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 defe…

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 himsel…

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 st…

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 A…

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…

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 …

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 comme…

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 epi…

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 con…

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…

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 popu…

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 ar…

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 somethin…

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' 'B…

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 forc…

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, …

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" be…

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 …

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, an…

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 acr…

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 so…

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 b…

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 th…

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 conque…

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 siz…

Filmmaker David Lynch has been subverting our senses since his feature length debut Eraserhead in 1977. He’s consistently tread a hazy line between dream and reality, comfort and menace, innocence and perversion with television and films like Mulholland Drive, Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Lost Highway and Wild At Heart. At the very centre of his cinema…

UK dance duo Basement Jaxx are responsible for iconic music videos and classic dancefloor tracks like ‘Where’s Your Head At’, ‘Red Alert’, ‘Good Luck’, ‘Romeo’ and ‘Do Your Thing’. Across seven studio albums—from 1999’s debut Remedy, to 2003’s Grammy-winning Kish Kash, and their latest, 2014’s Junto—they’ve always kept us guessing where their music…

Sharon Van Etten is one of the most revered singer songwriters of our time and her songs make us feel things deeply. From 2009's sparse and delicate Because I Was In Love, to 2022's textured synth epic We've Been Going About This All Wrong, Sharon has experimented with her sound across six studio albums. Her melodic writing and soaring contralto vo…

When Outkast burst onto the scene in the early 90s they quickly shook up the notion of what hip hop could be. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia the duo put Southern rap on the map and showed the world that the South had something to say. Across two decades Outkast released groundbreaking albums like 1998's Aquemini, 2000's Stankonia, and 2003's epic Sp…

Double J’s music doco show The J Files is coming back! Bringing you the stories behind the music you love. We’ll be diving deep into tonnes of iconic bands and artists like Ben Lee, The Cruel Sea, Sharon Van Etten and Outkast. The J Files is back Thursday nights at 7 on Double J, or listen to the podcast anytime on the ABC Listen app or your favour…

When it comes to unforgettable moments in music 2022 did not disappoint.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The Audreys went from small clubs in Adelaide in the early 2000s, to conquering the world's stages.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

When Sunnyboys splashed onto the Sydney music scene in 1980, their impact was immediate.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Archie Roach was one of Australia's most loved and essential voices.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Little Birdy walked an exquisite line between joy and heartbreak.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Mary J. Blige is the Queen of Hip Hop Soul.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Kimbra is a uniquely talented singer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and collaborator.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Green Day have always been up for causing a ruckus.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

David Bowie impacted music in profound ways, well before the world was ready for such changes.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Eddy Current Suppression Ring are one of Australia's finest ever garage rock bands.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Gillian Welch is one of the most fascinating and endearing songwriters in contemporary music.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

D'Angelo's moody experimentation and smooth voice brought a change to R&B and soul music.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Homegrown heroes You Am I have dominated Australian rock’n’roll for more than 3 decades.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Cocteau Twins were the blueprint for shoegaze and dream pop bands in the 80s and 90s.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

His time on this earth was tragically cut short, but Biggie's legacy has endured for decades.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Drumming is an intriguing and individual combination of skill, instinct and physicality.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

With Damon Albarn's musical flair and Jamie Hewlett's proven record for creating engaging virtual characters, it's no wonder the collaboration has been so fruitful and successful.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The voice and songs of Florence Welch hit us like a brick from the very beginning. Such an auspicious start is a lot to live up to, but Welch and her band have delivered over and over again. Five albums in and their songs remain as affecting and rousing as ever.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Yothu Yindi are one of the most important Australian bands of all time.Australian Broadcasting Corporation

No one does rowdy punk rock quite like Frenzal Rhomb. The Sydney band have always stood out with their crude lyrics, on-stage shenanigans and strong sense of social awareness.Australian Broadcasting Corporation