Silk Road Secret Agents is Discotchari’s monthly debriefing of music that highlights the fusion of musical movements around the world and throughout the ages with ethnic identities rooted in the diverse Silk Road region. We also dive deep into the history of artists whose life stories and music evoke dramatic cinema fit for Tarantino, Kiarostami, Wong Kar-Wai, Youssef Chahine and other legendary directors. These artists often times relied on their musical talent to navigate complex social structures, unite people from different backgrounds, and preserve their ethnic roots by reimagining them in new forms: inspiring the name “Silk Road Secret Agents”.

The basis of the Silk Road’s influence was local demand and appreciation for foreign supply of spices, materials, knowledge and all other tangible forms of culture. Alongside our radio show, we bring these values into the real world by playing and promoting live events featuring local talent who collectively embody the second metaphor of “Silk Road Secret Agents”: music selectors and artists acting as ambassadors and creators of international dance and roots music that is embedded with traditions catering to multinational audiences commonly found in cities with rich social fabric.

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Omjvinyls – Omid J, better known as omjvinyls, is an Afghan American archivist and DJ from the San Francisco Bay Area with roots in Kunar and Nuristan. Since age 14, he’s been digging through thrift stores and record shops, building a global collection of vinyl and cassettes that bridges Afghan sounds with international music culture. His passion for Afghan media took shape in the post-9/11 era, when YouTube and early Afghan websites opened a window into the country’s musical past. Since then, he’s worked with members of the Afghan diaspora and collaborators in Afghanistan to recover rare TV footage, radio recordings, and cassette tapes. Omid’s archival and DJ work has been featured at conferences across Germany and on the BBC. He curated mixes for Khonia FM, NTS, and Dublab, and co-created Side A of the cassette Dast Dar Dast with Falgoosh. Beyond archiving, he digitizes, translates and shares Afghan poems, songs, and TV clips—keeping the country’s cultural memory alive and accessible.