The J Files Podcast

2023 had moments for huge celebrations - we were gripped by Matildas fever, celebrated the 50th anniversary since hip hop began its ascent to dominance, saw technology make the impossible possible and heard more great albums than we can count.  And music has been there through the hard times too - with devastating global conflicts, a referendum defeat and escalating cost of living pressures. Join...

DJ Shadow (Josh Davis) changed the game of instrumental hip hop in the 1990s. An early signee of British label Mo' Wax, his debut album Endtroducing….. blew minds with its fusion of electronic music and hip hop beats and it was entirely composed using samples.  But he's not been content to peddle more of the same. Keeping us guessing, pushing himself and the music forward with each release he's ex...

Olivia Newton-John is one of the best selling artists of all time. Across a six-decade career that spanned music, stage, screen and health advocacy, she firmly embedded herself in our hearts. Before the huge success of Grease she’d already made her name as a recording artist, earning Grammys, Country Music Awards and a swathe of hit singles. The story of Olivia Newton-John is full of interesting b...

We’re handing the mic to Yorta Yorta rapper and Double J's Australian Artist of the Year  winner Briggs. Adam Briggs has carved out such an important legacy in Australian music. From his early days in Shepparton, supporting artists like MC Reason, Funkoars and The Hilltop Hoods to teaming up with Trials in A.B. Original, building his own label Bad Apples Music, and mentoring the next crop of rappe...

He may not be a household name, but Ron S. Peno had all the makings of a star. From his smalltown regional NSW upbringing to his early glam and punk groups in Brisbane and Sydney, to wowing audiences overseas and being splashed across the coolest music mags, his life and legacy is as colourful and chaotic as it has been artistic and influential. He was a singer, a songwriter, keen collaborator and...

For eight years Camp Cope shook up the Australian music industry with their fearless anthems, raw punk rock and stand against sexism and harassment.  After three albums, countless live shows and a music industry forever changed by their advocacy, Georgia Maq, Sarah Thompson and Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich have decided to call it a day. This episode of The J Files celebrates this trailblazing band and the...

In the late 90s and early 2000s The Chicks (formerly The Dixie Chicks) were the biggest selling female group in the U.S—selling tens of millions of records and changing the face of country music. The trio weren’t afraid to do things their own way—maintaining independence from their label and speaking out about social justice issues. But their comments about George W. Bush at the height of the Iraq...

Jamiroquai’s blend of soul, funk, rock, house and jazz was an instant hit. Songs like ‘Cosmic Girl’, ‘Little L’, 'Love Foolosophy' and ‘Virtual Insanity’ are still on high rotation across dancefloors around the world. Fronted by charismatic singer Jay Kay, the English group are in the country later this month to play Harvest Rock festival. This episode is a chance to dive deep into their sound and...

Australian post-punk group The Birthday Party were loud, raucous and genre-defying. Forming in 1973 as The Boys Next Door, they found limited audiences on home turf and in 1980 they jetted overseas for a crack at breaking into the London music scene, changing their name in the process. The Birthday Party's famously raucous live shows were often confronting and disturbing, and their ferocious sound...

Australia has produced its fair share of pop stars, but few are as cherished as Kylie Minogue.  From humble soap star beginnings to worldwide chart domination, moving effortlessly between pop, dance, and indie, she has truly earned her title as Queen of Reinvention. On the eve of her sixteenth studio album Tension with instant dancefloor hits 'Padam Padam' and 'Tension' we're bringing you up to sp...

System of a Down's blend of thrash metal, alternative rock and politics was like nothing we'd ever heard before. Songs like 'Chop Suey', 'Aerials' and 'Toxicity' introduced new fans to heavy music in the late 90s and early 2000s – and were major breakthrough hits for the Armenian-American band that thought they'd never be played on radio. This popularity sat uncomfortably with some of the band, wh...

On the 50th anniversary of hip hop The J Files shines the light on one of the 21st Century's most important voices - Kendrick Lamar. The Compton rapper has had a stratospheric rise since releasing his early mixtapes under the name K.Dot. With five studio albums, a swag of GRAMMYs and a Pulitzer Prize under his belt - he's managed to maintain his artistic integrity and the respect of his peers. Alb...

