#0060: This Week On The Air–May 12, 2026

Hello again! It’s time once again for yours truly to hit the airwaves on your favorite radio station, datafruits.fm. We’ve got two new episodes worth of programming for you this evening, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy what you hear. Let’s get into it, shall we?

Talkie Time: Walk Softly, Peter Troy - A Patsy Named Patsy / An Anxious April Day

Look. I know that I make a lot of jokes in these write-ups about how a lot of old-time radio broadcasts read…let’s say slightly differently to modern queer audiences. (See also literally anything involving Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin). And I know that, as of late, I’ve been getting a bit more ham (sausage?) fisted with the homosexual innuendos. But not this week. No sir. This week’s for the ladies.

The straight ones, specifically. Peter Troy’s a man, baybeee. Probably. At least, I don’t think Peter Troy was secretly typewritten as a down-bad problematic trans lesbian. Someone should probably get on writing that adaptation, tho. Shit’d be funny as hell.¹

Originally broadcast on South Africa’s Springbok Radio, Walk Softly, Peter Troy stars everyone’s most vaguely uncomfortable luhluhluhluhLAYDEES man as he cavorts about post-war London, somehow finding time to solve all those crimes in between Mackin’ On Dem Dames.

We’ve got two episodes this evening. First up, it’s “A Patsy Named Patsy”, originally aired on July 21, 1964. After that, it’s “An Anxious April Day”, originally aired on August 18, 1964.

The Jazz Program: Herbie Hancock And Bill Laswell - Future Shock (1983) / Sound-System (1984) / Future 2 Future(2001)

MF Doom. Pete Rock. RZA. Statik Selektah. Of all the names that pop into my head when I think “instrumental hip-hop producers”, legendary jazz saxophonist Herbie Hancock is not anywhere near the list. But Herbie was always on the cutting edge, and it’s because of his constant experimentation and creative spirit that you can’t talk about the history of instrumental hip-hop–or the early days of hip-hop and electronic music at all–without including him and his collaborations with Bill Laswell.

Sadly, these three records aren’t often considered by DJs and jazz curators when looking back at his catalogue. Hell, there’s a good amount of even the more progressive jazz heads who insist that his career stopped existing sometime in the late ’70s, either before or after 1975’s Manchild and the subsequent dissolution of the Head-Hunters. But this is Piper And The Jazz Program, son. We don’t do that coward shit here. These albums rule, in no small part because they were both experimental for their time and very much a product of their time. And we’ll be playing three of their four collaborations tonight.

First up, it’s Future Shock, released in 1983 on Columbia and featuring the single “Rockit”, which not only had a fantastic music video but also has this absolutely insane live performance at the 1984 Grammy Awards that features the first turntablist (not an exaggeration, he is widely credited with being the first DJ to use a turntable as an instrument) Grand Mixer DXT absolutely shredding that vinyl. Look at those funky dancin’ pants.

After that, it’s Sound-System, released on Columbia and featuring Grand Mixer DXT on the wheels of steel yet again, and adds none other than The Rolling Stones back-up vocalist Bernard Fowler on vocals.

And finally, it’s 2001’s Future 2 Future, released on Hancock’s own Transparent Records. This one adds The X-Ecutioners’ founding member Rob Swift on turntables alongside Grand Mixer DXT, and dropped alongside a bonus EP featuring remixes by some of the biggest DJs of the day, including the legendary jungle and liquid d&b pioneer LTJ Bukem. We won’t be hearing that EP tonight, but you can be damn sure I’m tracking it down for later.

That about covers this week’s show! Next week, we’ll be taking the four-o’clock Trane to see if we can find the Templars in Saint-Germain.

(Can you guess what we’re playing next week from these clues? This one’s probably either easier than most or way more obscure, I can never tell when I write these…but if you’ve got a guess, email me at piperbomb (at) protonmail (dot) com if you think you can guess our programming for either The Jazz Program or Talkie Time. If you can, I’ll give you a shoutout on-air!)

If you’re reading this the day of, and you can make it in tonight, you should come hang out in the chat with us on Datafruits! We’ve got a good crowd of folks in the chat every week, and whether you have a suggestion for a future show or just want to hang out and chat with fellow jazz enjoyers, you’re welcome here with us.

You’re all amazing and don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not. Stay safe out there, and I’ll see you back again next week. Same time, same station: on datafruits dot fm..

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