I Listen to Everything

Delve into the true sound of the 1970s - the grooves, the rhythms and especially the funk! This episode's genre is pure funk music. Did you know that the term funk comes from the way musicians would be working hard performing that they would sweat so much, enough to smell funky? Learn fun facts like that and listen to all of the songs we played below. Enjoy! Playlist of songs: Mardi Gras in Ne...

Your introduction to NOLA music on the I Listen to Everything podcast begins not with jazz, but with an upbeat hip hop genre that began in the late 80s. Bounce music is a subgenre that was incredibly succesful in New Orleans but unfortunately took a horrible natural disaster in 2005 to spread to other areas of the U.S.A. You can hear the genre referenced by mainstream artists like Drake, Beyonce,...

Get ready to relax, chill, slack around and not think too hard about the sound quality of this next genre cause this episode is all about the lo-fi/slacker rock/ bedroom pop phenomenon. A genre thats been around since around the late 1980s, its music that was easily made at home and where slight imperfections were accepted and even embraced. Its sound dominated college dorms of the slacking gen x&...

There are many rock bands Jen & Drew grew up listening to, but we rarely get to talk about them on this podcast - why ? Because Canadian rock bands are not always in the spotlight internationally but they are often played on Canadian radio stations due to our content laws. So in this episode, we talk about the history of rock music in Canada from the 1950s to today and listen to our favourite...

In this episode, we talk about the rule-defying genre that took the jazz scene by storm in the 1960s known as free jazz. Playlist of songs: Intuition - Lennie Tristano City Of Glass (First Movement): Entrance Into The City - Stan Kenton Pithecanthropus Erectus - Charles Mingus Steps - Cecil Taylor ... When Will The Blues Leave? - Ornette Coleman Eventually - Ornette Coleman Lonely Woman - Ornette...

The 2008 financial crisis left many people without homes, jobs, and hopes for the future... but pop music was there to save us! In the late 2000's and early 2010s, pop songs often featured themes of letting loose, partying, drinking and forgetting about your troubles. Tonight was THE night and tomorrow was uncertain. The only cure for this recession according to popular music was to DANCE! And we...

Allow yourself to be immersed in the escapist sounds of dream pop. A genre originally from the 80s combining influences from the psychedelic 60s era with a whole new soundscape, this genre is as weird as it is mystical, magical and often beautiful. The experimentation with sonic textures with reverb, echo, effects pedals as well as whimsical, operatic or breathy vocals from bands like the Cocteau...

While house music originated in Chicago, the disco heavy influence inherent in this genre allowed French artists to give their own unique spin to this movement. With strong foundations in disco and electronic music as well as a generation of musicians growing up on 80s dance music, a new wave of house music was born in France known as the French Touch movement. This episode goes into the history b...

In this episode, we discuss and listen to a style of music known as Worldbeat - a fusion of Western and non-Western musical styles that began in around the 1980s with artists like Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel and David Byrne incorporating mostly African but also other world music styles into their recordings. While it has its controversies, this genre will allow you to hear sounds you may have not he...

My really cool rock n roll dad joins us again as a special guest for this episode on Southern Rock! Tune in to learn the history of how a community of rock artists from the southern United States drew from their influences of R&B artists and genres to create a unique sound in rock. From the Allman Brothers to Lynyrd Skynyrd, they incorporated sounds from the blues, soul, jazz, gospel, country...

In this episode we discuss the genre known as emo, a genre that started when a bunch of angry punk kids realized they were getting a bit too angry and needed to explore a new emotion, sadness. Emotional hardcore eventually morphed into the whiny, heartfelt, pop-punky genre that we know and love today. This explode explores emo's journey from the mid-80s to the present. So grab your tissues and tun...

Join us as we explore and celebrate the dynamic landscape of Arabic pop music and its growing influence on the global stage. In this episode, we explore rich melodies and rhythms that define the genre while also examining how it intersects with Western styles like hip-hop, R&B, and electronic music. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to the genre, this episode will open your ears to the beat...

Inspired by Jen's experience at the Osheaga festival, this episode explores a genre so vast that it spans several decades. From its groundbreaking origins in the 1980s to its resurgence in contemporary music, join us as we discuss synth pop's unique blend of electronic textures and catchy melodies. We’ll also highlight current synth pop acts that are keeping the genre’s legacy alive while...

