Offbeat Tracks
146 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 11 ratingsShowcasing forgotten or unknown music that deserves to be remembered and known.
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Episodes
Episode 147: Sharon Brown
March 16, 2020 16:00 - 22 minutes - 25.2 MBSharon Brown is an interesting story. A talented session musician turned dance music diva, and our first subject who has also been on The People's Court!
Episode 146: Will To Power
March 02, 2020 16:00 - 33 minutes - 38.7 MBWould a band named after a Nietche principle ever truly live up to its philosophical name? Surprisingly, yes -- but Florida Man and his army of singers made some great dance music and pop ballads along their journey.
Episode 145: Independence
February 17, 2020 16:00 - 27 minutes - 31.2 MBYou probably know Lulu from a hit movie and theme song from the 1960s, but today we're looking at her personal declaration of independence in the form of a '90s eurohouse album.
Episode 144: The Deele
February 03, 2020 16:00 - 26 minutes - 30.2 MBToday we're looking at the Cincinnati group that launched the career of two legendary producers.
Episode 143: Results
January 20, 2020 16:00 - 24 minutes - 28.2 MBIn 1987, Liza Minnelli wanted to make a pop album, so her record label set her up with the Pet Shop Boys. This was the result.
Episode 142: Tricia Leigh Fisher
January 06, 2020 16:00 - 25 minutes - 29.4 MBThe one and only pop album released by Carrie Fisher's half-sister in 1990, and boy does it just SCREAM 1990!
Episode 141: Alanis
December 23, 2019 16:00 - 24 minutes - 27.5 MBIt's no secret by now that Alanis had a couple of pop albums before she was the Alanis that the world knows. We decided it was time they get the respect they deserve.
Episode 140: Our Top Discoveries Of 2019
December 09, 2019 16:00 - 21 minutes - 24.4 MBIn our 2019 retrospective, we recount our favorite offbeat discoveries of the year!
Episode 139: Guys Next Door
November 25, 2019 16:00 - 39 minutes - 45 MBBefore there was Big Time Rush, and significantly after there were The Monkees, there were the Guys Next Door. And boy were they cheesy.
Episode 138: The Right Stuff
November 11, 2019 16:00 - 27 minutes - 31.2 MBNow known as a versatile at-least-quadruple threat, the great Vanessa Williams kicked off her music career with an album chock full of delicious dancepop and beautiful ballads.
Episode 137: Brenda K. Starr
October 28, 2019 16:00 - 30 minutes - 35.1 MBShe may have recorded one of the greatest ballads in the history of pop music and kickstarted the career of one of pop music's all-time greatest singers, but we spend most of this episode pining for the release of the song she sings in Beat Street.
Episode 136: Wally Jump Jr & The Criminal Element
October 14, 2019 16:00 - 21 minutes - 24.5 MBTwo guys approach superproducer Arthur Baker with the idea of making an entire album based on the Dhar Braxton single "Jump Back (Set Me Free)," and he jumped right on it.
Episode 135: Propaganda
September 30, 2019 16:00 - 34 minutes - 39.7 MBAre Propaganda more German than Kraftwerk? At what point must a band record under a different name? We're back from our summer break, and we tackle this and more in our most German episode yet!
Episode 134: Laura Branigan
June 24, 2019 16:00 - 47 minutes - 54 MBDoing proper justice for one of the all-time great pop divas.
Episode 133: Once Bitten Soundtrack
June 10, 2019 16:00 - 26 minutes - 30.5 MBA rare '80s soundtrack that really deserves to be counted among the classics!
Episode 132: The Escape Club
May 27, 2019 16:00 - 28 minutes - 33 MBThe two-hit wonder that you probably thought was a one-hit wonder! (Though we still aren't convinced their second hit actually exists.)
Episode 131: Eurovision 2019
May 13, 2019 16:00 - 1 hour - 74.1 MBIt's that time again! Connor is back with us, and we're perusing all the oohs, ahhs, and wtfs of Eurovision 2019.
