1Making an Opera
A few years ago radio hero Stef Visjager (Pearl radio) the honor of following Dutch National Opera during the preparations for an opera by Willem Jeths: Ritratto. But: corona. Fortunately for Visjager, this fateful element only brought more drama to her podcast: during the recordings it became clear that the opera could not be performed in front of an audience.
For about a year and a half, Visjager accompanied the artists and set designers – who don’t always feel comfortable with that. She recorded all the hectic behind the scenes and edited them into this fascinating and honest podcast series. The listener hears the uncertainty, friction and despair associated with the creative process. For example, when it is unclear to everyone until the last moment what the exact costumes of the elusive couturier Jan Taminiau will look like. A well-crafted, layered sequence that offers a unique look behind the scenes of the opera company.
2Bobcast
Bob Dylan’s ‘Bootleg Series’ just keep coming: seventeen albums have already been released. Next time, after listening to that, turn to this fantastic comprehensive conversation podcast. Bobcast is a wonderful deep dive into the life and repertoire of the unique musician.
Twenty-seven episodes that cover a different aspect of the brilliant, now 81-year-old musician: Bob as boss, Bob as innovator, Bob as stage performer, Bob as poet. And every episode a different guest; a collector, an admirer, a famous Dutch person or someone from the music industry. All equally idolized, and yet that does not get boring.
3Tracks
In the tradition of the American podcast Song Exploder makes Broadcasting Black now also a podcast in which musicians analyze their own music. In Tracks artists are allowed to snuggle up close to their songs, to tell about their creation from that comfort. The deepest valleys invariably seem to lead to the highest peaks.
Naaz says that after two hours of fretting in a fetal position, she blasted out her comeback track ‘Never Have I Ever’ in one take. Singer Willem seems to be the gloomy music on his latest album Man In Need partly due to the property manager who closed the windows of his studio. “That may have also contributed to those vitamin D-less numbers.”
4The Last Days Of…
Big lives, dramatic finals. Previous seasons of The Last Days Of… treated pop singers John Lennon and Freddie Mercury. The latest season discusses Marvin Gaye, the phenomenal soul singer who was shot dead by his father on the day before his 45th birthday.
Tensions between father and son started early. Marvin senior was a minister, but he was often invited on the condition that he bring his singing son. The jealousy that the father felt, he expressed harshly.
Interviews, reports, guest appearances, archive material; everything is pulled out of the closet to take man out of the myth. Added to Gaye’s bleak life, the music suddenly sounds so much sadder.
5The Great Harry Bannink Podcast
Artless often works best. It is the authentic approach of presenter and podcast maker Gijs Groenteman (a short introduction followed by an almost unedited conversation at someone’s home) that The Great Harry Bannink Podcast such a joy to listen to. All guests are at ease and everyone is enthusiastic. And they all worship the same man.
Harry Banink. The celebrated composer, the man in the theater next to Wim Sonneveld or Annie MG Schmidt, the musical brain behind ‘t Schaep with the 5 legs or Yes sister, no sister and Uncle William‘s chief goat knitter. For hours he is discussed, honored, loved and celebrated – and that for forty-four episodes.
6The Hard Pödcast
As if you are still talking after a concert, Suzanne Bosman and Mike Arntz introduce you The Hard Pödcast the best tips and anecdotes from the world of the harder and darker guitar sound. From new releases from home and abroad, to long-lost gems that Mike digs up from his seemingly endless record collection.
They don’t take themselves too seriously, but their listeners and the artists do. This not only ensures good music, but also beautiful and sometimes even moving conversations about loud music.
7The Legend of Zillion
“For one it is a place of ruin and decadence, for another it is a temple of amusement.” This is how this podcast about the Antwerp mega discotheque Zillion (1997-2002) begins. The impressive stream of anecdotes that follow in three episodes shows that there is a lot to be said for both.
Owner Frank Verstraeten came up with the most bizarre stunts to thrill his visitors: from chickens on the dance floor and fireworks in the hall to sex on stage and a million francs that he once had blown off the balcony. Verstraeten himself tells how his lust for spectacle clashed with the authorities. After a series of accusations, from fraud to assault, his infamous club came to an end.
8Weird Hit Wonder
In Weird Hit Wonder go 3for12journalist Atze de Vrieze in search of the story behind the songs that no one will put in their Top 2000 list, but which were big hits against all odds in their time. For example, how twenty farmers wrote a jubilee song for their favorite pub owner under the name Mannenkoor Karrespoor from Tuk (Overijssel), and this grew into the national monster hit ‘Mooi Man’ (1990), which was also aired in the city. Other hits that come along are the Kopspijkers satire ‘I Wanna Be a One Day Fly’ (2001), the dancehall spoof ‘Girl (Zo ugly as the night)’ (1997) and the gabber hit ‘Alles naar de klote’ (1992) . Cheerful and confrontational when you find out that you can sing along the discussed songs word for word. From Party Animals to André Rieu, a feast of recognition (even if you prefer not to admit it).
9All That Jazz
The biggest jazz fanatics will probably get little new information from it, but on the other hand the podcast All That Jazz very easy to follow for the beginner. At a rapid pace, presenter Tine de Donder discusses with retired journalist and jazz connoisseur Karel van Keymeulen the repertoire, lives and inspirations of the greatest jazz musicians, all of whom Keymeulen seems to have met at some point.
Keymeulen previously wrote ‘All That Jazz: 50 iconic jazz pieces for all moods’. In the podcast version of this book, his soft voice alternates with rousing music by Louis Armstrong or Art Blakey. Each episode is based on an overarching theme, such as swing or blue notes. In short: everything in this podcast runs smoothly.
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