Free City Radio

By Free City RadioArts

Free City Radio episodes

November 11 Art in Action interview - Hamid Drake
On this edition of the Art in Action series we hear from improvisor and musician Hamid Drake. Hamid has played internationally for many years and has strong roots to the spiritual Jazz palying communities in Chicago. This interview is focused on the fight to hold the sustaining feature of the gathering, the collectivity that is central to improvised music. Hamid and I speak about also the ways that there are many non-western musical references that upload the legacy of trance and improvisation to musical gatherings.
Stefan Christoff produces this artist interview series, Art in Action, the theme music is by Anarchist Mountains. This program broadcasts monthly on:
Radio AlHara, Palestine
On the first Friday of each month at 4:30pm in Bethlehem and 9:30am eastern time (radioalhara.net)
CKUT 90.3 FM, Montréal
On the third Friday of each month at 11am (ckut.ca)
CJLO 1690 AM, Montreal
On the second Thursday of each month at 8:30am. (cjlo.com)
30 min
November 11 343, Ziya Tabassian on transnational music in a time of war in Iran
On this edition of Free City Radio we hear from cultural worker and percussionist Ziya Tabassian on his work to create cross-cultural musical experiences in Montreal. Ziya also shares reflections on culture and music in Iran at this time of war.
Free City Radio is hosted and produced by Stefan Christoff and broadcasts on:
CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal - Wednesdays at 11am
CJLO 1690 AM in Montreal - Thursdays 8am
CKUW 95.9 FM in Winnipeg - Tuesdays 8am, Fridays 1:30pm
CFRC 101.9 FM in Kingston - Wednesdays 11:30am
CFUV 101.9 FM in Victoria - Saturdays 7am
Met Radio 1280 AM in Toronto - Fridays at 5:30am
CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa - Tuesdays at 2pm
CJSF 90.1 FM in Vancouver - Tuesdays at 4pm
CHMA 106.9 FM in Sackville, New Brunswick - Tuesdays at 10am
CKMS 102.7 FM, Radio Waterloo on Mondays at 10am
CiTR 101.9 FM in Vancouver - Fridays at 7am
CIVL Radio - 101.7 FM and 92.3 FM, Fraser Valley, BC - Tuesdays 10:30am
30 min
November 03 Cultural workers for Palestine - Leila Marshy
On this edition of Cultural workers for Palestine we hear from author Leila Marshy who speaks on the collective book project "Razing Palestine: Punishing Solidarity and Dissent in Canada." The book is described this way:
"For two years, the world watched in horror as 2 million people on 140 square miles of land bore an unprecedented and unfathomable pummelling by the Israeli Army. More bombs were dropped on Gaza than in World War II; more children killed, wounded and orphaned than in any other conflict of this century; more journalists and healthcare workers killed than in any other conflict ever; and entire towns and districts were reduced to dust.
Those who spoke about the carnage were punished by censure, sanction, smearing and worse. Across the country, journalists were muzzled, academics were stifled, doctors were fired, activists were arrested, and artists were banned. Words such as genocide and ceasefire were excised from the vocabulary, and criticism of the conflict invited accusations of antisemitism."
Info:
https://www.barakabooks.com/catalogue/razing-palestine
30 min
November 02 342, Safa Chebbi on the sustaining political meaning of Gaza encampments in Montreal
On this edition of Free City Radio we hear from Palestinian solidarity organizer Safa Chebbi who speaks about the sustaining political relevance and impact of a series of Gaza solidarity encampments in Montreal over the last years.
Free City Radio is hosted and produced by Stefan Christoff and broadcasts on:
CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal - Wednesdays at 11am
CJLO 1690 AM in Montreal - Thursdays 8am
CKUW 95.9 FM in Winnipeg - Tuesdays 8am, Fridays 1:30pm
CFRC 101.9 FM in Kingston - Wednesdays 11:30am
CFUV 101.9 FM in Victoria - Saturdays 7am
Met Radio 1280 AM in Toronto - Fridays at 5:30am
CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa - Tuesdays at 2pm
CJSF 90.1 FM in Vancouver - Tuesdays at 4pm
CHMA 106.9 FM in Sackville, New Brunswick - Tuesdays at 10am
CKMS 102.7 FM, Radio Waterloo on Mondays at 10am
30 min
October 27 341, Sound artist scholar Nicola Di Croce on the sonic language of gentrification
This discussion with scholar and sound artist Nicola Di Croce looks at the ways that we can understand the role that sound plays in our collective conception of space. This discussion looks at the ways that we define certain types of sound as discordant and how a conception of force silence as central to a neoliberal cultural ethos that defines gentrification as a good thing, despite it being driven by displacement frameworks that target lower classes.
