J Files News Today

On one of Depeche Mode's rare trips to Australia, Martin Gore told triple j all about the ups and downs of their success so far

After decades derided as the Most Hated Women In Rock, musicians have been leading a reappraisal of the music from somebody deserves a little more peace, love, and understanding.

Nothing about the B-52's was pre-meditated. And they're not named after a bomber.

Speaking on The J Files, Felix Buxton recalls the wild 2009 festival tale of the Duke of Sussex monkeyed around onstage to 'Where's Your Head At?'

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 Speakerboxxx/The Love Below - with hits like 'Hey Ya', 'Roses', 'The Way You Move' and 'Ms Jack...

Gossip on the indie scene of the 2000s cannot be overstated. Their music hit with force, its combination of disco, punk rock, soul and pop making them one of the most versatile and exciting bands in the fledgling dance-rock scene of the time. At the centre of it all was Beth Ditto, a frontwoman beyond compare. On stage and on record, her voice was as strong as any soul singer, as cutting as any punk, and pitch perfect in its execution of some of the brightest hooks of the era. Ditto was a cultu...

When Muse formed in the mid-90s, Britpop reigned supreme. But the trio from Devon had grander musical ambitions, and those objectives only became bolder as their career progressed. The evolution of their sound across their first four albums saw them quickly morph from promising Radiohead acolytes to world dominating prog-rock behemoth. The music became grander and the fanbase became bigger and more passionate. Those records only tell part of the story. The Muse live experience soon set the bar...

When creating Gorillaz in the late-90s, both artists were likely aware it could easily be dismissed as a gimmick. To transcend doubtful preconceptions, quality would be paramount. Their debut album left no room for doubt: Albarns effortless collage of dub, hip hop, psych and indie rock was seamless, and a couple of indie hits in Clint Eastwood and 19-2000 meant Gorillaz became stars before doubters had much chance to question the concept. Two decades on from that debut album, we look at Gorill...

Hes released many records and been part of many massive collaborations. Hes had many business ventures, released many films, and taught the hip hop world that you can be many things. Jay-Zs bow has many strings. But there is only one Jay-Z. He is a singular storyteller, a leader in the musical, cultural and business sides of hip hop, an advocate for artists, and an all-round legitimate superstar. Join Caz Tran for the Jay-Z J Files, Thursday 18 March from 7pm or listen online whenever you like.

The Triffids never enjoyed the same mainstream success as many of their peers, but there are few bands in this country who have been as acclaimed and influential. Their evocative songs were driven by the perfect poetry of David McComb, who wrote about Australia with a kind of desolate beauty that has never truly been matched. Behind him was a band whose music painted pictures almost as vivid as their frontmans words. The weeping steel guitars of Evil Graham Lee, the spacious textures added by J...