Joe B. WallThe point at which I became fluid in telling stories and making music is when I stopped trying to plan and script everything and just started showing up at gigs completely unprepared.
Herr Irrtum! đPssst: Interested in good stories?
Look no further (also because this is more like a full blown blog article than a short announcement)...
as there is:
RADIO IRRTUM! Special: Spoken Words in Music
(on air from Berlin)
âââ This is the English language announcement âââ
Da next issue of #RadioIrrtum! will air this Saturday, 2025/12/20, 8:00pm UTC+1, Berlin time. At Alex Berlin FM at 91MHz / DAB+ K7D around #Berlin + worldwide at https://www.alex-berlin.de/radio-livestream .
Last time on FM air waves, as civic stations in Germany are banned from using "UKW" starting 2026. Because everyone has nice sustainable DAB+ radio receivers nowadays. Right? RIGHT??
#Radio Irrtum! usually is a German language #radioShow exploring the sonic vastness of the #underground. Emitted transmissions may raise attention for new unheard #music all over this planet's genre spectrum. Don't worry about that #GermanLanguage - it's all about the #music!
But this time it's different! It will be a Special. About Spoken Words in music. That is, because I think Xmas - among other things - should also be about listening. To each other. To stories. Or like in this case to stories told within a musical construct.
While doing my research for this, something became quite apparent: #SpokenWords in music, beside it's powerful materializations in various genres, doesn't seem to be much of a topic in music science or music journalism â despite the lasting emotional impact that all the better pieces of Spoken Words music are able to inflict.
I.e. I couldn't find a simple historical timeline here. What are the roots? I have only one hour, so I cannot provide any deep dive, just a simplified overview. The time line of this show will range from 1966 until 2025, spoken words, 40% in German language, 60% English language.
Even if you d don't speek German: This combination of words and music will give you a sense about what's going on. This may be the only "genre" in music that will carry the emotions of the words over into your soul.
Covering music styles like
- #WordJazz from 1966
- #GermanRap from 2025
- UK #RetroAcid from the 2010ths
- #ExperimentalPop from the 80s + 90s
- 80s #IndustrialMusic
- #EastGerman Cassette-Underground
- UK Trash #ElektroPunk from the 2010ths
- German Experimental #EasyListening from the 2000s
Some of this couldn't be found on Spotify, despite being all iconic tracks. And most of those tracks happen to be my absolute all time favorits btw.
Consider this a little acoustic Xmas gift :)
If at least a bit interested in kewl unusual #music, tune in! đ»
Got questions? I'll gladly answer! Just ask here!
Playlist + manuscript after the show also here.
CU all (?) on Saturday.
BTW: German Announcement here:
- https://mastodon.de/@herr_irrtum/115748085466698302
Look no further (also because this is more like a full blown blog article than a short announcement)...
as there is:
RADIO IRRTUM! Special: Spoken Words in Music
(on air from Berlin)
âââ This is the English language announcement âââ
Da next issue of #RadioIrrtum! will air this Saturday, 2025/12/20, 8:00pm UTC+1, Berlin time. At Alex Berlin FM at 91MHz / DAB+ K7D around #Berlin + worldwide at https://www.alex-berlin.de/radio-livestream .
Last time on FM air waves, as civic stations in Germany are banned from using "UKW" starting 2026. Because everyone has nice sustainable DAB+ radio receivers nowadays. Right? RIGHT??
#Radio Irrtum! usually is a German language #radioShow exploring the sonic vastness of the #underground. Emitted transmissions may raise attention for new unheard #music all over this planet's genre spectrum. Don't worry about that #GermanLanguage - it's all about the #music!
But this time it's different! It will be a Special. About Spoken Words in music. That is, because I think Xmas - among other things - should also be about listening. To each other. To stories. Or like in this case to stories told within a musical construct.
While doing my research for this, something became quite apparent: #SpokenWords in music, beside it's powerful materializations in various genres, doesn't seem to be much of a topic in music science or music journalism â despite the lasting emotional impact that all the better pieces of Spoken Words music are able to inflict.
I.e. I couldn't find a simple historical timeline here. What are the roots? I have only one hour, so I cannot provide any deep dive, just a simplified overview. The time line of this show will range from 1966 until 2025, spoken words, 40% in German language, 60% English language.
Even if you d don't speek German: This combination of words and music will give you a sense about what's going on. This may be the only "genre" in music that will carry the emotions of the words over into your soul.
Covering music styles like
- #WordJazz from 1966
- #GermanRap from 2025
- UK #RetroAcid from the 2010ths
- #ExperimentalPop from the 80s + 90s
- 80s #IndustrialMusic
- #EastGerman Cassette-Underground
- UK Trash #ElektroPunk from the 2010ths
- German Experimental #EasyListening from the 2000s
Some of this couldn't be found on Spotify, despite being all iconic tracks. And most of those tracks happen to be my absolute all time favorits btw.
Consider this a little acoustic Xmas gift :)
If at least a bit interested in kewl unusual #music, tune in! đ»
Got questions? I'll gladly answer! Just ask here!
Playlist + manuscript after the show also here.
CU all (?) on Saturday.
BTW: German Announcement here:
- https://mastodon.de/@herr_irrtum/115748085466698302
Herr Irrtum! đPssst! Ihr interessiert Euch fĂŒr coole Stories?
