Real wild mix today that starts with FKJ & Bas before heading over to Gil Scott Heron’s forever important “Winter In America” and ending up with a lot of Prince (I’m still collecting myself after hearing his stripped down version of “17 Days” with just him, a mic and a piano).

I wanted to shout out some of the musicians who have lost their homes and their livelihoods in the Los Angeles wildfires, including John Carroll Kirby (with the aptly titled track “Rainmaker”) plus endlessly influential hip-hop producer Madlib and Detroit’s own Bennie Maupin, the multireedist jazz musician who famously appears on Herbie Hancock’s “Headhunters” album. 

Maupin, who has been a resident of Altadena for 30 years, was quoted in the New York Post: “I managed to get out. I lost all my instruments and all my music. All of that’s gone, but I’m still here.”

Madlib has a fundraiser going to help him and his family out via Donorbox.

Maupin has a fundraiser for him and his family via GoFundMe.

If you can support, I hope you do. I know it’s an amazingly small selection of artists who have been affected, but it’s something.

WDET’s Shigeto did a wonderful tribute to Los Angeles and its many musicians on The New Music Show — you can check that out here.

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 Jan. 14, 2025

• “Risk” – FKJ & Bas
• “Winter In America” – Gil Scott Heron
• “Rainmaker” – John Carroll Kirby
• “What You Are” – Pete Brandt’s Method
• “My Last Chance (SalaAM ReMi LP Mix)” – Marvin Gaye
• “Lazarus” – David Bowie
• “LUST.” – Kendrick Lamar
• “Right” – David Bowie
• “Love Is a Hurtin’ Thing (12″ Version)” – Gloria Ann Taylor
• “Multi-Love” – Unknown Mortal Orchestra
• “Too Good (Unknown Mortal Orchestra Remix)” – Arlo Parks
• “Something, Anything” – STR4TA
• “Gorgeous (Evm128 Remix)” – Detroit Rising
• Let Your Hair Down (feat. Hutch the Great)” – Max Sinal
• “17 Days (Piano & a Microphone 1983 Version)” – Prince
• “Just Like a Baby” – Sly & the Family Stone
• “Liquid Love (feat. Sylvia Cox)” – Roy Ayers
• “We Are The Sun” – Sault
• “Don’t Wanna Fight” – Alabama Shakes
• “Wind Parade” – Donald Byrd
• “Stepping Into Tomorrow” – Madlib
• “Pop Life (12″ Version)” – Prince & the Revolution
• “You’re Not In Love” – Carmen Lundy
• “Nomalizo” – Letta Mbulu
• “Road of the Lonely Ones” – Madlib
• “Crime Pays” – Freddie Gibbs & Madlib
• “Auditorium (feat. Slick Rick)” – Mos Def
• “Accordion” – Madvillain
• “Raid (feat. MED)” – Madvillain
• “Umm Hmm” – Erykah Badu
• “Anointed Soul” – Jahari Massamba Unit, Karriem Riggins & Madlib
• “Watermelon Man” – Herbie Hancock & Headhunters

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.

We’re back In The Groove with new music from Japanese Breakfast, Mogwai, Goat Girl, Rich Ruth, Lightning Bug and more.

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 Jan. 13, 2025

• “Searching” – Black Vandross
• “Better” – Joy Orbison & Léa Sen
• “AA   BOUQUET   FOR   YOUR   180   FACE” – Saya Gray
• “She’s Coming” – The Gaslamp Killer & The Heliocentrics
• “Satin Curtains” – Molly Lewis
• “God Gets Your Back” – Mogwai
• “A.M. 180” – Grandaddy
• “One” – Ahmad Jamal & Gary Burton
• “Road Head” – Japanese Breakfast
• “Orlando In Love” – Japanese Breakfast
• “Boyish” – Japanese Breakfast
• “Ride Around” – Goat Girl
• “Like I Say (I runaway)” – Nilufer Yanya
• “No Muscle, No Memory” – Rich Ruth
• “Automoton” – Ash Walker
• “Give It To Me Baby” – Jarina De Marco
• “Huarache Lights” – Hot Chip
• “I Will Run” – Ibibio Sound Machine
• “A Figure In The Surf” – Mount Kimbie
• “I Feel…” – Lightning Bug
• “Thank You Deeply” – Mystery Tiime & The Maghreban
• “Before You Gotta Go” – Courtney Barnett
• “Take Me” – Scout laRue Willis
• “Carry Me Higher (7 Inch Version)” – The Blessed Madonna, Joy Anonymous & Danielle Ponder
• “7 AM” – Jacqueline Taïeb
• “The Call Up” – The Clash
• “Rain Can’t Reach Us (feat. Tony Allen)” – Yannis and the Yaw
• “Enjoy The Silence” – Depeche Mode
• “Song of hope” – Nicolas Jaar
• “The Bug” – Crumb
• “Cécile” – Edouard Ferlet
• “Over When It’s Over” – Lucy Rose
• “Inside And Out” – Feist
• “Mad (Young Franco Remix)” – Hope Tala
• “I’m Gonna Dance (Jitwam Remix)” – Asha Puthli
• “Movementt” – Emma-Jean Thackray

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.

Last call to see one of my favorite shows of the year, which closes this Sunday, Jan. 12.

I knew nothing of Toshiko Takaezu before this retrospective of her work at Cranbrook Art Museum. “Worlds Within” goes along chronologically, highlighting her array of clay work alongside some abstract paintings and other pieces. 

