Electrifying Mojo radio shows ran during the late seventies to mid eighties on various Detroit radio stations including, WGPR (Where the show started and ran for years) , WJLB, WCHB, WHYT, WMXD, WTWR (Toledo) and WDTR. had several segments each night.
Although they would vary throughout the years, a typical Mojo night was:
- 10:00pm - The Landing of the Mothership. This was the intro to each show with spaceship sound effects and related dialog. Sometimes the music heard during the first hour was indicative of what you’d hear that night; sometimes it would be completely random.
- 11:00pm - Awesome ‘84, ‘85. In the mid eighties, Mojo would play an hour of brand new music (hence the year in the title) and a lot of new songs were introduced.
- 11:30pm - Lover’s Lane. A half an hour of “slow jams” for lovers.
- 12:00am - The Midnight Funk Association. Consisted regularly of Parliament-Funkadelic, the Gap Band, Zapp and other funk bands of the era.
The Midnight Funk Association Call To Order:
“Will the members of the Midnight Funk Association please rise. Please go to your porch light and turn it on for the next hour to show us your solidarity. If you’re in your car please honk your horn and flash your lights, wherever you are. If you’re in bed, get ready to dance on your back, in Technicolor. And get ready for the MFA. The word is… Don’t say no, say triple-whammy-whoa. Hold on tight, don’t let go. Whenever you feel like you’re nearing the end of your rope, don’t slide off. Tie a knot. Keep hanging, keep remembering, that it ain’t nobody bad like you. This session of the International Midnight Funk Association is being called to order. Electrifying Mojo presiding. May the Funk be with you. Always…”
From 1:00am to 3:00am (2:00 am on Saturday nights), Mojo’s show was different every night. Sometimes, the MFA would stretch well beyond 1:00am, other times Mojo would introduce segments such as:
- Star Wars - A classic “artist vs. artist” set, where Mojo would alternate selections from two different groups or artists, and the listeners would call in to vote for their favorite.
- Journey - Sometimes a multi-night segment, where Mojo would play songs by a single artist or group, spanning their entire career. This usually included a mix of hits and obscure songs by that artist.
- Shout-out - Everyone that called into the station during his show was the recipient of a “shout-out”. He would go on for as long as it took rattling off the first names of every single person who had called in to the show.
- 35-35-35 - Mojo would take suggestions from listeners about their favorite artists and bands. He then would choose the three most popular groups that night and play thirty-five minutes, commercial-free, of each group. This segment often gave airtime to groups that no other radio station in Detroit would play.
At other times, Mojo would spend the last 2 hours of his show showcasing live mixes on two turntables, by bringing in local DJs to do the same. One such DJ, Jeff Mills, began his career with Mojo as “The Wizard.” Mojo also would air music by local groups at this time.
May The Funk Be With You, Always !
