Family matters are audible on the air.

Waves through space and time, archived like an heirloom.

For David and Sydney Dacks, lineage and memory inform present and future - rolled in tape, tracked through infinite rotation.

On August 30 and 31, the parent and kid duo will share A Radio Active Community - it’s a performance and installation part of Intersection Music and Arts Festival - night one held at Sankofa Square on August 30, 8 pm (info), followed by a panel discussion the following day (Sunday, August 31) at The Music Gallery (918 Bathurst), starting at 3 pm (tickets and info).  

A Radio Active Community is David Dacks’ personal journey back to the heady days of Toronto’s campus radio in the early 1990s in the form of an improvised 45-60 minute audiovisual experience.

David is a longstanding, innovative leader in the city’s vibrant arts and culture communities - his roots are grounded in 25 years of volunteer work at CIUT (89.5 FM), University of Toronto’s campus radio station, where he hosted three programs; The Morning After The Night Before (1986-1988), I Got A Bag Of My Own (1988-1993), The Abstract Index (2001-2012). Sydney Dacks is a talented video game developer, educator and programmer, and joins their parent partner in sound - David - to produce stunning visuals and helm the boards.

A Radio Active Community digs into this formative time, as David digitizes a cassette library of his own and his colleagues’ airchecks to create a sound collage of music, commercials, custom station IDs, interviews, technical bloopers and above all, many voices making radio history in defining and unifying the city’s underground sounds and styles that drew from around the world, hip hop and African music scenes, the continued strong presence of reggae and dancehall, and collisions with rock, jazz, experimental and found sounds, politics, social trends and more.

In addition to this conversation for Sound Travels, you can attend a live panel discussion moderated by CIUT veteran Judy Perry, featuring David, Sydney, Phil Vassell of the Canada Black Music Archives (CBMA) and DTS of CIUT’s iconic programs, the Masterplan Show, at 3:00 pm on Sunday, August 31, hosted at The Music Gallery.

Find David on Instagram @daviddacks, and Sydney @psydacks - all details in the episode notes.

David has graciously shared an excerpt of the music mix from the project with us to provide a sample of this very special archive.

LISTEN:

Tracklist:
acid - ray barretto
freedom street - eric donaldson
cross over - junior murvin
love controversy pt 1 - loose ends
fall - miles davis quintet
chabako - gnawa musicians of marrakesh
change - lfo
be thankful for what you got - massive attack
s.o.b.b. story - leaders of the new school
bra - cymande
sunny ti de ariya - king sunny ade
free your mind and your ass will follow - funkadelic

Sharing the land:

Sound Travels is produced in Tkaronto (covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit) – it is an honour and privilege to create this work on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many Indigenous communities from across Turtle Island.

Sonic Fold Respect Mandate:

Sonic Fold is founded on CommUNITY, all caps on UNITY – we do not tolerate any form of racism, hate, bigotry, sexism and violence. Every conversation is a conversACTION. It is an honour and a privilege to do this work – and a continuous opportunity to learn and grow. Thank you for sharing this with me, and those who listen.

Tune In to Sound Travels:

Every Fourth Wednesday | 1 to 2 pm ET - LIVE on JOLT RADIO

Jolt Radio is an amazing community-driven platform that supports local, national, and international independent artists, producers, radio hosts and DJs. They are broadcast from their Allapattah, Miami, FL studio and listened to worldwide. Much gratitude to John Caignet for the trust and support! Bringing my two fave cities together for this initiative is a true blessing. Support Jolt Radio HERE.

TEAM

Sound Travels is curated, hosted, produced, photographed by: Ola Mazzuca/ olasconola Sonic Fold

Ep. 12 | The Dacks Family behind the decks, through the airwaves