Takaezu’s career spanned seven decades and it’s all on display here, stretching from the 1950s through the early 2000s, when the scale and impact of her work only kept growing. (In fact, the final gallery is my favorite gallery on display here.)

There’s early student work from her time studying in Hawaii. There’s work from her time spent teaching at Cranbrook, which is a nice feather in the cap for this storied institution in Bloomfield Hills that’s an international draw for artists to study and for patrons to gawk at their collections.

What isn’t captured in the bio of Takaezu’s “Worlds Within” is how warm, engaging and downright wonderful this exhibition is — even when it blasts off into outer space.

Takaezu’s “Moonscapes” are stars of the show here — a galaxy of large spherical sculptures (two large bowls brought together) hanging snuggly in fiber hammocks created by Lenore Tawney for a show all the way back in 1979. They were displayed a decade after the Apollo mission, which tilted Takaezu towards creating these pieces.

Alongside the hammocks, Takaezu creates a small galaxy of these spheres in front of another one of Tawney’s fiber pieces. 

We’re not all on the artistic orbit of Takaezu, but these pieces provide an out-of-this-world viewing experience that’s grounded and inviting to those of us stuck down here on Earth.

“Worlds Within” wraps with large vessels from Takaezu’s “Star Series.” The stoneware vessels are modeled after Korean storage jars and require large kilns to be made. The abstract coloring on the exterior of each one makes it feel like you’re stumbling into an alien graveyard.

They are stunning explorations of scale within the world of clay, the sheer size of which I’ve rarely seen displayed with such humbling affect.

When Takaezu plays with scale, it’s magical. And she knew size isn’t everything throughout her career.

“Sometimes the small one has everything.”

She kept making smaller, more playful works alongside the authoritative stature of her take on Korean storage jars.

It helps weave a story of an artist who never lost sight of playfulness within her work even as her work grew as large in scale as the planets above that fascinated her.

And a true celebration of clay and stoneware, a medium which rarely gets it’s own retrospective on this scale in metro Detroit’s cultural scene.

“Ryan Patrick Hooper goes to…” is published by WDET in partnership with Midbrow.

Read more:

• Still Life Studio’s winter ceramics show offers eclectic pieces from local artists
• Jazz pianist Elew’s electrifying set at Cliff Bell’s
• ‘Monday Is The New Monday’ at Motor City Wine

New music from Elkka, First Beige, Darkside, Magdalena Bay, Everything Is Recorded and mary in the junkyard, Joshua Idehen and more, plus throwback Thursday with Otis Redding, Sarah Vaughn, Milton Nascimento, Curtis Mayfield and others!

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 Jan. 9, 2025

• “Let it Happen (Soulwax Remix)” – Tame Impala
• “Sudden Weight (feat. Allysha Joy)” – First Beige
• “I Just Want To Love You” – Elkka
• “S.N.C.” – Darkside
• “Golden” – Elmiene
• “SP12 Beat” – Mount Kimbie
• “Water Me Down” – Vagabon
• “Death & Romance” – Magdalena Bay
• “Starfish And Coffee” – Prince
• “100 Yard Dash (Nicky D Remix)” – Derobert & The Half-truths
• “All Mine” – Portishead
• “Origin” – Studio
• “10:03” – Doves
• “Black Coffee” – Sarah Vaughn
• “Cigarettes & Coffee” – Otis Redding
• “Tudo o Que Você Podia Ser” – Milton Nascimento
• “Vento A Favor” – Sessa
• “Tandem Jump” – Jonathan Richman
• “Handshake Drugs (11/13/03 Sear Sound-NYC Version)” – Wilco
• “Heroes” – David Bowie
• “Swamp Dream #3” – Everything Is Recorded & mary in the junkyard
• “AA   BOUQUET   FOR   YOUR   180   FACE” – Saya Gray
• “Could Be Forever” – Joshua Idehen
• “The Makings of You” – Gladys Knight & The Pips
• “Billy Jack” – Curtis Mayfield
• “1st Key” – Birdman & Lil Wayne
• “The Book Lovers” – Broadcast
• “Brains” – Lower Dens
• “Silver Soul” – Beach House
• “Percolator” – Stereolab
• “Cherry Sunshine” – Somesurprises

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.

What an interesting show… from the simply gorgeous piano playing of Joe Webb to new music from Divorce, Michael Kiwanuka, Oscar Jerome, Lola Young, DARKSIDE and others all the way to the Ethio-jazz of musical pioneer and ambassador Mulatu Astatke & Hoodna Orchestra and guitar legend Santana.

Felt like we were at the height of our genre-hopping powers today on In The Groove — hope ya dig!

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 Jan. 8, 2025

• “Rebel Soul” – Michael Kiwanuka
• “Antarctica” – Divorce
• “Desert Belly” – Oscar Jerome
• “Soft Spot” – JMSN
• “Before You Gotta Go” – Courtney Barnett
• “Stay Around” – J.J. Cale
• “Go It Alone” – Beck
• “Messy” – Lola Young
• “Because I’m Me” – The Avalanches
• “Love Hangover” – Diana Ross
• “Hello Detroit” – Tall Black Guy
• “Collblanc” – Joe Webb
• “Diane Charlemagne (Iman Houssein Remix)” – LEFTO EARLY BIRD
• “Maneiras (feat. Zeca Pagodinho e Marcelo D2)” – Arlindo Cruz & Rogê
• “Can We Pretend” – Bill Withers
• “Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise” – Andrew Bird, Alan Hampton & Ted Poor
• “Nothing Can Surprise Me” – Tamar Aphek
• “Pára (feat. Jessica Lauren)” – MOMO.
• “Oye Como Va” – Santana
• “Tension” – Mulatu Astatke & Hoodna Orchestra
• “I Set My Face to the Hillside” – Tortoise
• “S.N.C.” – DARKSIDE
• “Roy” – IDLES
• “Tomorrow Never Knows” – Beatles
• “Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose” – Father John Misty
• “We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings” – The Smile
• “Guided Tour” – High Vis
• “I Wanna Be Adored” – Stone Roses
• “Les Fleur (feat. Carina Andersson)” – 4hero
• “In a Moment Divine” – Freak Heat Waves & Cindy Lee
• “Too Much Love (Rub ‘n’ Tug Mix)” – LCD Soundsystem

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.

