Live recording of Joshua Cordova at Cráter stage, UFOCAMP 18-19 May 2024.

Joshua Cordova at UFOCAMP 2024

Memory Screen W  Joshua Cordova & Frantz

Regis and Function's first mix in over 10 years is a unique paean to Silent Servant, heavy on unreleased material.

When it came time for RA to compile our Albums of the 2010s, one record with a tauntingly limited availability of 500 copies was never in doubt: Sandwell District's era-defining 'Feed-Forward'. Encompassing Karl O'Connor (Regis), Peter Sutton (Female), David Sumner (Function) and Juan Mendez (Silent Servant), Sandwell District had the underground in a vice grip for over a decade.

The collective imploded in 2013, with Sumner and O'Connor's relationship appearing beyond repair. And yet, an unlikely second phase is here, featuring imminent comeback LP 'End Beginnings' and their return to the RA Podcast after 16 years. In 2023, the trio of Function, Regis and Silent Servant had been performing and laying down new material before the latter's shock death last January. It's in the shadow of loss that this unique mix was forged.

Founded in 2002 as a spiritual sister to seminal Downwards, Sandwell truly began to hit its straps in the late '00s, as shadow-stalking cuts sliced through clubland orthodoxy like a switchblade. In parallel, the label's artwork—a noir recombination of Burroughs cut-ups, DIY zines and arthouse amour that Silent Servant made his own—helped fortify a movement which placed an aesthetic premium on grit, grain and sadism.

By the early 2010s, this fixation on the dark arts had utterly permeated the mood inside techno's masonic temples. Labels like Blackest Ever Black, Stroboscopic Artefacts, Avian and Modern Love were in their pomp, razorwire legends like Severed Heads and Chris & Cosey benefited from second winds, and it was briefly a jailable offence to not have a press photo in black and white. 'Feed-Forward' was the exceptional coronating statement.

RA.978 features a stack of unheard recordings from each of the trio, as well as close allies Stefanie Parnow and Tropic of Cancer, while also gathering many of Silent Servant's all-time favourite songs, including Psychic TV, Grace Jones and Galaxie 500. It's a strikingly vulnerable listen, one without many parallels on the Podcast. We're glad to run it. – Gabriel Szatan

Read more and find the tracklist here: ra.co/podcast/978
Read our new feature with Sandwell District here: https://ra.co/features/4426

RA.978 Sandwell District

Live from our Berlin studio: Sneaker takes over for the next two hours!

Sneaker [09.04.25]

This mix for Memory Screen was recorded at the legendary 'Hot On The Heels' night at the California Clipper. Shortly after Halloween 2024, the enigmatic Dunkeltier (German for dark beast) played the monthly, mid-week night started nearly 20 years ago and hosted by Beau Wanzer. In his winding 2.5 hour set, Dunkeltier brought the hyper-local Neue Deutsche Welle (the commercial tag) and Kassettentäter (DIY tape scene) sounds to Chicago, exposing party goers to what he considers “THE LATER MUSICAL PENDANT TO THE 20s GERMAN DADA ART MOVEMENT.”

For those curious about the cultural background of the scenes behind the mix, here is an
interview with Dunkeltier for Discus Throwers (Wiener Brut):

https://sneakerdj.com/discus-mix-20-dunkeltierndwgerman-synth-special/
Artwork by Barry Elkanick
https://www.instagram.com/abazaba_666/

Memory Screen w. Dunkeltier [11.04.25]

Mures - Acid_1

Benny Röder (@benjamin-roeder)
 is a Munich-based artist, DJ, and club curator deeply rooted in nightlife culture. Known for his no limits sets and raw dancefloor spirit, he’s the creative force behind venues like Charlie and events like HYTOP. Blending music, art, and space, Benny creates experiences that celebrate community, rhythm, and freedom.

SOMEWHERE#001-Benjamin Röder

In April, we had the honour of hosting one of the all-time greats: Intergalactic Gary. We're thrilled to finally share the recording of his set that night at Low Profile Studios, so you can relive the dancefloor magic. Over the course of two and a half hours, you'll hear Gary’s mastery in full effect as he glides through Italo deep cuts, proto-house meltdowns, space-disco voyages and much, much more.  

We’ll be returning to Low Profile Studios for another night of sonic synchromysticism on the 23rd of August, this time with Alicia Carrera and Jonah Considine.

Intergalactic Gary at Club Pantheon - 18.04.2025

As a spezial Finders Keepers / Dead-Cert / Pre-Cert Hallowe'en treat here's an upload of the medium-rare Applehead mix-tape made from ten-tons of psuedo giallo witchy wax and global glum-rock. Originally released as 69 red cassettes in clamshell cases at a time when people who spent all their money on (physical)music still drove cars with built-in cassette players. Enjoy / Endure at will!

Applehead (Andy Votel) - Crepaxian Interligne Mixtape

Lypse 4

Unreleased version (sans announcements) of "The Great Gigolo Swindle" recorded live at WCBN-FM Ann Arbor in 2000.

Mures - Acid_1

Joshua Cordova

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