If you're a music lover (and we guess you are), then you're surely as excited as we are about a brand new year with brand new music. It can be hard to keep up with releases, but our DJs are here to help.

St. Louisians D-Ex and Furius "Iceman" Stylz, the award-winning DJs and hip-hop diehards behind Deep Krate Radio, have a combined 50-plus years of experience as DJs.

It's been an amazing year in music, and the DJs of 88.1 KDHX have been spinning it for you all throughout 2011. In this feature, our DJs pick their top 10 albums of the year.

Pat Wolfe hosts the Interstate every Friday, 10 a.m.-noon Central on 88.1 KDHX. His specialty is Americana music ranging from alt-country, traditional country, bluegrass, folk and rock 'n' roll.

Overflowing with cheerful energy, KDHX DJ Kate constructs each episode of Beep Beep Boop Boop (every Wednesday night, 9-11 p.m. Central) with exceptional precision and the goal of sharing something unexpected with listeners.

DJ Mahf (Dan Mahfood) and MC Mathias (Matt Fournier) visited the Magnolia Studios to demonstrate that in St. Louis independent hip hop is alive and bobbing to the beat.

Gold Soundz may be a reference to the Pavement song of the same name but Chris Bay's show on Fridays 7-9 p.m. Central reaches beyond to the indie pop rock songs that make you feel good and keep you coming back for more.

For the last three years, Chris Lawyer has been the host of Hip City on 88.1 KDHX, each Wednesday, 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Central. Every show is an opportunity to get schooled on some of the best and lesser-known gems of '60s, '70s and current funk and soul music, with the occasional cut of hip-hop thrown in for good measure.

A native of St. Louis, bobEE Sweet has been broadcasting on 88.1 KDHX for a decade. His current show, Uncontrollable Urge, has been on air since 2006, and its host plans to keep on rocking for many more years.

The year 2011 is flying by at the speed of sound. As we hit the midyear mark, the DJs of 88.1 KDHX have pressed pause, surveyed the scene and weighed in with their favorite releases -- thus far.

KDHX kicked off a summer of independence from mainstream media with Midwest Mayhem. The City Museum was home to four floors and several stages of musical acts and entertainment spread out over five hours on Thursday evening.

All photos shot at Euclid Records (with the exception of Jess and Dave of I Went To a Show, which was shot at Vintage Vinyl) as part of Record Store Day weekend in St. Louis.

In October 2011, Andrea of Radio Rio will celebrate her 10-year anniversary at 88.1 KDHX. Upon her arrival in St. Louis, Andrea brought her small but lovingly cultivated collection of Brazilian CDs and her sharp musical wit to an eager public.

The Super Fun Happy Hour, hosted by Tim Mize and Matt Meyers, has been on the air for over 14 years on 88.1 KDHX. This Monday night, February 28, will mark the end of a punk rock era, as the native St. Louisians will be leaving the airwaves – at least for now – to attend to their off-air lives and work. Like all DJs on KDHX, Tim and Matt are volunteers, and doing late night radio is demanding.

The music community of St. Louis (and beyond) is saddened by the news of Gene Roberts' passing on January 12, 2011. Gene was 82 years old.

Did you know that all KDHX DJs are volunteers? We want to thank the following hosts for all their hard work over the years, as their lives and schedules take them in different directions.

My colleague and friend Larry Weir -- who passed away on January 13, 2010 -- didn't just make an impact here at KDHX -- he represented the heart and soul of the station. As one of the first five employees, Larry helped shape what this organization has become.