I kicked off today’s show trying to warm up the city with some classics from Beatles, Bob Dylan, Wreckless Eric — there’s just more warmth in the analog studio recordings from back in the day.

Also, lots of psych-rock bands keeping that spirit, sound and feeling alive via Lazy Eyes, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and others. Kraftwerk always sounds good regardless of the weather on In The Groove, and it was even sweeter to giveaway tickets to their upcoming show at Masonic Cathedral Theatre on March 29 (congrats to all the listeners who won!).

On top of that, new music from LA LOM, Joe Armon-Jones, Lawne, Gratts (remixed by hometown legend John Beltran), Fabiano do Nascimento and much more.

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 Jan. 7, 2025

• “Come On and Move Me” – Celeste Krishna
• “You Won’t See Me” – Beatles
• “We Will Not Make It (Not Without You)” – Twin Peaks
• “The Man In Me” – Bob Dylan
• “Whole Wide World” – Wreckless Eric
• “So We Won’t Forget” – Khruangbin
• “Hunnybee” – Unknown Mortal Orchestra
• “Rà-àkõ-st (Unknown Mortal Orchestra Version)” – Lindstrøm & Unknown Mortal Orchestra
• “Fuzz Jam” – Lazy Eyes
• “Alacrán” – LA LOM
• “Sorrowful Horns (feat. James Mollison)” – Joe Armon-Jones
• “Ghost Town” – The Specials
• “For The Time Being” – Erlend Øye & La Comitiva
• “Quetzal” – Los Hermanos
• “Mamasong” – Lawne
• “Sun Circles (Beltran Remix)” – Gratts
• “Follow Me” – Special Interest
• “Repetitioner” – THUS LOVE
• “Fallen (feat. Momoko Gill)” – Matthew Herbert
• “Leave Your Life (Lonely Hearts Mix)” – Alex Kassian
• “Crown” – Tall Black Guy x Kendrick Lamar
• “PUAJ” – Salin
• “Dub Je Je” – Antibalas
• “Trans Europe Express” – Kraftwerk
• “Computer Love” – Kraftwerk
• “The Fast Flowing River” – Work Money Death
• “Feijoada (Live)” – Fabiano do Nascimento
• “Shaken To My Soul (feat. Ruti)” – Girls of the Internet
• “Show Me Your Pretty Side” – Tamar Aphek
• “Time” – Mo Kolours
• “Son Of A Preacher Man” – Mieke Miami

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.

So pumped to be back In The Groove in the New Year… with a special highlight on Benjamin Booker, who is playing at the Magic Bag on Feb. 19 (an In The Groove must-go-show) and releasing a new record, “LOWER,” out later this month and produced by Kenny Segal.

Plus, new music from Panda Bear & Cindy Lee, Joshua Idehen, Girls of the Internet, Lola Young, MIKE and more.

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 Jan. 6, 2025

• “Violent Shiver” – Benjamin Booker
• “Defense” – Panda Bear & Cindy Lee
• “Gut Feeling / (Slap Your Mammy)” – DEVO
• “Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)” – Neil Young
• “Compared to What (Live at The Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland, June 1969)” – Eddie Harris & Les McCann
• “Could Be Forever” – Joshua Idehen
• “Give It To Me Baby” – Jarina De Marco
• “Back 2 Me (feat. Sadie Walker)” – Girls of the Internet
• “Donuts Mind If I Do” – CHAI
• “Where’s My Brain???” – Lazy Eyes
• “Charlie (feat. Lil Yachty)” – Lola Young
• “Eternal Light” – Free Nationals & Chronixx
• “Origin” – Studio
• “2020” – SUUNS
• “Like Eating Glass” – Bloc Party
• “Heartbeat” – Wire
• “I Love You” – Spacemen 3
• “I’m Waiting For The Man” – Velvet Underground
• “SAME KIND OF LONELY” – Benjamin Booker
• “Pieces of a Dream” – MIKE
• “I’m Doing Fine (feat. Amp Dog Knight)” – Moodymann
• “Mãe (feat. Maro)” – Munir Hossn
• “Carried Away” – H.E.R.
• “History Repeats (Jungle Remix)” – Brittany Howard
• “Insecure” – Tom Misch
• “Para Chick” – Tania Maria
• “Mountains” – Raquel Martins
• “Nancy Wilson (feat. Ahya Simone & Dez Andres) [Shigeto Remix]” – Brian Jackson, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad
• “A Beginning Dream” – Triste Janero
• “Walk On By” – Triste Janero
• “Somethings Going On (Miles James Remix)” – Kokoroko
• “Life During Wartime (live)” – Talking Heads

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.

My favorite time of the year — end of year best of music lists!

This is the final installment of In The Groove’s Best Of 2024 series, with spotlights on Loma, Nilufer Yanya, Friko, TAMTAM, Mannequin Pussy, Milton Nascimento & Esperanza Spalding, Rich Ruth and more.

