logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2021
49m 50s

Dance Divas: 1988-1998

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Sampling technology created new opportunities for producers but raised questions of authenticity and authorship in the industry. Some of the biggest dance music hits of the early '90s used uncredited vocals belonging to Loleatta Holloway, Jocelyn Brown and Martha Wash. After the Paradise Garage closed, New Jersey’s Zanzibar club became the breaking ground for dance music in the New York area. Abbie Adams had a record store around the corner which became Movin’ Records, introducing the world to the ‘Jersey Sound’. We also meet legendary talent scout Gladys Pizarro who co-founded Strictly Rhythm.

Up next
Today
Jamaica: Shaken, not broken
From historic buildings linked to emancipation to tiny village chapels, Jamaica is home to the world’s highest density of churches. The Caribbean Island faced a profound spiritual crisis after Hurricane Melissa devastated many of the 1600 sacred spaces where people gathered to wo ... Show More
26m 29s
Apr 11
Bringing India's daughters back home
In India, official figures suggest that one in three women experience domestic violence. In 2023, police registered over 130,000 cases of marital abuse and more than 6,000 women were killed in disputes relating to dowries. Despite these high numbers, societal attitudes to domesti ... Show More
26m 29s
Yesterday
Back to books: Sweden’s digital backlash
Sweden, once a global poster child for digital education, is changing course. The Nordic nation previously championed a screen-first approach; laptops and tablets have been the norm in classrooms since the early 2010s. Now, the country is pivoting back to basics, reintroducing ph ... Show More
29m 10s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2023
Danceteria - New York, US
Danceteria wasn’t just a nightclub. It was an artistic incubator at the heart of New York’s early 80s cultural renaissance. It became a space for musicians, artists, and activists to seek inspiration.  It was the club where Madonna performed on stage for the first time and Keith ... Show More
45m 45s
Jul 2023
Warehouse / Music Box - Chicago, US
The Warehouse and The Music Box were incredibly influential Chicago clubs that became ground zero for the rise of House Music. Under the supervision of Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy, these two house clubs cultivated a new genre of music created by people of color that would go o ... Show More
43 m
Jul 2023
Warehouse / Music Box - Chicago, US
The Warehouse and The Music Box were incredibly influential Chicago clubs that became ground zero for the rise of House Music. Under the supervision of Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy, these two house clubs cultivated a new genre of music created by people of color that would go o ... Show More
43 m
Aug 2023
Paradise Garage - New York, US
Under the musical influence of the one and only Larry Levan, Paradise Garage became a vibrant musical space for Queer, Black, and Latino people in New York, to dance, and reclaim a sound that they had created. With a DJ who knew how to energize a crowd and a killer sound system t ... Show More
45m 39s
Oct 2022
Women DJs
<p>After lockdowns, gig cancelations and a long and painful period for those in the industry, this year has seen the return of a full festival season around the world and millions of people have been making the most of it partying and dancing in vast crowds to live music and DJ-s ... Show More
27m 19s
Jul 2016
The DJs - Tatiana Alvarez and Lea Barrett
Presenter Gemma Cairney gets behind the decks with two female DJs who get dance floors pumping in America and South Africa. DJ Lady Lea got hooked on house music and the Cape Town dance scene as a teenager in the early 1990s. She started taking her record box to clubs and playing ... Show More
26m 27s
Jun 2024
Celebrating the Nelly Furtado-sance, and the Big Cigar
Canadian pop star Nelly Furtado is gearing up for a major comeback in 2024: her music is being rediscovered by younger generations on TikTok, she recently entered YouTube’s billion-stream club and she’s set to release her first new album in seven years. Music journalists Suzy Exp ... Show More
25m 11s
Aug 2023
The log drum is the new 808 with Busiswa, DJ Lag, Karen Nyame KG and Scratchclart
Busiswa, DJ Lag, Karen Nyame KG and Scratchclart talk about the impact of the pandemic on amapiano and gqom, what it was like getting back to the clubs when things opened up again, and the global rise in popularity of these genres.Busiswa is a singer and poet from South Africa. H ... Show More
30m 37s
Jun 2024
Disco is Dead (Because of Woke)
<p>The girlies welcome the summer months by investigating a most troubling query: why is nobody partying anymore? We used to rave in underground warehouses and dance all night at Studio 54, now we stand in line for hours to be bored at the club clutching a vodka soda. They try to ... Show More
1h 16m
Jun 2023
What Afro boom?! With Floyd Lavine, Lakuti, Coco Em and Desiree
Floyd Lavine, Lakuti, Coco Em and Desiree discuss where their inspiration comes from, the challenges of being an African artist trying to tour, and the Afro boom. Floyd Lavine's sound takes in influences from his childhood listening to Kwaito, soul, jazz and South African house, ... Show More
32m 29s