Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Tom Jones, Donna Summer, Rick Astley, Puff Daddy, Kanye West, DJ Khaled/Rihanna. (Or: Lonnie Donegan, Giorgio Moroder, Stock Aitken Waterman, The Police, Daft Punk, Santana.) Big hitters, massive samples, problematic characters, reputations both won and lost. shows.acast.com/which-decade... 041
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Early Chicago House Classics, with Marshall Jefferson shows.acast.com/record-mirro... Check the ALT text for a full description of this special episode, where we look at the tunes that were rocking The Warehouse, Muzic Box and Power Plant, just before Chicago acts started making their own music. 052
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 31/08/2026For December 1989, we are joined by Terry Farley, whose career was taking off just as James Hamilton was ceding full control at RM. Italo-house and pianos were big, and while some acid pioneers were slowing their BPMs, others were emerging with a different agenda. shows.acast.com/record-mirro... 062
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 31/07/2026Many think that 1985 was a dud year for music, and I've always been one of them, but by the time of this November chart, the over-polished, super-glossy hegemony was being punctured, and a lot of these tunes point to fresh ways forward. I learned a lot from this one. shows.acast.com/record-mirro... 240
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 24/07/2026New on Which Decade: a spiritual Bobby, a deep cut chart-topper, a Partridged tick-tick-ticker, a posthumous wake-up call, a lightning in a bottle moment, and stadium rock goes high-concept pop. shows.acast.com/which-decade... Track listing is in the ALT text. 030
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 03/07/2026Here's a marathon megamix of my favourite new housey dance tunes from the first half of 2026, curated and blended by my own fair hands. www.mixcloud.com/miketd/janua... Track listing in ALT text. 040
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 30/06/2026Kerri Chandler was DJing in his early teens, so some of these February 1984 tunes were already in his set. Here, traditional post-disco soul/funk was challenged by the continuing wave of electro-funk, with breakdancing so popular that even our future king joined in. shows.acast.com/record-mirro... 040
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 26/06/2026In the latest Which Decade: piano-augmented Merseybeat, a light-hearted take on mass slaughter, the world's biggest band goes dark, a "nasal" consensus, a renta-rapper imposition, and a "heated debate". shows.acast.com/which-decade... 020
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 29/05/2026A year before Theme From S-Express, Mark Moore was DJ-ing at the Mud Club and Pyramid, Heaven's midweek alternative gay night. He joins us to look at a Disco Top 20 from May 1987, when London was Rap City, while the rest of the country was becoming a House Nation. shows.acast.com/record-mirro... 2112
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 26/05/2026In the latest episode of Which Decade Is Tops For Pops?, Frank SInatra, Art Garfunkel and Bobby Brown do battle with Precious, La Roux and Billie Eilish. A strong round, we thought. No idea how the voting is gonna go on this one. shows.acast.com/which-decade... Track listing in ALT text. 010
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 02/05/2026New on Which Decade: Finger-snapping, glam-inventing, TV-soundtracking, Sixties-pastiching, drive-timing, Roses-sampling goodness, for your enjoyment and evaluation - plus a brand new merch store! shows.acast.com/which-decade... Track listing in ALT text. Voting deadline: 6pm UK time, Mon 18 May. 030
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 30/04/2026In March 1989, before co-founding Defected and Glitterbox, Simon Dunmore was working in James Hamilton's favourite record store, and opening his ears to the soulful garage house which was in the ascendancy, in the aftermath of 1988's acid boom. Take a listen: shows.acast.com/record-mirro... 040
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 22/04/2026...in particular randomly selected months. All track listings are in the ALT text for each image. You can listen to all of them at www.mixcloud.com/miketd/playl.... Hours of fun! Bookmark and enjoy! (2/2) 051
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 22/04/2026I've been compiling regular megamixes of tunes reviewed by James Hamilton for Record Mirror... (1/2) 1110
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 16/04/2026New Which Decade episode: Eddy Arnold, Glitter Band, Falco, Garbage, Sugababes, Zayn. A "Nashville Sound" pivot, another post-glam last hurrah, Austria's king of rap, Britpop by association, Amelle erases Mutya, and all-caps SEXYTIME. Track listing in ALT text. Voting deadline: Sunday 26th April. 130
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 07/04/2026In this episode of Which Decade Is Tops For Pops? - a song that launched a thousand covers, a last hurrah, a bass bombing volume pumper, a remixer's canvas, a brief flicker of star power, and a vanilla take on kink. shows.acast.com/which-decade... Track listing in ALT text. 020
