Diving back into the week with new music from Σtella, Los Piranas, Celine Dessberg, Okonski, José Junior and more, plus a belated birthday party for George Benson and look ahead to an upcoming concert from Leon Bridges.

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 March 31, 2025

• “Ribbon in the Sky (1982 Musiquarium Version)” – Stevie Wonder
• “Timeless (feat. Lianne La Havas)” – Oscar Jerome
• “Take Five” – George Benson
• “Adagio” – Σtella
• “Una Mañana” – Caramelo Haze
• “Despectiva caridad” – Los Piranas
• “Projections” – José Junior
• “Tomorrow Never Knows” – Beatles
• “Selenge” – Céline Dessberg
• “October” – Okonski
• “Burnin’ Coal” – Les McCann
• “N.I.T.A.” – Young Marble Giants
• “Heartbeat” – Wire
• “That’s Entertainment” – The Jam
• “Colores Del Mar” – Helado Negro
• “Motorway” – Goat Girl
• “In My Head” – Rosie Lowe
• “Deep Dark Cosmos” – Holly Walker
• “Charlie Loves Gracia” – Penza Penza
• “Lonsdale Slipons” – Bug Club
• “Violence” – Parquet Courts
• “Before the Water Gets Too High” – Parquet Courts
• “Half The Truth” – Sūn Byrd
• “Bad Bad News” – Leon Bridges
• “Morning (Peanut Butter Wolf Remix)” – Azymuth
• “Blue Ridge Mountains” – Fleet Foxes
• “Let Go” – NewDad
• “2020” – SUUNS
• “Saturator” – Kiln
• “The Equalizer” – Clinic
• “Speak To Me” – Julian Lage
• “Guns of Brixton (feat. Yan Jun) [L’été Chinois]” – Dub Mentor
• “The Killing Moon” – Nouvelle Vague
• “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” – Wilco
• “New York, Let’s Do Nothing” – King Hannah
• “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings” – Father John Misty
• “The Turning Ground” – Tara Clerkin Trio
• “Mixo World” – Time Wharp

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 love being able to bring Spiritualized and The Rolling Stones together, plus a bunch of fresh releases from SHY FX, Lady Wray, Hannah Cohen, Nightmares on Wax, Moses Sumney and many more. That’s the pleasure of public radio! Genre doesn’t matter — good music does!

Plus, a bunch of your voicemails celebrating Aretha Franklin, who would’ve been 83 this week. Why not just turn it into Aretha Week on In The Groove? With your voicemails?! I’ve still got space for a few more — feel free to drop me a line on the groove hotline at 313-577-3414, and I’ll play it on air!

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 March 26, 2025

• “Risk It All (feat. Maverick Sabre) [Acoustic]” – SHY FX
• “High Tide or Low Tide (B is for Bob Mix)” – Bob Marley & The Wailers
• “Best For Us” – Lady Wray
• “Dusty” – Hannah Cohen
• “Typical (feat. Jordan Rakei) [Little Dragon’s Rick Ride Remix]” – Nightmares On Wax
• “You’re All I Need to Get By (Take 2)” – Aretha Franklin
• “Spirit In the Dark (Live February 7, 1971)” – Aretha Franklin
• “Spirit In the Dark (Reprise with Ray Charles) [Live February 7, 1971]” – Aretha Franklin
• “Miss Perfumado (4 Hero Remix)” – Cesária Evora
• “American Cars (Africanz on Marz West Coast Drive Rework)” – Sam
• “Hey Girl(s)” – Moses Sumney, Syd & Meshell Ndegeocello
• “The Other Lover” – Little Dragon & Moses Sumney
• “Retold” – Nate Smith
• “Liquid Sunshine” – John Cameron
• “I Say A Little Prayer” – Aretha Franklin
• “Inertia” – Samora Pinderhughes
• “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” – Rolling Stones
• “I Think I’m in Love” – Spirtualized
• “Jealous Boy” – The Bug Club (In The Groove Pick of the Week)
• “It’s Amazing To Be Young” – Fontaines D.C.
• “Sonny The Strong” – Gaz Coombes
• “West Side” – Studio
• “Untitled” – Interpol
• “Plainsong” – Seefeel
• “Boxing Feat. King Krule (DJ Python Remix)” – Mount Kimbie
• “Spacelab” – Kraftwerk
• “Clear (Jose “Animal” Diaz Remix)” – Cybotron
• “Sharivari” – Dirtbombs
• “L.O.V.E. and You and I (Madlib Remix)” – Jazzanova

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.

