Vinyl Maelstrom Ian Forth

Tim Sommer in LA Weekly sums up the debate: “It is not just that Kraftwerk invented the future of music; it is that a startling amount of the music you hear today, from the most obscure indie rock to the most mainstream pop to literally everything in between, bears the impression of their invention.Until the moment “Autobahn” hit the airwaves in the autumn of 1974, nothing like it had ever existed. Kraftwerk placed cheerfully familiar pop modes within an entirely synthetic and rhythmic f...

Film aficionado James Hillhouse takes us through his choice of the ten maverick soundtracks which changed the movie rules for good. Here are some clips from them:1. King Kong (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMNICLfHE3M)2. Alexander Nevsky (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcPixaWL2Pg)3. The Adventures of Robin Hood (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UJ6g2Zhwgg)4. Citizen Kane (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdrzbpnls6g&list=PLh3-icSKvfhm4ggXDrKqyuafvfZdW_wed)5. Forbidden Planet (https://w...

Spotify. All the music, all of the time. That's got to be a good thing, right? Not everyone agrees. In this episode, we'll take a look at:- Does Spotify pay artists fairly?- Does it provide access to bands that didn't exist before?- Has it encouraged disposability in music listening?- Has it created a musical echo chamber for listeners?- Has it created a new world of haves and have-nots in music?Join us for a discussion on the rights and wrongs of the world's most popular streaming platform.&...

Back in 1985 Band Aid and Live Aid raised over 100 million pounds for famine relief in Ethiopia. Few question that it saved many thousands of lives. So, job done, case closed?The reality is more nuanced.In this episode we ask the questions:- What are the problems with the song "Do they know it's Christmas?" (the clue is in the title)- Where were the African artists at Live Aid? Was "fame" really the only thing that mattered in choosing the performers?- Did all the aid go where it should or di...

Curious about jazz and blues but don't know where to begin? Join aficionado Tony Bishop, legendary jazz and blues singer and harmonica player on the London circuit, who will give you a whirlwind expert briefing to hold down your end of the coffee machine conversation with the annoying boffin from accounts.Tony glides effortlessly through a short history of the genres as they emerged from their sleazy New Orleans origins early in the last century; the creation of Bluenote and Chess records; th...

What did The Kinks ever do for us?The Beatles invented pop music as we know it and The Stones were the bad boys. But, like a middle child in the family struggling to fill a role, where does that leave The Kinks?Arguably with the richest legacy of all. Go with us on the journey and start to discover that The Kinks might have an equal stake in inventing pop music as we know it alongside The Beatles and they probably destroyed more hotel rooms than The Stones as well. From heavy metal...