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 01/04/2026Colin Curtis joins us for a countdown of the first Disco Top 20 of 1983: electro-funk & scratching were rising, jazz-funk was waning, a superstar's follow-up was struggling, a couple of underground NYC classics were re-emerging, and - as ever - Colin was tastemaking. shows.acast.com/record-mirro... 020
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 02/03/2026New Which Decade (track listing in ALT text): Cliff pivots to post-army Elvis, A Mighty Wind's last hurrah, the sisters ditch their cabaret roots, Mantronix trade hip hop for a hit, Sweden's Eurovision nearly-man, and frat boys pave the way for LMFAO. shows.acast.com/which-decade... 020
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 27/02/2026New RMDC episode: @graemepark.bsky.social joins us for a look at a Disco Chart from October 1986, which blends Chicago house, soul/funk, hip hop and Washington DC go go, from a time when Graeme was weekend resident at The Garage in Nottingham. shows.acast.com/record-mirro... 172
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 04/02/2026NEW SEASON OF WHICH DECADE! A Belgian triumph turned tragedy, a weeping Pierrot, a Glasto Ledge triple, a jock jam gateway, a seasonal underperformer and a Get Out Of Jail Free pass. Track listing in ALT text. shows.acast.com/which-decade... 060
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 30/01/2026RMDC leaps forward to September 1988, with special guest Lisa Loud, who was DJing at major venues and working in promotions for Virgin, where she broke acts such as Neneh Cherry, Massive Attack, Soul II Soul, and the act who were at Number One in this chart. shows.acast.com/record-mirro... 010
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 30/12/2025Bill Brewster @djhistory.bsky.social joins us for the last RMDC episode of the year, in which we take a look at a chart from May 1979: a time when disco had never been bigger, and nobody knew that a backlash was on the way. shows.acast.com/record-mirro... 071
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 23/12/2025I had a splendid time on Saturday with @dj-greg-wilson.bsky.social at the launch for the new James Hamilton book, after which I reconstructed a set from early 1984, detouring into a late 1983 set when he played 24 electro-funk records in 24 minutes. Here's the mix: www.mixcloud.com/miketd/james... 060
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 04/12/2025James Hamilton's Dance Pages 1983-1989, an 800 page hardback, will be published on 12th December - but you can already pre-order a copy at superweirdsubstance.com/product/jame... 010
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 28/11/2025Record Mirror Disco Charts takes a look at a Top 20 from April 1980, with the help of John Morales: remixer, producer, DJ, and best known in the 1980s for his M&M mixes with the late Sergio Munzibai. shows.acast.com/record-mirro... and all the usual podcast places. 152
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 31/10/2025July 1976: as the nation sweltered, Peter Hook was finding his true path, having seen the Sex Pistols live in Manchester a month earlier. Meanwhile, the RM Disco Chart mixed pop & rock crossover hits with soul, funk, disco and the ever-present "slowies". shows.acast.com/record-mirro... 080
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 25/10/2025Which Decade S5 E10: Roy Orbison, David Bowie, Lionel Richie, Eternal, Jamelia, James Blunt. Three R&B-pop tunes rub up against three chaps of varying degrees of coolness, thus completing this season's selections. shows.acast.com/which-decade... (Track listing in the ALT text) 120
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 22/10/2025Which Decade Results: Cardiac Kimchi. With a little bit of this, and a little bit of that - and even the occasional result - we review the voting from our last main episode. shows.acast.com/which-decade... 010
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 13/10/2025Which Decade S5E9: a Heritage Chart comeback, some persistent shapeshifters, France's Candle In The Wind, diva-house's purple patch, Kid Rock's mate reveals multiple levels, and Parkycore in its purest form. shows.acast.com/which-decade... Track listing in the ALT text. Voting deadline: Mon Oct 20 030
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 10/10/2025Which Decade Results: Dan joins us from Idaho, we find a damp biscuit in the back of the snack cupboard, and a whoops-excuse-me threatens to derail the entire episode. shows.acast.com/which-decade... 140
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 30/09/2025If 20 year-old electro-funk fanatic me had known that one day he would be talking to Arthur Baker in granular detail about the music of 1982, he might have spontaneously combusted. This is a wonderful episode, and a particular thrill to publish. shows.acast.com/record-mirro... 0101
