Alex Ruder

How did you first hear about KEXP? How long have you been involved there and when did you become Associate Music Director?

I first heard about KEXP sometime around 2002, which is when I got involved with UW’s student-run online radio station, Rainy Dawg Radio. Rainy Dawg was brand new to campus at that point. It was freshly out of the ashes of KEXP’s transition from KCMU (UW’s original student-run radio station) to KEXP in 2001. My obsession with digging for music increased dramatically beginning in 2001, so I was becoming more aware of radio stations playing independent and underground music, like KEXP.

I’ve been involved at KEXP since the summer of 2005. I started volunteering the week after I graduated college and began as a DJ assistant helping out Kevin Cole every Monday during The Afternoon Show. I’ve been helping out within KEXP’s programming department since 2005, hosting on-air shows since 2008, and I became KEXP’s Associate Music Director in August 2023.

Tell us about the duties of your job as AMD as well as how the music programming at the station works. What part of your job do you love the most and what part do you find the most challenging?

KEXP’s AMD works closely alongside KEXP’s MD (Chris Sanley) to curate the sound of KEXP by sifting through the never-ending stream of new music to ultimately get the best, most exciting, and on-point music into our library and in front of our DJs. I have a particular focus on covering music that isn’t directly sent to the station, so I’m digging around for new music to add to KEXP’s library and considered for rotation that might not have a specific radio push behind it. I’m on Bandcamp a lot.

I review 10-20 new releases every week, add them to KEXP’s digital library, and submit them for rotation consideration, which is determined by the MD. I also regularly submit new singles and remixes to be considered for KEXP’s rotation. And then there’s some internal administrative type stuff that’s all tied to changes made every week within rotation.

KEXP’s rotation serves as a curated guiding star for KEXP’s variety show DJs. Generally, about half of the songs played during KEXP’s variety shows come directly from what’s available in our new rotation, with KEXP DJs given 100% freedom to pick which songs from rotation they want to play. KEXP’s rotation is robust, so there’s an abundance of options for DJs to choose from within rotation to fit their own distinctive curation.

As a passionate music nerd, insatiable music digger, and a Seattle native, it’s truly a dream to be KEXP’s AMD and working full-time on KEXP’s programming team. I love sifting through all of the music that gets caught in my metaphorically net to then share the best finds in the name of furthering KEXP’s programming mission. I love championing and supporting new artists, new bands, and new sounds through KEXP’s platform. And I love the connections, relationships, and community built through music on a daily basis.

The most challenging aspect is simply keeping up with all the of the music that’s getting released these days. KEXP’s sound is vast and adventurous, and the pace is relentless. It’s a thrill to swim through it all, but it’s tough knowing that there’s always going to be amazing sounds that slip by.

Share a story about an artist or band you feel KEXP broke that had no real presence in town before receiving airplay on the station. We love examples of how radio continues to matter when it comes to an artist’s success in a city they didn’t have a following in before your support.

I have a hard time totally embracing the notion of one place being responsible for breaking a band in the internet age. It feels like a collective effort at this point. But music fans tune into KEXP, both from the broadcast and from our Live on KEXP sessions on YouTube, to discover artists and bands, and we have the freedom to champion artists early and support them throughout their journey as they go from obscure infancy to drawing out a passionate fanbase, both in Seattle and around the world. Radio matters in its ability to be early, enthusiastic cheerleaders for artists and bands, and help build awareness and community around them. As a trusted source for exciting new music, I think KEXP has done this for countless bands.

How did you first get involved in ‘the music industry’? Were you a student MD or have any music-related jobs along the way on your road to KEXP?

My entry into ‘the music industry’ was volunteering at UW’s college radio station, Rainy Dawg Radio, when I was a 19 year-old sophomore. Rainy Dawg’s basement lobby and its on-air booth/room became my refuge on UW’s big campus amongst roughly 40,000 other students that year. It was a place where I found a community I enjoyed being around and being a part of – a bunch of fellow awkward music nerds eager to share music with others.

I first hosted an electronic music show (s/o ‘Something For Your Mind’), then became Rainy Dawg’s RPM MD to help get more electronic music into the station’s fledgling library, and then hosted a weekly variety morning show my last two years there. I started volunteering at KEXP a few days after graduating from UW and wrapping up my time at Rainy Dawg, so it was a direct shot from there.

Who is an artist or band that you’ve discovered in the past year or so that has become one of your favorites? What is it about their music you love?

New artists to me in 2024 that I really dug: TAMTAM, Liv Rion, villagerrr, svn4vr.

Each put out a really great release that was on-repeat at some point in 2024.

Do you have an all-time favorite artist or album you never get tired of listening to?

Not really, there’s a lot ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Here’s five more recent albums I kept going back to over and over again:

Mk.gee – Two Star & the Dream Police
Jim Legxacy – homeless n**** pop music
ML Buch – Suntub
Melenas – Ahora
The Zenmenn & John Moods – Hidden Gem

Who is an artist or band totally outside the realm of the music you play on KEXP that people might be surprised to know you love?

KEXP encompasses so many different types of music that there’s not a super obvious artist/band that I love that would sound out of place on KEXP’s airwaves. I think if you can mix into them well, they’d still sound great on KEXP. My love of certain mainstream pop music sometimes veers outside of KEXP fare though. I love Carly Rae Jepsen’s ‘E•MO•TION’ album (made my top 10 list a decade ago) and I recall getting some funny glances when I included Justin Timberlake’s ‘FutureSex/LoveSounds’ on my top 10 list for KEXP in 2006 when I was still a volunteer at the station.

If you had the power to instantly change one thing going on in the world at the moment, what would it be?

The distribution of wealth.

What event in your life would you say has shaped you the most as a person?

In regards to my radio life, I’d go with driving to the mall to buy Deltron 3030’s self-titled album and DJ Shadow’s ‘Endtroducing…’ on CD in 2001 during the final days of my senior year in high school.

If you could choose, what time period in the past would you most want to travel back to visit and why?

June 19th, 2016 to be court-side at Game 7 of the Cavs vs. Warriors Finals.

As far as time periods, I’d probably go with the 1970s to witness some serious legends, icons, and personal faves. Larry Levan, Brian Eno, Talking Heads, Grandmaster Flash, Arthur Russell, Can, Kraftwerk, James Brown, Blondie, Television, Chaka Khan… yeah that’d be rad. Also because I’d love to have the chance to see the Seattle Supersonics win their one and only NBA championship in 1979.

Do you have a favorite Seattle restaurant that you recommend people try?

Taste of India.

What in your life brings you the most joy?

Good people, good music. My family. A pretty sunset. A full night of sleep.

Lightning Round:

Dog or Cat? Cat
Morning Person or Night Owl? Night Owl
City or Country? At this point in my life… Country
Beach or Mountains? Mountains
Watch TV or Read A Book? Watch TV
Sunny or Rainy? Sunny
Restaurant or Home Cooking? Home Cooking
Pants or Shorts? Sweatpants
Warm or Cold drinks? Cold

Do you have any current favorite shows you’re enjoying/binging? How about a movie (new or old) that you’ve watched recently that you loved?

We’re currently watching a lot of Sesame Street and Mrs. Rachel with our 2-year-old daughter. And that’s about it.

Finally, If you could have a lifetime supply of anything, what would it be?

Coffee.