To say 2024 was a big year for music at WDET would be an understatement. We broadcasted an exclusive world premiere of Jack White’s new album, we added seven new music shows to our lineup and we increased our music programming from 32 hours per week to 79 — meaning we’ve played over 189,840 minutes of music since last year at this time.

We hosted live performances from local artists like Kevin Reynolds, Shadow Show (who are featured in Mike Latulippe’s list), Strange Heart, Infinite River (who are featured in Liz Warner’s list), Frontier Ruckus, Kasan Belgrave and Winestoned Cowboys; global groups like Mokoomba and Ghost-Note; and even the legendary Don Was & The Pan-Detroit Ensemble.

With so much amazing music to choose from, our award-winning hosts had a hard time narrowing down their lists — Ryan Patrick Hooper even played 15 hours worth of his favorites on In The Groove. But in the end, 40 tracks rose above the rest.

These are WDET’s top tracks of 2024.

Listen to the full playlist:

Want to jump to your favorite host? Click their name below:

• Ann Delisi, Ann Delisi’s Essential Music
• Jeff Milo, MI Local
• Jon Moshier, Modern Music
• Liz Warner, Alternate Take
• Mike Latulippe, The Detroit Move
• Rob Reinhart, Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music
• Ryan Patrick Hooper, In The Groove
• Shigeto, The New Music Show

Ann Delisi, Ann Delisi’s Essential Music

• “Get Down” – Masha Marjieh
• “The Rest of Me” – Michael Kiwanuka
• “Brown Fool Eyes” – Hataalii
• “Make It Happen” – Wonder 45
• “Für Elise – Batiste” – Jon Batiste

Jeff Milo, MI Local

To hear all of Jeff’s picks from the year, check out his 11-hour-long Spotify playlist.

• “Is It True Love?” – Bluhm
• “Big Boy” – Katy Needs a Life
• “Meet Me On The Internet” – Summer Like the Season
• “things we want to know” – Vespre
• “The Big Idea” – Lily Talmers

Jon Moshier, Modern Music

• “Big Wheel” – Shannon & The Clams
• “Hours” – Fred Thomas
• “Transmission” – The Routes
• “Soonish…” – Dummy
• “Big Tuna” – variety

Liz Warner, Alternate Take

• “Journey In Satchidananda (feat. Pharoah Sanders)” – Alice Coltrane
• “Blessed Unrest” – Infinite River
• “Life Is” – Jessica Pratt
• “Nothing Simple (feat. Tammy Lakkis & Cleveland Thrasher)” – Shigeto
• “Good Life – Chantty Natural Remix (feat. Groove Terminator & Chantty Natural)” – Soweto Gospel Choir

Mike Latulippe, The Detroit Move

• “Do Me Good” – The Mocks
• “Missionary” – Jack White
• “Transmission” – The Routes
• “Ours Forever” – The Jackets
• “Mystic Spiral” – Shadow Show

Rob Reinhart, Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music

• “Losing You (feat. Sampha, Laura Groves, Jah Wobble & Yazz Ahmed)” – Everything Is Recorded
• “Above Water” – Nick Piunti & The Complicated Men
• “Like I Say (I runaway)” – Nilüfer Yanya
• “Burial Ground (feat. James Mercer)” – The Decemberists
• “Same Risk” – Madi Diaz

Ryan Patrick Hooper, In The Groove

To hear all of Ryan’s picks from the year, check out “In The Groove: The best music released in 2024” parts 1–5.

• “Mum Does the Washing” – Joshua Idehen
• “Favourite” – Fontaines D.C.
• “R&B” – English Teacher
• “Mind’s a Lie” – High Vis
• “Count The Days (feat. Jenny Lewis)” – Swamp Dogg

Shigeto, The New Music Show

• “When It Fall” – SALĀKASTAR
• “Beaucoup de Drogue” – Shaii David
• “Reminiscin’ (feat. Dames Brown) [Re-Press]” – Will Sessions & Amp Fiddler
• “To Mitooni (Passed Out on a Persian Rug Mix)” – Salar Ansari & Shahram Shabpareh
• “Subdued (Tammy Lakkis Mix)” – Sara Marie Barron & Tammy Lakkis

I got an email from a listener today. They wrote: “way to get a grown man to cry at work with this drake tune lol.”

What an honor! And no, it wasn’t Drake the Canadian rapper — it was Nick Drake, the reclusive, mysterious English musician who sadly died at the age of 26 but left behind some insanely good music, like “Northern Sky.”

There’s also a new Boy Harsher remix of Pet Shop Boys, Eddie Chacon’s killer collab with John Carroll Kirby and a spiritual jazz epic courtesy of Work Money Death. Then, we make a brief but important pit stop exploring the new Dark Entries Records release of Patrick Cowley’s From Behind on the anniversary of the pioneering musician’s death (another talent gone far too soon). Lots of reasons to cry today on In The Groove.

