As part of RA2122, our ongoing celebration of 21 years of club culture, we'll be featuring some of our favourite DJs from around the world, highlighting the parties or clubs most important to their lives in dance music. 

The first time we featured DJ Nobu on the RA Podcast, over ten years ago, we called him "one of Japan's best DJs." In hindsight, i think we can all agree that the country qualifier is no longer necessary: he's one of the world's best DJs, bar none. An absolute master at curating and mixing techno, Nobu has helped to inspire a Japanese school of techno that is psychedelic, hypnotic and often very pretty, without losing the genre's oomph or edge. And he's more popular than ever around the world, playing some of the best parties and clubs in pretty much any country or city you could name.

But DJ Nobu's roots and heart are close to home. Frustrated with techno in the Japanese capitol, he created his own party in his neighbouring hometown, Chiba, where nightlife was less pretentious and the vibe was a little looser. Future Terror quickly became known as one of Japan's premiere techno parties, and paved the way not only for Nobu himself, but many other Japanese DJs who Nobu and his later partner Haruka gave the chance to shine. The party also recently celebrated its landmark 20th anniversary with its first-ever party in London.

This mix is a direct tribute and encapsulation of Future Terror, what Nobu calls a "condensed story" of the series focusing on the more outré elements at the fore—an "awareness of techno" with plenty of more leftfield tracks thrown in. What follows might be a little gentler than you'd expect from Nobu, but it's all top-tier techno mixed with an expert hand.

@djnobu_bitta

Read more at https://ra.co/podcast/855

RA podcast

RA.855 DJ Nobu

Welcome to the latest edition of the Blank Code Podcast, Episode 235, featuring a masterful live mix by Craig Gonzalez. Recorded during his performance on the Blank Code Twitch stream, this session is a deep dive into the world of dub techno, showcasing the genre at its finest. Craig crafts a seamless journey, weaving together atmospheric textures and driving rhythms, with standout tracks from renowned artists like Reeko, DB1, and Felix K.

Blank Code Podcast

Blank Code Podcast 235 - Craig Gonzalez

Voices from The Lake hybrid live at Draaimolen Festival 2024

To mark the upcoming release "Several Streams of Thought" - Steve Bicknell's new album, due out on May 9th on double vinyl, with a limited edition including a 7-inch, KR3 joins forces with the British producer to deliver a mix that shares the album's title, capturing its spirit and essence.

This journey chronicles Bicknell's decades-long exploration of electronic music, reflecting his deep roots as a collector, DJ, and producer. Drawing from a wide palette of tones and inspirations, it offers a raw and honest snapshot of his constantly evolving sonic identity.

Over the course of 75 minutes, the mix shifts from bright atmospheres to textures of pure power, ultimately entering a dark, low-ceilinged tunnel before reappearing in blinding white, taking a deep breath, and continuing. 

It’s an intricate processing of various dimensions, featuring exclusive unreleased tracks from the 2x12" and 7" editions of the album.

Album Pre-Order via KR3 Bandcamp Account: 
https://kr3stevebicknell.bandcamp.com/album/several-streams-of-thought

Resident Advisor feature on S. Bicknell's new album here: https://it.ra.co/news/82511


MIX TRACKLIST:
1. Steve Bicknell - The Eye of The Invisible World.1 [Extract]
2. Jam Breaks - Funky Funky Time [Steve Bicknell • backtotheparty edit]
3. Liquid Liquid - Lock Groove In & Out
4. Strafe - Set It Off
5. Boogie Down - Haven't Been Funked Enough [Steve Bicknell • backtotheparty edit]
6. Kevin Starke - Jaws
7. K Alexi - Relax With Chicago PT.2
8. Lil Louis - Club Lonely [Steve Bicknell • backtotheparty edit]
9. Pitched Black - When Stars Collide
10. Steve Bicknell - The Eye of The Invisible World.1 [Extract]
11. Steve Bicknell - The Concept of Practopia
12. Steve Bicknell - The Reassurance Ritual
14. Steve Bicknell -  Scene Two [Extract]

Several Streams of Thought

BUY Vinyl/Digital

Several Streams of Thought Mix by Steve Bicknell

“My mission is to explore the boundaries of psychedelic music.” The revered artist talks about expanding consciousness, breaking boundaries and his new album on Tresor. 

There has always been a strain of dance music that has leant psychedelic, from the left field psychoacoustics of pioneers like La Monte Young to the proggy techno taking over today's dance floors. One artist who embodies the spirit of psychedelia is Anthony Child—AKA Surgeon—a revered DJ and producer who has historically been placed in the world of industrial techno, but whose output over the years has consistently flirted with altered states of consciousness and a strong opposition to the mainstream.

