On Episode 227, we are joined by the acclaimed music writer Bob Stanley, the man behind one of Niall's favourite books Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop and a member of indie-pop group St. Etienne.

To celebrate 10 years of Faber Books are reissuing Yeah Yeah Yeah (with a new chapter taking it up to present day) , along with its prequel Let's Do It: The Birth of Pop (the definitive story of the birth of Pop, from 1900 to the mid-fifties), both on paperback.

Along with the books, Bob Stanley also put together a compilation for Ace Records called Latin Freestyle - New York/Miami 1983 - 1992, in his words a crashing electro-funk sub genre of dance music.

It was the aural equivalent of a can of thirst-quenching Quatro or a Spanish Harlem dance-off, and it became the electronically constructed bridge between disco and house.

Latin Freestyle grew out of electro, and was a more female-fronted classic pop version with frequently Latina vocals, bleepy synth riffs, proto-house piano lines, drum machine hits and lyrics that harked back to '60s girl groups teenage concerns of heartbreak, boys and dancing.

We talk to Bob about the books and this subgenre of electro music that developed in New York and Miami in the early 80s and included Madonna, Debbie Deb, Shannon, Alisha, Company B, Lisa Lisa, Exposé, Taylor Dane and went on to influence music from the Bee Gees' Robin Gibb, Pet Shop Boys, Freeez and more.

A playlist of Latin Freestyle accompanies this episode on Patron. Sign up from €5 a month.

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• Songs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist

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The Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu, the JAMs, the Timelords, The KLF. Episode 226 is a look at the UK band that simultaneously topped the pop charts while being divisive art provocateurs.

Two British men, the Scotsman Bill Drummond and Englishman Jimmy Cauty created a notorious music project that engulfed the charts, aggravated the art world, upset the capitalists, annoyed the record industry and almost everyone else.

Other musicians have been known as provocateurs before but The KLF were on an whole other level, because they became a massive chart success, while posing questions about the validity of art, original ideas, creativity, commerce and capitalism.

This is the story of a band who did things like no one else, who had number 1 hits, who created art installations, defaced billboards, made cryptic advertisements, gave manic performances on Top of the Pops, fired machine gun blanks into the audience, became known as pranksters, and blew all the money in one huge notorious stunt.

We discuss their flagrant sampling of Abba and pop hits, their stadium house/rave chart-topping music, how to have a number one hit according to The Manual, a cult weekend on a Scottish Island, involving journalists, Wicker Man and Martin Sheen, The KLF's Brit Awards shenanigans, The K Foundation art stunts, and the literal burning of a million quid.

The KLF is a story like no other.

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• Songs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist

References: KLF.De / Who Killed The KLF documentary (2021)

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It's the Nialler9 Podcast's monthly episode where Niall and Andrea talk about the albums and songs they loved in the last four weeks.

On Episode 225 we have album recommendations from The Hives, Citrus Fresh and Noname along with song inclusions from Sufjan, Diners, BadBadNotGood, Cartin, Barry Can't Swim and Olivia Rodrigo.

Plus what's consuming you, chat about live gigs from The Walkmen, Boygenius, Another Love Story Festival, and the Roisín Murphy thing.

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Episode 224 is a deep dive into the discography of electronic music pioneer Aphex Twin.

t's Richard D James, "the godfather of IDM", "the Mozart of Ambient,", the mischievous enigmatic man who I shook hands with once, the artist born in Limerick who has been making weird electronic music since he was the age of 14 for over 35 years now.

As Richard D James turns 52 this Friday, we take a chronological look through his back catalogue touching on the three main strands of his sound - ambient, experimental and dance. We discuss the myths around AFX, the famous 'Windowlicker' and 'Come To Daddy' videos in detail, the side-projects, the live show, the mischievous humour, the ubiquitous Richard D James face and much more.

Using quotes from the man in his many interviews, we figure out why the music of Aphex Twin is so unique, how he developed his own scales, how he builds his own instruments and studios, and how he has always been a composer and sound designer first, but also an abrasive techno merchant, a purveyor of acid, drill and bass, electro and creator of beautiful classical melodies.

Patreon members get access to the 3 Aphex Twin playlists mentioned - ambient, dance, experimental.

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Episode 223 of the Nialler9 Podcast is a return to the festival field with Nialler9 and Andrea Cleary.

We review last weekend's All Together Now Festival in Waterford.

Niall shares his experiences of the festival's fourth year, a weekend in which ran the weather gamut from rainy to windy, muddy to sunny.

We talk highlights and lowlights, the mud, the rain, the wind, festival organisational logistics, stage sound, and tents nearly blowing away on Saturday morning.

In between the muck, there was great music and lots to discuss. We shared YOUR weekend experiences from those who emailed us, responded on Insta (we couldn't get to all 199 of you), Twitter and Discord callouts.

Plus, Andrea puts forward the case for more "quiet camping" areas.

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It's the most popular monthly episode where Niall and Andrea share what's moved them musically from the month of July.

On Episode 222 we have selections from Big Thief, Sarah Crean, Andrea's pick of the Barbie soundtrack, another of Niall's song of the summer contenders, Fizz, Aluna, Mitski, The Hives, girlfriend, albums from Blur and Joanna Sternberg and some a tune tribute to Sinéad O'Connor.

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30 years ago this week, Singer Sinead O’Connor sparked outrage when she tore up a picture of the Pope during her musical performance on Saturday Night Live.