You can see the playlist and listen back to previous shows below:

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

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 December 19, 2024

• “Pink Sky” – Loma
• “Method Actor” – Nilüfer Yanya
• “Words fell out” – Goat Girl
• “I Don’t Know You” – Mannequin Pussy
• “Brown Paper Bag” – DIIV
• “Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi” – Friko
• “Bara To Yaju” – Haruomi Hosono
• “Contact High” – Metronomy, Faux Real & Miki
• “Exile” – Swim Surreal & Zero 7
• “Go Down The Mountain” – TAMTAM
• “Why You Lied” – Forest Law
• “Breathe Now” – Tara Lily
• “levels (IZCO & Reek0 Remix)” – oreglo
• “As Above As Below” – Fievel Is Glauque
• “A Day In The Life” – Milton Nascimento & Esperanza Spalding
• “Only One” – Cassandra Jenkins
• “Lucy Takes A Picture” – Youth Lagoon
• “No Muscle, No Memory” – Rich Ruth
• “Dream Of You” – Lionlimb & Angel Olsen
• “Grow In Pains (feat. SUGARTHIEF)” – Freya McKee
• “Lie In The Gutter” – Peel Dream Magazine
• “Better Hate” – Jessica Pratt
• “Pretty Girls” – Honeyglaze
• “Like I Say (I runaway)” – Nilüfer Yanya
• “My Room” – Divorce
• “Wristwatch” – MJ Lenderman
• “Empires Never Know” – Jessica Pratt
• “What Not to Do (Moodymann Remix)” – Róisín Murphy
• “Outubro” – Milton Nascimento & Esperanza Spalding
• “100 Years Of Bill & Lil” – Joe Webb
• “The Seer” – Nubya Garcia
• “Good In The Bad (Thomas Xu Remix)” – Jihoon
• “Sick Of The Blues” – Porridge Radio
• “DNM” – Mk.gee
• “Defense” – Panda Bear & Cindy Lee
• “The Big Idea” – Lily Talmers
• “Northern Shuffle” – Julian Lage
• “That’s How I’m Feeling” – Jack White

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.

My favorite time of the year — end of year best of music lists!

This is PART FOUR of In The Groove’s Best Of 2024 series. Spotlights on Dummy, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Ezra Collective, Tierra Whack, Joy Orbison, SBTRKT and more.

You can see the playlist and listen back to previous shows below:

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

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 Dec. 19, 2024

• “To Be Still” – Brittany Howard
• “Everything in its Right Place” – Kamaal Williams
• “Son of a Preacher Man” – Mieke Miami
• “Niceties” – Forest Law
• “Space” – Hypnotic Brass Ensemble & Yasiin Bey
• “God Gave Me Feet For Dancing (feat. Yazmin Lacey)” – Ezra Collective & Yazmin Lacey
• “Moon Slide” – Lilblackkids, Georgia Anne Muldrow & Keith Rice
• “SHOWER SONG” – Tierra Whack
• “False Start Dub” – Kings Of High Speed & JKriv
• “Hello? (feat. aden) [Maurice Fulton Remix]” – musclecars
• “flight fm” – Joy Orbison
• “Back On” – SBTRKT
• “David” – Allysha Joy
• “Lo Dudo” – Ëda Diaz
• “Rain Can’t Reach Us (feat. Tony Allen)” – Yannis & The Yaw
• “Nullspace” – Dummy
• “Opaline Bubbletear” – Dummy
• “Blue Dada” – Dummy
• “Dumb Guitar” – Mount Kimbie
• “Ill Times” – GUM & Ambrose Kenny-Smith
• “Bang (Peanut Butter Wolf Remix)” – Melenas & Peanut Butter Wolf
• “Hot Sun” – Wilco
• “New York, Let’s Do Nothing” – King Hannah
• “Ride around” – Goat Girl
• “Why Are You?” – Natty Reeves
• “All Seeds” – Don Glori
• “Dispose Of Me” – Omar Apollo
• “Never Be Yours” – Kali Uchis
• “For The Time Being” – Erlend Øye & La Comitiva
• “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” – Andrew Bird, Alan Hampton & Ted Poor
• “If You Only Knew (Live from Union Chapel)” – Gabriels
• “Passionfruit (feat. John Carroll Kirby)” – Elkka
• “Parasite (feat. Kindelan)” – Sean Khan & The Modern Jazz & Folk Ensemble
• “Late Autumn (feat. Anna Butterss, Jay Bellerose & Josh Johnson)” – Jeff Parker

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.

I’ve never thought of a ceramics sale as an art show until I rolled through the Still Life Studios in Ferndale.

It’s the blatant commerce of it all. Couples shopping for last-minute holiday gifts, one partner always a little more curious and willing than the other. To me, people browsing as consumers just look different than patrons stoically meandering through a museum.

Ceramics artist Kim Khamo changed my perspective with her display at Still Life, which rents out space, supplies and equipment to a wide ranging level of talent.

In less than a year, the Assyrian artist has developed a full-bodied artist identity through ceramics under her Nahrain Ceramics label. (Her work is pictured above.)

“A lot of my work is inspired by the geometric patterns of Mesopotamia because that’s who I am,” said Khamo. “That’s my roots. That’s my ancestry.”

She wasn’t the only artist there who convinced me there was more depth here than mugs and vases for sale.

Sara Zhao of Saratonin Clay brought a sense of sleek whimsy to her designs. It was surprising just how precise these artists can be with their handiwork.