Nicola's practice also involves creating neighbourhood-based collective sound improvisations as a way of communally addressing these dynamics. "Creative Urban Atmospheres
Sensory Interventions and Tactical Imaginaries" is Nicola's recently published book.
Free City Radio is hosted and produced by Stefan Christoff and broadcasts on:
CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal - Wednesdays at 11am
CJLO 1690 AM in Montreal - Thursdays 8am
CKUW 95.9 FM in Winnipeg - Tuesdays 8am, Fridays 1:30pm
CFRC 101.9 FM in Kingston - Wednesdays 11:30am
CFUV 101.9 FM in Victoria - Saturdays 7am
Met Radio 1280 AM in Toronto - Fridays at 5:30am
CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa - Tuesdays at 2pm
CJSF 90.1 FM in Vancouver - Tuesdays at 4pm
CHMA 106.9 FM in Sackville, New Brunswick - Tuesdays at 10am
CKMS 102.7 FM, Radio Waterloo on Mondays at 10am
30 min
October 25 Anti-AI Organizing and Cultural Resistance from São Paulo to Montréal, recorded at Brique par Brique
Audio recorded at an event on October 12, 2026 in Montreal called "Anti-AI Organizing and Cultural Resistance from São Paulo to Montréal." This audio is edited to be broadcast on community and online radio stations globally. It has aired on CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal on Friday, Oct. 23 at 11am.
The event took place at Brique par Brique (633 Av. Beaumont) in Montreal.
Organized in collaboration with the Civil Society Hub for Tech and Justice and AI Platforms, PropTech and the Housing Crisis.
This gathering focused on learning about anti AI organizing across two key points in the Americas, São Paulo and Montreal. Dru Oja Jay of the Civil Society Hub for Tech. Justice spoke on local organizing efforts while Henrique Parra about organizing against AI data centres in the Brazilian context. Activist scholar Alessandra Renzi will speak on the intersections of the AI industry and the housing crisis, locally and globally.
The graphic is from TOCAIA publication in Brazil which Henrique is involved in, information here: https://tocaia.info
1 hr
October 19 340, Activist scholar Max Haiven on fascism in our time and building left infrastructure
This interview is part of a series of exchanges aimed to bring together different scholars in thinking through the ways that progressive movements and left activism can address the question of infrastructure in this time of fascism in the US and beyond. The series is about addressing the shortcomings of left organizing spaces in recent years and the ways that alternative institution building and learning is important. Max Haiven is responding to scholar Bengı Akbulut, interviewed earlier on in this series.
Learn more about Max's work here:
https://maxhaiven.com
This interview series will come out as a zine in 2027.
Free City Radio is hosted and produced by Stefan Christoff and broadcasts on:
CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal - Wednesdays at 11am
CJLO 1690 AM in Montreal - Thursdays 8am
CKUW 95.9 FM in Winnipeg - Tuesdays 8am, Fridays 1:30pm
CFRC 101.9 FM in Kingston - Wednesdays 11:30am
CFUV 101.9 FM in Victoria - Saturdays 7am
Met Radio 1280 AM in Toronto - Fridays at 5:30am
CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa - Tuesdays at 2pm
CJSF 90.1 FM in Vancouver - Tuesdays at 4pm
CHMA 106.9 FM in Sackville, New Brunswick - Tuesdays at 10am
CKMS 102.7 FM, Radio Waterloo on Mondays at 10am
30 min
October 13 339, Stephanie Manriquez on Lumpen Radio, community airwaves in Chicago
On this edition of Free City Radio we hear from Stephanie Manriquez who speaks on Lumpen Radio, a community radio project in Chicago. The discussion revolves around the importance of multi-linguistic broadcasting at a time of fascist policies being adopted in the US and the attacks on different migrant communities by ICE. Stephanie speaks about the important of community radio as a space of gathering, community empowerment and as a cultural sanctuary.