Episode 130: Unnecessary Dance Covers
April 29, 2019 16:00 - 21 minutes - 24.9 MBIt's time for a Superlatives episode, and this time we're tackling non-dance songs that were covered as club cuts (mostly in the '90s, because people couldn't seem to stop doing it then for some reason).
Episode 129: Mylo
April 15, 2019 16:00 - 39 minutes - 45.7 MBOne man retires from a life of academia to make an album in his bedroom, and ends up being credited by many as the lone savior of dance music.
Episode 128: Ta Mara And The Seen
April 01, 2019 16:00 - 23 minutes - 27 MBA Jesse-Johnson-formed band that spent two albums exploring the dancepop side of the Minneapolis sound.
Episode 127: MC Skat Kat
March 18, 2019 16:00 - 28 minutes - 33 MBDid you know that Paula Abdul's feline friend made an album of his own? He's kind of a bad kitty.
Episode 126: Shannon
March 04, 2019 16:00 - 34 minutes - 39.5 MBThe incredibly fascinating story of how a young mobile DJ, a budding producer, and an accounting student changed the face of dance music.
Episode 125: Mr. Mister
February 18, 2019 16:00 - 29 minutes - 33.9 MBYou know two of their songs, but have you ever heard any of the others? There's some good stuff here. Also, they aren't British - who knew! (Not us.)
Episode 124: Alisha
February 04, 2019 16:00 - 35 minutes - 40.8 MBIn 1984, a 15-year-old girl from New York gets signed to a big band label after her dad sends in a demo tape. She then makes three albums of fabulous pop music before fading into obscurity, except for once to make a theme song to an SNL movie.
Episode 123: Music Of The 1984 Olympics
January 21, 2019 16:00 - 35 minutes - 40.1 MBServing additional duty as both a pop culture snapshot and perhaps the soundtrack to Danielle's intimate moments, several popular artists, bands and composers collaborated in 1984 on a soundtrack album for the Olympic Games.
Episode 122: Phyllis Nelson
January 07, 2019 16:00 - 26 minutes - 30 MBFirst emerging in the late '70s as part of the Philly sound, this week's artist quickly grew into her chops as a singer-songwriter in the fabulous world of disco and Hi NRG.
Episode 121: A Long Time Coming
December 24, 2018 16:00 - 26 minutes - 29.8 MBA look back at Evelyn "Champagne" King's 1985 album that never even cracked the Billboard 200, and we don't understand why, because it's pretty darn fantastic.
Episode 120: Gettin Pumped Songs
December 10, 2018 16:00 - 33 minutes - 38.7 MBHave a big job interview? About to talk to a hottie who intimidates you? About to carry the creme brulee you just made down three flights of stairs to your car and drive it to your mom's house? Whatever the situation, these are the songs that get us pumped up, and we're sure they'll work for you too.
Episode 119: Tuesday Knight
November 26, 2018 16:00 - 32 minutes - 37.2 MBYou probably know her from her bout with Freddy Krueger and her haunting horror theme, but today we're gonna talk about the rest of her music career!
Episode 118: Technotronic
November 12, 2018 16:00 - 40 minutes - 46.1 MBShedding some light on the enigmatic group and their mysterious frontwoman responsible for a couple of the most recognizable dance hits of the early '90s.
Episode 117: ESG
October 29, 2018 16:00 - 24 minutes - 27.8 MBThree sisters and the funkiest No Wave you've ever heard!
Episode 116: 'Til Tuesday
October 15, 2018 16:00 - 32 minutes - 37.7 MBWhy, if there are indie musicians who own the rights to their own songs, might they have 'Til Tuesday to thank? What video game character does Danielle think Aimee Mann should play in a movie? Listen to this week's episode for these answers and more!
Episode 115: Aqua
October 01, 2018 16:00 - 27 minutes - 32 MBCan you name more than one of their songs? If not, listen to this week's episode, because you've been missing out!
