Umami Junction

Aired on Sunday 5th July 2026, 11:00PM

Umami Junction explores the connections between music, food, community and conversation. To me, food and music are the foremost means of cultural connection – marrying the two is so natural!115 years ago, scientists identified the flavour profile ‘Umami’; that funky, savoury, bridge between sweet, salty, bitter, and sour, known as ‘The Fifth Taste’. They named it Umami, after the Japanese word for delicious ‘Umai’. The principle of the fifth taste can be applied to the music my show will highlight; scratching that itch for genre-bending, norm- smashing, culture-celebrating jazz, funk, electronic, R&B and soul tunes.Each week, I’ll select a meal or an ingredient, perhaps bring on a guest who I’ve shared this with, and spin a selection of tracks that evoke the feeling of these ingredients.