Jazz Odyssey Presents…Live DJ featuring on-air host La Molly

Join us for the next in our series of live DJ sets from our KUVO Jazz Odyssey hosts and friends. La Molly focuses on music that combines traditional Latin sounds with more modern ones, mirroring the experience of our modern world. Every day we work out how to navigate technology and tradition and how the intersection of those two things affects our identities. From Digital Cumbia pioneers like Sidestepper; to neo-perreo masterminds like Mediopicky;  La Molly will take you on a journey of musical exploration to places you never knew existed. Join us for her magic carpet ride!

Get to know your DJ — La Molly, host of Super Sonido on Sundays from 4 pm to 6 pm

Who are you, what do you do?
I am La Molly, you may know me as the host of Super Sonido every Sunday at 4 on KUVO. I am fascinated by how art can help us explore who we are and how we define ourselves. My identity has always been a confusing mess, but music has helped me place myself in many ways. That is what I hope to bring to listeners, whether it’s through Super Sonido or through one of my sets as part of Ciudad Reina, an artistic, interactive collaborative run by myself and my creative partner El Jaguar. My point with music is to help you discover an artist or a song you’ve never heard before and maybe in that, discover a new part of yourself. I am also a muralist and textile artist, and you can see my work in various parts of the city, most recently in the Casa Bonita Art Show at Next Gallery. I have a son, Joaquin, who mostly rolls his eyes at me, and a giant goofball of a dog, named Kyle.

Can you discuss the role of storytelling or narrative in the creation of your playlists?
For me, the story is the whole thing. Music is a place to process, at least that’s the premise of Super Sonido, so while I may not always have a specific theme or explicitly tell listeners the “why”, each show is crafted to help you explore parts of yourself or your experience. In Super Sonido, YOU are the story. As a live DJ, one of my favorite things is to craft a very specific moment for the audience. We recently DJ’d at an art gallery, and I researched the artist and the show and crafted my set around what the artist was trying to say with his work: it was my favorite.  I love getting the chance to dig in and create something that, admittedly, maybe a bit too esoteric but will move you either through your feet or your heart.

How did you first get into radio, and what inspired you to become a deejay?
I always had this idea of a radio show that would help little ethnically confused babies like me find themselves through music. I wanted to help connect the parts of us that we often must keep separate, and I felt like musically a lot of artists were exploring how to do this, connecting ancient or traditional rhythms with contemporary techniques. A friend convinced me to start a podcast and the goal for me was to always turn that podcast into a show on KUVO. I knew Deb and Yolanda from Cancion Mexicana and they were sweet enough to let me shadow them and they rallied a whole group of people to convince the powers that be to put Super Sonido on the air, and now 6 years later, here we are!

Can you describe the process of selecting songs for your radio show and how you curate the playlist?
Well, it depends on what I’m trying to say, sometimes I have something very specific in mind, for example, I’m obsessed with the synthesizer, so I’m working on a show now that will let me nerd out on synthesizer facts and play some really good music. For a show like that, obviously, the curation is pretty particular. For a “normal show,” I search the deepest recesses of the internet to find the deepest cuts. I want listeners to be the cool kids at the party who know songs/artists before anyone else. I follow everyone and their mother on social media so I know when the latest releases are coming out and who people are collaborating with that I may not have heard of yet. But a lot of it depends on my mood and/or what’s going on in the world, is it Labor Day? Then we’re playing songs about quitting our jobs. Did I just break up with my boyfriend? Then I’m gonna make us dance to feel better.

Can you discuss the importance of creating a unique and identifiable radio personality, and how you’ve developed yours?
I’m just me, man. La Molly isn’t really that different from Regular Molly, except maybe a little less messy.  For me, it’s important to show up as I am, if I’m asking listeners to be open to exploring I gotta be honest and vulnerable myself. I talk a lot about self-discovery, generational healing and just figuring out life in a capitalist world so if I’m asking listeners to go on this journey with me I gotta hold the oars to the boat. For Super Sonido, and maybe this is too lofty for a little radio show but I’m gonna say it anyway, if I can be vulnerable I can create a space for listeners to feel safe to do the same and if they can feel safe for those 2 hours maybe they can carry that with them to the rest of their week.

How do you connect with your audience, and what role do listener requests play in shaping your playlists?
I love hearing from listeners. I love talking to them outside of the studio or after a set. It’s so fun to share with other music lovers and I have some people I hold very dear who I’ve met because of my work on Super Sonido. I don’t take live requests because I have curated a very specific experience for us to share but I do love when people introduce me to new artists or send me new releases to check out, that’s my favorite because I get to connect with you but also because I am creating a communal experience, listener suggestions are instrumental to that.

What can we expect to hear from you at your set on the 27?
It’ll be like Jazz Odyssey with a Latin touch: so some Captain Planet, Baiuca, Mestiza, and a little Quantic for good measure.

Stay connected to KUVO’s programs and our community! Sign up for the Oasis E-News today!