A former Eminem studio engineer was charged Wednesday with stealing the Detroit rapper’s unreleased music and selling it online, federal prosecutors announced.

Investigators say more than 25 songs have been played or distributed online without the consent of Eminem or Interscope Capital Labels Group, which owns Eminem’s music. The music was stored on password-protected hard drives kept in a safe at Eminem’s studio in Ferndale, a Detroit suburb, according to an FBI affidavit.

Joseph Strange, 46, of Holly, Michigan, was charged via a criminal complaint with copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods, Acting U.S. Attorney Julie Beck in Detroit said. Strange, who lost his job at Eminem’s studio in 2021, could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of both counts.

Strange’s attorney, Wade Fink, said in a text to The Associated Press that Strange is a married father of two “with decades of dedication to the music industry.″ He called the charges “untested allegations” that haven’t been vetted by a grand jury or a judge.

“We will handle the matter in a courtroom and we have great faith in the judges of our district,” he said.

Studio employees reported the theft to the FBI in January, saying unreleased music that was still in development was being played on various websites, including Reddit and YouTube.

A review showed someone transferred files from a hard drive in a safe to an external hard drive in October 2019 and January 2020, when Strange was a sound engineer at the studio.

Investigators found buyers after Eminem business associate Fred Nassar posted an online warning to fans not to distribute the music.

A Canadian resident who used the screen name Doja Rat told investigators he had purchased 25 unreleased songs from Strange for about $50,000 in Bitcoin. He said he raised the money from a group of fans of Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III.

Strange also was trying to sell some of Eminem’s handwritten lyric sheets, Doja Rat said.

Another group of fans organized by someone in Connecticut using the screen name ATL also purchased a “couple” of songs from Strange for about $1,000, according to the affidavit.

An FBI search of Strange’s home in January turned up numerous handwritten Eminem lyric sheets and notes; a VHS tape of an unreleased Eminem video; and hard drives with 12,000 audio files. Some of the files contained music in various stages of development by Eminem and unidentified artists working with him, according to the affidavit.

Eminem won for best hip-hop act at the 2024 MTV EMAs and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

The affidavit notes that Strange signed an agreement as part of his severance package that specifically prohibited him from electronically circulating Eminem’s work.

“Protecting intellectual property from thieves is critical in safeguarding the exclusive rights of creators and protecting their original work from reproduction and distribution by individuals who seek to profit from the creative output of others,” Beck said in a news release.

–Reporting by Todd Richmond, Associated Press

Our playlist gets a bit interrupted when we’ve got to pause our programming for the spring fundraiser. And a lot of you asked about the music we were playing! So I put it all in one playlist for you — broken down by day it aired and theme (as it turns out, we did lose two days of the fundraising shows due to a technical difficulty, so sorry about that!).

Check the playlists and listen for two weeks after the air date using the media players below. And if you didn’t get a chance to make a gift to WDET during fundraiser, it’s not too late to support your source for news, music and conversation!

