Turn the Beat Around

TTBA 13th BIRTHDAY TTBA first aired on JOY 94.9 back on Friday 5 July 2013, with Whitney Houston’s Love Will Save the Day opening that very first broadcast. In this episode we celebrate the show’s 13th anniversary — a month late, but with a proper celebration — with a 90‑minute joyride across 45 years of dance music. From Kylie, Madonna and the Pet Shop Boys to Grace Jones and Basement Jaxx, the a...

1986… JUST FOR KICKS – THE TTBA DELUXE EDITION Forty years after 1986… Just For Kicks topped the Australian charts, TTBA rebuilds the iconic compilation from scratch. This episode features a full track‑by‑track replay, a brand‑new running order, and the six Megamix‑only tracks missing from the original LP. The definitive anniversary edition of a No. 1 classic. TOUCH ME (I WANT YOUR BODY) Sam...

1986… JUST FOR KICKS – THE TTBA DELUXE EDITION In this episode of Turn The Beat Around, we celebrate forty years since the release of one the biggest compilation albums of the 1980s: 1986… Just For Kicks. Originally issued on 11 August 1986, the LP stormed the ARIA Albums Charts and spent a full month at No. 1, becoming the soundtrack of Spring ’86 across Australia. To mark the anniver...

MADONNA vs. PETER RAUHOFER In this episode of Turn The Beat Around, we present the third instalment of our Peter Rauhofer / Club 69 trilogy — a special celebration of Madonna as she marks her 68th birthday. This hour dives into Rauhofer’s darker, tribal, underground remix style as he reimagined her catalogue from Ray of Light through to Hard Candy, transforming her late‑90s and 2000s hits into clu...

ULTRA NATÉ (THE FEELING) HAPPY FEELING with Russell Small & DNO P 2022 DESIRE 2000 PARTY GIRL (TURN ME LOOSE) 1995 (AI’s Original Vocal Mix) IT’S OVER NOW 1989 FREE 1997 (Mood II Swing Remix) NEW KIND OF MEDICINE 1998 HOW LONG 1994 GET IT UP (THE FEELING) 2001 (Full Intention Remix) IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND Stars on 54 1998 LOVE’S THE ONLY DRUG 2006 AUTOMATIC 2007 FOUND A CU...

DISCO MIXED TAPE STARCRUISIN’ Gregg Diamond 1978 STAYIN’ ALIVE Bee Gees 1977 DANCE YOURSELF DIZZY Liquid Gold 1980 DANCE Paradise Express 1978 THE ONLY WAY IS UP Otis Clay 1982 GIRL CRAZY Hot Chocolate 1982 YOU KNOW HOW TO LOVE ME Phyllis Hyman 1979 NIGHTS (FEEL LIKE GETTIN’ DOWN) Billy Ocean 1981 I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (FOR ME) Aretha Franklin & George Michael 1987 I’...

DISCO MIXED TAPE MAKE LOVE TO ME Kelly Marie 1978 I CAN’T FORGET YOU Joey Travolta 1979 WHAT CHA GONNA DO WITH MY LOVIN’ Stephanie Mills 1979 NIGHTS ON BROADWAY Candi Staton 1977 EVERYBODY DANCE Chic 1977 ELECTRIC AVENUE Eddy Grant 1982 LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY Deniece Williams 1984 YOU ARE IN MY SYSTEM The System 1982 BODY ROCK Maria Vidal 1984 I WANNA BE YOUR LOVER Prince 1979...

Pnau AHHCade This episode of Turn The Beat Around is dedicated to AHHCade, the brand‑new album from Pnau. Robbie guides you through the record track by track, unpacking the duo’s history and their ongoing reinvention of electronic pop. The show spotlights the global collaborators who shaped the album’s sound all bookended with a few Pnau classics. FOLLOW ME 2001 NIRVANA feat. EARTHGANG & sadMO...

FUNKY DRUMMER In this episode of Turn The Beat Around, we unpack the story behind one of the most influential recordings in modern music: James Brown’s Funky Drummer. Recorded in 1969 and released in 1970, the track features Clyde Stubblefield’s legendary 20‑second improvised drum break — a groove that went on to be sampled in more than 2,000 songs across hip‑hop, pop, rock, dance, and electronic...

FUNKY DRUMMER cont.  In this episode of Turn The Beat Around, we continue to unpack the story behind one of the most influential recordings in modern music: James Brown’s Funky Drummer. Recorded in 1969 and released in 1970, the track features Clyde Stubblefield’s legendary 20‑second improvised drum break — a groove that went on to be sampled in more than 2,000 songs across hip‑hop, pop, rock, dan...

A DIVA, A PIANO, A HOUSE TRACK – Pt. 1 In this episode of Turn The Beat Around, we dive into the golden age of 90s piano house — a decade when soaring vocals and bright piano riffs shaped the sound of the clubs. Across the hour, we revisit the anthems that lit up queer nightlife, the producers who pushed house music into the mainstream, and the stories behind classics like “Finally,” “Everyb...

A DIVA, A PIANO, A HOUSE TRACK – Pt. 2  In the second part of our 90s piano‑house celebration, we continue our tribute to the divas who powered the genre — the women whose vocals, emotion and sheer presence turned bright piano riffs into dance‑floor anthems. This episode moves into the more soulful, emotional side of the genre, revisiting Sabrina Johnston’s powerful “Peace (In the Valley),”...

