Fenster’s Funky Sevens

Ep 37 - Novelty Rap of the 80s

A selection of sometimes cringe, sometimes cool comedy rap tunes from the early to mid 80s, featuring tunes from England, Scotland, Ireland and The Netherlands

Ep 36 - The Grove Social Club (1967 to 1997)

The Grove was a teenage disco in the Northside of Dublin, Ireland that ran for 30 years, from 1967 to 1997.  and thanks to Cecil Nolan, who was the DJ for that entire time, and the music he played, The Grove became an essential part of the formative years of the tens of thousands of young Northsiders who attended.
In this episode, many of those who were lucky enough to have gone to the Grove share their stories and the music they heard there. 
Links 
Joe Kearns - What is the Grove? 
https://thegrove-jk.blogspot.com/p/memories-of-grove-1973-to-1975-from-2025.html?m=1
The Grove Facebook group 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/4512479386/?ref=share
The Grove radio show on NearFM
https://nearfm.ie/the-grove-show/
Eamonn McCormack's "Kindred Spirits" album
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7IYQbgnmiFhHdnp5WESEQV?si=hYYbsEFpTuWxxMuCwaFtiw
"More Than A Feeling" - RTE documentary on the Grove
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iccATMMFBtM
32a - Irish Film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPA8aUK3q80
 
 

Ep 35 - CRASH!!

Just in time for Halloween, I cover a dark subject in this episode; the stories of seven plane crashes and the famous musicians who lost their lives in them.

Ep 34 - Spelling Songs

Seven songs thar feature spelling in the lyrics

Ep 33 - From Motown to Boystown: A History of Hi-NRG (1957 to 1989)

From Motown to Boystown: A History of HI-NRG (1957-1989)
 
In this episode I look at the genre of electronic dance music known as Hi-NRG, and how innovators like Giorgio Moroder, Patrick Cowley, Bobby Orlando,  Ian Levine and Fiachra Trench took this form of electronic disco from the dancefloors of gay nightclubs to the pop charts around the world. 
We also trace the origins of this sound back to Hitsville. USA, the home of Motown Records.
Featuring tonnes of music and interviews with the main characters.

Ep 32 - Sound System Culture and its influence on British Music - 1950 to 1991

Jamaican Sound System Culture and its influence on British Music 1950 - 1991 
Using Soul II Soul's massive 1989 hit Back to Life as a starting point we trace how Sound System Culture has played a fundamental part in shaping British Music; taking in early Jamaican Sound Systems and the American RnB t hey preferred, through Ska. Reggae, Roots. Dub, Lover's Rock, and Dancehall. Northern Soul, Jazz Funk, early Electro, Rare Groove, Acid House,  Street Soul, acid Jazz and Trip Hop
Contained lots of great music and interviews with the Musicians,  DJs, Producers. DJs, promoters and Soundmen involved. 

Ep 31 - The Evolution of Dubstep; 1991 to 2011

The story of how dubstep developed; from US Garage to UK Garage, through speed garage, two step, break step and on into grime and dark garage until the underground dubstep sound went overground around 2005 and how it continued to develop into the 2010s.
 
The podcast features tonnes of music, and interviews with the people who created the sound .

Ep 30 - The Origins of Disco: 70s Boston Gay Club Scene

In this episode we explore the origins of disco music in the early 1970s, in the gay dance clubs of Boston; The Other Side and the 1270. 
The episode features excerpts from a series of interviews with first generation disco DJs conducted by Brian Halligan of Boston LGBTQ organisation, the History Project.
In particular I focus on one DJ, Jimmy Stuard, I feel Jimmy's contributions to the craft of DJing have been overlooked. 
 
The History Project YouTube
 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFZZB_pNhTXOlRAt0i_2Tg
 
Brian Halligan on Bluesky
 
https://bsky.app/profile/briandhalligan.bsky.social
 
 
 
The Other Side Facebook
 
https://www.facebook.com/share/1FiCasptnX/
 
1270 Facebook group
 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/803649106339832/?ref=share
 
 
Steven Burke's Podcast
 
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/djstevenburke
 
Carol Mitro's podcast
 
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/carilmitro
 
Bobby Busnach's Mixcloud
 
https://www.mixcloud.com/bobbybusnach/
 
Wendy Hunt's Mixcloud 
 
https://www.mixcloud.com/djwh8/
 
Jimmy Stuard - Live at 12 West - New Year's Eve 1976 (6 hour set)
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6bCL0VB_G8
 
Danae Jacovidis - At Midnight Melody 2
 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wItGs9Dzdxk
 

Ep 29 - Seven Songs about the Ancient World

What we're gonna do here is go back... back to first evidence of human artistic expression, back to the dawn of civilisation and back to the enduring human need to be, both physically and spiritually. free. 
 
As we voyage across the millennia, Let's uphold the fundamental right of all the peoples of this earth to write their own histories. 
 
And never forget to embrace that unquenchable desire, found in every man, woman and child, to dance together under the stars to some funky ass tunes.
 
Seven songs about the Ancient World

Ep 28 - A History of House Music (1974 to 1986)

Fenster's Funky Sevens- Ep 28 - A History of House Music
Covering the time period between two UK pop chart entries;  George McCrae's number one "Rock Your Baby" in June 1974, and Farley 'Jackmaster' Funk "Love Can't Turn Around" in August 1986;  the first disco hit and the first house music hit. 
I look at how Disco developed over the 70s until its "death" in 1979.  Then how, with Funk and Post-Disco and European influences, Disco was reborn on the dancefloors of Chicago as House Music. 
We also take in the stories of the first House Music records and  young ambitious (and sometimes unscrupulous) characters involved in their creation.