The musical landscape in Toronto is changing, and it’s about time we had a radio station to reflect that. And Indie88, which went live earlier this week as Toronto’s latest radio station, has delivered. Here are five reasons why you should tune in to 88.1 FM.
1. The music (obviously). Because where else can you hear Jeff Buckley followed by Bob Marley followed by Talking Heads followed by Björk? While its name means that the radio station is independently owned and operated, it also refers to the type of music played, which spans indie rock, pop and folk. It’s a pretty loose definition, which makes for diversified playlists you can’t get on any other station (read: it’s unlikely you’ll hear Nickelback). Another bonus: the station is currently in its soft-launch phase, which means no commercials until the official launch on Sept. 3.
2. The Throne of Glory. Every day at around 4 p.m., notable guest DJs take over the airwaves and play pretty much whatever they want. Keep an ear out for Dave Bookman (formerly of The Edge), Matthew Good, Metz, TSN’s Dave Hodge, K-os and Hannah Georgas (who plays today and reportedly listens to gangster rap).
3. Alan Cross. Hearing his soothing voice broadcasted again invokes warm fuzzy feelings. He’s signed on as Indie88’s music guidance counsellor, and if his Throne of Glory playlist was any indication of what’s to come, we can’t wait to hear more.
4. Crowd-sourced playlists. According to its manifesto, Indie88 aims to change “I” to “We.” The station bills itself as a collective platform for all music lovers to have some control over what is broadcasted, and so far, so good.
5. No more Rick Astley. Before going live on Wednesday, Indie88 pulled off what’s being called the greatest Rickroll of all time by using its pre-launch bandwith to play Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” over and over. You probably need to get that song out of your head now, so go ahead and turn your dial over to Indie88.