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlists for WDET’S SPRING FUNDRAISER 2025

Monday, March 10 (Belle Isle Bangers)

• “Everybody Loves The Sunshine” – Roy Ayers Ubiquity
• “Weak” – SWV
• “Climbing” – Caribou
• “Happy Feelin’s” – Maze & Frankie Beverly
• “Help Me Lose My Mind (feat. London Grammar)” – Disclosure
• “Ain’t It Nice” – Madison McFerrin
• “No One’s Watching Me (feat. Olivia Dean)” – Ezra Collective
• “Her Strut (Remastered)” – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
• “I Want You (John Morales M+M Pianopella Mix)” – Marvin Gaye
• “I’m Coming Out” – Diana Ross
• “Didn’t I (Dave Allison Rework)” – Darondo
• “This Land Is Your Land” – Chicano Batman
• “Turnin’ Me Up” – BJ the Chicago Kid
• “American Dreaming” – Sierra Ferrell

Tuesday, March 11

• “It’s Rough On Rats (If You’re Asking)” – Jack White
• “Inner City Blues” – Rodriguez
• “S.N.C.” – Darkside
• “Thrown Around” – James Blake
• “Operator (DJ Koze’s Disco Edit)” – Låpsley
• “Mum Does the Washing” – Joshua Idehen
• “Because I’m Me” – The Avalanches
• “I Think Of You” – Rodriguez
• “AA   BOUQUET   FOR   YOUR   180   FACE” – Saya Gray
• “Another Star” – Stevie Wonder
• “Back 2 Me (feat. Sadie Walker)” – Girls Of The Internet

Wednesday, March 12 (Motown Throwdown)

• “Money (That’s What I Want) [Single Version / Mono]” – Barrett Strong
• “Cruisin’” – Smokey Robinson
• “Respect” – Aretha Franklin
• “Please Mr. Postman” – The Marvelettes
• “Needle In a Haystack (Single Version)” – The Velvelettes
• “Love Child” – Diana Ross & the Supremes
• “We Can Work It Out” – Stevie Wonder
• “P.Y.T.” – Michael Jackson
• “Didn’t Cha Know” – Erykah Badu
• “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today) [Single Version / Mono]” – Temptations
• “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” – Temptations
• “I Want You Back” – Jackson 5
• “Keep On Truckin” – Eddie Kendricks
• “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” – Marvin Gaye
• “Isn’t She Lovely” – Stevie Wonder
• “Twenty Five Miles” – Edwin Starr
• “Bernadette” – Four Tops
• “I’m A Road Runner” – Junior Walker & The All Stars

Thursday, March 13 (313 Day — All Detroit Music)

• “One Nation Under a Groove” – Funkadelic
• “Jump” – Aretha Franklin
• “Baby I Love You” – Aretha Franklin
• “Think Twice” – Detroit Experiment
• “Chains Of Love” – Dirtbombs
• “Livin’ for the City” – Dirtbombs
• “I Wanna Be Your Dog” – The Stooges
• “Put Your Hands up for Detroit” – Matthew Dear 
• “You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else” – Jones Girls
• “Lansana’s Priestess” – Donald Byrd
• “Let The Moon Get Into It” – Soft Location
• “Catamaran” – Bear Vs. Shark
• “Want it (feat. Amp Fiddler & Dames Brown) [Jon’s 6 Mile Edit] [Mixed]” – Jon Dixon
• “God’s Been Good to Me” – The Mighty Walker Brothers
• “Stay Down” – Detroit Cobras

Friday, March 14 

• “The Punch” – Shigeto & Kesswa
• “Mercy (feat. Jacob Lusk)” – Blessed Madonna
• “Love and Hate in a Different Time (Original)” – Gabriels
• “Estrelar” – Marcos Valle
• “Nomalizo (Eddie C Rework)” – Letta Mbulu
• “Taurus” – DJ Holographic
• “JOY (Unspeakable) [feat. Pharrell Williams]” – Voices of Fire
• “Free” – SAULT
• “Little Things” – Lake Trout
• “(I Know) I’m Losing You” – Rod Stewart
• “Radiant Hue” – Shadow Show
• “Sandwiches” – Detroit Grand Pubahs
• “N THE D” – Sheefy McFly
• “Check Stub” – DJ Assault

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.

MI Local is your source for new and exciting music coming out of Detroit and all across the state of Michigan! Each week, this show connects you to the latest releases by local artists and informs you about all of the upcoming opportunities to see them perform live. Quite often, too, it’s the place where you’ll be able to hear exclusive sneak-preview spins of songs that actually aren’t even released yet — how exciting!

