About Ander Media
Welcome to Ander Media, the home of Velvet Soul & The Jazz Den!
Velvet Soul comes from my own record collection and my memories of growing up around classic R&B and soul. These are the songs that still bring back cookouts, slow dances, neighborhood softball games, and grown‑folks conversations.
The Jazz Den comes from a special place: the majority of the records played on this station, were passed down from my parents. Some go back to the 1950s, before I was even born. I came along in the 1960s and grew up in the 1970s, so those records remind me of the good times my parents had before me, around me, and while I was growing up.
This site is relaxed, casual, and all about the music. So settle down here, listen awhile, and if you know stories, facts, or tidbits about the soul or jazz artists I play, email me and chime in.
That’s what makes this more than a radio station website. It makes it a community!
A Little Story About Your Host
I grew up on the South Side of Chicago during the 70s, where music wasn’t just entertainment — it was a lifestyle. As a teenager and into my late 20s, I lived in the heart of the city’s exploding underground Disco–House Music scene. Back then, I was known for one thing: I could dance. Really dance. My friends saw it, the scene felt it, and before long I earned the nickname Tony “Disco” Anderson — eventually shortened simply to “Disco.”
That name stayed with me for years. To my Chicago family, I’ll always be Disco — the guy who lit up the floor every weekend.
In my early 30s, life took me south, and I made Atlanta my home. The music scene here had a different flavor — smoother, warmer, more R&B driven. I found myself spending evenings in neighborhood lounges, soaking in the atmosphere and building a new circle of friends who saw something different in me.
They didn’t see the high‑energy dancer from Chicago. They saw someone gregarious, laid back, cool, steady — someone with a smooth presence.
The Birth of “T Smooth!”
I didn’t choose the nick name “T Smooth” — my Atlanta family did. Chicago knew me as Disco, the dancer. Atlanta saw something different: a calm, cool, easygoing energy that fits the music I love. One night, while talking with friends about creating an internet radio platform, a friend leaned in and said, “T Smooth.” The whole table agreed instantly.
That moment shaped Ander Media. The Jazz Den and Velvet Soul carry that same energy — smooth, warm, and rooted in real life.
And to be clear: Chicago will always know me as Disco. That name is family. It’s history. It’s love. “T Smooth” is simply the next chapter — the voice of the platform, not a replacement for the man my Chicago people have known for 40 years.
Much love to you all,
Tony a.k.a. “T Smooth”