DJing and radio mixes have long been a part of the Bay Area’s sonic landscape. In fact, according to the book Images of America: Bay Area Radio, the Bay has been at the forefront of radio science and technology since 1909, when Charles Herrold began to broadcast some of the earliest weekly music programs from his San Jose-based radio school. Big broadcasting, including NBC, arrived in San Francisco in 1926, and during World War II the region became an even-more-centralized conduit for Pacific-related war news. It’s no surprise that the legacy of radio would eventually drift into the region’s local culture and music scenes: especially Bay Area hip-hop.
For a genre born from the streets and DJed by the people, the San Francisco Bay has served as a factory of beloved radio shows, DJs and turntablists for decades. The Invisibl Skratch Piklz—an intergenerational posse of world-champion DJs like Qbert, Shortkut, Mix Master Mike, Apollo—planted its flag as a predominantly Filipino crew who pioneered the use of turntables in hip-hop when its members first came up out of Daly City in the early ’90s.
The Bay’s proud hip-hop tradition has spilled into local radio shows and music television over the years. Prominent channels and outlets such as the California Music Channel, 106.1 KMEL, Wild 94.9 (formerly Wild 107), KPFA, and KALX have thrived here. So have audio curators like Davey D of “Hard Knock Radio,” Chuy Gomez of KMEL and CMC, Dr. Marshall of “Street Soldiers,” JV and Elvis of “The Dog House,” and Rose Aguilar of “Your Call.”
Before social media, DJs and later VJs (music video jockeys), were largely responsible for filtering coolness to the masses through the airwaves. In one epic promotional stunt, Gomez—arguably the most iconic Bay Area music curator—shut down the Bay Bridge to get his hair cut in 1993. But with the internet’s arrival and the proliferation of streaming services and calculated, user-influenced algorithms, the art and fame of DJing has receded.
Amid these shifts in digital consumption and the music industry, folks like DJ FLOW (born Christopher Santos) are fighting to keep local radio alive and rooted.
Having grown up in Fairfield—the home of rap group The Federation, who helped popularized the now-common term “hyphy” when they released the track “Hyphy” featuring E-40 in 2004—FLOW has been in the game for a quarter century, having been first introduced to DJing during the golden era of the ’90s.
Since then, he has been selected as a resident DJ for Usher’s Las Vegas gigs, and opened shows for various rappers like Too $hort, P-Lo Hieroglyphics, Dom Kennedy, and Curren$y. He has also been a mixshow (a genre of radio programming which, in Santos’ words, is “when a DJ is live on air, mixing records just like they would at a party or club”) host in Sacramento and San Francisco.
Now, DJ FLOW is joining Gomez as part of 102.1 Jams with his own mixshow dedicated to Bay Area radio culture, Weekend Rewind, which airs every Saturday from 10pm to midnight. I caught up with the veteran disc jockey to hear about his extensive experience behind the turntables, and his excitement for preserving throwback music in the Bay.
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48 HILLS How did you make your way into the world of DJing and music production?
DJ FLOW As a Filipino American growing up in the ‘90s, I was surrounded by music. My older cousins and sister were always going to, or throwing, house parties. I remember seeing DJs with full setups and lighting. Breakdancing was also part of all of these gatherings and events, so hip-hop culture was always around, and Filipinos were definitely embedded in it here in the Bay Area. I started on piano at a young age, but when I found drums in elementary school, that was it for me. I played in bands, competed in drumline through high school, and eventually discovered turntables and music production software, which opened up a whole new world of sampling and beat-making.
48 HILLS What have been some personal highlights in your 25-year career?
DJ FLOW Playing events associated with major artists is always a great stepping stone, but getting a direct invite from Usher to DJ his Vegas afterparties was something special. A lot of times, bookings come through a venue, an agent, or even friends, and I’m always grateful for those opportunities. But when an artist of Usher’s caliber personally reaches out and extends an invite, it’s a different level of validation, especially this late in my DJ career. For most of my journey, DJing has been a side gig while my primary career has been in marketing. But after the Usher opportunity and seeing success with my social media efforts, it really solidified for me that everything — my experience on both sides, my love for music, my ability to market myself — has led me to this point. I’ve finally found my identity as a creative professional.
48 HILLS How does your community fuel your artistry?
DJ FLOW Being Filipino American in the Bay meant hip-hop culture was just there. I didn’t become a DJ right away, but I was aware of it. Just knowing that turntablism existed and that people who looked like me were pioneering it made it feel accessible. This was before YouTube, so being exposed to DJing in real life was a privilege, and I recognize now how much of that came from being Filipino in this region. Some of the most innovative DJing in the world came from the Bay, starting with the mobile crew scene in the ‘80s, evolving into turntablism as an art form, and still influencing DJs today. That legacy made an impression on me early on, even before I touched a set of turntables myself.
