The Ultimate Gift Guide For Music Lovers, According To KEXP Seattle Radio Hosts

When asked why the gift of music is so special, Darek Mazzone, a DJ at Seattle’s KEXP radio station, said: “It opens people’s hearts.”

You also might say it also opens up perspectives and broadens horizons.

“Last week we had the Korean Band ADG7 in. They perform a Shamanic Funk that has its roots in North Korea. The combo of musical virtuosity and showmanship completely blew us away,” said Mazzone, whose show, “Wo’Pop,” focuses on music from around the world.

For Eva Walker, another KEXP DJ with a show called “Audioasis,” music is a sonic retelling of people’s lives and real experiences that may never be found in the pages of history books.

“I really think it’s important for people to remember how important preservation of hip-hop music is. Hip-hop is some of the most important documentation of American history we have,” Walker said when she told HuffPost about her list of essential albums for any music collection (see some of them below).

While music is subjective, certain sounds and lyrics make everyone feel something.

“The gift of music is so special because it’s inclusive! We can all make it, however we want to make it,” Walker said. “I’ve heard music from a deaf musician that invented a way to transcribe notes and chords into a light show. It was beautiful. Maybe we don’t always understand the language but sound can make us feel.”

Michele Myers, who hosts and produces a show called “Friday Night,” said that “listening to and sharing each other’s voices creates a better world for everyone.”

The knowledgeable DJs and radio hosts at KEXP helped us pick out the iconic records, incredible-sounding turntables and headphones on the first half of the list. Then we rounded out the other half with our own suggestions.