Jazz Odyssey Presents…Live DJ featuring on-air host Dele Johnson

Join us for the first in our series of live DJ sets from our KUVO Jazz Odyssey hosts. Dele Johnson will be at Spangalang Brewery on Tuesday, January 30 at 8 p.m.

Dele’s musical palette stretches across space and time as we know it. From Afrobeat pioneers like Fela Kuti; exemplary soulful funk bands like Earth, Wind, and Fire; classic hip hop groups like The Roots; and a myriad of new school Jazz, Funk, Soul, R’n’B, and Electronic artists.

Dele’s affinity for jazz music in its many forms knows no bounds. Join us for an evening of the latest selections.

Get to know your DJ — Dele Johnson, host of Jazz Odyssey on Thursdays 10 pm to midnight

Who are you, what do you do?
I’m Dele Johnson. I was born and raised in Denver. In general, I consider myself a “creative”. When I’m not at KUVO hosting the JO, I’m the Digital Producer at MCA Denver. In my free time, I work on collage art and play soccer.

What was your journey to becoming the host of Jazz Odyssey?
A huge inspiration for me to get into radio was discovering the Soulection Radio Show on Soundcloud. That influenced the start of facilitating a Facebook group and curating weekly playlists with friend and fellow JO host Harrison Neff. From there a mutual friend who was working for RMPM at the time liked what we were doing and offered to get us a meeting with Carlos and Steve. Harrison and I had that meeting and recorded a demo show and about 8 months later we started training as volunteer hosts with JO host Matt Seres and then 4 months after that we started to Co-host the Thursday night Jazz Odyssey. Fast Forward to 2024, I solo host the Thursday night show and Harrison hosts the Wednesday night show and I have a Sunday night show on the horizon.

What is your approach to Jazz Odyssey? How is Dele Johnson different from the other hosts?
I think the Jazz Odyssey is about going on a journey so I like to bring music from around the world onto the air. A big motivator for me is sharing the music I love and find interesting with the community and hopefully open someone’s mind and ears to a new artist, and a new sound. I think what probably sets me apart from the other JO hosts is the range of music you’ll hear in my show. I really love soul and rnb music so you’ll hear a lot of that in my show but you can also expect some straightforward contemporary jazz, acid jazz, afrobeat/afrosoul, throwback funk and soul, electronic music (house, afro-house, UKG, drum and bass, jungle, etc), Habibi funk, chillhop, hip hop, and a bunch of current genre-blending/bending tracks.

What is music for you?
Music is a lot of things for me – it can be the background to my workday, it can be an emotional outlet when I’m feeling up or down, it can be the motivation for my workout, or the soundtrack to a day on the mountain or walking to work. I can’t really remember a time when I didn’t love music.

Who are some of your fav local artists? Both in the JO universe and outside of it
N3ptune
CRL CRRLL
Adam Deitch
Wellington Bullings
Old Man Saxon

What is your favorite concert venue in Denver/Colorado?
Red Rocks/Mission Ballroom when it comes to big venues
Ogden Theater, Larimer Lounge for smaller

Go to Karaoke Song?
Yeah – Usher

What is your best music moment?
A fond music memory I have is going to a music festival in Long Beach called Smokin’ Grooves. I saw a lot of my favorite artists and bands in one day!

Who is your dream interview?
I would love a chance to interview Donald Glover (Childish Gambino)

Who would you love to see collaborate?
Kaytranada x Burna Boy x Wiz Kid
Yussef Dayes x Burna Boy
Yussef Dayes x Little Simz
Blue Lab Beats x FKJ
Venna x Rema

What is on the horizon for Dele Johnson?
Soon we’ll be debuting a new show on KUVO showcasing music of the African Diaspora and other music from around the world!

What is your useless talent?
I have a lot of random trivia knowledge because I watch a lot of Jeopardy

What is your music guilty pleasure?
Daft Punk – Discovery. Great listening from start to finish every time!

Anything you’re currently working on music related or otherwise?
Just working on my skills as a live DJ and excited to be more involved at the station

What can we expect to hear from you at your set on the 30th?
Sango
Masego
Anderson Paak
Cleo Sol
Little Simz
Kaytranada
Lion Babe

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