Twenty years ago The Panics (Jae Laffer, Drew Wootton, Paul Otway, Jules Douglas and Myles Wootton) released their debut record A House on a Street in a Town I'm From. It was brimming with sun-streaked visions and hazy memories of the people, places and experiences of their hometown Perth. It was clear straight away that this band was onto something special. Across five critically acclaimed albums...

Angélique Kidjo's powerful voice, infectious enthusiasm and fusion of African rhythms and dancefloor-ready pop music has had the world grooving for close to four decades. Born in Benin, the singer songwriter and activist moved to Paris in her 20s and is now based in New York. Since the early 1990s albums like Logozo and Ayé and hits like 'Agolo' 'Batonga' and 'Wombo Lombo' caught the attention of...

From its South Bronx beginnings to being the dominant force in music, the evolution of hip hop has been extraordinary – and incredible women have been there every step of the way. They’ve told their stories, vented their spleens, and brought wisdom and spirit – as well as sass and attitude – to hip hop. And in the process, they’ve been a major force in embedding rap music’s place in the mainstream...

Courtney Barnett is one of the most important songwriters of a generation. Songs like 'Avant Gardener', 'Depreston' and 'Pedestrian at Best' find joy in the mundane and have taken Courtney's self-deprecation, dry sense of humour, and playful storytelling to an international audience. Courtney Barnett’s story is entwined with that of Milk! Records, the label she founded from her Melbourne bedroom b...

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are advised that this program contains voices, names and music of people who have died. When No Fixed Address formed on Kaurna Country in the late 1970s, their fusion of rock and reggae was like nothing we'd ever heard before.  They were sometimes referred to as "Australia's most controversial band" because their lyrics fought back against racism and...

Kraftwerk were true innovators, blurring the line between human and machine and always on the forefront of musical technology. But how did these self-described musical outsiders from Düsseldorf, who were classically trained, neatly groomed, and softly spoken, go on to have such an immense impact on the development of electronic music, as well both hip hop and techno? There’s a lot to unpack in Kra...

Trailblazing trio De La Soul cemented their place in hip hop history with their astonishing debut album 3 Feet High and Rising which blended humour, playful samples and a flower power image that was at odds with gangsta rap ethos of the time.  Over 30 years and across eight more albums,  Kelvin "Posdnuos" Mercer, David "Trugoy the Dove" Jolicoeur, and Vincent "Maseo" Mason have kept that inventive...

Joy McKean isn't the biggest name in Australian music, but she has every right to be. The first ever Golden Guitar winner, the writer of so many of Australia's most iconic country songs, a workhorse who, along with her husband Slim Dusty, blazed a trail for what an artist could do in this country. Her music has helped bring communities together across the nation and her influence is impossible to...

Depeche Mode have been an enduring force of electronic music for over forty years. On The J Files, hear the story of how a bunch of mates from Basildon, UK formed a synth pop band, rehearsed in a spare bedroom, and didn't have a drummer because they "didn't know one".  With upbeat early hits like 'Just Can't Get Enough' and 'New Life', the band's sound evolved into something darker and more experi...

Yoko Ono is a songwriter, a singer, a visual and performance artist, an activist, a feminist, a mother and a widow. She may also be one of the most misunderstood and maligned musicians of the twentieth century. This provocative artist has lead an extraordinary life— she was born in Tokyo before moving to New York in 1952, immersing herself in the burgeoning avant-garde art and music scenes long be...

What do you get when you mix a bluesy instrumental surf rock band with one of Australia's most charismatic frontmen? The Cruel Sea. Tex Perkins was working as the band's lighting technician when he was invited to write and sing with the group. He joined full-time for their mainstream breakthrough third album The Honeymoon Is Over, which turns 30 this month. Fusing surf pop with dirty blues, dub an...

The story of how the B-52’s went from being a little dance band from Athens, Georgia to one of the world’s favourite party groups is a wild ride. Formed by five friends (Fred Schneider, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson, Kate Pierson and Keith Strickland) over cocktails at a Chinese restaurant, they jumped from small town clubs and house parties to conquer NY’s tough punk scene, and then saw instant succ...

From a very early age Ben Lee knew he wanted to be a pop star. He started writing songs in his bedroom as a 10-year-old before fronting the high school rock band Noise Addict at 14. The group drew the attention of Beastie Boys and Sonic Youth after they were discovered by a record label boss who happened to hear them play at a community sausage sizzle. His solo career has taken many twists and tur...