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Why The Seattle Music Scene Is A Glimpse At The Future

Clockwise from upper left: Versing, Actionesse, Chong The Nomad, Seattle's Space Needle, doNormaal
All photos courtesy of the artists except Seattle's Space Needle: Joel Rogers for Corbis Documentary / Getty Image Plus
Clockwise from upper left: Versing, Actionesse, Chong The Nomad, Seattle's Space Needle, doNormaal

Most cities tend to have a voice, but few quite as loud or interesting as Seattle's. This is a city that gave us Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana and Pearl Jam but also the softer, more introspective sounds of Fleet Foxes, The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie.

I wondered just what's bubbling up in Seattle. So I went to NPR member station KEXP, a hugely important voice in the Seattle scene, now and in the past as KCMU. Kevin Cole is someone I trust implicitly. He's been at KEXP for 20 years and is the Chief Content Officer and the afternoon DJ. The musical landscape we explore on this episode of All Songs Considered is deeper than the guitar-based music we've come to know from Seattle. You'll hear everything from sonic laptop adventures in hip-hop to post-horncore. Yup, you read that right: menacing punk energy with brass. I love Seattle. -- Bob Boilen

Copyright 2019 KEXP

In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.
Kevin Cole