Before there was Howard Stern, there was Dennis Netto, known to radio listeners as Dennis Erectus. As a fixture on San Jose’s KOME in the late ’70s and ’80s, Erectus not only got huge ratings, but endeared himself to a generation of fans by pioneering the extreme brand of radio that would take over the dial years later. He died this week at the age of 61, after a heart attack.

Dennis Erectus may have been the original shock jock, but he was a shock jock with a soul. That’s what separated him from so many of the blowhards that came after. He didn’t just push listeners’ buttons, he captured their imaginations, and that’s why he continues to be one of the most fondly remembered Bay Area radio figures of all time decades after his peak. As news of his death on Wednesday at a care facility in Castro Valley began to spread, fans took to the Internet to pay tribute.

Erectus came to KOME straight out of college in 1977. Though he continued on radio until the mid-2000s, it’s hard not to feel that Erectus was lost to the airwaves long before his time. A 2006 heart attack left him with brain damage and ended his career for good. Corporate radio, no matter how hard it tried, never could.

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In 1998, 98.5’s KOME became KFOX, and gone was all the angst and sexual frustration of the decade’s music, switched out for the musty, “feel good” vibes of our parent’s generation. To help harken back to the good ol’ days, streetwear line Mishka’s fourth release in their Radio Friendly Unit Shifter series is a tribute to the golden era – the 1990s. Mixed by Eric Ducker and DJ Nick Catchdubs, prepare yourself for a mostly welcome trip down memory lane. Remember: loosely translated, nostalgia is Greek for a ‘return to suffering.’

Here’s what Mr. Ducker had to say about it:

“One thing that the 1990s taught us is that it’s hard to keep a good franchise down, so like the creepy fisherman in I Know What You Did Last Summer, Nick Catchdubs & me, Mr. Ducker, are back with Radio Friendly Unit Shifter IV, presented as always by the volcano guys and girls at Мишка. This party mix brings together all the alternative sounds of the ’90s better than any radio station-sponsored reunion festival could (with or without a second stage).

Once again, Nick Catchdubs & I combined anti-anthems from the biggest space lord mothermothers, minor hits from major label stepchildren, and the most memorable cuts from one-and-a-half hit wonders. We even pulled out the single from that Primal Scream album with the neon confederate flag on the cover that everyone hates. And you know what? It jams. In-jokes and heavy tokes make it all go down smooth like mouthwash jukebox gasoline.

For further dispatches from my and Nick Catchdubs’ RFUS-related mindstates click here. Check out the full tracklist after the jump, and also be on the lookout for the Radio Friendly Unit Shifter zine, coming soon.”

Radio Friendly Unit Shifter IV by Nick Catchdubs & Mr. Ducker
1. Letters To Cleo – Here And Now
2. Dandy Warhols – Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth
3. Blur – Girls & Boys
4. Cornershop – Brimful Of Asha (Norman Cook Remix)
5. Beck – Devils Haircut
6. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Wail
7. Primal Scream – Rocks
8. Veruca Salt – Volcano Girls
9. Liz Phair – Supernova
10. Dinosaur Jr – Feel The Pain
11. Weezer – Tired Of Sex
12. Wax – California
13. Hole – Violet
14. Jawbox – Savory
15. Shudder To Think – X French Tee Shirt
16. Sneaker Pimps – 6 Underground
17. Sonic Youth & Cypress Hill – I Love You Mary Jane
18. Cibo Matto – Sugar Water
19. Radiohead – Just
20. Nirvana – Scentless Apprentice
21. Cracker – Low
22. Screaming Trees – All I Know
23. Monster Magnet – Space Lord
24. White Zombie – More Human Than Human
25. Oasis – Supersonic
26. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Aeroplane
27. Luscious Jackson – State Of The World
28. Fatboy Slim – Praise You (Ad Rock & Mike D Remix)
29. Bjork – Human Behaviour
30. DJ Shadow – Organ Donor
31. Bush – Glycerin