Above: The Lounge King (right) and Super Agent 69 in happier times.
First of all, I'd like to apologize for not updating my blog for the past few months. I guess if you're going to have a blog, you should update it periodically. Why not do that now?
August 31st was a sad day for nu jazz, exoitica, space-age pop, and chillout music fans in Montreal. The Lounge King Show and its sister show, Atmosphere 69 ended their respective runs last night. Both shows had been on Mix 96 for six years, and provided a much-needed alternative to the crappy Top 40 pop music that the station plays on a regular basis. The Lounge King Show, hosted by The Lounge King, a guy with a deep, Latino-sounding voice, Paris, France-born Super Agent 69, and their Mexican butler / valet, Dimas, specialized in lounge music. Lounge is a musical genre which features an eclectic mix of jazz, space-age pop, and other musical styles. A great deal of the music was '60s-inspired, but a great deal of modern music (nu jazz) was featured as well. The majority of the music played came from up-and-coming artists from around the corner to around the world. Of course, lots of classic music from prominent artists was featured as well. In addition, the show sometimes featured profiles of lounge artists. Thus, it can be said that the show was a showcase for all of these great talents. The Lounge King Show was originally one hour long and slotted at 10 PM on Mix 96. However, it was later expanded to two hours and and moved to the 6 PM time slot which it kept through out the remainder of its six-year run on Mix 96.
Sister show Atmosphere 69 premiered shortly after The Lounge King Show moved to its 6 PM time slot. Hosted by Agent 69, the show specialized in downtempo chillout music. When listening to the show, it would not be uncommon to hear a melange of techno beats, drum-and-bass music, and even some old classics as well. Like The Lounge King Show, it also played music from well-known artists on occasion. Profiles of up-and-coming chillout artist were also a major part of the show, and it too served a showcase for new talent. Like its sister show, Atmosphere 69 initially lasted for an hour, beginning at 10 PM once The Lounge King Show migrated to the 6 PM time slot, but it too eventually expanded to two hours. It remained in the 10 PM time slot until its eventual cancellation with The Lounge King Show on August 31st, 2008.
Now, I have been a loyal friend and true of these shows since their inception six years ago. I listened to both shows on a regular basis. I even won a CD (Pink Panther's Penthouse Party) while listening to The Lounge King Show a few years ago. This eventually led me to starting up a friendship with Mauricio (Maurice) Svanstrom, the producer and creator of both shows. Maurice is a wonderful person who is friendly, approachable, intelligent, and dynamic. We would often have chats on MSN about the show, where he'd ask me what I liked and what could be improved upon in both shows. And whenever he asked me these kinds of questions, I almost always had an answer for him. Mauricio was also instrumental in helping me to get an internship at Mix 96 in the summer of 2005. Unfortunately, it didn't last very long, but it was still an enjoyable experience, to say the least. I was attending Dawson College at the time, and I was working at CIXS Radio, hosting my own show that was loosely based on The Lounge King Show. When I mentioned this to Maurice, he wanted to come in and see what I was capable of. So one day, he did that, and it was a lot of fun. Basically, Maurice and his two shows were ultimately responsible for launching my radio career, and Maurice, if you're reading this, thanks a lot for your support, your help, and for getting me involved in broadcasting. Also, thank you for six great years of some of the best music in the world. My Sunday nights will never be the same without The Lounge King Show and Atmosphere 69, and in my opinion, Mix 96 made a huge mistake by canning your shows.
If you're still looking to satisfy your lounge and chillout fix, you can listen to Xcentrica Radio online at http://www.live365.com/stations/munecon. It often features past episodes of The Lounge King Show.
And speaking of listening, here, for your listening pleasure, are some audio memories of the show, in the form of promos that were once heard on Mix 96. Enjoy.
Promo #1: http://www.mediafire.com/?jyvxzidm1gm
Promo #2: http://www.mediafire.com/?3l3jmd9mnsj
Promo #3: http://www.mediafire.com/?zsbdmuewj3s
Promo #4: http://www.mediafire.com/?z51mpdkmgcg
Promo #5: http://www.mediafire.com/?zx3qmq1mjd1
I'll eventually post links to the recordings I did of the very last episodes of The Lounge King Show and Atmosphere 69. Both will be posted in 2 to 4 parts each due to their size (over 100 MB each; they're both 2-hour shows, after all).
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