Trent Bradley-Mitchell went a different way entirely, bringing a sense of horror, shock, deformity and disfigurement that stood proudly in contrast to the knack for cleanliness other artists gravitated towards. (An example is pictured at the top of this story.)

Amadeusz Sepko felt like one of the most complete artists on display, or maybe that’s just what a handle on abstraction and control can do for an artist’s vibe.

Did it have the decorum of a museum? No. Did it function primarily as a sale for the public? Yes.

But I think if you look a little closer at the ceramics displayed and the stories behind them, there’s more than mugs and vases for sale at Still Life.

“In The Groove goes to…” is published by WDET in partnership with Midbrow.

My favorite time of the year — end of year best of music lists! This is PART THREE of In The Groove’s Best Of 2024 series. Spotlights on Astrid Sonne, Work Money Death, Vince Staples, Schoolboy Q, Crumb and more.

You can see the playlist and listen back to previous shows below:

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

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 Dec. 18, 2024

• “Moving Forward” – Bryony Jarman-Pinto
• “Lil Birdie” – DJ Harrison
• “Pon Pón” – Khruangbin
• “Bloodline (Marla Kether Remix)” – Samantha Lindo
• “Kravitz” – Mabe Fratti
• “Your House (feat. Astrid Sonne & Fine)” – Coined
• “When I Was Younger” – Bonny Light Horseman
• “Say you love me” – Astrid Sonne
• “Ramble In The Rainbow” – TAMTAM
• “We Are The People” – Work Money Death
• “Gemini” – Angélica Garcia
• “Insecure” – Tom Misch
• “Speak To Me” – Julian Lage
• “Humanity” – LAVA LA RUE
• “Bon Bon” – Fcukers
• “Just Listen” – Mark Guiliana
• “African Skies” – Lars Bartkuhn
• “Dance Steve (feat. Jeff Parker)” – Anna Butterss
• “Three Piece Suit (feat. Azekel)” – Kokoroko
• “Crumb” – John Roseboro & Liana Flores
• “Vento a Favor (Instrumental)” – Sessa
• “Side By Side” – Crumb
• “Crushxd” – Crumb
• “Continuum 5” – Nala Sinephro
• “Continuum 6” –Nala Sinephro
• “Be Reasonable” – Somesurprises
• “Right Back to It (feat. MJ Lenderman)” – Waxahatchee
• “Count The Days (feat. Jenny Lewis)” – Swamp Dogg
• “Fool” – Adrianne Lenker
• “Mum Does the Washing” – Joshua Idehen
• “Sweet Thang (feat. Summer Walker)” – Childish Gambino
• “oHio (feat. Freddie Gibbs)” – Schoolboy Q
• “Clothes Off” – Cousin Kula
• “Étouffée” – Vince Staples

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.

My favorite time of the year — end of year best of music lists!

This is part 2 of In The Groove’s Best Of 2024 series. It features highlights on Reyna Tropical, Ibibio Sound Machine and Little Simz, plus listener picks from you, including Remi Wolf, Soft Play, The Cure and Jungle.

You can see the full playlist and listen back to previous shows below:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

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 December 17, 2024

• “Aquí Te Cuido” – Reyna Tropical
• “TURBULÊNCIA” – Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti & Frank Rosaly
• “Pull The Rope” – Ibibio Sound Machine
• “To The Dancefloor” – Debby Friday
• “SOS” – Little Simz
• “Far Away” – Little Simz
• “Mood Swings” – Little Simz
• “Find Me (Live)” – Kassa Overall
• “Mort Crim” – Ian Fink
• “Over When It’s Over” – Lucy Rose
• “Daddy’s Gonna Tell You No Lie” – Red Hot Org, Kronos Quartet, Laraaji & Sun Ra
• “Toro” – Remi Wolf *listener pick for best of 2024*
• “Motorcycle” – Remi Wolf
• “Musica” – Mildlife
• “Workin’ On It” – Brijean
• “Volume” – Caribou
• “Thrown Around” – James Blake
• “Sundowner” – Fontaines D.C.
• “Everything And Nothing” – Soft Play *listener pick for best of 2024*
• “Favourite” – Fontaines D.C.
• “All I Ever Am” – The Cure *listener pick for best of 2024*
• “Daylight Song” – Wu Lu
• “Con Altura” – Orquesta Akokán
• “Ya Va Pasar” – Reyna Tropical
• “Back On 74 (Full Crate Remix)” – Jungle
• “Let’s Go Back” – Jungle *listener pick for best of 2024*
• “It’s Alright” – Baby Rose & BADBADNOTGOOD
• “DIPAD33 / W . I . D . F . U” – Saya Gray
• “Ambrosia” – Erick the Architect & Channel Tres
• “Long As The Sun” – Jaiton
• “Closer” – Maria Chiara Argirò
• “Beta Pan” – Lawne
• “comet (feat. Bel Cobain)” – oreglo
• “Levels” – oreglo
• “Fácil” – Empress Of
• “31 Bloom” – Four Tet
• “Dream State” – Kamasi Washington & André 3000

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.

My favorite time of the year — end of year best of music lists!