Episode 114: Times Two
September 24, 2018 16:00 - 49 minutes - 56.1 MBTwo important firsts this week on Offbeat Tracks: Our first interview, and our first resurrection. Both with the same guy.
Episode 113: Sally Shapiro
September 17, 2018 16:00 - 40 minutes - 46.5 MBThe most modern artist we've covered, but we think you'll agree that they fit in. Join us as we discuss this most mysterious yet incredibly charming synth songstress.
Episode 112: Cathy Dennis
September 10, 2018 16:00 - 38 minutes - 43.8 MBThis week we're discussing a truly unsung legend of pop music, specifically the part of her career where she was, in fact, singing.
Episode 111: M
September 03, 2018 16:00 - 30 minutes - 34.7 MBHis name may have only been one letter, but he put out three very different albums in his (relatively) short career under this name, and we're breaking them down this week. Did he creat the world's first synthpop song? You decide along with us.
Episode 110: Driving Songs
August 27, 2018 16:00 - 23 minutes - 26.4 MBThis week we're discussing our favorite songs to listen to while driving!
Episode 109: The Assembly / Absolute
August 20, 2018 16:00 - 31 minutes - 36.3 MBTwo for the price of one this week as we discuss a lesser-known Vince Clarke project that produced a second lesser-known Vince Clarke project!
Episode 108: Chico DeBarge
August 13, 2018 16:00 - 19 minutes - 22.1 MBThis week we're discussing one half one tenth of the DeBarge family discography, because Chico's two '80s albums were pretty damn fantastic.
Episode 107: Ebn-Ozn
August 06, 2018 16:00 - 34 minutes - 39.9 MBWhat happens when the New York pop art scene collides with the burgeoning technology of sampling? Ebn-Ozn, that's what.
Episode 106: T'Pau
July 30, 2018 16:00 - 38 minutes - 43.8 MBPerhaps the only band that gets called a one-hit wonder for two different songs in two different countries, we review the first three albums by the British art school kids who got their band name from Star Trek.
Episode 105: Perfect Soundtrack
July 23, 2018 16:00 - 31 minutes - 36.2 MBA panned movie that happens to have an incredible Hi-NRG aerobics soundtrack! John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis crotch thrusting in '80s workout attire - why are you not listening yet??
Episode 104: Nick Kamen
July 16, 2018 16:00 - 31 minutes - 36.2 MBA sexy model making killer late '80s pop -- have we discovered Offbeat Xanadu?
Episode 103: Mel & Kim
July 09, 2018 16:00 - 31 minutes - 35.6 MBOur first-ever listener-submitted episode idea! We're discussing the incorrigble, goofy, and oh-so-stylish sisters from Hackney who dominated the UK charts in '87 and '88.
Episode 102: White Town
July 02, 2018 16:00 - 28 minutes - 32.4 MBStaying in England this week, but we're talking about a very interesting fella with a big heart, leftist politics, and a Tascam 4-track recorder.
Episode 101: The Quick / Giant Steps
June 25, 2018 16:00 - 27 minutes - 31.5 MBTwo lads from England who spent the '80s recording under two different band names but staying both very British and very '80s the entire time.
Episode 100: Offbeat Trivia II
June 18, 2018 16:00 - 45 minutes - 52.3 MBBack already, it's another edition of the Offbeat Trivia Challenge! This time, we quiz each other about the artists we've covered and our favorite absurd comments over the last two years. Thank you so much for listening to us for 100 episodes!
Episode 99: E.G. Daily
June 11, 2018 16:00 - 34 minutes - 39.2 MBA woman whose unmistakable voice you've no doubt heard, just maybe not in song (yet). How did she survive her busy 1985?
Episode 98: Angie Gold
June 04, 2018 16:00 - 26 minutes - 29.8 MBFrom her early days making mellow gold softballs to her heyday in hard-hitting Hi-NRG, this week we scope out the career of (probably) the only person whose real name sounds faker than her stage name.