Dann seid Ihr hier richtig (wo allein schon diese Bekanntmachung eher ein Blog-Artikel als ein bisschen Hingeweise ist), denn es wird Zeit fĂŒrâŠ
RADIO IRRTUM! Special: Spoken Words in Music
(on air aus Berlin)
Jaha, die nĂ€chste Ausgabe von #RadioIrrtum! segelt diesen Samstag, den 20.12.2025 um 20 Uhr durch den Ăther ĂŒber Alex Berlin FM at 91MHz / DAB+ K7D rund um #Berlin â sowie durch den weltweiten Stream auf https://www.alex-berlin.de/radio-livestream .
Das letzte Mal ĂŒbrigens ĂŒber UKW, denn BĂŒrgerradios in diesem Land wird ab 2026
das Privileg entzogen, ĂŒber FM senden zu dĂŒrfen. Haben ja auch lĂ€ngst alle Hörer:innen ein schönes nachhaltiges DAB+ Radio zu Hause. Oder? ODER?? [/Ironie]
#Radio Irrtum! ist jedenfalls eine Radiosendung, welche sich normalerweise der Erforschung der Weiten des sogenannten #Underground widmet. Die transportierenden Ătherwellen könnten dabei Eure Aufmerksamkeit fĂŒr neue unge- oder gar unerhörte #Musik ĂŒber das gesamte Genrespektrum dieses Planeten hinweg deutlich erhöhen.
Aber: Diesmal lÀuft der Hase anders!
Es gibt nĂ€mlich ein Special! Ăber Spoken Words in music. Weil ich denke, das Weihnachten sich â neben anderen Dingen â durchaus auch ums Zuhören dreht. Wir untereinander auf uns. Oder auf Geschichten. Oder wie hier auf Geschichten, die in ein musikalisches Konstrukt eingebunden sind.
Im Laufe meiner Recherchen zu dieser Sendung ist mir aufgefallen: #SpokenWords in Verbindung mit Musik scheint â trotz wirklich umwerfender Beispiele aus so vielen Genres â kaum Thema bei Musikjournalist:innen oder in der Musikwissenschaft zu sein. Und das trotz des beispiellos starken emotionalen Eindrucks, den gut gemachte Vertreter dieses Stils hinterlassen können.
So konnte ich z.B. nicht mal einen simplen geschichtlichen Abriss hierzu finden. Keine Ahnung, wo (und wann) die Wurzeln liegen. Dazu kommt: Ich habe fĂŒr die Sendung nur eine lĂ€ppische Stunde; insofern kann ich nicht weit in die Tiefen des Themas vorrĂŒcken und statt dessen nur einen einfachen Ăberblick geben und hoffen, Euch dabei ein bisschen fĂŒr die Materie zu begeistern. In der Sendung werde ich einen Zeitraum von 1966 bis 2025 ĂŒberbrĂŒcken. Wir werden 40% deutschsprachige Tracks und 60% englischsprachige StĂŒcke haben.
Und selbst, wenn Ihr kein Englisch verstehen solltet: Diese ineinander verschmolzene Kombination aus Worten und Musik wird Euch trotzdem ein tiefes VerstĂ€ndnis ermöglichen. Denn es gibt wohl kein zweites "Genre" in der Musik, das es schafft, Emotionen so direkt in Euer GefĂŒhlsleben zu ĂŒbermitteln.
Folgende Gebiete werde ich abdecken:
- #WordJazz von 1966
- #DeutschRap from 2025
- UK #RetroAcid aus den 2010ern
- #ExperimentalPop aus den 80ern und 90ern
- 80er #IndustrialMusic
- #DDR Kassetten-Underground
- UK Trash #ElektroPunk aus den 2010ern
- Deutsches experimentelles #EasyListening (ja!) aus den 2000ern
Einiges davon werdet Ihr nicht auf Spotify finden, obwohl ich praktisch ausschlieĂlich groĂartige Tracks spiele, die ĂŒbrigens zu groĂen Teilen zu meinen persönlichen Allzeit-LieblingsmusikstĂŒcken gehören. Da gebe ich durchaus ein bisschen von mir selbst preis :) (naja, wie immer).
Insofern darf das auch gern ein kleines akustisches Pre-#Weihnachtsgeschenk fĂŒr Euch sein.
Also: Wenn Ihr Euch wenigstens ein klein wenig fĂŒr untypische Musik und aufwĂŒhlende Geschichten interessiert, schaltet bitte ein! đ»
Wenn Ihr Fragen wÀhrend der Sendung habt: Ich bin da und kann direkt hier im Fediverse antworten.
Playlist & Manuskript gibt es danach, in den Antworten hier.
Also: Wir hören uns doch hoffentlich alle... am Samstag? :)
Chris Mills@harriehq I would like to explore spoken word additions to my musical explorations, but not auto-tuned into artificiality. I have a dream of making #KenNordine inspired #WordJazz or maybe #WordBonkJazz or working with found words in #PublicDomain recordings.
I care not a jot for being âmainstreamâ or commercial as music is a form of mental health expression and a means to connect with the excellent community Iâve discovered here in Fedispace.
Elliot Shankđ” Ken Nordine & Tom Waits - âThousand Bing Bangsâ
Ken Nordine & Tom Waits "Thousand Bing Bangs"
notesKen Nordine: Reaching Into In
Ken Nordine: Reaching Into In
Ken Nordine - âMauveâ
Mauve
robbielinkProbably the most fun performance I've ever participated in. #WordJazz #music #improv #actors https://youtu.be/wZR8NjFyoK8?si=1D6v1P-a5pmVI0KO The fun begins around about 3 minutes in.
Word Jazz - Actors Improv (September 23, 2023)
Mags at LargeI sang it before and I'll sing it again. There's "a simple fix for the pickle we're in."
Actual Factual
Aaron V. Humphrey