Best Cantopop Podcasts (2024)

1
Learning Tip: Measure Words/量詞 (loeng6 ci4), Part 1 (粵/Eng) 15:19

6d ago15:19

15:19

Measure words (also referred to as "classifiers" in linguistics, or 量詞/loeng6 ci4) appear in multiple languages, but they have some special functions in Cantonese. Today we begin to discuss what to watch out for when studying or teaching them, as well as some of the ways that their usage differs between Cantonese and Mandarin.…

1
Conversation: Reading and Writing for Cantonese Speakers (粵, w/《絮言狂想》) 30:04

2M ago30:04

30:04

In this episode, we are joined by Israel, Kenny, and Samuel from the podcast seoi6 jin4 kwong4 soeng2. In that podcast, the trio uses Cantonese to discuss learning just about every other language in the world, and we highly recommend it to listeners of Chatty Cantonese. Another portion of our conversation appeared on the seoi6 jin4 kwong4 soeng2 fe…

1
Guest Episode: Allan Lau and Duck Lau, Part 2 (粵語) 36:54

6M ago36:54

36:54

Born and raised in Canada, Allan Lau is a versatile musician, doing everything from orchestrating movie scores to crafting commercial theme tracks for multinational corporations. He is also a voice artist and bass singer, bringing to life video game characters and movie trailers. Duck Lau Cho Tak is an award-winning Hong Kong musician/composer acti…

1
Guest Episode: Allan Lau and Duck Lau, Part 1 (粵語) 33:10

11M ago33:10

33:10

Welcome to Season 3 of Chatty Cantonese! We start things off with a double-interview with two notable figures from the world of Cantopop, Allan Lau and Duck Lau. In addition to talking about their own musical experiences, the pair explain some Cantopop history and how newbies can learn more about the genre and its connection with Hong Kong culture.…

1
Learning Tip: Thanking in Cantonese, do1 ze6 vs. m4 goi1 (English/粵語) 23:11

1y ago23:11

23:11

Inspired by a listener question, this episode addresses an issue all beginning Cantonese students face: in thanking someone, when should you use do1 ze6 (多謝) and when should you use m4 goi1 (唔該)? The underlying principle becomes clear with the help of a few hypothetical situations. Transcript and vocabulary…

1
Conversation: Hong Kong Beverages (粵語) 11:56

1+ y ago11:56

11:56

A discussion about where Hongkongers found cool refreshment in the olden days leads Raymond to share some unique drinks. Wonder what "a monk jumping into the ocean" is? Or how you could drink "veggie honey?" Listen to find out. Vocabulary and transcriptBy Chatty Cantonese

1
XHM #639 - "Born to be a lion" (2023 March 06) 2:03:10

1+ y ago2:03:10

2:03:10

For Week 6 of our annual Oscars profile, this pre-recorded episode focuses on the nominees for Best Original Song. We'll hear songs from the films Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Tell It Like a Woman, Top Gun: Maverick, RRR and Everything Everywhere All at Once. We'll also hear some songs that missed the cut whilst gak celebrates some birthday or o…

1
Guest Episode: Bernice Chan, Part 2 (粵語) 18:39

1+ y ago18:39

18:39

Bernice Chan is a reporter whose career has stretched across the Pacific, reporting for both the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong and CBC in Vancouver. She also hosted the award-winning podcast Eat Drink Asia. In the second part of our interview, we talk about our favorite dim sum picks, why Hongkongers love trying new flavors, and where on Yo…

1
XHM #638 - "The only percussion comes in the form of ammunation" (2023 February 27) 2:04:17

1+ y ago2:04:17

2:04:17

Oscar season continues with the 5th and final of the best original score nominees: Volker Bertelmann's music from All Quiet on the Western Front. 1. The Zombies: Butcher's Tale [Western Front 1914] (Odessey and Oracle, 1968) CBS/Date 2. In Mirrors: An Introduction (Only Time Will Tell: Leopard B-sides, 2022) self-released 3. Big Thief: Time Escapin…

1
XHM #637 - "A portrait of the artist as a young man playing with UFOs & dinosaurs" (2023 February 20) 2:03:15

1+ y ago2:03:15

2:03:15

It's Week 4 of our annual Oscars profile so for your Family Day programming, we'll hear cues from John Williams' nominated score from Steven Spielberg's pseudo-autobiographical film The Fabelmans. We also embrace Carnaval, Mardi Gras and the start to Lent as we acknowledge the recently deceased, one year of Ukraine's invasion and other news. 1. Des…

