Deezer has unveiled a new podcast celebrating legends of dance music.
Trailblazers, which launches today (April 25), is part of the Deezer Originals series and is presented by broadcaster Eddy Temple-Morris and dance music label exec and manager Nick Halkes.
The show honours the artists, DJs and creators who helped to transform electronic music from an underground subculture to a global industry.
Confirmed guests include Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim, veteran radio DJ Tony Prince, BBC 6 Music presenter Mary Anne Hobbs, Gary Numan, Goldie, Mike Pickering, Danny Rampling, Mute founder Daniel Miller and R&S Records founder Renaat Vandepapeliere.
Each guest tells their own story, while charting the momentous events that shook and shaped electronic music.
Chris Baughen, global VP of content and formats at Deezer, said: “Having the chance to explore the untold stories behind the creation and growth of such a ground-breaking music genre is incredibly exciting. Our guests come armed with first-hand accounts of the most iconic moments in electronic music history and we can’t wait to share these stories with our listeners.”
Temple-Morris said: “The depth and the richness of storytelling in this series is as mind-blowing as it is heart-warming. This is a legacy project for generations to come and I’m so happy to be working with such a legend in Nick Halkes and with Deezer, who’ve been so supportive. It’s an ongoing electronica resource so people in the future know what happened from 1988 onwards, who made it, who signed it, who played it.”
Halkes added: “With almost 30 years working in the industry and as a lifelong fan of dance and electronic music I have spent countless hours studying and enjoying the work of the industry's trailblazing artists, DJs and executives. My work launching and building the XL and Positiva labels plus everything I do today is influenced by the pioneers who went before me and who continue to do great work. I loved these conversations and I hope people find the podcasts as enjoyable and interesting as I did!”
Halkes has played a major role in the development of dance music over three decades. He now manages artists including The Prodigy, DJ Fresh and Stanton Warriors.
Temple presents the mid-morning show on Virgin Radio, as well as co-curating the Secret Garden Party festival He has performed as a DJ at festivals including Creamfields Ibiza and High Definition Festival.
Episodes will be released weekly on Deezer’s ‘Electronic’ channel. Spotify has also been moving into podcasts.
Separately, Deezer has upgraded its Flow functionality to enable users to determine the customised content. Flow users can swipe right to hear a daily “inspired by” tracklist or listen to new weekly “discover” tracks. Users can add tracklists to their playlists or create a new one.
“We believe in providing our users with the ultimate soundtrack to their life - Flow," said Alexander Holland, chief content and product officer. "But like any soundtrack, it has to take their feelings and mood into account. The new Flow Tab evolves our user experience and provides people with more lean back options than ever before. It’s never been easier to choose which direction your Flow will take you, and to enjoy life to your personal soundtrack.:
FOLLOW 
