From Friday, October 11 to Monday, October 14, WKDU hosted its 16th electronic music marathon. For 84 straight hours, DJs from the Philadelphia area as well as some Drexel students played their music for all of WKDU’s listeners to appreciate.
Many of this year’s DJs were Drexel alumni and Drexel students that have a passion for electronic music and wanted to use this opportunity to showcase their talents. The electronic music director of WKDU, Chris Barell, spoke in an interview.
“One of the things I think is really cool about the event is that it’s a good mix of well-known DJs and people that we think more people should know about that are kind of undiscovered,” Barell said.
On the first night of this music marathon, WKDU hosted an after-hours party during which they played the live electronic music for over 300 people. The following night, the radio organized the thrifty disco at Philly AIDS Thrift, where they played a remote broadcast of the music marathon to around 350 people from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.. This event is held by WKDU every three months to keep the radio running and to support a nonprofit of their choice. They are able to meet their donation goals by welcoming local artists to perform for a night full of music and dancing and asking participants to donate. This event not only increases the engagement of listeners, but it introduces people to new unique sounds.
This year, the EMM featured some well-known DJs including Del, Galcher Lustwerk and Precolumbian. Additionally, WKDU welcomed back The Shakedown Crew for their 16th performance at the electronic music marathon.
Because they are located in the basement of the Creese Center, it’s hard for WKDU to see their following and know that their work is appreciated. After coordinating and organizing this event for weeks, the team members described the excitement of the DJs coming through their doors as “humbling.” Garett Miadas, the program director of WKDU described the culmination of this event.
“It was also amazing to see everyone who knew about WKDU because working at a college radio station, sometimes it can be hard to see how large your outreach can be, but when you have 100 plus people coming through your door who are super hyped about WKDU it can be reassuring,” Miadas said.
WKDU’s reputation as a respected radio station has brought many established DJs back year after year, as well as new DJs hoping to get their start. With the help of their team, the radio showcased over 100 DJs and raised $15,000 to support their organization.