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Nov. 12, 2024

• “ASR (feat. Jeff Parker)” – Meshell Ndegeocello
• “New London boy (Boy Harsher remix)” – Pet Shop Boys
• “Breathe” – Brighter Days Family
• “Lady Day and John Coltrane” – Gil Scott Heron
• “Impossible” – Andre Williams & Velvet Hammer
• “Empire (feat. John Carroll Kirby)” – Eddie Chacon
• “Respect Yourself” – Staple Singers
• “Home Is Where The Hatred Is” – Gil Scott Heron
• “Dreamin’” – Common & Pete Rock
• “In a Moment Divine” – Freak Heat Waves & Cindy Lee
• “Soldissimo – EDC Remix (with Air)” – Etienne de Crécy
• “New Star in the Sky (Demo 1)” – Air
• “Iko Iko” – Patrick Cowley
• “Gentle Persuasion” – Doug Hream Blunt
• “Green Fuzz” – Naked Giants
• “What Are You” – Pete Brandt’s Method
• “No Go (For Louis Macneice)” – The Cleaners From Venus
• “High Pressure Days (Todd Terje Remix)” – The Units
• “You Make No Sense” – ESG
• “The World and The Sun” – Moon Duo
• “Freedom as a Heartfelt Song” – Work Money Death
• “Count The Days (feat. Jenny Lewis)” – Swamp Dogg
• “Northern Shuffle” – Julian Lage
• “Meet Me In The City” – Junior Kimbrough
• “28-50” – Joe Webb
• “100 years of Bill & Lil” – Joe Webb
• “C + F” – Sam Prekop
• “Northern Sky” – Nick Drake
• “Blue Moon” – Beck
• “Sunrise Fool” – SHOLTO
• “Where’s My Brain???” – The Lazy Eyes

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

On this episode of Visions, I explore rhythm with just a small slice of music that makes me want to get up and dance. This is by no means a comprehensive study on rhythm! But it’s a good variety of feel-good music.

I play a mix of classics from Miles Davis, Stanley Cowell, Sun Ra and Elvin Jones. I head to Detroit’s Club Mozambique for selections from Dr. Lonnie Smith and Grant Green. I also check out some of Brownswood Recordings’ new-ish releases from Kokoroko and Yussef Dayes. I’ve got a few other selections in there which tie this whole rhythm-based episode together.

Check out the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Visions Playlist for Nov. 11, 2024

• “Black Classical Music (feat. Venna & Charlie Stacey)” – Yussef Dayes
• “Ewà Inú” – Kokoroko
• “Dream Traveler” – Roy Hargrove
• “Blue Mist” – Joe Lovano
• “I Can’t Stand It (Live)” – Dr. Lonnie Smith
• “One More Chance (Live)” – Grant Green
• “Travellin’ Man” – Stanley Cowell
• “On Jupiter” – Sun Ra
• “Nem Um Talvez” – Miles Davis
• “Coalhada” – Hermeto Pascoal
• “Juicy (feat. Renee Neufville & Karl Denson)” – Roy Hargrove
• “Optimism” – Robert Hurst
• “Flight” – Ahmad Jamal
• “La Fiesta” – Elvin Jones
• “Jean Marie” – Woody Shaw
• “Samba del Sol” – Roy Brooks
• “Waltz for Zweetie” – Walter Bishop, Jr.
• “Conjuration” – Pepper Adams

After a lovely WDET Travel journey to Switzerland, I’m back in the fold and dropping new stuff from Nilufer Yanya, Julian Lage, Kokoroko, GOAT, Las Palabras & Angélica Garcia, plus lots more new discovery. Also had to put an artist spotlight on IDLES and their fantastic album from earlier this year, Tangk. I can’t stop listening to this more gentle take on post-punk from the group — definitely their best album yet. And it’s always a pleasure to play a jazz epic from Jeff Parker as he gets ready to release a new album later this year on International Anthem (I’ll be spotlighting this label later on this month).

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for Oct. 15, 2024

• “Just A Western (Boy Harsher Remix)” – Nilufer Yanya
• “Things You Do For Love” – Apiento
• “To Ardent (feat. Nancy Sinatra) [Horse Meat Disco Remix]” – Black Devil Disco Club
• “Jungle” – IDLES
• “Roy” – IDLES
• “POP POP POP” – IDLES
• “Why Am I Alive Now?” – Anohni
• “You’ve Been In Love Too Long” – Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
• “Elevator” – Gavin Turek
• “Don’t Leave Me” – Sugar Tradition
• “Northern Shuffle” – Julian Lage
• “Three Piece Suit (feat. Azekel)” – Kokoroko
• “Late Autumn (feat. Anna Butterss, Jay Bellerose & Josh Johnson)” – Jeff Parker & ETA IVtet
• “Hit Or Miss” – Odetta
• “Little Failure (Live On WDET)” – Winestoned Cowboys
• “Sorry Tomorrow (Live On WDET)” – Winestoned Cowboys
• “Pour Man” – Lee Hazlewood
• “It Ain’t Nothing To Me” – Sanford Clark
• “Ouroboros” – GOAT
• “I Can’t Hardly Stand It” – The Cramps
• “They Call Me Country” – Sanford Clark
• “La Misma Luna” – Las Palabras & Angélica Garcia
• “First Class” – Khruangbin
• “Gemini” – Angelica Garcia
• “Billboard Heart” – Deep Sea Diver
• “Farewell Transmission” – Kevin Morby & Waxahatchee
• “On the Floor (Noise NY version)” – Galaxie 500
• “Free Money” – Patti Smith
• “I’ve Never Loved A Man” – Aretha Franklin

Listen to In The Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.