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 23/09/2025NEW WHICH DECADE: Marcello Minerbi, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Princess, TLC, Kelly Clarkson, Lost Frequencies. An accelerating plate-smasher, two country covers, a hidden rivalry revealed, "alternative is a relative concept", and a gateway-drug flat-smasher. shows.acast.com/which-decade... 020
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 15/09/2025Which Decade Results: Nick's Sweaty Brown Envelope. New Patreon subscriber Mike joins us for a look at the voting for S5E6, where a last place sends Trev "incandescent with rage", a JLS/Morrissey hypocrisy is posited, and Nick takes delivery of a clammy gift. shows.acast.com/which-decade... 100
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 28/08/2025For the latest episode of Record Mirror Disco Charts, @djpaulette.bsky.social joins us for a detailed look at a Futurist/Electro-Disco Top 20 from April 1981: an era when electronics, fashion and politics fused, and when our future fascinated us more than our past. shows.acast.com/record-mirro... 0101
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 15/08/2025Here's our latest Which Decade episode in full - track listings are in the ALT text. shows.acast.com/which-decade... 030
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 14/08/2025I'll be playing 1980s gay classics (IN A LIBRARY!) in September, for the launch of CJ DeBarra's excellent history of Queer Nottingham (in which I am quoted several times, along with many other people who were there at the time). 032
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 14/08/2025S5E7 Part 3/3: JLS, Shawn Mendes/Camila Cabello. Concluding this episode: an emotionally blackmailing eye-roller, and a steamy alleged long con. shows.acast.com/which-decade... Your voting deadline is 6pm UK time, Sunday 31st August. 000
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 13/08/2025Which Decade S5E7 Part 2/3: Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers, Ricky Martin. Glenn Miller connects to hard house, and después de mí el diluvio! (31 minutes, Part 3 drops tomorrow.) shows.acast.com/which-decade... 010
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 12/08/2025Which Decade S5E7 Part 1/3: Rolling Stones, Boomtown Rats. An interstitial Brian Jones sandwich and Bob's prescient regret open our latest episode (24 minutes, Part 2 drops tomorrow). shows.acast.com/which-decade... 021
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 04/08/2025Which Decade Results: The Clarinet Clarification, aka The Chapin Gateway, aka The Tennant Easter Egg. Tough week, tight scores, but a long overdue triumph! shows.acast.com/which-decade... 010
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 01/08/2025@irvinewelsh.bsky.social is our latest guest for the RMDC podcast, talking about a Disco Top 20 from September 1978, and answering a few questions about his new disco album, Men In Love (a soundtrack to his new novel of the same name) shows.acast.com/record-mirro... 092
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 27/07/2025If only this had actually happened (history suggests that it very nearly did!) 030
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 23/07/2025We'll remember you for more than that, Ozzy. (Record Mirror, 25th April 1987.) 000
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 10/07/2025Which Decade S5 E6: a proto-auto-erotic Brightside, Granny Atkinson's Theme Tune, Man Owns Ties: The Soundtrack, The Supergroup Conundrum, Indie Swedes do Millennial R&B, and Propagating The Species with Clive Owen. shows.acast.com/which-decade... Voting deadline: Sunday 27 July, 6pm. 030
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 09/07/2025Which Decade Part 3/3: Indie Swedes do Millennial R&B, and Propagating The Species with Clive Owen. shows.acast.com/which-decade... The voting deadline for this episode is 6pm UK time, Sunday 27th July 010
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 08/07/2025In today's Which Decade Part 2: Man Owns Ties: The Soundtrack, and an all-star collab leads us to ponder The Supergroup Conundrum. shows.acast.com/which-decade... 010
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 07/07/2025In Part 1 of the latest Which Decade: a proto-auto-erotic Brightside, and Granny Atkinson's Theme Tune. shows.acast.com/which-decade... 010
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 29/06/2025I played a club set for Pride Month on Friday at Funk My Life in Harrogate, making my public debut on CDJ (it was DDJ-only until now), which was, quite frankly, a terrifying prospect - but it all went smoothly on the night: no fuck-ups, no floor-clearers, and the messages in the music were heeded. 120
Mike Atkinson @whichdecadetops.bsky.social · 26/06/2025Fifty years ago this week, James Hamilton's first Disco Page was published in Record Mirror, along with the first weekly Disco Top 20. To mark the anniversary, Alexis Petridis joins us to take a detailed look. Expect the unexpected: it was a VERY different time! shows.acast.com/record-mirro... 073