Now, this is the first time In The Groove has been around to actually do these — what an honor. And it’s not about ranking. It’s just about sharing the stuff that was in heavy rotation on the show or heavy rotation on my playlists (which is the show, so I guess those things are the same thing). And on top of that, I really wanted to hear from you! And you didn’t disappoint at all. Listener picks today from Yard Act, Laura Marling, Being Dead, Kamasi Washington and Glass Beams. Plus, lots of my picks including Wye Oak, English Teacher, Britti, musclecars and more.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

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 Dec. 16, 2024

• “R&B” – English Teacher
• “A Vineyard For The North” – Yard Act
• “We Make Hits” – Yard Act *listener pick for best of 2024*
• “Mind’s A Lie” – High Vis
• “Logic of Color (feat. William Brittelle) [Variation]” – Wye Oak, Metropolis Ensemble & Paul Wiancko
• “Patterns” – Laura Marling *listener pick for best of 2024*
• “Nothing Compares To You” – Britti
• “Ha Ya! (Eternal Life) [feat. Natalie Greffel]” – musclecars
• “Image” – Magdalena Bay
• “Touch Me (feat. Clara La San) [B Roll Mix]” – Jam City & Aidan
• “My Love” – Metronomy & Nourished by Time
• “Money Shows (feat. Eartheater)” – John Glacier
• “Power To Undo” – Brittany Howard
• “Every Color In Blue” – Brittany Howard
• “Dawn (feat. Esperanza Spalding)” – Nubya Garcia
• “Spinning” – Julia Holter
• “I Forgot to Be Your Lover” – Black Keys
• “On Tonight” – Rosali
• “Freedom” – Jordan Rakei
• “Everything’s Beautiful” – Hiatus Kaiyote
• “Love Heart Cheat Code” – Hiatus Kaiyote
• “Firefighters” – Being Dead *listener pick for best of 2024*
• “A Bit Like James Bond” – The Bug Club
• “Lonsdale Slipons” – The Bug Club
• “Prologue” – Kamasi Washington *listener pick for best of 2024*
• “Mahal” – Glass Beams *listener pick for best of 2024*
• “Sunday” – Annahstasia
• “i no u no” – James Tillman
• “Juanita” – Angélica Garcia
• “Hand On Me” – Nourished By Time
• “Rare” – Bullion & Carly Rae Jepsen
• “Dream police” – Mk.gee
• “Don’t Get Me Started” – The Smile
• “A Dream Goes on Forever” – Vegyn & John Glacier
• “Trust (feat. Matt Maltese)” – Vegyn
• “The Mystery of Man” – Zara McFarlane

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.

Sometimes at Cliff Bell’s, the jazz gets drowned out by the clink of forks on plates. That’s usually on the weekend date nights, when fur coats and suctioned-on dresses dominate the wardrobe.

But on Thursdays, Cliff Bell’s is for jazz lovers. The real heads, if you will. It’s the first night of the weekend run. The musicians sprawl out a bit more, experimenting, figuring each other out, getting ready for the weekend warriors.

It’s less busy. There are diners at tables, sure, but the best seat is at the bar. It’s relaxed, more casual. There’s a handsome older man in a suit at the bar. There’s a young European tourist in a windbreaker at the bar. There’s me in a t-shirt at the bar. 

When the band strikes a particularly fascinating motif or unleashes a righteous solo, the crowd doesn’t hold back. There’s hollering. There’s hooting. There are shouts of “c’mon!” and “god damn!” 

That felt constant during Elew’s Thursday night opening set (he’ll be here Friday and Saturday performing two sets each night). The whole room was captivated by him and his band, with Detroit’s own Louis Jones on the drums and Jeff Pedraz on bass. Pedraz tells me after the show that they haven’t played together in years. You’d never guess by the chemistry this trio already has on the opening night of their run on a sleepy, freezing Thursday in Detroit.

“I’ve never seen someone play the piano like that,” my friend comments. 

It’s his first time at Cliff Bell’s, a jazz club that dates back to the 1920s. It still has all that Art Deco charm, too. Bringing someone here for the first time is like guiding a religious pilgrimage. It’s an honor, really.

I’ve never seen someone play the piano like that, either. So much intensity, so much spirit, so much control amongst the alternating fury of mashing keys or lightly tickling them to create the same spiritual effect of a harpist gently plucking strings.

When Elew really let loose during a sprawling, 20-minute take on John Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things,” he looked possessed, like watching someone speak in tongues at a Baptist church.

“And I’ve got a nice rum and Coke over here, another one of my favorite things,” Elew says in the mic.

“I’ve never seen someone make the piano look so small,” my friend comments.

Elew is working the piano like a trinket, reaching inside and bending the piano strings to give a muted, electronic-esque sound to his take on “Heartbeats” by the Swedish electronic duo The Knife.

That’s the wild thing about Elew, a.k.a. Eric Robert Lewis. He opens his set with Sonny Rollins, takes you on a third-eye-opening journey through Coltrane’s best-known tune, stops off for a bit of pop music before performing Wynton Marsalis’ “Delfeayo’s Dilemma.”

By the end of it, I realize I’ve just witnessed one of my favorite jazz sets of all time on a sleepy, freezing Thursday. Sitting at the bar with a friend and a bunch of strangers, all of us in awe of what we’ve just taken in. There for the music and only the music.

Every person I see today and this weekend, I’ll be saying, “you’ve got to go see this guy down at Cliff Bell’s.”

“In The Groove goes to…” is published by WDET in partnership with Midbrow.

You warm up with Nina Simone. You discover the voice of Allysha Joy. You realize Tyler The Creator sampled Zamrock legend Paul Ngozi on his new record. Kendrick Lamar makes an appearance (via a rare demo and a Tall Black Guy flip). Kokoroko drops new music. The Bug Club remains one of my favorites of 2024. And so much more!

