Anji Bee
Encyclopedia
Anji Bee is a vocalist/lyricist
, podcaster, former college radio DJ, and music journalist
from Los Angeles
. Bee is best known as the vocalist and front person of the band, Lovespirals
, and the hostess and producer of music show, The Chillcast with Anji Bee.
, experimental solo artist and former Swans member, Jarboe
, and ambient music composer, Robert Rich
. Bee worked as KUCI's Music Director and Experimental Music Director, as well as Art Director and Editor of the station's program guide. Additionally she was a music writer for the guide.
In January 2000, Bee began an Internet radio
program called The Lovely Ladies of Electronica on Live365
. She later amended the name to Chillcast Radio with a slight change in music format.
Switching from radio to podcasting
, in June 2005 Bee initiated the Chillin' with Lovespirals band podcast. Bee began contributing music and audio comments to the Daily Source Code
-- the podcast of former MTV
VJ, Adam Curry
, who had just created the Podsafe Music Network
(now known as Music Alley). This association led to a podcasting contract for Bee when Curry founded the PodShow Network (now known as Mevio
) with Ron Bloom
that same year. Bee has guest hosted two episodes of the Daily Source Code, "Best of Charley #5" and "DSC #524: Adam Loves the Ladies". Curry has said that Bee "has the sexiest voice in podcasting."
In February 2006, Bee launched a new music podcast, The Chillcast with Anji Bee, featuring podsafe
chill out music
. In December 2006, she joined fellow PodShow podcasters the Rumor Girls, Cali Lewis, Soccergirl, and PodChick to create the group podcast, ShowGirls, which went on to win an award at the People's Choice Podcast Awards presented during the 3rd annual New Media Expo in 2007. In 2007, The Chillcast was added to Adam Curry's PodShow lineup on Sirius Stars 102
, Bee created and produced the podsafe music podcast, Unwind, for the Tylenol PM brand , Bee filled in as the female hostess (known as Le SuperAgent 69 and DJette Agent 69) of the electronica music show, Atmosphere69 on Mix96 FM
(now known as Virgin Radio), and Bee launched a vidcast edition of her weekly music show, called Chillcast Video, with the debut episode receiving over 200,000 requests. Additionally in 2007, Bee collaborated on the song, "On The Whole," with fellow PodShow podcaster, Mark Yoshimoto Nemmcoff for his comedic satire, Pussy: The Musical.
In 2009, The Chillcast was picked up by 246Live 100.7 FM Toronto
for the Sunday morning midnight to 1 am timeslot. Also in 2009, Ariel Hyatt
selected The Chillcast as one of her Top 100 picks for the Indie Maximum Exposure List, citing it as "The Largest Podcast For Chillout & Electronica."
In 2011, The Chillcast joined the new Club1 programming block on Nijmegen1 Radio on 107.8 FM in the Netherlands, airing from 4am to 5am each Sunday. Station music advisor, Wessel Rubensky, first discovered Bee via Adam Curry, who was a popular DJ and VJ in the Netherlands.
(as Bitstream Dream and Machineries of Heaven), Berlin DJ/Producer, Bloody Mary, German band, Chandeen
, North Carolina producer, The Grooveblaster, San Francisco band, Karmacoda
, and Finnish Creative Commons
band, Moosefrog. The bulk of her recordings have been with Ryan Lum, of Love Spirals Downwards
, under the shortened moniker, Lovespirals
.
Bee's music has appeared on television, cable, DVD, and video games, as well as podcasts, Internet radio, and satellite radio, including: The Oprah Winfrey Show
, Martha
, E!'s Gastineau Girls, the WB's Popular
boxed set, The Strand: Venice (by Daniel Myrick of The Blair Witch Project
fame), EA Games' Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
, Adam Curry
's Daily Source Code
, and multiple shows for MTV and VH1.
Her vocal style has been compared to Sade
, Astrud Gilberto
, Elizabeth Fraser
, Tracey Thorn
, and Billie Holiday
. Music critic Ned Raggett
, wrote in Allmusic:
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
, podcaster, former college radio DJ, and music journalist
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Bee is best known as the vocalist and front person of the band, Lovespirals
Lovespirals
Lovespirals is a US Dream pop and Electronica band from Southern California featuring multi-instrumentalist/producer, Ryan Lum, and lyricist/vocalist, Anji Bee.-History:...
, and the hostess and producer of music show, The Chillcast with Anji Bee.
