Sudan Tapes Archive is a DIY project started by Haneen Sidhamed where she digitizes and makes Sudanese music cassette tapes available to stream online. This project is important amid ongoing war in Sudan, the closure of recording and publishing companies, and the physical burning and destruction of cassette tapes. KEXP’s Julianna Covarrubias speaks with Sidhamed about the project. 

https://www.sudantapesarchive.com/

Sudan Tapes Archive is a DIY project started by Haneen Sidhamed where she digitizes and makes Sudanese music cassette tapes available to stream online. This project is important amid ongoing war in Sudan, the closure of recording and publishing companies, and the physical burning and destruction of cassette tapes. KEXP’s Julianna Covarrubias speaks with Sidhamed about the project. 
<a href="https://www.sudantapesarchive.com/">https://www.sudantapesarchive.com/</a>

On A Deeper Listen, host Emily Fox and other storytellers from KEXP talk with artists about the stories behind their songs and the experiences that inform their work. Through each conversation, we uncover the humanity behind the music, allowing us to hear it in a whole new way.

On A Deeper Listen, host Emily Fox and other storytellers from KEXP talk with artists about the stories behind their songs and the experiences that inform their work. Through each conversation, we uncover the humanity behind the music, allowing us to hear it in a whole new way.

A Deeper Listen

Sudan Tapes Archive: Preserving Memory

Hiro Ama, born in Japan and based in London, plays drums in the indie pop band Teleman. In late 2024, he released his debut solo album, Music for Peace and Harmony, which leans heavily into the sounds of a 1980s Japanese synthesizer called Waraku, which literally means “peace and harmony” in Japanese. KEXP's Dusty Henry spoke with him shortly after the release. 


“I used to be quite a perfectionist,” Ama says in the interview. “Then again, when you listen to old jazz records, you can hear a lot of mistakes, the bad notes, and people chanting in the background, and that becomes part of the character of the music. Once I realized it, I started putting in a lot of field recordings and embracing the imperfection.” 


Support the show: kexp.org/deeper 

Hiro Ama, born in Japan and based in London, plays drums in the indie pop band Teleman. In late 2024, he released his debut solo album,&nbsp;Music for Peace and Harmony,&nbsp;which leans heavily into the sounds of a 1980s Japanese synthesizer called Waraku, which literally means &ldquo;peace and harmony&rdquo; in Japanese. KEXP's Dusty Henry spoke with him shortly after the release.&nbsp;
 &ldquo;I used to be quite a perfectionist,&rdquo; Ama says in the interview. &ldquo;Then again, when you listen to old jazz records, you can hear a lot of mistakes, the bad notes, and people chanting in the background, and that becomes part of the character of the music. Once I realized it, I started putting in a lot of field recordings and embracing the imperfection.&rdquo;&nbsp;
 Support the show:&nbsp;<a href="http://kexp.org/deeper" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">kexp.org/deeper</a>&nbsp;

Hiro Ama Creates Peace with a 1980s Japanese Synthesizer 

In this bonus episode, we hear from Martin Oldgoth, cofounder of World Goth Day, in conversation with Sharlese, host of Mechanical Breakdown, about the holiday’s origin in 2009. What started as a sort of joke on BBC Radio 6 Music rapidly spread across the world as a celebration of goth culture, which is constantly evolving. And, no, you don’t have to wear black.

“The goth scene is very inclusive,” Oldgoth says in the interview. “There are no rules. If someone tells you, ‘You’ve got to listen to this band’ or ‘You’ve got to dress like that,’ they’re wrong. It’s as simple as that. It’s gone from being an offshoot of the post-punk scene in the early 80s to being a global family of misfits.”

