The Beat Authority

Get a leg up on the weekend with host David Sommerstein each Friday afternoon from 3:00 to 4:45 pm for the best funk, latin and other global grooves.

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The Beat Authority (stream archive) 07/23/10
Phat beats, dope rhymes, global grooves. Here's your place to listen to the latest edition of The Beat Authority, hosted by David Sommerstein, anytime you want. This 7/23/10 edition is the lead segment of this stream. (This archive will only be available until next week's show is posted.)
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Swimming in Speakers live on The Beat Authority 08/28/09
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The Adirondack electric/acoustic band Swimming in Speakers were live guests on The Beat Authority. Chris Clarke and his fellow band member, Meadow, brought a cellist, a viloinist and a drummer into the NCPR studios for a special live set on the show. Hear the whole interview/music segment as they perform "Nevergreen," "Near My Ear," "Mind Does Take," "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Svoboda."
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The Beat Authority Best of 2009 List
(also 2008, 2007 and 2006)


David spitballing beat-free mp3s.

Ever since I got a Fisher Price record player for Chanukkah when I was four, I've been a musical sponge. My favorite stuff is music that ventures across genres, and music that makes you dance.

David enunciating Spanish during his debut broadcast.

Globalization has been a mixed bag, but it's sure invigorated the world of music. Salsa from Israel, flamenco from east L.A., Algerian rai from Paris, hip-hop from Senegal, reggae from Morocco--artists are borrowing at will, threading the sounds they hear on TV and radio into their own traditions.

The Beat Authority is a Friday show. It's a kick into the weekend, a bounce for your afternoon, a swing for your end-of-the-week step. A fresh, eclectic choice of dance music from all over the world. You may hear cumbia or bluegrass or afrobeat or jazz, but it'll keep your head a-noddin' and your spirits up. Join in the groove and enjoy. And if you have suggestions, e-mail 'em in!

David Sommerstein

Finding Music

You can find or special order any of the music heard on this program from local music stores, including:
Northern Music & Video, Potsdam: 315-265-8100
Strawberry Fields, Potsdam: 315-265-7700
Ampersound, Saranac Lake:
518-891-3114
Peacock Music, Plattsburgh:
518-561-0555

 


Program Playlists

Recent Playlists


Urban & World Music
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July 28, 2010 | NPR · In this week's installment of Alt.Latino, hear a collection of outstanding cover songs, from the bizarre to the sublime. A Mexican glam-rock band wipes the tears off a sad pop tune and gives it an edge, while a Colombian singer turns a macho ballad into a feminist song -- and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
 
July 26, 2010 | NPR · Algerian singer Khaled is known internationally for singing rai -- a kind of North African music with roots in traditional folklore. Taken literally, rai translates to "opinion," and Khaled has taken that idea to heart. Although his music won him enemies among Algeria's Islamic fundamentalists in the 1980s, he continues to use his voice to spread a message of peace, love and personal freedom.