Each week we choose a theme, and present various stories on that theme. Hosted by Ira Glass. Produced by Chicago Public Media. Distributed by Public Radio International. 

OKeh short history: 

OKeh was founded by Otto K. E. Heinemann when he set up his own recording studio and gramophone record pressing plant in New York City in September 1918. Heinemann formed the name of the record label "OKeh", from his initials.  OKeh began by issuing popular songs, dance numbers, and vaudeville skits similar to the fare of other labels, but Heineman also wished to experiment with music for audiences neglected by the larger record companies. OKeh produced lines of recordings in German, Czech, Polish, Swedish, and Yiddish for the USA's immigrant communities. In 1920, Ralph Peer's recordings by African-American blues singer Mamie Smith were a surprise smash hit for Okeh. The company perceived the significant, little-tapped market for blues and jazz by African American artists. Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Bix Beiderbecke are only a few names of jazz greats that have recorded for the label. By 1926 Columbia Records bought the label and kept it running into the 60's with jazz and R&B recordings. 

In 1994, Sony Music reactivated the OKeh label as a new-age Blues label. Okeh's first new signings included Keb' Mo, Popa Chubby, and Little Axe. By 2000, the Okeh label was again retired, but in 2013 it will see its re-launch as a jazz label once again.

https://linktr.ee/watto.mp3

Bookings: Guven.Yilmaz@mushroomgroup.com

Coming from the Mornington Peninsula, WATTO is quickly becoming one of Australia’s standout names in the new wave of fast, melodic club music. With a sound built on high energy, glossy nostalgia, and a signature feel-good pulse, he’s steadily carving out his place on both local and international stages.

What started on Aussie dance floors has now blasted across Europe. His recent EU tour ignited Paris, Brussels, Vienna, and Berlin, with peak-moment appearances on HÖR Berlin, Radio Rudina, and a full-tilt INTERCELL x Hotmeal event. On the production front, WATTO is firing off releases on Hot Meal Records, stacking his catalogue with the same adrenaline he delivers on stage.

WATTO’s sound sits at the intersection of Trance, Hard Groove, and Y2K club nostalgia — euphoric melodies, fast-paced rhythms, and heavyweight basslines designed to keep bodies moving. Or, as he sums it up: “groovy nostalgic trance that makes you dance.”

With momentum building and his footprint expanding, WATTO’s wave is only getting stronger.

instagram: watto.mp3
spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4b54IerEu9mw3OgGPLAi13?si=doK7DHcVR3KjoDz7Ww5YkQ

Voted #1 Club Night in Victoria, Cloud Nine is Melbourne's premier Saturday night coming from the heart of late night activity known as King Street. Don’t let the fluffy name fool you; Cloud Nine is a gathering of somewhat familiar faces taking place after dark from 10pm every Saturday night until the wee hours of Sunday morning. 54-60 King Street, Melbourne.


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