Oldgoth’s music recommendations as heard in the episode:

Harsh Symmetry (Los Angeles, California)
Night in Athens (United Kingdom)
CORIN (United Kingdom)
Bambara (Brooklyn, New York)
HAPAX (Italy)
Octavian Winters (San Francisco, California)
KĀVE (Poland)
Soft Scent (Italy)

Support the show: kexp.org/deeper

In this bonus episode, we hear from Martin Oldgoth, cofounder of&nbsp;<a href="https://kexp.org/goth" data-stringify-link="https://kexp.org/goth" data-sk="tooltip_parent">World Goth Day</a>, in conversation with Sharlese, host of <a href="https://www.kexp.org/shows/mechanical-breakdown/" data-stringify-link="https://www.kexp.org/shows/mechanical-breakdown/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Mechanical Breakdown</a>, about the holiday&rsquo;s origin in 2009. What started as a sort of joke on BBC Radio 6 Music rapidly spread across the world as a celebration of goth culture, which is constantly evolving. And, no, you don&rsquo;t have to wear black.
&ldquo;The goth scene is very inclusive,&rdquo; Oldgoth says in the interview. &ldquo;There are no rules. If someone tells you, &lsquo;You&rsquo;ve got to listen to this band&rsquo; or &lsquo;You&rsquo;ve got to dress like that,&rsquo; they&rsquo;re wrong. It&rsquo;s as simple as that. It&rsquo;s gone from being an offshoot of the post-punk scene in the early 80s to being a global family of misfits.&rdquo;
Oldgoth&rsquo;s music recommendations as heard in the episode:
<a href="https://harshsymmetry.bandcamp.com/" data-stringify-link="https://harshsymmetry.bandcamp.com/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Harsh Symmetry</a>&nbsp;(Los Angeles, California) <a href="https://nightinathens.bandcamp.com/" data-stringify-link="https://nightinathens.bandcamp.com/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Night in Athens</a>&nbsp;(United Kingdom) <a href="https://uiqmusic.bandcamp.com/album/lux-aeterna" data-stringify-link="https://uiqmusic.bandcamp.com/album/lux-aeterna" data-sk="tooltip_parent">CORIN</a>&nbsp;(United Kingdom) <a href="https://bambara.bandcamp.com/album/birthmarks" data-stringify-link="https://bambara.bandcamp.com/album/birthmarks" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Bambara</a>&nbsp;(Brooklyn, New York) <a href="https://hapax.bandcamp.com/music" data-stringify-link="https://hapax.bandcamp.com/music" data-sk="tooltip_parent">HAPAX</a>&nbsp;(Italy) <a href="https://octavianwinters.bandcamp.com/" data-stringify-link="https://octavianwinters.bandcamp.com/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Octavian Winters</a>&nbsp;(San Francisco, California) <a href="https://kavepoland.bandcamp.com/" data-stringify-link="https://kavepoland.bandcamp.com/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">KĀVE</a>&nbsp;(Poland) <a href="https://softscent.bandcamp.com/" data-stringify-link="https://softscent.bandcamp.com/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Soft Scent</a>&nbsp;(Italy)
Support the show: <a href="http://kexp.org/deeper" data-stringify-link="http://kexp.org/deeper" data-sk="tooltip_parent">kexp.org/deeper</a>

World Goth Day Cofounder: “Anyone Is Welcome”

Seattle-based musician Rocky Votolato has formed a new band called Suzzallo, who put out their debut album The Quiet Year earlier this year on Thirty Something Records. Through loud guitars and cathartic screaming, Suzzallo offers an outlet to help him grieve the loss of his child, Kienan, who died in a car accident in 2021.

“Without a way to express this pain, it probably would have killed me,” Votolato says in the interview. “Being able to turn it into this rock band and all this noise, light, pain, carnage, and everything that’s coming out in the record, I’m really happy that some of the light made it into the lyrics, too. I tried not to just focus on the darkness of the tragedy.”

Support the show: kexp.org/deeper

Seattle-based musician Rocky Votolato has formed a new band called Suzzallo, who put out their debut album&nbsp;The Quiet Year&nbsp;earlier this year on Thirty Something Records. Through loud guitars and cathartic screaming, Suzzallo offers an outlet to help him grieve the loss of his child, Kienan, who died in a car accident in 2021.
&ldquo;Without a way to express this pain, it probably would have killed me,&rdquo; Votolato says in the interview. &ldquo;Being able to turn it into this rock band and all this noise, light, pain, carnage, and everything that&rsquo;s coming out in the record, I&rsquo;m really happy that some of the light made it into the lyrics, too. I tried not to just focus on the darkness of the tragedy.&rdquo;
Support the show:&nbsp;<a href="http://kexp.org/deeper" data-stringify-link="http://kexp.org/deeper" data-sk="tooltip_parent">kexp.org/deeper</a>

Sudan Tapes Archive: Preserving Memory

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