What is your name and DJ name?
My name is Travis Stroope and my DJ name is Travi.
What is the name of your show? When is it on?
The name of the show is T’s Takeover of 96.9 and the day is Saturday, 5 to 7.
Please describe your show. What is its format?
It’s mostly – well, it’s all reggae. I usually start with old reggae in the first hour and transition into newer stuff as I go. That’s basically the whole lowdown.
What drew you to participate in KMRD?
The random opportunity to spread the vibration of music, because it’s a good format for changing vibration, in general. Chosen weapon, I suppose, more socially acceptable.
What is the appeal of doing a radio show? How does it fit into to the rest of your life?
The appeal is, for me, that it gives me a chance to hook people on something that’s interesting to me, and that’s hooked me. In that way, the vibration of music can spread. Certain genres, like reggae, tend to be political and about social issues and it’s mainstream, somehow at the same time – it makes it a special sort of thing to be connected to. I guess to be able to share it with other people is what music’s really about.
What difference has being a DJ made in your life?
It gives me an excuse to drop life at a certain time on Saturday, when I’d rather just be listening to my own music. It’s changed my life in that the feedback has been positive, and it feels like it’s doing what it’s supposed to do.
It feels like revolution, I guess. “Be the media,” basically. I think that we all want to vibrate higher, and what better way to do it than dealing with things on a vibrational level: music is powerful for that, and obviously radio waves in general. So there’s a lot of frequencies and vibrations that all need to kind of catch up to where the social movements are moving towards, always moving more toward a higher vibration. It seems like a lot of the DJs at this place tend toward the higher vibrational music of all of their particular genres, which is cool to see. I’ve learned to really love bluegrass… since I’ve been here I’ve listened to acid jazz, and people just making music on machines right in front of my eyes and live music – so I feel like this spot, this place, this station, this community has a great connection with music. The importance is clear.
What are your hopes for your show?
I really enjoy people calling in and requesting songs – I think that it would be fun to ratchet that up a bit, which is on me. I just hope to get a lot of good suggestions on new music in the reggae genre that I haven’t heard, and just keep it going.
What are your hopes for the station?
My hope for the station is that a billionaire contributes ten million dollars to the cause, understanding what kind of an effect it could have on people having a spot like this to either express themselves through the music that they love, or advocate for community activities and events and wishes for the future.