CROSSFADER | Santa Monica Museum of Art

THE ART OF THE CROSSFADE, PART 1
A LIVE MUSICAL LECTURE IN COLLABORATION WITH J. PERIOD

Wednesday, October 17, 7PM, Santa Monica Museum of Art

J. Period is hailed as one of “the world’s top DJs” by The New York Times and recruited for remix and production work by Grammy-winners Kanye West, Mary J. Blige, John Legend, Lauryn Hill, Nas, and The Roots. J. Period is one of the music industry’s most respected DJs/Remixers.

PMP Director Josh Kun was recently named by SMMoA as its first "Resident Collector" for the museum's “Collection of Ideas” series. This music lecture is part of a duo of events in the series. For more information about Crossfader and to purchase tickets, please visit the SMMoA website.

David Byrne and Trent Reznor In Conversation with Josh Kun

Sunday, October 14th, 2012, | Aratani/Japan America Theatre

Popular Music Project Director Josh Kun joined legendary musician and raconteur David Byrne and fellow musician Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) to explore the joy, the physics, the history, and the business of making music as part of the LA Public Library's ALOUD series, on the occasion of Byrne's new book, How Music Works. This event was co-presented with the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center.

Spotlight: Enrique Bunbury | October 9, 2012 | The Grammy Museum

Popular Music Project Director Josh Kun sat down with Spanish vocalist Enrique Banbury at the Grammy Museum for an event celebrating his recent release Licenciado Cantinas, a musical tribute to some of the most celebrated Latin American songwriters. After an in-depth discussion and Q&A, Banbury performed a selection of songs.

Listen, Whitey: The Music of the Black Power Era 1965-1975

Annenberg Research Seminar: Pat Thomas

Pat Thomas, author of the newly published Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power, 1965-1975 discusses his book, which focuses on the 'underground' subversive music that influenced and was inspired by the Black Panther Party and similar organizations during the late 1960's and early 1970's. His talk includes song selections you have probably never heard before.

Monday, April 2, 2012, 12 noon | Geoffrey Cowan Forum

Crossroads Music: Radiolab & Myths Surrounding Bluesman Robert Johnson

The amazing show Radiolab offers a list of 10+ songs in this episode investigating the mythical stories surrounding legendary bluesman Robert Johnson, songs which in a way offer a brief history of the roots of rock and roll. Dig in!

What's Goin' On, Now? A Listening Party at USC

As part of a nationwide non-profit educational initiative of The Kennedy Center aimed at using Marvin Gaye's album What's Going On as a means of raising political and social awareness among urban youth, the Lear Center's Popular Music Project and the USC Office of Religious Life are hosting a live listening session of the whole Marvin Gaye album, start to finish, outside, in public, open and free to all, as an experiment in making musical community through listening. PMP director Josh Kun will moderate a conversation with singer Aloe Blacc during the break between Side A and Side B to inform the audience on the album and its legacy.
Thursday April 12, 2012, 5:00-6:30PM :: USC Quad

Josh Kun Featured in BBC Radio 4 Doc

Popular Music Project director Josh Kun is featured in a new BBC Radio 4 documentary, North of the Border - The Rise of Mexican Music about Narcocorridos, violence, and Los Angeles. Listen up!

Adele Saves the Music Industry! Album Sales Grow in 2011

OK, the growth was small - a 1.3% increase - but perhaps the music industry doesn't have to completely self-destruct before it finds its way in the digital wonderland. Here's a NYT piece with more numbers and details on how Adele's album 21 really mattered.

Death Rattle: Mexico, Music and the War on Drugs

Read Josh Kun's disturbing piece in the January 2012 issue of The American Prospect about the changing mood and POV of narcocorridos and one new introspective song that sounds a hope for a different future.

A Conversation & Mixtape Demonstration with J. Period

Popular Music Project Director Josh Kun sat down recently with renowned hip-hop DJ J.Period for a conversation and mixtape demonstration at the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, with an SRO crowd.

With DJ & remix work for Grammy-winners Lauryn Hill, The Roots, and Mary J. Blige under his belt, J. Period has become one of hip hop's undisputed Mixtape Kings and most respected DJ/Producers. Praised by The New Yorker for his groundbreaking Bob Dylan remixes, and named one of "the world's top DJ's" by The New York Times, J.Period was also featured in Activision's blockbuster video game, DJ Hero, alongside a short list of DJ legends: Grandmaster Flash, Jazzy Jeff, Shadow, Z-Trip & DJ AM.