2092 presents…Funk Radio-Hosted by Grandfather.

Funk Radio is an exploration of various genres and the records that influence and shape the vast medium of music. As we examine an artist/genre and inevitably the producers, we are reminded of the rich culture that has proceeded us; and the importance of acknowledgement and transformation in practice.

THESE ARE THE RECORDS THAT MAKE US!

This month’s episode features special guest St. Panther.

St. Panther is the recording project of Dani Bojorges-Giraldo (they/them), a Mexican/Colombian artist, producer, singer, rapper, and multi-instrumentalist living in East Los Angeles. Strange World, a new EP of soulful modern pop songs, marks St. Panther’s first release with art-forward label partner drink sum wtr. A striking return and sign of what’s to come, Strange World reignites the excited simmer that surrounded their 2020 breakout debut EP, These Days.

A St. Panther song can move between soul, R&B, jazz, hip-hop, or alt-pop; what makes it theirs is an ear for inventive, inviting production and an unmistakable voice. Whether raspy or silky, crooning or rapping, that drawl contains pure charisma, joy, and grit. Their ability to tap into life’s vibrance as much as its pain places them within a rarified throughline of expressive pop greats from Wonder to Winehouse.

Five years is a long time in this strange world, and Bojorges-Giraldo used it wisely, making space to grow as an artist and person, to record, and to “become a part of my village.” Strange World sessions were split between that familiar setting and a new one, Haven Sound, the Burbank studio run by co-producer Chris McClenney (H.E.R., Khalid, Jamila Woods). In contrast to the capitalist dream, St. Panther is here for human success. “I want our communities to succeed in caring about each other.” Great pop music often holds a mirror to generations, and St. Panther does so here with timeless ease.