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 Dec. 12, 2024

• “Chilly Winds Don’t Blow (Live In New York/1964)” – Nina Simone
• “There Goes The Light” – Rosie Lowe
• “Hold On” – Allysha Joy
• “PRIDE.” – Kendrick Lamar
• “Nizakupanga Ngozi” – Ngozi Family & Paul Ngozi
• “100% Samba” – Rogê
• “Crown” – Tall Black Guy x Kendrick Lamar
• “Three Piece Suit (feat. Azekel)” – Kokoroko
• “Winter In America” – Gil Scott Heron & Brian Jackson
• “Strange” – Galaxie 500
• “Say My Name” – The Belair Lip Bombs
• “We Don’t Care About That” – The Bug Club
• “Workin’ On It” – Brijean
• “Asiko (In a Silent Mix) [Motor City Drum Ensemble Remix]” – Tony Allen
• “Tap Out” – The Strokes
• “Who By Fire” – Skinny Pelembe & Beth Orton
• “Pink Sky” – Loma
• “Wake Up Song” – Sunfear
• “I Pity The Country” – Willie Dunn
• “Sleeping Lessons” – The Shins
• “Scratchcard Lanyard” – Dry Cleaning
• “Favourite” – Fontaines D.C.
• “There’s so Many People That Want to Be Loved” – Sorry
• “Purple Snowflakes” – Say She She
• “Snowfall” – Ahmad Jamal Trio
• “The Bells of St. Mary’s” – Gastr Del Sol, Jim O’Rourke & David Grubbs
• “Don’t Be Cruel” – Billy Swan
• “Is There A Ghost” – Band of Horses
• “Crazy for You (Alternative Version – Demo Version)” – Slowdive
• “Until We Meet Again” – Hermanos Gutiérrez
• “Meet Me In The City” – Junior Kimbrough
• “Count The Days (feat. Jenny Lewis)” – Swamp Dogg
• “SHELL ( OF A MAN )” – Saya Gray
• “Virgo (feat. Julius Rodriguez)” – Meshell Ndegeocello & Brandee Younger
• “My People… Hold On” – Eddie Kendricks

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.

It’s hard to catch a vibe on a Monday night in Detroit.

We’re not quite yet a seven-night-a-week sort of town where the lights stay on and there’s music to be found everywhere.

But leave it to the weather cracking 50 degrees in December in Detroit to make it feel like spring has sprung. Certainly felt that way at Motor City Wine on Monday.

The wine bar with a patio on Michigan Avenue was playing host to “Monday Is The New Monday.” The DJ residency has locked it down for eight years at Motor City Wine. And it’s completely free.

And maybe it’s the fact that it’s been around that long that I take it for granted. Because damn it is a special, beautiful way to launch into the week with great music from master selectors on the turntables. 

“Monday Is The New Monday” is made up of five rotating resident DJs — Tammy Lakkis, Charles Trees, Ryan Spencer, Kenjiro and Shigeto. This Monday, the special guest was DJ Skeez.

And while I love them all for different reasons — the calm and coolness of Lakkis, the focus of Trees — I’ve got to signal out Shigeto here for his approach to full body DJing. 

Shigeto cut his teeth in Ann Arbor on the drums and with a jazz background, part of the early cast of characters that helped carve out a name for the Ghostly International label out of the same town. He’s always brought jazz alongside his bag of electronic music.

He’s gone on to become a critical piece of the musical infrastructure of Detroit since then, releasing his first new record in years — “Cherry Blossom Baby” — which brings a who’s who of Detroit musicians to the session with wonderful results.

Of course, Shigeto is part of the WDET team now too, with his New Music Show on Saturday nights.

And when he DJs, it’s a show, too. Truly throwing himself into the art form of spinning vinyl, his energy is infectious. The electro-techno records he was dropping filled the room and had the dance floor jumping, people excitedly peering over the DJ booth to dap him up and yell with joy when a track really hit. Tracks from the 1989 German compilation “Technopolis” hit particularly hard.

The room was perfectly lit. The patio jumping because hell, it felt like spring in December. The smell of Filipino food filling the room courtesy of Kusina’s pop-up at Motor City Wine. Shigeto completely captivating the room with his love for his craft and records to match the mood.

It’s a small moment but a powerful one. A reminder that even on a sleepy night in Detroit, there’s music in the air.

And a damn good reason to be at Motor City Wine on Mondays.

“In The Groove goes to…” is published by WDET in partnership with Midbrow.

I’m obsessed with Jeff Parker’s latest effort “The Way Out of Easy,” featuring saxophonist Josh Johnson, bassist Anna Butterss and drummer Jay Bellerose.

His ETA IVtet grew out of a residency in Los Angeles built around “groove-oriented, painterly, polyrhythmic, minimalist and mantric improvised music.” And damn, is it powerful! It stretches out but it’s never meandering. Feels like everything has a purpose. Really hope we get some Jeff Parker in Detroit real soon.

On top of that, new music from Oscar Jerome, MJ Lenderman, Tirzah, Vegyn, Joshua Idehen and more.

