Our first mix of 2026 comes courtesy of artist Maia Ruth Lee. Currently based in San Francisco, we know Maia from our shared past in New York City, where she was a vibrant presence in the downtown art community. Born in Busan, South Korea, Maia arrived in New York City in 2011 after living between Kathmandu and Seoul. Maia's multidisciplinary practice spans photography, video, painting, and sculpture. Using translation as an apparatus, Maia transmutes her works between mediums, connecting themes of borders, community, and, notably, language.

Her mix for Sharp FM, titled Anza, is a colorful compilation of gayo, the precursor to K-pop. “Anza is the street I recently moved to, and it just happens to sound like the Korean word for ‘sit down,’” says Maia. ““I first fell into Korean psych-rock and gayo during my undergrad years in Seoul, thanks to my friend Jaewon, who wrote a column called ‘환상인-가요’ (“Fantasy Song”) about Korean 60s/70s music for 칠진, a zine we published as an artist collective.

“One of my favorite musicians, Shin Joong Hyun—the godfather of Korean rock—runs like a thread throughout this mix. A visionary guitarist and prolific producer, his sound shaped the era and launched artists like Kim Jung Mi and the Pearl Sisters. His influence runs deep—part musical genius, part cultural myth. His restless experimental spirit pulses through the tracks.

“In 60s and 70s Korea, a lot of Western pop and rock songs—Beatles hits, surf rock, Motown, psychedelic jams—were often reborn with Korean lyrics. Melodies stayed, words changed, and the music, often unlicensed, gave birth to something entirely new. Many of these tracks survived only through bootlegs and collector tapes, hovering between homage and adaptation.”

This liminality succinctly defines Alpes, our newest typeface collaboratively released in sans and mono styles with Image Format. Today, the album cover format must nimbly scale from digital thumbnail to physical vinyl jacket (and often even larger), and it was an apt testing space for this high-contrast grotesk, with Maia’s full name allowing its condensed proportions to shine even within a compact frame.

The timing of this mix is serendipitous, too. In March of 2018, Maia released her first mix on cassette through Bunny Jr. Tapes, a music label established by fellow artist Jezenia Romero. Exactly seven years later, it felt fitting to ask Jezenia to collaborate on a very limited run of cassettes of Anza, which includes a special track exclusive to the physical release. Pre-orders of Anza are available now through Bunny Jr. Tapes and will ship at the end of the month.

Link: Order ANZA by Maia Ruth Lee from Bunny Jr Tapes

Tracklist:

1. Dialogue After Love - Han Gyeong Ae
2. When Sun Sets - Неб
3. My Love - Park In Hui
4. 루씰 - Han Young Ae
5. A Woman in the Rain - Shin Joong Hyun
6. 골목길 - Shinchon Blues
7. 가지 마 - Sanullim
8. A Naughty Boy - Sanullim
9. There Was Somebody - Shin Jung-hyun and the postcards
10. Just You and me - Kim Hyunshik
11. Meaning of You - Yang Soo Kyung
12. Lady - Shin Joong Hyun
13. I Don't Know What To Do - Sand Pebles
14. As Anyone Would - 배인숙
15. Let's Go to the Beach - Key Boys
16.미인 - Shin Joong Hyun
17. Sring Rain 이은하
18. Unforgettable - Pearl Sisters
19. 입맞춤 - 조갑경
20. 매일 그대와 - Deul Guk Hwa
21. Like A Sleepy Child - 2023 Remastered Sanullim