Dive into one of the best year for disco music.

1966 is a watershed year in music history. A huge amount of songs were big sellers on both sides of the Atlantic and somehow still seep into our bones.
 

Lasting more than just one summer, rave music became the soundtrack of the 90s youth who created their own rules of clubbing, and invaded not only the dancefloor but also the charts.

With its acid house and rave parties, 1988 was the year that Europe was introduced to the new hedonistic culture of electronic music and partying, already present in the USA. Clubbing would never be the same again. 

An exploration of a sublime and devilish period for Miles Davis (1968-1975) when, for the sake of the groove, everything went electric.

From Al Green to Fela Kuti via Miles Davis, Ray Baretto and Jorge Ben, let’s take a glimpse at 1972’s musical landscape – the rhythm & soul edition.

1979 marks the beginning of what one will call ‘post-punk’. Don’t expect to hear hits in this playlist as great as they all are, but very minor singles or album tracks.

1981 bookmarked the transition into a new world. Listen to the future's foreshadowing while immersing yourself in the Dionysian sweat of a discotheque for a wild ride.

With the embryonic stirrings of house, the global wave of the so called world music, the disco/funk turning into hip-hop, 1981 was a year that changed everything. 

1968 was a year of phenomenal music, a year when the album really begins to become regarded as important for an artist to be able to make a statement.

Mozart, Salieri, Haydn. The musical goings on in Europe were rich in 1789!

1968 continues to resonate as a landmark year for rock, pop and soul. Discover our best singles of the year.

Was 1975 that a bad year for pop and a dead zone for new music like the great Bob Stanley says?

1966 proved to be such a wonderful year for music that it is worth documenting these great tracks that somehow avoided the radar.

A loathsome character but a genius producer who revolutionized pop with his “wall of sound” studio technique, working with the Ronettes, the Beatles, Leonard Cohen and the Ramones, among others.

A Japanese icon, one of the principal pioneers of lo-fi hip hop whose legacy is still influencing hip hop today.

Having survived the grunge era during which he played with the Screaming Trees, the singer went back to the roots of Americana. He leaves behind a great deal of solo work, numerous collaborations, and a voice haunted by a life of hardship.

From the electro pop of the 1980s to music for Bertolucci and Almodovar, here is a portrait of a musical chameleon who’s turned his hand to everything from Kraftwerk, to Bach, Ravel, Kenny Larkin, and Debussy. Get ready for some classical classics.

Exploring the work of cult hero Matthew Herbert, from his early house productions through to his sound art under various monikers.

The recent passing of Charlie Watts, aged 80, provides us with an opportunity to look at his background and examine his role in the alchemy of the Stones. Who was this gentleman with the elusive personality?

Songs written for some, production done for others, rare tracks and star duos. Here we discover the (more or less) hidden side to the career of the former Beatle.

In addition to the beginnings of rap with the Last Poets and gangsta rap with Hustler's Convention, to some of the great classics of what is called Jazz, we also owe Alan Douglas for having allowed several generations of music lovers born after 1970 to listen to Jimi Hendrix without moderation.

Before hitting the top of the charts, Kid Creole and his faithful Coati Mundi were the champions of an exciting underground, creating the soundtrack to an era somewhere between the vertigo of swing and the surge of disco.

A cult figure for generations of samplers weaned on his sounds and celebrated by lovers of the cinemascope format, producer and arranger David Axelrod is still a name that too few have heard.

A cross between synthetic and industrial music, the Venezuelan producer’s work can feel like being at a contemporary art exhibition where anything can happen and things might get shaken up. From Björk to Kanye West, Arca is called upon to make music innovative and weird.

A look at how Theo Parrish's reputation as a DJ and producer over the past three decades has placed him as a cult figure in dance music

Henri Salvador sounds like no one else. Here we celebrate the first years of the most beautiful voice to ever sing in French, from crooner to entertainer, cool to upbeat.

A genius producer, Moroder introduced the synth to film scores and revolutionised disco and electro pop with an impressive roster of hits.

Gregory Edward Jacobs, known as Shock G, the frontman for Digital Underground, was found dead on Thursday 22th april in Tampa. He will always be remembered as one of most unique talents in hip-hop history. The world of beats & rhymes owes him a funkin’ lot: reviving P-Funk spirit in the 90s, introducing his friend 2Pac to da world, elevating sampling to an art form. 

The Portugese composer and guitarist crafts creamy dreamy pop, mixed in with some rather surprising inspirations!
 

A major figure of the French Touch movement as part of the duos Motorbass and Cassius, Philippe Zdar was also a much sought-after producer in the 2000s for his ability to mix dance, rock, pop and soul.
 

Thanks to a flow that’s as fast and elusive as the wind, Myka 9 has rubbed shoulders with and inspired everyone from Busta Rhymes to Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. 
 

