Primer

12. What We Slept On (teaser)

Christian, Producer Richard Robey and Senior Producer Kevin Ferguson all sit down to talk a bit more about the process of making Primer and get into a few artists we didn

11. What We Learned (Christian & Yosuke)

C & Y sit down in the studio one more time to discuss some of their favorite moments, songs the wish they covered, and finally take a crack at the question "what is city

That's a Wrap! For Now

A special announcement from Christian Dueñas!    If you enjoy Primer please support the show and help us reach our goal so we can produce a second season! Follow Prime

10. Frogs, Insects, Birds, Harry (Pearl & The Oysters // Haruomi Hosono & Co.)

A few songs from Pacific, the album we're discussing today, have made it onto city pop playlists and algorithms on all types of streaming services. It might sound a littl

09. Music for the Dirt Roads (Wyatt Cenac // Tome Asagami)

Tome Kitagawa, accomplished percussionist and session musician, created an alter ego for only one album, Yuwaku. Alter ego Tome Asagami was sensual, poppy, and loved hot

08. Smells Like Fireworks (Jayson Chun // Tatsuro Yamashita)

In the late 1970s a young Tatsuro Yamashita was making a name for himself as a prolific session musician and songwriter. He launched his solo career, but didn't see big c

07. They Lied to Us (Oscar Montoya // Anri)

We're covering a banger of an album today, folks. Timely!! is the sixth studio album from singer Anri and has a couple of her signature songs, Cat's Eye and I Can't Stop

Lost Notes: How Fela Kuti Found Afrobeat in LA

We're doing a feed swap today! We would like to introduce you to Lost Notes from KCRW. A music documentary podcast that we feel is in conversation with Primer. This episo

06. Missed Connections (Mark "Frosty" McNeill // Yukihiro Takahashi)

New Romantic: A subculture movement that originated in the UK in the 1970s and early 80s that focused on a  more androgynous and glamorous style. Artists and bands like B

05. Nature Speaks Simply (UMI // Seiko Matsuda)

Seiko Matsuda, Japan's "Eternal Idol", started her career way back in 1980 with her debut record  Squall. The albums and accompanying singles saw massive success, selling

04. Very 94.7 The Wave (Dam-Funk // Hiroshi Sato)

In 1982, Hiroshi Sato released the album Awakening; a synth-heavy, mostly solo record featuring Canadian-born singer Wendy Matthews. He had a few solo records out by then

03. I Hate the City (Patrick St. Michel // Taeko Onuki)

Singer-songwriter Taeko Onuki released the landmark album SUNSHOWER in 1977. Taeko and this album where maybe a little ahead of their time. This jazz fusion pop record so

02. Gravy Is Shaped Like a Heart (Devendra Banhart // Yasuko Agawa)

Singer and actress Yasuko Agawa released the album Gravy in 1987. It was a bit of a departure from her smooth jazz, bossa nova roots, but she created an unforgettable rec

01. Crying in the Club (Linda Marigliano // Miki Matsubara)

On November 5th, 1979, Miki Matsubara's debut pop single "Mayonaka no Door/ Stay with Me" was released in her home country of Japan. It was a huge hit and remained her bi

Coming soon from Maximum Fun: Primer

Primer is a music podcast about translation and illumination. Host Christian Dueñas is joined by a different co-host each season to explore a genre of music from outside