1
XHM #636 - "These talkies are the path to sin" (2023 February 13) 2:01:23

1+ y ago2:01:23

2:01:23

Our Oscars profile continue with Justin Hurwitz's nominated original score from Babylon. We also talk about earthquakes, many a live event in Vancouver this week -- including Hotham Sound's Drop Cities 2-day hoedown -- and a weird blend of jazz age remixes and what Babylon is. Thanks to everyone who donated to Fundrive 2023! 1. Altin Gün: Yali Yali…

1
XHM #635 - "Be in love with nothing but the bagel" (2023 February 06) 2:02:01

1+ y ago2:02:01

2:02:01

We press on in the multiverse of Oscar nominees for the 95th Academy Awards with a redux on Son Lux's nominated score to Everything Everywhere All at Once along with a nominated song featuring Mitski & David Byrne. Fundrive 2023 is on! Visit http://citr.ca/donate to help CITR upgrade its transmission tower and FM antenna. 1. Shakespears Sister: Hel…

1
XHM #634 - "Bread vans & miniature donkeys" (2023 January 30) 2:06:01

1+ y ago2:06:01

2:06:01

The nominees for the 95th Academy Awards were announced last week so it's the start to our annual Oscars profile! We'll kick off with Carter Burwell's nominated score to the film The Banshees of Inisherin as we mix the usual tributes and newish songs, though there'll be a spot of vintage Irish folk to further confuse the fields. CITR Fundrive 2023 …

1
XHM #633 - "Kung fu Cantopop" (2023 January 23) 2:01:02

1+ y ago2:01:02

2:01:02

The Year of the Rabbit is upon us, so amongst some bunny related songs, we'll have tributes to guitarist Jeff Beck, singer David Crosby and Hong Kong composer Joseph Koo (1931-2023) as we profile some of his action film soundtracks. 1. Cristobal Tapia de Veer: Mr Rabbit It Is (Utopia OST, 2013) Silva Screen/Kudos 2. Phil Western: Rabbits (Laborandu…

1
Guest Episode: Bernice Chan, Part 1 (粵語) 17:09

1+ y ago17:09

17:09

Bernice Chan is a reporter whose career has stretched across the Pacific, reporting for both the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong and CBC in Vancouver. She also hosted the award-winning podcast Eat Drink Asia. In the first part of our interview, we talk about the trajectory of her career and the influence Hong Kong had on how she learned Canto…

1
24 Hours of Radio Art: Hours 11 & 12 - "koillinen, kaakko, lounas & luode" (2023 January 17) 1:59:57

1+ y ago1:59:57

1:59:57

gak is back for another two hours of radio art, though he had plans for eight hours, so prepare for four separate layers of sonic mayhem, mixing spoken word, field recordings, soothing drone and not-so-soothing noise, highlighting the creative minds that inspire us all. there are eulogies for some brilliant souls who left us in 2022: vangelis, geor…

1
XHM #632 - "The crystal owls are totally what they seem" (2023 January 16) 2:04:46

1+ y ago2:04:46

2:04:46

In honour of composer Angelo Badalamenti (1937-2022), we pay tribute to only a modest selection of his wide varied musical career, definitely leaning on the David Lynch collaborations we primarily associate with him. gak also marks 15 years at CITR with a mix of moody melodies. 1. Guy Smiley: The 15 Commercial [w.The Count] (The Count Counts, 1975)…

1
XHM #631 - "Only feels like it's raining forever" (2023 January 09) 1:57:23

1+ y ago1:57:23

1:57:23

As we crawl into 2023 properly, we pay tribute to Seattle composer Norm Chambers (1972-2022), who recorded ambient music under various aliases. We'll focus on his score to the 2017 documentary Graphic Means amongst other bleepy bits, eulogies, quality tunes from 2022 and a taste of the music already out in the new year. 1. Reindeer: 2023 (Reindeer,…

1
XHM #630 - "Rogue zero" (2023 January 02) 2:13:01

1+ y ago2:13:01

2:13:01

Before closing the book completely on 2022, we'll bid adieu via our annual year-in-review episode. I'm unable to do a best of in a limited amount of time, so we'll touch upon the acts that put out new music over the past 12 months and dive into Nicholas Britell's score to the surprising Star Wars TV prequel series Andor. 1. Nicholas Britell: We Beg…

1
Learning Tip: SFPs 4 - gwaa3, wo3/bo3, wo4, and wo5 (English/粵語) 12:15

1+ y ago12:15

12:15

How can this be happening?! In this episode, we dig into SFPs (sentence final particles) useful for expressing surprise, reacting to information that should have been known previously, or relaying sketchy things someone else said that you disagree with. References: Basic Sentence-final Particles in Hong Kong Cantonese, by Yuen-lam Tsang Transcript …