This week, singer-songwriter Christian Ohly stopped by to share his latest single, “Bring You Back,” which he recorded with producer Jake Rye. Ohly creates evocative indie-pop ballads that poetically wear the proverbial heart right out on the proverbial sleeve, and this track follows up his recent full-length “Miracle.” Ohly talked about his songwriting process, the experience of working with producer Jake Rye, who’s studio, sadly, just sustained a fire (follow @socialrecordingcompany on IG).

We also premiered a new song from the versatile indie-rock ensemble Elspeth Tremblay & The Treatment, with “Tragic,” coming off their forthcoming EP, “Cut Your Losses” — out this weekend — capped off by a release party at the Old Miami this Saturday night!

Neo-psychedelic-indie-rock songwriter Jeremy Waun, of WaunBand, dropped a new song the same day that MI Local aired (March 18) titled “Comes A Whisper.”  You can see WaunBand live this Friday night at the Lexington in Woodbridge!

We also premiered a new vibey-instrumental track tapping into ambient Americana, from the duo known as Moonrisers, titled “Circle of the Seasons,” and we heard the latest from the versatile songwriter and producer Jessie Berkshires, with the new-wave tinged “Lonely Wolf.”

All of that, and so much more, along with check-ins with other scenes around the state, with brand new sounds coming out of Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, too!

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

MI Local Playlist for March. 18, 2025

• “Alright” – Toboggan Man – Alright
• “Kinda Like the World” – The Remnants
• “Lonely Wolf” – Jessie Berkshires
• “Tragic” – Elspeth Tremblay & the Treatment
• “Killer Diller” – Carry On Dub
• “Euphoria” – The Fever Haze
• “Crystal Ball” – Slizz
• “Waited” – Duende
• “Comes a Whisper” – Waunband
• “Ring of Salt” – Former Critics
• “Circle of the Seasons” – The Moonrisers
• “Rain in the Cinema” – The Lasso
• “Ceti Alpha Six” – Disc System
• “Bring You Back” – OHLY
• “Maybe It’s You” – OHLY 

A celebration of St. Patrick’s Day with a heavy dose of Irish bands (both well known and not), including selections from their wonderfully crunchy grunge/punk scene leaders like SPRINTS, NewDad and one of the biggest bands out of Ireland right now Fontaines D.C., plus the old heads like Thin Lizzy, Cranberries, Pogues, Frames and more.

On top of all that, new music from Jordan Rakei, Orions Belte, Knats and Detroit’s own John Beltran. A wonderfully diverse mixtape!

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 March 17, 2025

• “The Seize” – Jordan Rakei
• “Lakeside” – Orions Belte
• “Best For Us” – Lady Wray
• “Dangerous” – Surprise Chef
• “Black Narcissus” – Knats
• “Please Don’t Stop The Rain (Ron Trent Remix)” – ASHRR
• “Belle Isle” – John Beltran
• “Trust the Feeling (feat. Joy Spheres Rees)” – Hidden Spheres, Allysha Joy & Finn Rees
• “Wish I Didn’t Miss You (Dragutesku Edit)” – Angie Stone
• “Empire (feat. John Carroll Kirby)” – Eddie Chacon
• “Royalty” – Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
• “Soul” – James Alexander Bright
• “Black Hole Sun” – bigboihums
• “Just a Little Lovin’ (Peanut Butter Wolf Remix) (feat. The Koreatown Oddity)” – Mocky & Peanut Butter Wolf
• “Because I’m Me” – The Avalanches
• “I Heard It Through the Grapevine (The Randy Watson Experience Sympathy For The Grapes Mix)” – Gladys Knight & The Pips
• “The Middle (feat. Allysha Joy) [Outro]” – Girls of the Internet
• “Back 2 Me (feat. Sadie Walker)” – Girls of the Internet
• “Why Must It Be You” – Tall Black Guy
• “Joy And Pain” – Maze featuring Frankie Beverly
• “Maiden Voyage” – Herbie Hancock
• “Everybody Loves the Sunshine (feat. José James)” – Takuya Kuroda
• “Showdown” – Thin Lizzy
• “It’s Amazing To Be Young” – Fontaines D.C.
• “Linger (Iain Cook Remix)” – Cranberries
• “Dirty Old Town” – Pogues
• “New Drink For The Old Drunk” – Crooked Fingers
• “Favourite” – Fontaines D.C.
• “Let Go” – NewDad
• “Heavy” – SPRINTS
• “Happy” – Frames
• “Drinkin’ on a Tuesday” – Sarah Mary Chadwick
• “Lived In Bars” – Cat Power
• “Cowboy Song” – Thin Lizzy

