Past Podcasts & Playlists

Louis-Philippe Celestin, otherwise known as Lou Phelps, is a Montreal rapper and producer.

Hip hop heads first took notice in 2011 when Phelps and his older brother -- producer Kaytranada -- released their first album as The Celestics. Since then, the Haitian-Canadian brothers have gone on to pursue their own solo careers.

We talked to Lou about his latest album Love Me, the time Madlib compared Kaytranada to the late J Dilla, and the Montreal hip hop scene.

Singer-songwriter Sasha Sloan was only a few months into her studies at Boston's Berklee College of Music before she signed a publishing deal.

After a few years of living in Los Angeles -- writing for some of the biggest pop artists in music -- she decided to focus her energy on her own singing career.

We spoke to Sasha about writing for artists like John Legend and Charli XCX, the folk-Americana music her mom raised her on, and getting a case of the butterflies when she performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll is man of many hats: comedian, actor, singer, and a self-professed 'Filterhead'.

He currently stars in Kim's Convenience and Northern Rescue, and is releasing his first comedy music album this spring.

We sat down with Rodrigo to talk about his obsession with Venom, how he's convinced several people he is Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows, and that time in high school when he stayed up all night burning mix-CDs for a crush.

Singer-songwriter Taylor Upsahl, aka UPSAHL, started playing guitar and piano at the tender age of 5.

Influenced by a wide range of artists, including The Shins, Spoon, Lorde and Beyonce, she decided to postpone her college plans to move to L.A. to pursue a music career.

We sat down with UPSAHL to discuss her new EP Hindsight 20/20, how falling in love with her male gay best friend inspired her song "The Other Team", and the best jams for making out.

Brooklyn indie-pop duo Wet seamlessly blends synthpop, folk, soft rock and '90s R&B sounds into a melancholic gumbo.

Their sophomore record, Still Run, builds on their emotional-pop sound with 10 songs that embody an overwhelming sense of loss.

We sat down with lead singer-songwriter Kelly Zutrau to talk about how their co-founding member's departure impacted the band's dynamic, how she continues to deal with intense performance anxiety, and how she witnessed a breakup at a rollerskating rink soundtracked to "Unbreak My Heart". 

Montreal singer-songwriter Daniela Andrade began performing and posting originals and covers on YouTube a decade ago.

With more than 1.7 million YouTube subscribers, she's cultivated an impressive career that includes three EPs and extensive touring around the world.

We sat down with Daniela to talk about transitioning from a YouTube singer to a bonafide artist and producer, recruiting luchadores in Mexico for her "Genesis" music video, and Solange's fantastic new album and accompanying film.

Juno-nominated vocalist and trumpeter Tara Kannangara marries traditional jazz with the more accessible sounds of pop, electronic and musical theatre.

Hailing from Chilliwack, BC, she studied classical piano and singing before eventually moving to Toronto to pursue jazz studies at the University of Toronto.

We sat down with Tara at her Little Italy condo to discuss how she played Mary Poppins in a production at her nearly all-white middle school, her upcoming sophomore album Not Mine Anymore, and the songs that remind her of each season.

Working as a retail, exhibition and studio space, Toronto's Souvenir celebrates emerging designers, makers and artists in a collective, gallery-inspired setting.

The contemporary design store carries a range of products, including ceramics, home goods, jewellery, accessories, textiles, perfumes, candles, skin and body care, stationary, art, and books.

We sat down with owner and designer Danielle Suppa to discuss how her store has reclaimed the meaning of souvenir, being raised by music-obsessed parents, and how ABBA made an appearance on one of the four mix-cds that her now-husband gifted her when they first started dating.

In just five short years, Toronto-bred Harrison has become one of Canada's most innovative producers.

Initially inspired by anime and video game soundtracks, the 23-year-old has already released two albums -- the first of which was nominated for a Juno award.

We sat down with Harrison to talk about how his musician parents instilled in him a sense of passion and work ethic for music, learning about music production through YouTube tutorials, and his love of working on Toyota Supras.

For over a decade, self-proclaimed "not-so-successful to moderately successful band" Teenanger has been a mainstay of Toronto's post-punk scene.

With five albums under their belt, the four-piece's latest record Teenager is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the band's commonly-misread name.

We sat down with Teenanger's Chris Swimming (vocals) and Steve Sidoli (drums) to talk about how their serendipitous run-in one drunken night lead to the band's formation, favourite celebrity pasta sauces courtesy of Marky Ramone and Paul Newman, and various Toronto-themed song titles for their fictitious Blur cover band.

Over the past 15 years, Dan Boeckner has become a well-known fixture of the North American indie-rock scene.

As one of the main members of Wolf Parade, Operators, Divine Fits, and the now-defunct Handsome Furs, he shows no signs of slowing down with new Operators and Wolf Parade albums set for release this year.

We caught up with Dan before the sold-out Operators Presents Handsome Furs show to discuss the personal and technical logistics of performing Handsome Furs material live, being bullied as a young teenager on Vancouver Island, and the surprising merits of Netflix's Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

On the season closer, S2E28, Jeff and Justin discuss the year in music, including the top news stories, concerts, singles and albums. 

The guys also share some of their personal insights and memories related to music throughout the year.

This Broken Mixtape will return with Season 3 on January 10, 2019, in an all-new bi-weekly format.

Wild Nothing frontman Jack Tatum started his then-solo dream pop project making low-fi recordings in his college dorm room at Virginia Tech.

The band's fourth record, Indigo, leans more into Tatum's new wave influences. Thematically, the album explores how love and relationships have shifted in the digital age.

We sat down with Tatum before their packed Opera House show to talk about how Indigo took its cue from the pop sensibilities of Roxy Music and The Cure, writing songs with Mitski and Japanese Breakfast, and why he prefers New Order over Joy Division.

For nearly 15 years, Model Citizen in Toronto's Kensington Market has been a popular menswear boutique for the cool and sophisticated gentleman.

With an assortment of Canadian labels and hip graphic T's, the store certainly lives up to its motto 'You Deserve a Better (Dressed) Boyfriend)'

We sat down with owner Julian Finkel to discuss the rock n' roll aesthetic of Model Citizen, silk-screening t-shirts for his various bands during his youth, and occasionally bestowing some fashion and music knowledge on his children.

Record collector fanatic Logan Melissa is perhaps best known by her Instagram handle HeightFiveSeven.

It all started on Thanksgiving 2012 when Logan posted a photo of herself recreating the album cover of Minnie Riperton's Adventures In Paradise.

Six years later, her Instagram page has managed to build an impressive following of nearly 55,000 fans.

We spoke to Logan Melissa via phone the day after the US Midterm Election to discuss her DIY approach to recreating classic album covers, her life-long crate-digging obsession, and how she misses the days when she used to be picked on my Internet trolls.

Toronto animator and illustrator Amika Cooper, better known as BlackPowerBarbie, creates art that celebrates feminism and Afrocentrism in a playful way.

She's earned several notable commissions this year, including the Gardiner Museum's Yoko Ono-inspired installation, an animated spot for TIFF's Black Star programme, and a trailer for Shad's A Short Story About a War.

We sat down with Amika to talk about the politics and cultural significance of black women's hair, how her music taste ranged from neo-soul to emo-pop, and the low-key racism of the California Raisins.