A living legend on the US rap scene, Tech N9ne has built up an independent empire thanks to his originality and an eclectic taste that stretches from gangsta rap to metal. 
 

Her enigmatic 40-year career has proved that anyone who thought she was a genius at 19 was right.

Out with the truckers and the kickers and the cowboy angels. Hear the story of the infamous Gram Parsons from his tangy fingerprint on music’s biggest icons to his fiery desert burial in the sands of Joshua Tree.

From spiritual jazz to deep improvisations, a trippy evocation of the creator who had a masterplan.
 

Entwined in the history of hardcore, the group Sick Of It All (or SOIA to their friends) is a beacon, the cornerstone of the scene. On the circuit for 34 years the Koller brothers, Craig Ahead and Armand Majidi continue to run the effortless marathon that is hardcore in New York.

Cast your minds back to one of the bands who delighted us the 1990s by forging their own unique path of slacker rock in the wake of the grunge movement. Embark on a road trip in the heart of Americana which kicked off in California but soon spread all over the world.

In terms of production, the Scottish artist has achieved the unthinkable: mixing radical experimental works with more recognisable dance and pop, both under the name Sophie (stylised as SOPHIE) and through rich collaborations with Charli XCX, Madonna and Vince Staples.

Let’s bring to light all the tracks that have languished in the shadows of The English Riviera, the album that brought Metronomy to fame. 

Violinist Rachel Podger has established herself as a leading interpreter of the Baroque and Classical music periods.

In record time, the Spanish singer has become one of the most fascinating and elusive artists on the pop scene, brilliantly blending her flamenco roots with hip-hop, R&B and electronic music.

Between 1974 and 1989, The Residents, a band whose members have remained anonymous until today, have accumulated the most delirious of musical experiments ever in popular music.

A love letter to Brigitte Fontaine, an eternal figure of the French underground with a focus on her Saravah years.

A self-taught guitarist, the Nigerien Mdou Moctar is redefining the boundaries of Tuareg music.

How a dozen or so rapper-skater-antichrists pulled off the most beautiful takeover bid of the 2010s mainstream. Odd Future is dead. Long live Odd Future.

Uncompromising, forward-thinking and elusive: the mysterious duo fostered an unrivaled creative tidal wave in underground electronic music.

The band formed by irascible and unpredictable Mark E Smith in 1976 has become a Manchester post-punk institution. A playlist for both the beginners and the fans.

With their first five albums and an early Peel session in a period of just over three years, Roxy Music shaped the future of music.

From 1993 until today, relive 27 years of music from the iconic British electronic in 3 hours and 10 minutes.

Sun Ra, the cosmic jazz prophet, inspired several generations of artists.

DEVO produced hits to make us dance, but also to dismantle mankind’s pretentiousness, which the band pointed out as being the source of all the violence we are able to commit.

The English group established itself as one of the most important groups to have come out of the punk movement.

Pulp were the band of the underdog: the student, the misfit, the quiet, the shy, the bored.

Peaceful songs to help you journey through time and music, and into slumber.

As people are getting away from the cities, it’s time to have a look at the natural world – both real and imagined – through words and music.

In music, environmental concerns are nothing new. In every style fertile ground has been explored. Now, it’s time to give them a serious listen.

The perfect playlist to get your kids dancing, open them up to the world, and help them develop the same impeccable taste in electronic music as you.

Hard rock is still alive and well and is a genre that the whole family can enjoy.

Born in the 90s, this is the playful and soothing side of electronic music, matching your wildest dreams and maybe even fulfilling them.

Children understand Aphex Twin better than grown-ups...

The perfect playlist to help your kids develop the same impeccable taste in punk and alternative rock as you.

The perfect playlist to help your kids develop the same impeccable taste in classical music as you.

Long drives can easily become a nightmare if the kids get bored…

In Brazil a new generation of artists are fusing rhythms and shaking up established musical codes. 

A selection of the latest rap, trap, drill, grime, and garage coming from the UK, October 2021 to April 2022.

Built on the heritage of Japanese music’s Golden Age (the 60's to the late 80's), the current Tokyo music scene is vast, hosting many genres, subcultures and niches, and making the city one of the most exciting local music scenes in the world.

Selection of Jamaican productions and collaborations of Jamaican artists between August 2021 and February 2022.

It’s where reggaeton meets sensual pop, MC’s scathing flows describe blatant social inequalities and soaring electronica tries to soothe a violent populous. Welcome to the new sounds from Medellín.

Rich in European, Latin American and Caribbean influences, Buenos Aires is an open-air musical laboratory where one can hear the most danceable cumbia-reggaeton to the most ethereal synth-pop.