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.

This week’s pick is from one of Detroit’s most iconic figures in electronic music. 

Jeff Mills, whose most recent music excursions have revealed a transformative music journey — leaning into his jazzier instincts and pushing the boundaries of electronic fusion. 

He founded a group called Spiral Deluxe, a super-group level electronic jazz quartet comprised of legendary keyboardist Gerald Mitchell (Underground Resistance/ Los Hermanos), Japanese rocker Yumiko Ohno (Buffalo Daughter/Cornelius) on Moog synthesizer and the Japanese bassist, adopted New Yorker, Kenji “Jino” Hino — son of Terumasa Hino, the world famous jazz trumpeter.

This dedicated band of musicians are committed to making music that stretches the boundaries of jazz and electronic fusion. They are set to release a new album later this week titled, “The Love Pretender,” and we’ll hear the cut “Society’s Man” — my Pick of the Week — from that upcoming release.

If you dig experimental tracks like these, tune into The Progressive Underground every Saturday evening at 6 p.m. on 101.9 WDET and wdet.org, where we take you on a global musical excursion of discovery, fascination and deep grooves.  For the Progressive Underground, I’m Chris Campbell, we’ll see you next time.

More from The Progressive Underground:

• ‘Control’ is Janet Jackson’s Declaration of Independence
• The Progressive Underground Pick of the Week (March 10): ‘Cold & Lonely’ by sillygirlcarmen and Hallex M
• Tears for Fears’ sonic manifesto of the 1980s turns 40

This week’s pick is a tribute to timeless artistry.

Dean Beanz, a Detroit producer, musician, and artist, has been a creative force and cornerstone of the city’s music scene for decades. Known as a renaissance man with an eclectic perspective, Beanz has shaped and influenced generations of Detroit music with his unique blend of styles and relentless creativity.

His latest track, “Play (Like We Used To),” is a nostalgic ride back to the golden age of hip-hop — a time when beats were lush, grooves were undeniable, and storytelling reigned supreme. This throwback gem is more than just a song; it’s a love letter to an era that shaped the sound of a movement. With soulful production and impeccable storytelling, Beanz reminds us why that era remains iconic and why his influence continues to ripple through the Detroit music scene.

Let’s vibe out to “Play (Like We Used To)” — my Pick of the Week.

That was Dean Beanz with “Play (Like We Used To)” — a track that blends nostalgia with mastery, taking us back to a time when hip-hop was raw, real and resonant.

If you’re into progressive, eclectic hip-hop sounds like this, make sure you tune in to The Progressive Underground every Saturday at 6 p.m. on 101.9 WDET. From future soul to nu-jazz, b-sides to rare grooves, we’ve got your musical journey covered.

For The Progressive Underground, I’m Chris Campbell. Until next time, keep the beats timeless, the vibes fresh, and your soul tuned to the music that moves you.

Read more from The Progressive Underground:

• Pick of the Week (Feb. 17): ‘Treat Me Right’ by Carl Bias feat. Miyan Bryant
• Pick of the Week (Feb. 10): ‘Aurora’s Light’ by Kathy Kosins
• Exploring the evolution of maestro Zo! in 5 tracks