Gemma Phillips

A Beginner's Guide to Country Music

From the Grand Ole Opry to Kacey Musgraves, from Appalachian folk to the O2 Arena — what country music is, how it sounds and where to start listening.

The History of Sea Shanty

This is the real sea shanty history — working people's music, borrowed rhythms, and a genre that outlived the ships that ever needed it.

Lo Fi Music for Newcomers: Where to Start

You don't need a single production term to enjoy this. Here's a calm, practical way into lo-fi music that skips the theory and gets straight to listening.

A Beginner's Guide to Prog Rock

Prog rock can look intimidating from the outside, but it doesn't have to be. Here's the friendly way in: what it is, where it came from, and how to start hearing it.

A Beginner's Guide to Gabber

A relentless kick pushed into distortion, run at breakneck speed, built into a whole youth culture — here's your way into gabber.

Highlife for Newcomers: Where to Start

Not sure where to start with highlife? Follow this five-stop listening path, built specifically for beginners, in order.

Ambient Music for Newcomers: Where to Start

You don't need theory or training to get into ambient music — just headphones, a bit of quiet, and a sensible order. Here's exactly where to start.

The Best Industrial Metal Artists to Know

The Best Bossa Nova Songs Right Now

The songs that built the genre's songbook, in the order they're worth hearing, from the obvious hit to the deeper cuts.

The Best Electropop Artists to Know

A guide to the essential electropop artists, from the foundational figures of the 1970s and 1980s through the 2000s revival and the contemporary scene.

The Best Christian Music Artists to Know

A gospel legend, a stadium worship leader and a Christian rapper can all be Christian music artists. Here are the names worth knowing across every branch.

Funk Music for Newcomers: Where to Start

You don't need theory or a huge back catalogue to enjoy funk. Here's a practical, patient way in.

Essential Afrobeats Albums Explained

A properly reasoned starting shortlist of records that changed how this genre was heard internationally, and a few that show its real range.

Essential Soundtrack Albums Explained

The best soundtrack albums do two jobs at once — serve the film, and stand up perfectly well without it. Here's the honest shortlist.

Essential Hyperpop Albums Explained

Five records that explain the genre better than any description could, played in order, from a 2017 mixtape to a 2023 major-label follow-up.

Deathcore Subgenres, Explained

Deathcore has developed a rich set of variants over two decades — from technical complexity to symphonic scale to blackened atmosphere. Here's how they differ and where they come from.

Essential Grunge Albums Explained

This was always an album-format genre. Here are the essential grunge records, in order, and exactly why each one earns its reputation.

A Beginner's Guide to Hard Rock

Hard rock is amplified, guitar-driven music that doesn't apologise for taking up space — and this guide tells you exactly what it is and why it matters.

Essential Glam Rock Albums Explained

Seven records, five years, one enormous cultural moment — the essential glam rock albums explained, and where to start.

Exotica Subgenres, Explained

Exotica isn't one single sound. Here are the real stylistic strands inside the genre, and how to tell them apart.

Breakcore for Newcomers: Where to Start

Going in the wrong order is why most newcomers bounce off breakcore after one listen. Here's a gentler, sequenced way in.

The Best Jungle Music Artists to Know

Cinematic darkness, jazz-soaked calm and ragga-fuelled energy: the jungle music artists who built the genre, grouped by direction.

Essential Chamber Pop Albums Explained

Seven albums define the chamber pop canon. Here they are in context — what makes each essential, how they relate to each other, and how to approach them as a listener.

A Beginner's Guide to Acid House

A gentle introduction to acid house: what makes that squelching sound, where it came from, and how to start recognising the genre with confidence.