Indie88

Indie88 is a fantastic source of alternative music in Toronto for those who may be a little sick of 102.1 the Edge. It plays a huge variety of music, often based on requests. They don’t discriminate much based on «genre» so I would welcome anyone to tune in. I can’t think of many other stations where I can be hearing the Arctic Monkeys or Vampire Weekend one minute and Alexisonfire the next.
I would also recommend you check out their booths if you ever spot them at an event. They give out free swag and are often blasting some seriously fantastic music. For those looking for something different in Toronto’s radio music, 88.1 is for you!

I discovered Indie88 last summer driving on King Street. I’ve forgotten my iPod at home, and I wasn’t in the mood for either Jazz or Classical. I scanned the tuners for something fresh and unfamiliar (a long shot for Toronto), and I found two stations that were blasting tunes I never heard before. One was Pride FM, and the other was Indie88. By the time I’ve arrived at my destination, I concluded that the music on Indie88 was of a more easy listening nature. I never heard of any of the bands they named, and did not recognize a single song. This was a fresh experience for me, as I have been accustomed to settling with the least annoying station in the past, when no other mediums of music was available while behind the steering wheel of my truck. Overtime, I was able to name the songs that repeated throughout the day, and even name a few band or two. This is when I noticed that all encompassing Canadian formatting which all radio stations in Ontario were somehow subjected to.
I once looked up a song on their website, and noticed while scrolling through the list that they too subscribed to the top 40 ideal. It may not have been the top 40 in mainstream media, but it was certainly the top 40 of what was mainstream in their genre of music, which is actually even more foul of a crime, as there should be so much more unknown bands that deserve a play on the air, simply due to this station’s philosophy. «Giving great music a home.» Or did that mean giving the most popular songs a residency until something newer comes along? It’s undeniably similar to what any other radio stations are doing. There is the voting to keep or rid of the lesser known music, more affectionately known in Toronto as ‘Pump It Or Dump It.” A morning show that plays music I suppose that is commuter friendly? «The Morning After», which I don’t really understand the theme of, as it doesn’t seem to appeal to any specific demographic or purpose, and «Your First Listen» hosted by a DJ personality whom I may or may not have attended the same Junior High School with.
I do really enjoy a segment called Crackle & Pop, where someone who is referred to as ‘Bookie’ plays songs from his vinyl collection. Often, I have no idea what is being played, but it’s pretty groovy. There is also a segment called «Black Box Sessions», which is collective of singer/​bands that have visited the Indie88 studio to record in a alleged dark recording studio. The music is hit or miss at times, but it certainly is unique, and an excellent platform for local artist to display their talent.
One thing you will hear over and over on Indie88 is their constant reminder of the entire project is broadcasted from a house in Liberty Village; a severely gentrified neighborhood in Toronto that takes price in destroying some of the city’s most historic buildings simply because they look old and unappealing, and replaced it with condos, fast foods disguised under euphemisms such as ‘craft’, and ‘hair studio’. It is the ideal neighbourhood for hipsters to hangout. This certainly would be where all the hipsters in Toronto lived if hipsters had jobs, and understood the concept of money.
The station occupies a (as of date) half-​assed renovated house that supposedly has no hot water for showers. This constant reminder serves no credit to the radio station’s ‘localness’, because the truth is, it already feels bloody local already. The local vibe of Indie88 is undeniable. I enjoy this radio station so much, I now prefer it to my iPod. My iPod is a collective of music that only I like, so that’s saying a hell of a lot.
They often give a little back story to the artist/​band right before playing their music, which is super cool and informational for music nerds, and the musicians themselves. Indie88 does a good job in keeping things interesting.
There are of course, a few egregious things that this station needs to cut it the fuck out of their programing. Raina seems to exude a lot of her personality on air, which is cool, but she also exude much of her personal bias, which sometimes becomes super annoying. I don’t know why so many radio stations must dabble in local politics and news, perhaps it is an requirement for Canadian radio, but when Raina does it, she just gets it wrong. She shits on Toronto’s old mayor, despite a good demographic of the station’s listeners are supports of him, and I remember her even scoffing at a Mens rights advocacy group. WTF dude?! That actually takes the cake as the most offensive thing I’ve ever heard on the radio. Seriously sexist stuff.
This radio station wields their influence over a demographic that currently dominates the mainstream media, and subsequently; how many people think. Indie88 is anything from obscure, and their sponsors are similar to the other stations. Lay off the politics and controversial trends and just concentrate on good music will ya? Don’t be presumptuous and patronize or alienate your listeners.
Good contests though…