Campus knows KRTU for its daily jazz music, but once the hour strikes 10 p.m, student interns and indie music take over the station. Since 1999, for a few hours each week, “KRTU Indie Overnight” fills the airwaves with music ranging from Latin, to punk to EDM.
Zoë Collier, senior communication major and KRTU intern, hosts “Midweek Mixtapes.” The show airs every Wednesday from 10-11 p.m, while Collier and her co-hosts dive into old and new indie sounds.
As a host, Collier has the opportunity to curate fun setlists and talk to interesting musicial talents each week, she said. Last Wednesday, Collier recalled an interview with LA-based alternative pop artist Spill Tab during her late Wednesday night shift. Afterward, she took highlights from the interview and wove throughout her setlist for the night.
“I’m a big fan of Spill Tab,”Collier said. “I saw her at ACL, so it really was cool to get to meet her and have her on my show.”
Shortly after Midweek Mixtapes, Carmen Coulon, sophomore marketing and communication double-major, takes over. Almost every Wednesday since Jan. 29, from 11 p.m. to midnight, Coulon hosts “C.A.R. Indie,” or Carmen’s Album Reviews. She said she plays her top picks from an album she finds every week, discussing the artist, story, musicality and, most importantly, her opinion on the album.
Her highest rated albums are “Absolution” by Muse and “Some Like It Hot” by Bar Italia. These albums reflect not only Coulon’s taste, but other students on campus.
“Lately, I’ve been making my friends give me albums to listen to, because it’s really hard to find a new album every single week.” Coulon said.“It’s pretty fun because it’s been helping me expand my music tastes.”
Earlier in the week, from from 10-11 p.m. every Monday, Matthew Miller, senior engineering science and communication double-major, also expands his music tastes by hosting “Mixed Signals.” Much like every other student DJ, he got into the station from his friends who were already interning. His show, though, changes sound every week, focusing each new episode on a specific genre.
His episodes include a variety of diverse sounds — almost as much as the shows themselves differ. Miller also likes to add meaning to his shows. After Bad Bunny’s Superbowl halftime show, his next episode played only Spanish indie music from Spain, Central and South America to show support and what he believes in.
“People keep saying radio’s a dying media, but it’s not actually ever gonna come into fruition. I would say give radio a chance, listen to our stations,” Miller said. “I’ve gotten a lot of hope for people listening to the radio.”