Broadcasting history
Anji Bee began her broadcasting career in 1996 as a college radio DJ at KUCI 88.9 FM, on the UCI Irvine campus. Her first show, Gloomy Sunday, aired from October 1996 to May 1997. This was immediately followed by another show, The All-Purpose Nuclear Bedtime Story. Bee and her co-host, Justin Johnsen, interviewed a number of underground culture figures on this show, including performance artist/musician/filmmaker, Miranda JulyMiranda July
Miranda July is a performing artist, writer, actress and film director. Born Miranda Jennifer Grossinger, she works under the surname of "July," which can be traced to a character from a "girlzine" Miranda created with high school friend Johanna Fateman, called Snarla.- Background :Miranda...
, experimental solo artist and former Swans member, Jarboe
Jarboe
Jarboe is an American singer, songwriter, and keyboardist.Jarboe is a solo artist who came to prominence in the mid-1980s with the New York City based group Swans. With founder Michael Gira, the duo was the core of Swans until the group broke up in 1998...
, and ambient music composer, Robert Rich
Robert Rich (musician)
Robert Rich is an ambient musician and composer based in California, United States. With a discography spanning over 30 years, he is widely regarded as a figure whose sound has greatly influenced today's ambient, New Age, and even IDM music.-Early life:At an early age he thought he disliked music...
. Bee worked as KUCI's Music Director and Experimental Music Director, as well as Art Director and Editor of the station's program guide. Additionally she was a music writer for the guide.
In January 2000, Bee began an Internet radio
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
program called The Lovely Ladies of Electronica on Live365
Live365
Live365 is an Internet radio network where members can create their own online radio station or listen to other Live365 broadcasters' online stations. As of October 2006, there were about 6,500 active stations, some of which play niche genres seldom heard on AM/FM radio...
. She later amended the name to Chillcast Radio with a slight change in music format.
Switching from radio to podcasting
Podcasting
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
, in June 2005 Bee initiated the Chillin' with Lovespirals band podcast. Bee began contributing music and audio comments to the Daily Source Code
Daily Source Code
The Daily Source Code is a podcast by Adam Curry, often considered a pioneer of podcasting. Curry talks about his everyday life and events in the podcasting scene or the news in general, as well as playing music from the Podsafe Music Network and promotions for other podcasts...
-- the podcast of former MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
VJ, Adam Curry
Adam Curry
Adam Clark Curry is a broadcasting and Internet personality well known for his stint from 1987 to 1994 as a video jockey on the music video channel MTV. In the mid-1990s, Curry was a World Wide Web entrepreneur and one of the first celebrities to personally create and administer a Web site...
, who had just created the Podsafe Music Network
Podsafe Music Network
Podsafe Music Network, or PMN, is currently the primary archive of podsafe music on the internet. It was established by PodShow, a podcast production company founded by Adam Curry and Ron Bloom, in the summer of 2005...
(now known as Music Alley). This association led to a podcasting contract for Bee when Curry founded the PodShow Network (now known as Mevio
Mevio
Mevio Inc., is an American internet entertainment network, whose properties include PodShow+, PodShow Podcast Network, PodShowPDN, Podcast Alley, CastBlaster, the Podsafe Music Network and, BT PodShow...
) with Ron Bloom
Ron Bloom
From February 2009 to August 2011, Ron Bloom served as a senior official in the Obama Administration. From February 2011 to August 2011, Bloom served at the White House as the Assistant to the President for Manufacturing Policy...
that same year. Bee has guest hosted two episodes of the Daily Source Code, "Best of Charley #5" and "DSC #524: Adam Loves the Ladies". Curry has said that Bee "has the sexiest voice in podcasting."
In February 2006, Bee launched a new music podcast, The Chillcast with Anji Bee, featuring podsafe
Podsafe
Podsafe is a term created in the podcasting community to refer to any work which, through its licensing, specifically allows the use of the work in podcasting, regardless of restrictions the same work might have in other realms...
chill out music
Chill out music
Chill out music is an umbrella term for several styles of electronic music characterized by their mellow style and mid-tempo beats — "chill" being derived from a slang injunction to "relax."Chill out music emerged in the early and mid-1990s in "chill rooms" at dance clubs, where relaxing music...
. In December 2006, she joined fellow PodShow podcasters the Rumor Girls, Cali Lewis, Soccergirl, and PodChick to create the group podcast, ShowGirls, which went on to win an award at the People's Choice Podcast Awards presented during the 3rd annual New Media Expo in 2007. In 2007, The Chillcast was added to Adam Curry's PodShow lineup on Sirius Stars 102
SIRIUS Stars
SIRIUS XM Stars is the result of a merger between XM's Take Five and Sirius' Sirius Stars. It was once the flagship talk station on SIRIUS Satellite Radio, but now has shifted focus as a talk destination for women...
