Merchant.
13. “MBE and Me,” Melissa Locker
An hour of music from artists who have been made Members of the Order of the British Empire (including PJ Harvey).
14. “Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit,” Mike McGonigal
A celebration of street-corner evangelist recordings.
15. “Delirium Time,” Niela Orr
Looking at the different musical textures in the film Glitter and the intermingling creative sensibilities of the post-disco era.
16. “All That Has Dark Sounds,” Lol and Gray Tolhurst
A mix of goth music, tracing its origins from 1980s England to its contemporary global diaspora.