1
XHM #629 - "Eight lights to hold you" (2022 December 22 & 26) 2:02:52

1+ y ago2:02:52

2:02:52

We're in the midst of Hanukkah so since we got our counter-Christmas episode taken care of last week, this one focuses on the Jewish festival of lights though there are some songs about default holidays and December in the mix. Our soundtrack profile is not tied to Hanukkah per se but a very dear soundtrack to me: 1971's Fiddler on the Roof, the fi…

1
XHM #628 - "The Christmas is coming from inside the house" (2022 December 12) 2:03:32

1+ y ago2:03:32

2:03:32

As the holiday season feels like it's becoming normal, for our 15th annual counter carol episode, we'll go abnormal as we profile the 1974 Canuxploitation film Black Christmas and all sorts of darker Yuletide material. We've lost some key cultural folks tied to Christmas and music, so embrace the mix. We're doing this early so you don't feel utterl…

1
XHM #627 - "This is the excuse that we're making" (2022 December 05) 2:04:43

1+ y ago2:04:43

2:04:43

This episode attempts to fill the empty dancefloor with a profile on the Belgian production duo Soulwax and their soundtrack to the 2016 film Belgica. 1. Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul: Bel Deewee (Topical Dancer, 2022) Deewee/Because Music 2. Du Tonc: Rise [Mighty Mouse's Discolife dub] (La.Ga.Sta Late Summer Compilation: Volume 5, 2015) Lagasta …

1
Conversation: Time in the Digital Age (粵語) 6:06

1+ y ago6:06

6:06

A little chat about time in the digital age... How do we stay focused when there are so many distractions out there? And what do you call a "bedside table" in Cantonese? Transcript and vocabularyBy Chatty Cantonese

1
XHM #626 - "From badges to badgers, we got it all" (2022 November 28) 2:02:42

1+ y ago2:02:42

2:02:42

Finally breaking free of all the horror, we pivot to parody performer Weird Al Yankovic. Not only do we listen to selections from his new "autobiography" Weird, we go back to 1989's UHF. We also prepare you for the 2022 Shindig Finale in Vancouver as CITR's battle of the bands wraps up this Friday. 1. Diedrich Bader: You Don't Know Anything (Weird:…

1
XHM #625 - "Print me a pilot, architect me an atmosphere" (2022 November 21) 2:03:26

1+ y ago2:03:26

2:03:26

We're overdue on a listen to Ryuichi Sakamoto so we'll mostly focus on his score to the Netflix anime series Exception amongst other experimental/classical music from 2022. 1. Dixia Sirong: Qatarsea [XLR8R edit] (Di Er EP, 2016) Inner Balance 2. Loscil: Still (The Sails Pt. 1, 2022) Frond 3. Okay Kaya: In Regards to Your Tweet (SAP, 2022) Jagjaguwa…

1
XHM #624 - "Typewriters count as technology" (2022 November 14) 2:02:01

1+ y ago2:02:01

2:02:01

This mostly moody episode focuses on Blanck Mass' score to the 2021 film Ted K, detailing the life of the feared Unabomber. We also pay tribute to Nik Turner of Hawkwind, queer country pioneer Patrick Haggerty, singer Gal Costa, rapper Takeoff from Migos and composer Norm Chambers. 1. Hawkwind: Master of the Universe (In Search of Space, 1971) Unit…

1
XHM #623 - "The amusement park in the void" (2022 November 07) 2:04:02

1+ y ago2:04:02

2:04:02

Alex G's score to the 2021 horror film We're All Going to the World's Fair sorta extends our usual Hallowe'en October theme a bit but the emphasis here is more on indie rock. We also pay tribute to Rodney Graham and Mimi Parker. 1. Sparks: Pacific Standard Time (A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip, 2020) BMG 2. Offseason: Snakedriver (2022) self-released 3. …

1
Guest Episode: Gina Anne Tam, Part 2 (English, 粵語) 27:29

1+ y ago27:29

27:29

This episode features the second half of our discussion with Dr. Gina Anne Tam, Associate Professor of History at Trinity University, and author of Dialect and Nationalism in China, 1860 – 1960 from Cambridge University Press. In this episode, we talk about the relationship between Mandarin and Cantonese in teaching and academia, as well as English…

1
XHM # 622 - "Invincible in viscera" (2022 October 31) 2:01:01

1+ y ago2:01:01

2:01:01

Hallowe'en is here as we get vampiric with music by Tara Busch for the 2021 film Jakob's Wife along with music from a recent Italian tribute album to the original Dracula novel by Bram Stoker. We also talk about the year and film 1922 in this mostly very goth synth episode. Guest host: the ghost of Bobby "Boris" Pickett. 1. Anna Preston: Vampire GF…