Learn More about Lumpen Radio here:
https://lumpenradio.com
This interview was recorded in a context of a migrant justice album co-benefiting Lumpen Radio in Chicago and the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Minnesota, a CAIR chapter particularly aligned with the experiences of the Somali-American community in Minneapolis. This album was co-produced by Free City Radio's host, Stefan along side sound artist Joseph Sannicando and can be found through the Lost Children label here:
https://lostchildren.bandcamp.com/album/cracks
Free City Radio is hosted and produced by Stefan Christoff and broadcasts on:
CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal - Wednesdays at 11am
CJLO 1690 AM in Montreal - Thursdays 8am
CKUW 95.9 FM in Winnipeg - Tuesdays 8am, Fridays 1:30pm
CFRC 101.9 FM in Kingston - Wednesdays 11:30am
CFUV 101.9 FM in Victoria - Saturdays 7am
Met Radio 1280 AM in Toronto - Fridays at 5:30am
CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa - Tuesdays at 2pm
CJSF 90.1 FM in Vancouver - Tuesdays at 4pm
CHMA 106.9 FM in Sackville, New Brunswick - Tuesdays at 10am
CKMS 102.7 FM, Radio Waterloo on Mondays at 10am
30 min
October 05 338, Artist Kriss Li speaks on prisoner justice struggles across borders
On this edition of Free City Radio we hear the first in a two part series that looks at prisoner justice struggles in Canada and beyond. Kriss Li, who was also involved for years in the Prisoner Correspondence Project - a collective based out of Montreal that seeks to support queer/trans inmates speaks on this edition. Kriss is an artist and organizer, you can learn more about their work here: https://www.krissli.ca
This interview is part of a series that will also be included in a zine released by Tall House Recordings Co. to accompany the WIRE TONES duet recordings done in Kingston, Ontario, between David Parker and Stefan Christoff, stay tuned for the release in 2027 via Tall House Recording Co. (tallhouserecordingco.bandcamp.com)
Free City Radio is hosted and produced by Stefan Christoff and broadcasts on:
CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal - Wednesdays at 11am
CJLO 1690 AM in Montreal - Thursdays 8am
CKUW 95.9 FM in Winnipeg - Tuesdays 8am, Fridays 1:30pm
CFRC 101.9 FM in Kingston - Wednesdays 11:30am
CFUV 101.9 FM in Victoria - Saturdays 7am
Met Radio 1280 AM in Toronto - Fridays at 5:30am
CKCU 93.1 FM in Ottawa - Tuesdays at 2pm
CJSF 90.1 FM in Vancouver - Tuesdays at 4pm
CHMA 106.9 FM in Sackville, New Brunswick - Tuesdays at 10am
CKMS 102.7 FM, Radio Waterloo on Mondays at 10am
30 min
October 02 Art in Action interview - Jarrett Martineau
A set of two conversations between Indigenous musician and scholar Jarrett Martineau and Stefan Christoff. These conversations illustrate a range of focal points that revolve around the exchange between two artists actively engaged with anti-colonial movements across many years.
In April 2025 Jarrett Martineau and Stefan Christoff released their first album A TURBULENT SKY, out on Pyramid Blood recordings. The album mixes field recordings, ambient and noise elements, a collaborative album developed across a couple of years between Vancouver and Montreal mostly.
https://pyramidblood.bandcamp.com/album/a-turbulent-sky
Stefan Christoff produces this artist interview series, Art in Action, the theme music is by Anarchist Mountains. This program broadcasts monthly on:
Radio AlHara, Palestine
On the first Friday of each month at 4:30pm in Bethlehem and 9:30am eastern time (radioalhara.net)
CKUT 90.3 FM, Montréal
On the third Friday of each month at 11am (ckut.ca)
CJLO 1690 AM, Montreal
On the second Thursday of each month at 8:30am. (cjlo.com)
31 min