Dive into the vibrant world of New Jack Swing as we explore the genre that defined the late '80s and early '90s. In this episode, we’ll unravel how producers like Teddy Riley blended R&B, hip-hop, and funk to create a fresh sound that took over the charts. From iconic hits to groundbreaking artists, we’ll revisit the tracks and trends that made New Jack Swing a musical phenomenon. Enjo...

From its origins in Belgian rave culture to its global impact on dance floors, this episode explores the distinctive beats, energetic moves, and cultural influences that define a unique music genre and dance called jumpstyle. It's fun and quirky in the best way possible and will definitely get you jumping so enjoy! Playlist of songs: Halloween - Da Boy Tommy Candyman - Da Boy Tommy Kol Nedra -...

In this episode, we're taking a journey through the world of dubstep music, a genre that started in South London and spread worldwide. From the pioneering sounds of Skream and Benga to the genre-bending innovations of artists like Skrillex, we talk about the significant changes that dubstep went through overtime including a specific type of dubstep called riddim and what makes it unique. So if...

While trap music is known for beats filled with hi-hats, snares and hard-hitting basslines, the genre existed before this sound., its name coming from the term "trap house" meaning a house used to make and sell drugs. Southern hip hop artists have been rapping about trapping since the early 90s. Somewhere along the way, producers from Atlanta gave the genre the iconic beat that can be he...

Welcome to our first episode in the country genre! This episode explores the fusion genre of country and pop, so even if you're not a country fan, you'll probably know a lot of the songs anyway. Country is making a comeback in the pop charts thanks to certain artists choosing to take country back to its roots, but it may not be the roots that you're thinking of. Tune in to find out the...

Another 60's revival of the indie rock era, chamber pop or baroque pop is a genre that began in the mid-60s when rock stars started to incorporate classical instruments in their music. A revival occured in the mid-90s as a reaction against the the lo-fi grunge sound and continued into the 2000s and 2010s. We hope you enjoy learning about this genre. Let us know if you can think of any other ch...

In this episode, we listen to the sounds of the favelas through a genre known as funk carioca (or Brazilian funk, favela funk, etc). It is a tenacious genre that began in the streets of Rio and ended up on the for you pages of Tik Tok despite attempts of destruction by the Brazilian elite. Definitely not a genre to miss! Playlist of songs: Planet Rock - Afrika Bambaataa 808 Volt Mix - DJ Battery B...

I Listen to Everything is back! Starting off the new year strong with a super upbeat electronic dance genre, this episode explores the roots of UK Garage. We discuss the influence of US garage, contemporary R&B and house music as well as the role of pirate radio stations and the key figures who shaped the genre's sound - a sound that we can still hear in much of popular music today! Playli...

Music that as ignorable as it is interesting - this is how musician Brian Eno described the genre he named ambient music. This episode looks at the history behind ambient music, starting in the early 20th century with Erik Satie's "furniture music' to today with rapper and flute player André 3000's latest album called New Blue Sun. Whether its nature sounds, flutes, synthesisers o...

In this episode we dive into the origins of acid jazz and explore its fusion of jazz, funk, and soul. Discover the pioneers of the genre and their groundbreaking contributions to the acid jazz movement. Playlist of songs: Don't Huzzle for Love - The Apostles Love Me to Death - A Man Called Adam Prince of Peace - Galliano Apparently Nothin' - Young Disciples Connected - Stereo MC's Caro...

Hip hop has long been considered a genre of protest and resistance to oppressive powers. Inspired by American hip hop, Palestinian artists have been rapping about their struggles living in occupied Palestine since the 90s. The genre has spread to include artists of Palestinian descent around the world who are continuing this tradition and using the power of hip hop music to spread their message of...

The 80's are known as a decade of bright neon fashion and bubbly pop music, but something dark was lurking in the shadows... gothic rock was the antithesis of popular culture and was all about haunted sounds, melancholic lyrics and melodies, dark romanticism and other sad and spooky themes. How fun!! Despite its gloominess, gothic rocks influence can be heard in so much music of the last 40 ye...