The fallout of that action is at the centre of Kathryn Ferguson's new documentary about Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares - which is in cinemas this Friday.

Following the release of last year's Rememberings, O'Connor's biography, the film tells the story of Sinead's upbringing, subsequent success focusing on the early period of her career and the vindication of her actions at the time. Sinead O’Connor was ahead of her time.

The documentary celebrates a maverick artist, who never compromised her personal integrity or artistry, who was often ridiculed, and deemed the mad Irish women who shaved her head, who spoke up for minorities, criticised the church for child abuse coverups, Magdalene laundries (which she had direct experience of), and Ireland's fight for abortion rights.

These causes and beliefs are now mainstream but at the time, O'Connor was openly mocked for pointing out the abuses of power (especially in America, where she refused to allow the National Anthem to play before her concert) further fuelling an anti-patriotism sentiment around the Irish artist, that fundamentally altered her pop career, one that she never wanted anyway.

“I'm not a pop star. I'm just a troubled soul who needs to scream into mikes now and then.”

Sinead O’Connor was a protest singer, first and foremost. Joining Niall and Andrea to discuss the Sinead O'Connor film is pop critic Louise Bruton. We discuss her relationship with Byrne, the parallels to Britney and MIA, that Bob Dylan tribute concert, and the aforementioned themes from the film.

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This is a rewind of an episode from 2021.

Today's episode is all about my favourite subgenre of disco and dance music - Italo. What it is, where it came from and why it's so enduring.

Italo disco is a European form of electronic disco that proliferated throughout Europe in the early '80s. It’s a catch all term for 80s electronic pop of mostly Italian origin.

Italo is what happens when disco starts getting made with drum machines and synthesizers - a loveable curio of romantic pop, a tasteless yet tasteful novelty item, A simple music born at a time when music was increasingly sophisticated.

Italo is big fun electronic pop music that doesn't take itself too seriously. It is time capsule of a generally more innocent time of bad dancers, keytars, moustaches and chrome-shimmering fashion.

From Vice’s A Bullshitter's Guide To Italo-Disco by Angus Harrison

Niall and Andrea take you deep into how US disco morphed into Italo, how Moroder and Hi-NRG fits in, the characteristics of Italo disco, the glitz, the glamour and the keytars. Plus, we talk about the Nialler9 Podcast theme song - Red Dragon Band's 'Let Me Be Your Radio...

Patreon members get exclusive access to my 8 hour Italo Disco playlist featuring all of the songs played on this episode, which includes classics like

Doctor’s Cat – Feel The Drive

Mr. Flagio – Take A Chance

La Bionda – I Wanna Be Your Lover

RAF – Self-Control

Ken Laszlo – Hey Hey Guy

Ryan Paris – Dolce Vita

Sabrina – Boys

and many more.

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For a subgenre deep dive, Niall takes a dip into the idea of Balearic music, and finds out that it's not as easy to explain as he first thought.

Balearic is often thought of as a signifier of music that is evocative, sun-kissed and downtempo, but as our deep dive discovers Balearic is a feeling, an approach, that encompasses those things but also can be cheesy, soft, rocking, easy listening, dancey, slowed-down, dreamy, psychedelic and as dance music writer Frank Tope put it “it’s pop music that sounds good on pills.”

The true origin story of Balearic is certain to includes the music selections of the Ibiza DJ Alfredo who DJed at Amnesia during the years of 1983 to 1988, just as all-night licences were coming to the Island.

You know Ibiza as the Balearic Island haven where superclubs bang out techno and house and big name DJs hold residencies now, but in the '80s, the story of clubbing in Ibiza was being built from the ground up.

Alfredo played an eclectic mix of pop, soul, disco, electronic, house, psych rock and Latin pop including Sade, The Cure, Derrick May, Simply Red, the Pink Panther Theme, Madonna, Richie Havens, Queen, psych rock wigouts, The Woodentops, and The Style Council, but was initially derided for his DJ sets.

Our tale of Balearic music is linked to the Bhagwan Oregon cult selling MDMA on the island, new age dropouts, hippies, and party jet-setters, chillout Cafe Del Mar sunsets, and a sunny island mecca that became a setting for ecstasy-fuelled music epiphanies, that spread dance and club culture throughout the UK and Europe.

• Songs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist

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Note, this is a rewind of an episode from 2021 to mark our second Indie Sleaze night on September 29th in Workman's Cellar.

You may have heard of the term Indie Sleaze lately. A term newly coined to describe a nostalgic trend of post-Y2K era of culture and aesthetics of indie music and parties that crossed cities and continents.

Niall and Andrea are talking indie-rock, blog house, nu-rave, electro-clash and the alternative scene of the years of 2004 to 2012 that gave us the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Crystal Castles, CSS, Uffie, MGMT, New Young Pony Club, MIA, Hipster Runoff, Mashups, The Cobrasnake’s hedonistic flash photography, Dublin clubs like Antics and spawned an Indie Sleaze instagram account.

So how are Gen Z co-opting the vibe of the era and is the Indie Sleaze trend just a Tik-Tok-enabled churn in nostalgia economy?

Plus, Louise McSharry, host of the new topical news podcast Catch Up, drops in to talk about her experiences of indie, electro and alternative of that time, the fashion and the tunes she still loves, and why she wants to start a club night in the era’s honour.

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• Our Indie Sleaze night with guest DJ Louise McSharry.

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