An international selection of the best new dancehall and reggae-influenced music from Jamaica in 2021.

A vast metropolis at the crossroads of Africa and the Middle East, Cairo is once again home to a music scene whose stylistic diversity bears witness to its creativity. It’s a panorama that ranges from club hits to post-punk bangers.

Ever since the cultural revival brought about by the Jasmine Revolution, the electro and rap scenes in Tunis have been blooming.

Morrocco’s rap scene is setting itself free, establishing itself as a source of inspiration, and developing its own rich soundscape. This is the Winter 2020/21 edition of our New Sounds from Morocco playlist.

Far from its iconic harbour and sun-soaked beaches, Sydney's outer suburbs are home to the beating heart of Australia's burgeoning rap and hip-hop scene.

Whilst neoperreo, a digital DIY subgenre of reggaeton, might be a child of the internet worldwide, its flame burns brightest in Santiago.

Defeating the stereotypes rooted in Bristol past, this playlist captured the ongoing cultural and experimental buzz of a city in constant evolution and of its multi-faceted underground scenes.

With its ears wide open to the world, Mexico City’s musical melting pot is like no other.

Did you know that Nigeria isn’t only the home of afrobeats? Here’s a spotlight on some of Lagos’ semi-underground artists.

The continuously crashing crest of modern pop’s wave, found in the up and comers of Atlanta hip-hop.

If jazz has been revived in London then it’s on the dancefloors, thanks to a growing audience of twenty-somethings.

"The lusophone sound is coming" – Dino d’Santiago

Kendrick Lamar, Louis Cole, Khadja Bonet, Flying Lotus, Anderson .Paak, Jonwayne and Tyler, The Creator all come from the same place? It seems neither vain nor overrated to remember that everything happens in Los Angeles.

Chicago has all the musical richness of Great Black Music with a remarkable rise in rap and jazz over recent years.

In the beginning there was Hiatus Kaiyote, a quartet of "future soul" formed in Melbourne in 2011...

From the working-class neighborhoods inhabited by Latin American migrants, to the trendy discos frequented by Spain’s elite youth, reggaeton has become a unifying force that transcends issues of race, gender, or social class.

Quarantine or no, there is no question of getting into the swing of things with this little overview of the world’s festivities.

Charting the formation and history of UK Street Soul during the Acid House period. Including some of the key tracks from the time as well as some more modern examples. 

When the natural world is sampled it plunges the listener into an immersive musical experience.

The rappers who produce their own tracks (or vice versa) often have the greatest creative strength. Here’s a first edition of those rare polymaths of the 2000s.

Music is key to Quentin Tarantino’s movies, here we select some of our favourite tracks from his films.

When the dominant musical tide of Black American communities washed up on the shores of Brazil, a whole new rippling wave came to life.

The story of how a piece of software intended to correct voices was transformed into an essential part of a record producer’s toolkit and a playful way to add effects.

Initially a commercial failure, the Roland TB-303 gained a dance music history after falling into the hands of a group of pioneering electronic producers.

Part 2 takes us on a trip to the land of fuzz guitar and farfisas, bang in the middle of the psychedelic boom. This time the direction is due east, from California to New York.²

Part one in our Garage Rock series details a great journey west – from garage rock’s beginnings in England, all the way to California, via the Big Apple.

A vital period of music history, given the groups it gave birth to, the ecstatic movement born in Manchester at the end of the 80’s is famous for its capacity to marry indie rock with dance music.

Let’s take a few tours and detours all over the continent to discover some of its guitar masters. To hear them at their best you often have to wait until the 1st verse or chorus is over; wait for the song to bloom and for the guitarist to rise.

In search of the lost voice of the castrati, the countertenors who bring to life the fifth voice, and the complex and fascinating genre placing voices somewhere between traditional ideas of ‘male’ and ‘female’. Here we reconnect with a repertoire driven by emotion.

An overview of the new generation of artists who are following in the footsteps of the East Coast matriarchs, treading their own paths and flirting with Trap.

Take the effectiveness of a well-written pop song and the straightforwardness of punk mixed together in a snappy format and you’ve got the recipe for a musical trend that’s never been fashionable, but is ultimately more lasting than other passing fads.

For over a decade vaporwave, thought of as zero sum electronic music, inspired many artists through its collage of satire and modern critique.

The beautiful, melancholy world of Outsider, or “Private Press” Folk, is being unearthed by new audiences after being stored away in attics and garages for 50 years.

Here we explore the influences of Africa on the career of Gilberto Gil –  author, composer, musician, committed politician, and supporter of Black emancipation.

An overview of American rappers who have taken the diminutive Lil’ as their stage name, despite their number of hits, their fame, and even their size being anything other than Lil'.