48 HILLS What exactly is a mixshow, and what’s some Bay Area mixshow history you think folks should know about?
DJ FLOW Seeing DJs at parties was one thing, but hearing them on the radio was a whole other level of inspiration. Regular radio programming is just playing songs, but a mixshow is when a DJ is live on air, mixing records just like they would at a party or club. We were lucky in the Bay Area, our radio stations really supported DJs. 106 KMEL and 107.7 [now 94.9] had mixshows running during prime hours, all week long. Waking up to Mind Motion in the mix with Chuy Gomez, hearing Scotty Fox and Big Von’s Chop Shop, or DJ Revolution on The Wake Up Show with Sway & Tech? Rick Lee, Majestic Chris, Jose Melendez, Jazzy Jim—I could go on, and I know I’m missing so many. But their drops were everywhere, and their presence on the airwaves shaped so many DJs coming up in the Bay. That mixshow culture gave DJs a platform, and that influence is why so many innovative DJs have come from here.
48 HILLS Who are some of your biggest influences among radio DJs and music VJs?
DJ FLOW Outside of the Bay Area, I studied a lot of New York radio DJs. Funk Flex, Clark Kent, Mister Cee, and Stretch and Bobbito were all huge influences. In L.A., The Baker Boyz and, of course, The Beat Junkies each had their own style and unique contributions to radio programming. I was also inspired by Peter Rosenberg’s rise from college radio to Hot 97, and even Ebro, who came up through Sacramento radio before making his mark in New York. I also have to shout out one of my peers, DJ Eternal, who was part of the radio mixshow push in the Bay during the mid-2010s on Q102.
Seeing him on air made me believe that being on radio was still possible, even in a time when mixshows were becoming less common. Beyond hip-hop radio, someone like Gilles Peterson has been a huge inspiration. He’s a master curator blending old and new music seamlessly and using radio as a platform for discovery. On the VJ side, I grew up watching Big Tigger on Rap City: Tha Basement, as well as Franzen and Chuy on CMC. Those shows were just as influential as radio for me. They were the visual representation of the DJ and music culture that I paid close attention to.
48 HILLS You’re going to be joining the legendary Chuy Gomez on 102.1. What’s your relationship with him like?
DJ FLOW I don’t know him personally, but just being on the same station as him is an honor. He’s a legend. Chuy’s voice is as recognizable as E-40’s. He is Bay Area radio for our generation.
48 HILLS What are your thoughts on the contemporary state of Bay Area radio and hip-hop at large?
DJ FLOW Radio can still be an important platform. With the sheer volume of new music being released, streaming is so dependent on algorithms that there’s still a need for good curation, and that’s where mixshow DJs come in. Artists don’t necessarily need radio to break through anymore. They’re able to build careers independently, but DJs still have a role to play in breaking records. It’s just shifted. Now, it’s up to the DJ to build their own platform and credibility to introduce new music to their audience.
48 HILLS Why does local radio still matter in a time of post-regional, algorithmic streaming?
DJ FLOW Streaming has made it harder to capture attention, and there are fewer mixshows now, which is unfortunate. But local radio still matters because there’s so much talent in the Bay that deserves to be heard—and not just in hip-hop. There are incredible musicians in the modern soul and jazz worlds, too. There’s so much amazing music being made that doesn’t always fit into the mold of what streaming platforms prioritize. That’s why curation is important, and that’s where DJs still have a role: in guiding listeners toward something new while giving them something familiar to connect with.
48 HILLS Do you have any favorite new artists from the Bay?
DJ FLOW There’s a ton of great music coming out of the Bay right now. Artists like Larry June, LaRussell, P-Lo, Rexx Life Raj, Grand Nationxl, MacArthur Maze, Ovrkast., Sndtrak, and Michael Sneed are all doing their thing AND creating their own lanes without relying on DJs the way artists used to. But I’m hoping that stepping into this role as a mixshow DJ, even if it’s with a throwback format at first, will give me the opportunity to rebuild that bridge and carry on that tradition.
I’ve mentioned LaRussell as an artist making waves independently, but through his movement, I also discovered Hokage Simon, a multi-instrumentalist and producer whose music is incredible. His musicianship, along with the artists he works with, reflects the depth of talent that exists outside of what algorithms typically push to the forefront. I recently started working closely with Blue Note Napa in a DJ and marketing capacity and discovered a band called Big Trippin’. Their lineup includes world-renowned drummer Thomas Pridgen, who casually put on one of the best performances I’ve ever seen on a random Thursday night.
48 HILLS Why are throwbacks such an important aspect of music culture, particularly in hip-hop, which is an ever-evolving genre?
DJ FLOW Everyone loves nostalgia. You can hear it in the way producers and artists are constantly sampling and covering ‘90s and early ‘00s classics. That just proves how timeless that music was. Hip-hop as a genre is still evolving, but what’s amazing is that the same elements of street music, conscious rap, sampling, boom-bap, and trap are all still present and thriving. And now, hip-hop is at a point where it’s integrated into everything, like commercials, movies, even the Super Bowl. It’s wild to see how far it’s come.
48 HILLS Besides your mixshow, do you have any other musical projects you’re working on?
DJ FLOW I’ve always had my foot in the production side of DJing. Over the years, I’ve released singles on 7” vinyl, which has helped me get my name out globally. But my goal is to finally put out a full album on 12” vinyl, something that pulls together all of my influences into one cohesive project. Beyond that, I just want to keep sharing my music collection through DJing, social media, and reaching more people through this mixshow. I’ll be archiving all of my episodes via my Patreon, too.
WEEKEND REWIND airs every Saturday from 10pm to midnight in San Francisco on 102.1 FM Jams. Check DJ Flow’s Patreon to hear past episodes.
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