“Everything starts with ‘why.'” That’s how Marek Tyler describes the first step when he sets out to curate his weekly program, takahki, which shines a light on music by Indigenous artists, from Canada and around the world. We recently connected with Marek to ask him about his process for song selection, and how he approaches this hour of music.
“Sometimes a song excites me. Other times I’m not sure if I like a song, but art that challenges us is good. If the ‘why’ is that I want people to hear more music from Indigenous women, or from a particular place, for example, then the ‘how’ is to select music. I’m looking for a world-view that’s new to me.”
Marek always wants to share as much music as he can fit into the hour. “I keep my introductions short, and I don’t speak a lot during the breaks. I get out of the way and let the music and the artists have the space.”
He’s also open about why sharing as much music as possible is important to him: “When I share a song, and people hear it, including other hosts, that helps a song track, and that opens up so much opportunity for an artist. Many of these artists and bands are relatively unknown. If I can find their music on Bandcamp or ask for help from Arianne [CKUA’s Production Services Supervisor] in getting new music for CKUA’s library, that can make a big difference to the musicians. I’m always asking, ‘Can I make room for this?’ and then the result is one hour of fun.”
Enjoy takahki live, Friday evenings between 8pm and 9pm, or check it out OnDemand now!