, Bee created and produced the podsafe music podcast, Unwind, for the Tylenol PM brand , Bee filled in as the female hostess (known as Le SuperAgent 69 and DJette Agent 69) of the electronica music show, Atmosphere69 on Mix96 FM
CJFM-FM
CJFM-FM is an English language Canadian radio station located in Montreal, Quebec. Owned and operated by Astral Media, it broadcasts on 95.9 MHz with an effective radiated power of 41,200 watts using an omnidirectional antenna....
(now known as Virgin Radio), and Bee launched a vidcast edition of her weekly music show, called Chillcast Video, with the debut episode receiving over 200,000 requests. Additionally in 2007, Bee collaborated on the song, "On The Whole," with fellow PodShow podcaster, Mark Yoshimoto Nemmcoff for his comedic satire, Pussy: The Musical.
In 2009, The Chillcast was picked up by 246Live 100.7 FM Toronto
CHIN-FM
CHIN-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts multilingual programming at FM 100.7 in Toronto, Ontario. It should not be confused with FM 91.9, a rebroadcaster of AM sister station CHIN with a different programming schedule...
for the Sunday morning midnight to 1 am timeslot. Also in 2009, Ariel Hyatt
Ariel Hyatt
Ariel Hyatt is an American music publicist and social media strategist. She's president and founder of Ariel Publicity, a social media PR firm based in New York City, and Cyber PR, her online brand. She recently authored the book Music Success in 9 Weeks....
selected The Chillcast as one of her Top 100 picks for the Indie Maximum Exposure List, citing it as "The Largest Podcast For Chillout & Electronica."
In 2011, The Chillcast joined the new Club1 programming block on Nijmegen1 Radio on 107.8 FM in the Netherlands, airing from 4am to 5am each Sunday. Station music advisor, Wessel Rubensky, first discovered Bee via Adam Curry, who was a popular DJ and VJ in the Netherlands.
Musical history
Over the past decade, Anji Bee has collaborated with a number of independent bands and musicians from all over the world including Canadian composer, Rom Di PriscoRom Di Prisco
Rom Di Prisco is a classically trained composer and producer. He has provided music for over 30 video games, including Unreal Tournament 3, SSX Tricky, Spy Hunter 2, and more notably, the Need for Speed series...
(as Bitstream Dream and Machineries of Heaven), Berlin DJ/Producer, Bloody Mary, German band, Chandeen
Chandeen
Chandeen is a musical project from Frankfurt am Main, founded in 1990 and popular in the darkwave scene in the first half of the 1990s. The band refers to its own style as "Electronic poetry"...
, North Carolina producer, The Grooveblaster, San Francisco band, Karmacoda
Karmacoda
Karmacoda is a US trip hop, downtempo and electronica band based in San Francisco, CA. Karmacoda features lead vocalist Heather Pierce, vocalist/guitarist B., DJ/Turntablist Rafael Acevedo and bassist Eric Matsuno.-History:...
, and Finnish Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
band, Moosefrog. The bulk of her recordings have been with Ryan Lum, of Love Spirals Downwards
Love Spirals Downwards
Love Spirals Downwards was an ethereal darkwave, dream pop, Atmospheric drum'n'bass and electronica recording act from California.-History:Love Spirals Downwards was begun by multi-instrumentalist Ryan Lum and then-girlfriend Suzanne Perry. In 1991, Lum and Perry recorded a demo, which led to a...
, under the shortened moniker, Lovespirals
Lovespirals
Lovespirals is a US Dream pop and Electronica band from Southern California featuring multi-instrumentalist/producer, Ryan Lum, and lyricist/vocalist, Anji Bee.-History:...
.
Bee's music has appeared on television, cable, DVD, and video games, as well as podcasts, Internet radio, and satellite radio, including: The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, Martha
Martha (TV series)
Martha, also known as The Martha Stewart Show, is an American, weekday one-hour talk show hosted by Martha Stewart. Previously airing in first-run syndication, the show began exclusively airing on cable network Hallmark Channel since September 13, 2010.-History:The program originally debuted on...
, E!'s Gastineau Girls, the WB's Popular
Popular (TV series)
Popular is an American teenage comedy-drama on The WB Television Network in the United States, created by Ryan Murphy and Gina Matthews, starring Leslie Bibb and Carly Pope as two teenage girls that reside on polar opposite sides of the popularity spectrum at their high school, but are forced to...
boxed set, The Strand: Venice (by Daniel Myrick of The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur footage. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company. The film relates the story of three student filmmakers The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur...
fame), EA Games' Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
-Development:Different versions of the game were produced for each game platform; the Xbox, GameCube and PC versions were developed in EA Seattle, a subsidiary of EA Canada, while the PS2 version was developed by EA Black Box in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Also, it did not feature a career mode...
, Adam Curry
Adam Curry
Adam Clark Curry is a broadcasting and Internet personality well known for his stint from 1987 to 1994 as a video jockey on the music video channel MTV. In the mid-1990s, Curry was a World Wide Web entrepreneur and one of the first celebrities to personally create and administer a Web site...