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 Dec. 11, 2024

• “Wristwatch” – MJ Lenderman
• “Desert Belly” – Oscar Jerome
• “No Limit” – Tirzah
• “Human Behaviour” – Björk
• “Everybody Daylight” – Brightblack Morning Light
• “Black Coffee” – Sarah Vaughn
• “Blue Motel Room” – Joni Mitchell
• “A Dream Goes on Forever” – Vegyn, John Glacier
• “Come and Play In the Milky Night” – Stereolab
• “Mum Does The Washing” – Joshua Idehen
• “Planted A Thought” – Arthur Russell
• “Black And White” – The dB’s
• “New Rose” – The Damned
• “Clear (Jose “Animal” Diaz Remix)” – Cybotron
• “x-ray eyes” – LCD Soundsystem
• “Broken Man” – St. Vincent
• “Heavy” – SPRINTS
• “Triumphance” – Nubya Garcia
• “Jimmy Jazz” – The Clash
• “I Want You Back (Z-Trip Remix)” – Jackson 5
• “Ouroboros (Radio Edit)” – GOAT
• “All the young dudes / West End girls (with the Manchester Camerata)” – Pet Shop Boys
• “Love Is Over” – La Femme
• “Weak In Your Light (Daniel Avery Remix)” – Nation of Language
• “Somebody’s Reality” – Django Django
• “Alone Again Or” – Calexico
• “Freakadelic (feat. Anna Butterss, Jay Bellerose & Josh Johnson)” – Jeff Parker

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.

I wanted the first hour of the show to feel like being wrapped in your favorite flannel around a bonfire because it is that time in Michigan… and man, did we nail it… as a team! Because your song selections for music you’re currently obsessed with DID NOT MISS.

Thank you for dropping those on the Groove hotline… PLUS! New music from Kim Deal, who is finally going solo after decades of being part of Pixies and Breeders and basically my musical upbringing. The new record is lovely. It’s called “Nobody Loves You More” and is out this Friday. This New York Times profile about her is lovely, too.

Also, new music from MJ Lenderman, Lola Young, Tyler The Creator and more.

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. 19, 2024

• “Winterlong” – Pixies
• “Invisible Man” – Breeders
• “Nobody Loves You More” – Kim Deal
• “Are You Mine?” – Kim Deal
• “Gigantic” – Pixies
• “Into The White” – Pixies
• “Angels With Dirty Faces” – Los Lobos (Groove Hotline)
• “Keep On Keepin’ On” – Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio (Groove Hotline)
• “Green Arrow” – Yo La Tengo (Groove Hotline)
• “Wristwatch” – MJ Lenderman
• “Not” – Big Thief
• “Charlie (feat. Lil Yachty)” – Lola Young
• “Os Ancestrais (feat. Dom Salvador)” – Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad
• “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” – Stevie Wonder
• “Ghost Town” – The Specials
• “Stompin & Motorik’n” – Penza Penza
• “20th Century Boy” – T. Rex
• “Noid” – Tyler The Creator (In The Groove Pick of the Week)
• “Paranoid (feat. Mr Hudson)” – Kanye West
• “Still Life” – ALASKALASKA
• “Is It It or Is It I?” – Astrel K
• “Football” – Youth Lagoon
• “100 Years of Bill & Lil” – Joe Webb
• “What You’re Missing” – Shannon & the Clams
• “This Time Tomorrow” – The Kinks
• “Can’t Hardly Wait (Cello Version)” – Replacements
• “Hot Sun” – Wilco
• “Hive Mind (Speakers Corner Quartet Remix)” – Tirzah
• “Burn The Witch” – Radiohead
• “Canopy” – Charlotte Day Wilson
• “Cantar Das Kandakinhas” – Pedro Ricardo
• “Estación Esperanza (feat. Manu Chao)” – Sofia Kourtesis
• “Tjomme (DJ Koze Remix)” – José González
• “Second Wind” – Kadhja Bonet
• “Les Fleurs” – Minnie Riperton
• “Darkness, Darkness” – Kieran Hebden & William Tyler

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.

New music Friday with Vulfmon & Evangeline, Dawuna, Doves, Mk.gee, Jack White, O & the Mo… but I really gotta be honest — there were a lot of throwbacks today! That’s what happens when you fall back in love with Paul McCartney’s “Heaven On A Sunday” (the woozy cassette dub version), plus Jarvis Cocker, Broken Social Scene, Lake Trout, Velvet Underground & Nico, and more.

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. 15, 2024

• “It Might Have To Be You” – Vulfmon & Evangeline
• “I Only Watch It for the Weather” – The Delegates
• “Baby I Got News for You” – Kelley Stoltz
• “The Summer Sun” – Chris Stamey
• “Black Magic” – Jarvis Cocker
• “Renegade” – Doves (In The Groove Pick of the Week)
• “Water’s Edge” – Tsunami
• “Venus In Furs” – The Velvet Underground & Nico
• “Vitamin C” – Can
• “TNT” – Tortoise
• “Sweetest Kill” – Broken Social Scene
• “Little Things” – Lake Trout
• “Heaven On A Sunday (Rude Cassette)” – Paul McCartney
• “Arrow Through Me” – Wings
• “Right” – David Bowie
• “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” – Marvin Gaye
• “Got ‘Til It’s Gone (feat. Q-Tip & Joni Mitchell) [Ummah Jay Dee’s Revenge Mix]” – Janet Jackson
• “The Lovecats” – The Cure
• “DNM” – Mk.Gee
• “Farewell Transmission” – Songs: Ohia
• “Sunday” – Annahstasia
• “Cold Was the Ground” – The Limiñanas
• “Levitate Me (John Peel Session (3rd May 1988)” – Pixies
• “Todos Nacen Gritando (feat. Cate Le Bon)” – St. Vincent
• “Mi Mujer” – Nicolas Jaar
• “Red Right Hand” – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
• “Human Fly” – The Cramps
• “It’s Rough On Rats (If You’re Asking)” – Jack White
• “Poppin” – Dawuna
• “Make Way For The Sun” – O & The Mo
• “Hey” – Nilüfer Yanya
• “Bang” – Melenas
• “New York, Let’s Do Nothing” – King Hannah
• “Salvation” – The Limiñanas
• “New Beginning” – Automatic

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.