1
XHM #621 - "Extraterrestial influencer" (2022 October 17) 2:00:00

1+ y ago2:00:00

2:00:00

Lucrecia Dalt is a Colombian composer based in Berlin who plays with a lot of eclectic elements. It's primarily dark electronics, which is highlighted by her score to the 2021 film The Seed, which is this week's profile amidst the slow creep to Hallowe'en horror. 1. Vesa-Matti Loiri: Väinämöisen Laulu (Eino Leino 1, 1978) Gold Disc/Flamingo/Fazer 2…

1
Guest Episode: Gina Anne Tam, Part 1 (English, 粵語) 33:36

2y ago33:36

33:36

This episode features the first half of our discussion with Dr. Gina Anne Tam, Associate Professor of History at Trinity University, and author of Dialect and Nationalism in China, 1860-1960 from Cambridge University Press. In this episode we talk about the distinction between “dialect” and “language” and what it means for Cantonese. Check back nex…

1
XHM #620 - "From the back of the fridge" [RESCUED 615 + 616] (2022 October 10) 2:00:36

2y ago2:00:36

2:00:36

For your Thanksgiving episode, you get some leftovers. gak's on the road but after August's podcast server outage, he's dug up two lost episodes (615 + 616 from August 2022) and mashed them together into an odd pre-recorded hybrid so podcast listeners can enjoy a condensed version of profiles tied to The Northman, Das Boot & The Neverending Story w…

1
XHM #619 - "Unidentified flying horse" (2022 October 03) 2:04:02

2y ago2:04:02

2:04:02

October primarily means a horror month in the lead to Hallowe'en but with the Vancouver International Film Festival bringing Michael Abels to town for a talk, we'll profile his score to Jordan Peele's latest scary film Nope. We'll also do the usual film listings, tributes to the recently deceases, acts in town and some Iranian noise in support of p…

1
XHM #618 - "Tout ce dont tu as besoin c'est d'une fille et d'un flingue" (2022 September 26) 2:05:23

2y ago2:05:23

2:05:23

In tribute to French new wave director Jean-Luc Godard (1930-2022), we hear an array of music from his definitive Nouvelle Vague films from the 1960s. We also mark the upcoming National Day for Truth & Reconciliation, finally hear the 2022 Polaris Prize winner and prepare for the 41st annual Vancouver International Film Festival starting later this…

1
XHM #617 - "Carrying on with the penny royalty" (2022 September 19) 2:04:41

2y ago2:04:41

2:04:41

With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022), we pay tribute to her as a person whilst wondering what a monarchy means in the 21st century. We'll profile Alexandre Desplat's score to the 2006 film The Queen as we juggle other queens amongst the usual round of other topics, including Polaris Prize nominee (and winner) catch-up, recent Emmy new…

1
Learning Tip: SFPs 3 - zaa3, ze1, zek1, and zaa4 16:46

2y ago16:46

16:46

More sentence final particles in this episode, this time centering around ones beginning with "z." They can be helpful for talking about quantity, degree, and justification--like when you're talking about that person who's "just" a friend... Episode transcript and vocabularyBy Chatty Cantonese

1
Conversation: Written vs. Spoken Cantonese (粵語) 13:17

2y ago13:17

13:17

Pop quiz: How would you write "Give me that book" in Cantonese?「畀嗰本書我」or 「給我那本書」? The answer is... well, complicated. But where might you read the former vs. latter? In this episode we chat about the different ways Cantonese is written, as well as the fancy term "diglossia." Don's Snow's Cantonese as Written Language Vocabulary and transcript…

1
XHM #614 - "Only lost in the sauce if it's marinara" (2022 August 15) 2:03:01

2y ago2:03:01

2:03:01

Wanna hear a story? As late summer soldiers forth in the northern hemisphere, we'll profile Mica Levi's beguiling score to the 2020 Twitter-based film Zola. We also pay tribute to Olivia Newton-John, Jim Seals from Seals & Crofts and play catch-up on the 2022 Polaris Prize nominees. Are there weird starts to songs and gaps in others? Why yes, sigh.…

1
XHM #613 - "Open hailing frequencies" (2022 August 07) 2:03:34

2y ago2:03:34

2:03:34

In honour of the actress Nichelle Nichols (1932-2022), we'll deep into the first two Star Trek films and their scores by Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner. We also have various summer songs also in mind as we juggle technology and astronomy simultaneously. 1. Bob & Doug McKenzie: Black Holes (Great White North, 1981) Anthem 2. Meco: Star Trek Medley…

