Sounds of the Decades
Mixes that celebrate the sounds that shaped our youths.
Journey through 50 years of youth culture with our new series of audio collages bringing together music, news clips and everyday interviews.
Sounds of the Decades is a new series of audio collages that chronicle Britain's youth culture story, from the post-war Mods and Rockers, through the Swinging Sixties and the Grime and Emo kids at the turn of the century.
These audio collages have been mixed by Joe Egg on commission for the Museum of Youth Culture. Joe is a DJ and filmmaker based in London, who has promoted and played records all over gay London.
Part of Setting the Record Straight on British Youth Culture, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
'I just go out to enjoy myself, get on the dance floor, just lose myself in the music'
listen to the audio collages
the 1950s
Harking back to the 1950s, this mix delves into the formative years that helped define youth culture and self-expression, setting teenagers free across the globe. From the end of WW2 rationing, to Soho Coffee shops and Teddy Boys, join us as we listen to some of the sounds and news headlines that defined a generation.
the 1960s
It's the 1960s and things start swinging. With radical shifts in politics, fashion and music, this mix celebrates the sounds of a newly liberated generation from Beatlemania to LSD and the Vietnam War protests. An audio collage of news clips and iconic music from the period brings this vivid story to life.
the 1970s
Like any big bang, the 70s seemed to come out of nowhere. Colliding civil unrest with cultural disobedience, the 1970s remains one of the most turbulent, evocative, and visionary decades of recent history. This mix explores the media interviews and music that spanned the decade, from Glastonbury to Reggae, Riots, Punk and Disco.
the 1980s
Journeying through the 1980s, a defining decade for music and youth culture, we delve into some iconic sounds from Ska to New Wave - interspersed with audio interviews from the period giving us an insight of what it was like to be young in the Eighties in Britain.
the 1990s
Moving into the 1990s and things are looking up, this mix celebrates the energy and sounds that made the decade, from the biting breakbeats of Jungle & funky Club Classics to Grunge and Britpop. Intercepted with news interviews from the period, this mix gives us a bold insight into was like to be young in the Nineties in Britain.
the 2000s
As the bubble of the of the 1990s begins to burst and the new millennium takes hold, we approach some heavier times bolstered up by huge tech innovation and diversifying music genres. This mix delves into some of the UKs most influential contemporary music scenes such as Emo, Indie and Grime, incorporating news clips from the decade.