This ‘sorority selection’ hopefully gives the listener an impressive glimpse into quite how varied and meaningful some recent reggae production has been for women recording artists. Very successful and famous artists are featured alongside the stunning voices of those less well known to the public at large. This is a playlist full of emotion and intensity.

Cumbia 420 is the musical phenomenon de jour in Argentina. With its skilful blend of cumbia villera and reggaeton, this hybrid sound has millions of young people dancing (under the influence) from the heights of Buenos Aires to the depths of the Pampas.

Without this minimalist and underground style of icy beauty, bands like Actress or Ariel Pink might never have existed.

Developed in the US during the 2010s, this subgenre of rap uses lo-fi electro production to create hazy atmospheres of slow rhythms, and mostly sombre lyrics.

Baroque passion, star castrati, vocal pyrotechnics, theatrical storms and strong emotions from Venice to Rome, and from paradise to hell.

When modern and postmodern artists venture into the realms of Orpheus and break down musical boundaries.

Tracing the porous lines separating Bowie, Miles Davis and Stravinsky from leading figures in the world of modern art like Picasso, Warhol and Dali.

Corridos tumbados (or trap corridos as it’s sometimes referred to – translator's note) forms a musical bridge between the borders of Mexico and the United States, bringing together families separated by exile.

The birth of a new sub-genre of Latin urban music, from its humble beginnings to its conquest of the international charts.

No, the guitar is not dead and buried under the exhausting pyrotechnics of Guitar Hero. Other geniuses with a six string are developing subtle, intimate and meditative approaches to the instrument, opening up new paths.

Charting the formation and history of the yacht rock genre. Including some of its best and lesser known tracks. 

As its popularity in America began to decline, disco-fever raged in 1980s India largely thanks to Bollywood’s infatuation with the genre. 

During the 1960s, when the accordion still held a prominent place in French chanson, bossa nova sparked interest for music from the tropics, similar to how Baudelaire and Gauguin did with the colonial exoticisms of distant islands, fantasized through biased and colored filters

Mixing drums with the sound of waves and shells, Brazilian folk music celebrates Iemanjá, the mother of all African deities

Psychedelic music doesn’t only exist under a clear, benevolent sky. It also invokes the dark night of the soul, where our deepest anguish is revealed.

A fragment of the American hip-hop scene is populated by trailblazers willing to dive deeper than ever into discussions of human suffering, violence, drugs, isolation and racism.

In London and all over the UK at the beginning of the ‘80s, ex-punks with eccentric looks were getting the party started again, inventing synthetic pop inspired by glam rock and cabaret.
 

The third and final part of ‘krautrock’ – a jokey name given to one of the most fantastic pop music movements of the end of the 20th century.

The second part of ‘krautrock’ – a jokey name given to one of the most fantastic pop music movements of the end of the 20th century.

The first part of ‘krautrock’ – a jokey name given to one of the most fantastic pop music movements of the end of the 20th century. 

From 1978 to 1983, Italian new wave was undoubtedly influenced by the likes of Bowie, Gary Numan, Japan, Ultravox and Kraftwerk, but filtered all these through a Mediterranean pop vein.

By the dawn of the 70s, the explosion of dancefloor music transformed the Italian pop scene.

In the late 60s, Italian Beat morphed into Psichedelica. Although very short-lived, Italian psychedelia is still distinctively unique.

The story of the 1960s Italian music and cultural beat revolution, when teenagers grew their hair long, hitchhiked like Kerouac’s characters, set up hundreds of guitar bands and Rome Piper Club became the Mecca of a generation of beatniks.

At the opera, coloratura is a voice capable of great ornamental virtuosity, especially with vocalisations and trills.

Coming from California in the 90s, here’s some cool gangsta-rap with George Clinton style funk instrumentation.

The rappers who, for their whole career, remain involved in every step of the creation of a record from writing to mastering are not that common. This playlist is dedicated to the rapper-producers of the 2010s.

Starting in the 90s, a sort of post-digital electronic music has emerged from artists putting glitches and errors at the center of their compositions, something quite different from mainstream techno.

The guide to post-metal from the early 2000s onwards.

A story about producers from the Dominican Republic whose desire to get their neighbourhood dancing got the whole world to move.

How did this frantic music from the street parties of Dar es Salaam emerge as a niche global genre?

Music’s yesteryear is R&B’s tomorrow.  

The guide to psychedelic music over the world.

How modern R&B artists manage to touch every corner of today’s musical world.

The story of the unlikely actors who, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, reinvented American music and ushered in the Golden Age of Hip-Hop.

A history of jazz in the UK up to the present trend.

When deep house gets hypnotic.

A ticket to the Clube da Esquina.

Native productions, remixes, wild disco, afro-house… here is a tour of the world’s non-traditional world music.