1
XHM #612 - "SYNTH CRIMES" (2022 August 01) 2:02:43

2y ago2:02:43

2:02:43

For your civic holiday in Canada, BC Day specifically here in Vancouver, this episodes goes 80s chirpiness with selections from Harold Faltermeyer's soundtracks to Beverly Hills Cop, Fletch and a bit of Top Gun. Dollar days are upon us, pray tell. 01. Sally Shapiro: Holiday (Italians Do It Better, 2021) Italians Do It Better 02. Arushi Jain: Under …

1
Guest Episode: Jade Wu, Part 2 (粵語) 22:15

2y ago22:15

22:15

This episode features the second part of our conversation with Jade Wu, where we discuss her publishing process and some of the ways her students have taught her over the years. Resources suggested at the end of the episode: Language Reactor Hong Kong Connection Rhapsody in Lingo CantoTalk Resonate Literary Magazine Episode vocabulary and transcrip…

1
XHM #611 - "Every week, the actual horror" (2022 July 25) 2:02:01

2y ago2:02:01

2:02:01

Plan B galore as gak deals with substantial home music library problems, so we'll dig up Francis & Carmine Coppola's score to the 1979 epic war film Apocalypse Now and the unused David Shire score that was released a couple years ago. Let's all head up river with our grocery list. 1. UNKLE: UNKLE Main Title Theme (Psyence Fiction, 1998) Mo'Wax/Lond…

1
XHM #610 - "Ascend into the cosmos" (2022 July 18) 2:03:59

2y ago2:03:59

2:03:59

gak's back after a few weeks in both literal and figurative wildernesses. At long last, we pay tribute to the Greek composer Vangelis (1943-2022) and only some of his synthetic epics. 1. Kraftwerk: Home Computer [2021 single edit] (Remixes, 2022) Kling Klang/Parlophone 2. Ingram Marshall: Prelude/The Bay (Alcatraz, 1994) New Albion 3. Alexandra Spe…

1
Guest Episode: Jade Wu, Part 1 (粵語) 27:09

2y ago27:09

27:09

Part one of our interview with Jade Wu, author, podcaster, and teacher of Cantonese, Taishanese (Toisanese), and Mandarin. She has published textbooks for teaching all three languages, with Learn to Speak Taishanese I having come out just this year. In this episode we talk to Jade about what got her into writing textbooks, as well as some of the di…

1
XHM #609 - "Metsäkylpy" (2022 June 27) 1:58:50

2y ago1:58:50

1:58:50

gak went away to Finland for a few weeks to the only pre-recorded episode made available is Part 9 of our all-ambient series, focusing on mostly Canadian artists for the then-leadup to Canada Day. He doesn't talk over Sarah Davachi for once and there are longer drone pieces in the back half. ProtoU: Somniat Praeterita (Memory Alpha, 2022) Cryo Cham…

1
XHM #608 - "Shuffling around Turtle Island" (2022 June 20) 2:04:23

2y ago2:04:23

2:04:23

All the holidays are upon us as Bloomsday and Juneteenth have passed, then National Indigenous Peoples Day and Midsummer approach. We'll tackle all that along with Joe Strummer's score to the 1987 film Walker plus a preview of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. 1. Fontaines DC: Bloomsday (Skinty Fia, 2022) Partisan 2. Brian John McBrearty: …

1
Learning Tip: SFPs 2 - gaa3 and laa3 9:23

2y ago9:23

9:23

This week we talk about two more important SFPs, gaa3 (㗎) and laa3 (喇). Raymond has examples aplenty, while Cameron seems to have air conditioning on his mind. Vocabulary and transcriptBy Chatty Cantonese

1
XHM #607 - "A pal & a prick" (2022 June 13) 2:03:55

2y ago2:03:55

2:03:55

The actor Ray Liotta (1954-2022) was a distinctive force, so amongst various highlights, we'll profile music from Martin Scorsese's 1990 epic Goodfellas and then the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. He did amuse us so. 1. Mahotella Queens: Wozani Mahipi (Next Stop...Soweto: Volume 2, 2010) Strut 2. Jamani Duo: Open Window (Timeline, 2021) se…

1
XHM #606 - "Reserved complications" (2022 June 06) 2:04:35

2y ago2:04:35

2:04:35

In tribute to actor William Hurt (1950-2022), we profile a wide swath of the actor's films, primarily focusing on John Barry's sultry score to the 1981 neo-noir Body Heat and selected music from 1998's sci-fi puzzler Dark City amongst other film scores. 1. Kamikaze Nurse: Aileen (Stimuloso, 2022) Mint 2. Mount Maxwell: Senescent Vivarium (Senescent…

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