 Child is originally from Birmingham, where he and Karl O'Connor, AKA Regis, helped birth a style of powerful, loop-driven techno. Together they've put out music as British Murder Boys and released music on O'Connor's label Downwards Records. But they've had equally successful solo careers, with Child putting out several releases on Tresor and performing live improvised electronics as Surgeon and as part of ambient listening duo The Transcendence Orchestra.

In this interview, Child talks about his most recent release on Tresor, the album Shell~Wave, and its innovative use of techniques associated with Jamaican dub. He also discusses the throughline of psychedelia in his work and what it means to surrender oneself to sometimes uncomfortable processes—both creatively and in life—and come out the other side. There are strong links to spirituality and Buddhism in Child's work, many of which are designed to prompt listeners to question and reconsider the boundaries they've set around the reality they live in. Listen to the episode in full. -Chloe Lula

EX.766 Surgeon

Recorded at 428 stage at Wonderfruit Festival in 2024.

Aurora Halal is a producer, DJ and creator of Brooklyn’s influential Mutual Dreaming party series & the Sustain-Release festival.

Shadowy and psychedelic, her hardware live & DJ sets have a hazy sensuality and metallic dance floor intensity that’s at turns playful, dark, euphoric and emotionally vulnerable. In all her projects, she treats dance music as an are­na for trans­for­ma­tion and since 2010, her events have been root­ed in an under­ground, DIY approach that push­es for­ward-think­ing sounds, pro­duc­tion, and ideas. She’s spent the last 10 years tour­ing like-mind­ed clubs, raves, and fes­ti­vals world­wide and gained a rep­u­ta­tion for pow­er­ful, unique per­for­mances that work both the body and mind. She’s 4 years into a res­i­den­cy at NYC’s Nowa­days, is a reg­u­lar at Berghain and pre­vi­ous­ly De School.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aurorahalal/

Aurora Halal at 428 Wonderfruit 2024

Throughout the years, Detroit-born Berlin-based groove operator and Tresor / Globus resident Eric Cloutier has been honing and refining his palette as both a producer and a DJ. Not one to engage in dogmatic restraint, Cloutier keeps developing his vision through carefully curated selections and an equally impeccable mixing technique. Boasting the variety and precision of his releases for his own imprint Palinoia, the present mix was recorded live at The Chinese Laundry in Sydney last year. Playing the main room open-to-close, Cloutier put together this mix as an evolving story and, much like the crowd of that night which proved highly receptive to the narrative, we hope this one will resonate with you. A most exquisitely complex and deep-diving plunge into Cloutier’s shape-shifting headspace, alternating heavyweight punch and dubbed-out minimalism with swashes of textured membranes and faux-organic, modular-like intricacies, this mix is as elusively impossible to pigeonhole as it proves sophisticated in its design.

https://soundcloud.com/cloutier


Reclaim Your City 648 | Eric Cloutier

NEUTRAL VA

ARCHYPNESS - RED GEN

Octopulse

Here we go with the first Ilian Tape Podcast! 
All the tracks included in this Mix were released on Ilian Tape.Enjoy!

01 - Marco Zenker - We See Away(Franco Cinelli Rmx) 
02 - Franco Cinelli - Just Relax
03 - Marco Zenker - Namibia Dub(Kasper Rmx) 
04 - LaChriz - City Devils 
05 - Fronsua - 15.10 
06 - Leonel Castillo - Con Hilo De Seda(Agnes Ardilla Funk Rmx) 
07 - Ralph Sliwinski - Dercole Leven 
08 - Jichael Mackson - Space 
09 - Jonas Kopp - Z Reticulus 
10 - Dario Zenker - Cafu 
11 - Amulard - Deft 
12 - Maria Fresca - Karuocheto 
13 - Regen - Refractions(Papol Rmx) 
14 - Franco Cinelli&amp;Papol - No Hay Salida Aeropuerto 
15 - Marco Zenker - One or Another 
16 - Regen - Deeply Fried 
17 - Marco Zenker - Chutney(Dario Zenker 916 Rmx)



ITPS001 DARIO ZENKER

Surgeon has released countless classic records and managed to stay relevant and fresh since the 90s. Now he is back on Ilian Tape with a podcast and another 12" called Europa Code, which will be out early October. His selections can send a dancefloor to another dimension and hopefully will do so soon again. Enjoy!

Interview: http://iliantape.de/ilian-tape-podcast-series-055/