The Drop with Danno
Interview by William Urbanski.
In furthering the Gwangju News’ collaboration with the Gwangju Foreign Language Network (GFN) to keep our community well informed, this issue of the Gwangju News offers an interview with the host of the station’s nightly music show, Daniel J. Springer, who brings “The Drop with Danno” nightly to the southern-most reaches of the peninsula between 8 and 10 p.m. Here is our interview.
William Urbanski (William): With so much content online (podcasts, webcasts, etc.), what do you think radio broadcasts offer that other types of media cannot?
Daniel J. Springer (Danno): That’s a good question, but kind of misleading, because most radio shows, including mine, offer their shows online after broadcast for on-demand listening. But yes, being in any medium of entertainment nowadays is extremely competitive, no doubt.
In terms of what I do, radio programming can offer a level of expertise and guidance to the uninitiated or even music enthusiasts to make for an exciting mix of music and a bit of history or education thrown in to make it truly entertaining. Additionally, the music market today versus, say, 30 years ago is exponentially larger and more specialized, as everything becomes far more targeted with platform algorithms along with the ease with which artists can produce new tunes. So nobody has time to wade through all the new stuff, and I’ve found that most people on their own tend to just listen to the same thing over and over or randomly run into stuff they like. The guy on the radio does have time to wade and is an absolute audio addict, so he’s a good guide for new stuff if he’s given the freedom to choose, which luckily is a freedom I have producing the show’s content. Additionally, you won’t hear anything on the FM radio waves here in Korea that’s quite like “The Drop,” with our emphasis on promoting good music no matter its source, looking at history in context, and just having fun with a very wide variety of sounds over a week’s time, with each night’s focus being different.
William: Growing up, did you listen to the radio a lot? What were some stations or DJs you liked to listen to?
Danno: Well, as a guy who came of age in the 1980s and 1990s, yeah, I listened to a lot of radio growing up, but as a kid it was mostly talk and sports. It wasn’t like now, obviously. You’d wait around for your favorite programs on TV or sometimes radio, even back then. My parents were always listening to the very early shock jocks like Steve Dahl and Gary Matthews in Chicago when I was a little kid. I later discovered house music from some taped shows of the Hot Mix 5 on WBMX, which was like nothing else on radio even into the 1990s, and God bless the people with the tapes and the internet for preserving those mixes, which is a huge inspiration for what I do with “The Drop.”
William: When I was growing up, certain radio personalities in Toronto were very popular because of the way they spoke or because of the energy and humor they projected. Are there any special ways you try to develop your radio personality?
Danno: A bit, maybe. I don’t try to put on a “persona” so much as clarify and sharpen my delivery, which is always an ongoing process, but everybody in any form of media does have a bit of character development to do. Humor is definitely something I try to use in a rather deadpan or salty kind of way, especially during our Under the Radar indie shows on Tuesdays because it’s a great comedy counterpoint to Prince Paolo, whose bubbly persona is always sunny and positive.
William: What are some ways you try to connect to your audience here in Gwangju and in Yeosu?
Danno: I prefer giving away concert tickets, but obviously that’s been out of the question due to COVID-19 for a good while now. I do have guest artists from all over the world on the show every Friday to take over the playlist and give an exclusive interview, and often get sweet little promos from them or their label to give away to our listeners here in Korea. I also like to support the artists and do buy a good amount from them independently from my own funds as well, especially during COVID-19, because they are definitely in dire need due to that. Mostly since the pandemic started, we’ve been giving away T-shirts and LPs monthly to our listeners. A great way to support your favorite artists is to buy music on Bandcamp. On certain Fridays, they have what they call Bandcamp Fridays, where all money spent goes 100% to the artists, which is just fantastic, especially for acts trying to do it on their own.
William: Radio broadcasts obviously have the disadvantage of the listener not being able to see the DJ. How do you overcome this barrier to engage the audience?
Danno: Well, social media is basically the big way to do that, but also having the show available in podcast form has been a boon to gaining listenership. It seems everybody has an image of media intake nowadays that’s just people watching video all day, which is obviously not the case since nothing would get done. I’m always looking to create a connection with the listener beyond the radio, so engaging the show via social media with playlists and what’s going on is a great way to do that.
William: What is your vision for the future of “The Drop with Danno”?
Danno: We’re currently looking to try and expand beyond Gwangju, but mainly I’m just focusing on sharpening the craft of the show and building a relationship with both the artists and our listenership. The feedback since making the show available as a podcast on demand in August has been tremendous, so we’re mainly just looking to continue to play sweet tunes and keep up the momentum we’ve built in the past two years.
William: Well, Danno, we sure hope you keep up the momentum with “The Drop” and that GFN keeps up the momentum in serving our foreign language-speaking community. Thank you for your time.
Photographs and graphics courtesy of Daniel J. Springer.
What’s Up on “The Drop”
“New Muses Monday & The Popcast” with Yejin Lee
We explore the latest tunes out over the weekend, then talk gossip, soundtracks, and new pop tunes with Chonnam National University student Yejin Lee!
“Under the Radar Tuesdays” with Prince Paolo
A full two hours of the latest indie and underground tunes released the previous week with the ever-positive man about town, Paolo Mondragon. Always a (very inappropriate) laugh or two between the cuts!
“Round Trip Wednesdays” with Barbora Brunclíková
Each week, we take a trip to a new country and explore the music of our destination, then fly back to Incheon to check out the latest Korean indie tunes that you won’t hear on the airwaves elsewhere.
“Sampled & AMPED Thursdays” with Dan Lloyd
Our sampled funk-and-soul first hour explores the latest in the renaissance in funk, soul, boogie, and disco tunes followed by Gwangju’s man on the drums, Dan Lloyd, joining us to go over the latest in rock stars and smashed guitars.
“Guests & Requests Fridays”
We invite local and international artists to join us and take over the second-hour playlist, often premiering unreleased gems from albums not yet out! A great look into the artist’s process of creation in the studio.
“Club Session Saturdays”
Exploring some of the best dance music and electronica out there for two hours to get you in the mood to bump!
“Sunday Drive”
In order to get you ready for the week ahead, we explore a set of relaxing tunes, live performances, and generally chilled tunes to help you relax, recharge, and refresh for the week ahead.
The Interviewee
Daniel J. Springer (a.k.a. “Danno”) is the creator, host, writer, editor, and producer of “The Drop with Danno,” broadcasting on GFN 98.7 FM in Gwangju and 93.7 FM in Yeosu nightly between 8 and 10 p.m. Prior to this, he was a contributor to several shows on TBS eFM in Seoul along with being the creator and co-host of “Spacious” and “White Label Radio” on WNUR in Chicago.
Instagram, Twitter, Facebook: @gfnthedrop
Show RSS Feed: https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-drop-with-danno
The Interviewer
William Urbanski is the Gwangju News’ managing editor and its special skateboarding correspondent. Instagram: @will_il_gatto