DISCO MIXED TAPE This episode of TTBA is a classic disco mixtape, sliding from Taka Boom’s ‘Night Dancing’ and the Gibson Brothers into G.Q’s ‘Disco Nights’. The hour moves through cuts from the NYC Peech Boys, ABBA and Canadian duo The Raes, before ending on a high with Freeez and Whitney Houston. NIGHT DANCING Taka Boom 1979 QUE SERA MI VIDA Gibson Brothers 1979 DISCO NIGHTS (ROCK FREAK) G.Q 197...

DISCO MIXED TAPE cont. This episode of TTBA is a classic disco mixtape, sliding from Taka Boom’s ‘Night Dancing’ and the Gibson Brothers into G.Q’s ‘Disco Nights’. The hour moves through cuts from the NYC Peech Boys, ABBA and Canadian duo The Raes, before ending on a high with Freeez and Whitney Houston. SINGING IN THE 80s The Monitors 1980 COMPUTER GAMES Mi-Sex 1979 DON’T YOU WANT ME Human...

DISCO CHARCUTERIE This episode of TTBA is a classic mixtape of disco, funk and soul, moving from The Three Degrees and Donna Summer through Crown Heights Affair and Ellie Warren. The Queen of Soul lifts the centre of the hour, with Level 42, The Whispers and Hi‑Gloss keeping the groove steady. A straight‑up celebration of rhythm from the late‑70s into the 80s. RED LIGHT The Three Degrees 1979 LOVE...

FRANCE JOLI  In this episode of Turn The Beat Around , we dive into the extraordinary rise of France Joli — the French‑Canadian prodigy who became a disco legend at just sixteen. From her early days performing across Montreal to the night that changed everything on Fire Island, we trace the story behind Come To Me , the song that crowned her a queer‑club icon overnight.  It’s a celebration o...

69 RAUHOFER STYLE PT.2 Last month we kicked off our three‑part Peter Rauhofer / Club 69 special by tracing his journey from Vienna’s underground clubs to the New York dance floors he would ultimately command — The Roxy, WORK!, and the pop‑diva remixes that cemented his place in queer nightlife. In this second episode, we go deeper into the sound, the scene and the creative force that made Rauhofer...

LOCOMOTION – 39th ANNIVERSARY In this episode, we rewind to the moment Kylie Minogue’s recording career truly began — a charity gig, a chance encounter, and a demo that changed everything. We trace the rise of Locomotion from an off‑the‑cuff performance to a decade‑defining No. 1, and peek into the two Melbourne‑made B‑sides that quietly shaped her earliest sound. It’s the story of how a Nei...

PRETTY IN PINK – 40 YEARS LATER In this episode of Turn The Beat Around we celebrate one of the most beloved teen films — and one of the most influential alt‑pop soundtracks — of the 1980s: Pretty in Pink (1986). John Hughes’ suburban‑romance classic starred Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy, Jon Cryer and James Spader, but it was the music that turned the film into a generational touchstone....

BONNIE TYLER In this episode of Turn The Beat Around we celebrate the life and legacy of Bonnie Tyler, the Welsh powerhouse whose unmistakable rasp shaped some of the most enduring anthems in pop and rock. Following news of her passing this week, we dedicated the final hour of the program to her greatest moments — the classics that defined her career and the songs that became part of our own stori...

THE BEATMASTERS – WHO’S IN THE ACID HOUSE This episode of Turn The Beat Around paid tribute to one of the most inventive production teams to emerge from late‑80s London: The Beatmasters. Across the hour, we explored how Manda Glanfield, Paul Carter and Richard Walmsley stepped out of the commercial jingle world and helped shape the sound of early British house and hip‑house. The specia...

MADONNA CONFESSIONS DOUBLE FEATURE In this episode of Turn The Beat Around , we celebrate the worldwide release of Madonna’s Confessions II — the long‑awaited sequel to one of the biggest successes of her career. We spotlight a selection of tracks from the brand‑new album while revisiting iconic moments from the original 2005 Confessions on a Dance Floor . It’s a journey across two eras, one legac...

DISCO BOYZ OF THE 70s This episode dives into the disco boys of the 70s — the pioneers who lit up the dancefloor and the pop heavyweights who couldn’t resist the groove. From Rod Stewart and John Mellencamp to Michael Jackson, Dan Hartman and the Bee Gees, it’s a celebration of the men who shaped disco’s swagger and its crossover magic. MIAMI John Mellencamp 1979 DA YA THINK I’M SEXY Rod Ste...

TTBA This episode is a classic TTBA mixtape of disco, funk and soul, blending the cosmic force of Parliament, the dance‑floor sparkle of Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King and the smooth soul of Gladys Knight & The Pips. A feel‑good journey through the 70s and 80s, lifted straight from the heart of the era. FLASHLIGHT Parliament 1979 YOU SEXY THING Hot Chocolate 1975 PINK CADILLAC Natalie Cole 1988 TALK...

69 RAUHOFER STYLE – PT. 1 In Part 1 of our three‑episode Peter Rauhofer / Club 69 special, we trace the rise of the Austrian‑born, New York‑made DJ who reshaped queer nightlife. From his early days in Vienna to the explosive impact of The Roxy and WORK!, this episode explores how Rauhofer forged the dark, tribal, emotional sound that would define a generation. The story begins where the lege...