's Daily Source Code
Daily Source Code
The Daily Source Code is a podcast by Adam Curry, often considered a pioneer of podcasting. Curry talks about his everyday life and events in the podcasting scene or the news in general, as well as playing music from the Podsafe Music Network and promotions for other podcasts...
, and multiple shows for MTV and VH1.
Her vocal style has been compared to Sade
Sade Adu
Helen Folasade Adu OBE , is a British singer-songwriter, composer, and record producer. She first achieved success in the 1980s as the frontwoman and lead vocalist of the Brit and Grammy Award winning English group Sade.-Biography:Sade was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria...
, Astrud Gilberto
Astrud Gilberto
Astrud Gilberto is a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer. She is well known for the Grammy Award-winning song "The Girl from Ipanema".-Biography:...
, Elizabeth Fraser
Elizabeth Fraser
Elizabeth Davidson Fraser is a Scottish singer best known as the vocalist for the pioneer alternative rock group Cocteau Twins...
, Tracey Thorn
Tracey Thorn
Tracey Anne Thorn is an English pop singer and songwriter. She is best known as being one half of the duo Everything but the Girl, which is currently on extended hiatus.-Personal life:...
, and Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
. Music critic Ned Raggett
Ned Raggett
Ned Raggett is a library assistant, freelance writer and music journalist. His work has been published in Allmusic, the OC Weekly, Plan B, Metal Edge and The Quietus, while pieces have also appeared in Dream, Arthur, as well as Stylus, The Broken Face, Fake Jazz, Freaky Trigger, Careless Talk...
, wrote in Allmusic:
- Bee's singing is a perfect counterpoint, a blend of classic mid-century jazz-pop flow and a bit of '60s cool in a French or Brazilian sense -- some low-key scatting here, some warm, playful crooning there.
Notable Collaborations
- 2002 “Cylkoid” with Rom Di PriscoRom Di PriscoRom Di Prisco is a classically trained composer and producer. He has provided music for over 30 video games, including Unreal Tournament 3, SSX Tricky, Spy Hunter 2, and more notably, the Need for Speed series...
for Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2-Development:Different versions of the game were produced for each game platform; the Xbox, GameCube and PC versions were developed in EA Seattle, a subsidiary of EA Canada, while the PS2 version was developed by EA Black Box in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Also, it did not feature a career mode... - 2003 “Ragdolls” with Plastic Chair for Different (Chris Garrett Mix CD)
- 2004 “Love Me Leave Me” and “Phantasma” with Rom Di PriscoRom Di PriscoRom Di Prisco is a classically trained composer and producer. He has provided music for over 30 video games, including Unreal Tournament 3, SSX Tricky, Spy Hunter 2, and more notably, the Need for Speed series...
as Bitstream Dream for Integration - 2007 “En La Oscuridad” and “New Life” with Moosefrog for Adrift
- 2007 “On The Whole” with Mark Yoshimoto Nemmcoff for Pussy: The Musical
- 2008 “Tomorrow” with ChandeenChandeenChandeen is a musical project from Frankfurt am Main, founded in 1990 and popular in the darkwave scene in the first half of the 1990s. The band refers to its own style as "Electronic poetry"...
for Teenage Poetry - 2008 “Summer Days” and “Whole Wide World” with The Grooveblaster for Cities, Streets & Bebop Nights
- 2008 “Crossing The Pond” and “Favor Tweet” with The CC Asia Band for CABACA
- 2010 “Buddhahood” with Benoit Cassar for Danai, Vol. 2 (CD 1: Camera Rolling)
- 2010 “Que Quiero” with 7 Day Visa for Buenos Aires
- 2010 “Arabesque (Jin Choi Remix)” with Bloody Mary for Arabesque EP
- 2011 “Put Some Music On (Good Times)” and “Smiling” with The Grooveblaster for Out Of The Past
- 2011 “Love Will Turn Your Head Around” with KarmacodaKarmacodaKarmacoda is a US trip hop, downtempo and electronica band based in San Francisco, CA. Karmacoda features lead vocalist Heather Pierce, vocalist/guitarist B., DJ/Turntablist Rafael Acevedo and bassist Eric Matsuno.-History:...
and Beth HirschBeth HirschBeth Hirsch is a singer-songwriter from Tampa, Florida, born in . Hirsch is best known for her collaboration with Air on their critically acclaimed album Moon Safari. Her first solo album, Early Days, was released in 1999, followed by Titles & Idols in 2001...
for Love Will Turn Your Head Around - Single and Eternal - 2011 “Cast Out Of Paradise” with Bloody Mary & SIS for Potluck