Brixton Radio 280723

My set from Giant Steps on Sun, 18th February.

BILL BREWSTER | Giant Steps, Hackney, London, Sun 18th February, 2024

Of all the Berlin DJs who make a living spinning strange, I'm-not-sharing-the-tracklist kind of records, Sugar Free, originally hailing from Madrid, might be the most fun. She plays bold, colourful tracks with an air of sci-fi and sleaze, somewhere between Italo, hi-NRG, electro and house. (Her Dimensions Mix last year was one of our favourites of 2023.) She's the kind of DJ who messes with your perception of genres and tempos by how she blends tracks together, and also a DJ with a rare grasp of mixing melodies and moods—just check out the first transition of this RA Podcast for a spine-tingling example.

Sugar Free doesn't speak much publicly, and you won't find a lot about her on the internet. She prefers to let her DJing speak for itself. And her RA Podcast says a lot: proggy basslines, heart-in-mouth descents into reverb-heavy breakdowns, eerie vocals and a general feel of psychedelia and '80s decadence. It's difficult to tell what era these records are from, which is part of the charm. For a bonus point, try and pick out two just-completed Sugar Free originals, some of her first productions ever after her debut track came out on Limousine Dream in 2022.

@freesugarfree

Read more at https://ra.co/podcast/927

RA podcast

RA.927 Sugar Free

KAMMA - Wildeburg 2024

Recording of Palms Trax's set at Dekmantel Ten

Pre-register for Dekmantel Festival 2025 here: bit.ly/4fyWKXc

Palms Trax at Dekmantel Ten

RACHEL NOON

@sarkawthamad weaves genres into a rich tapestry of a mix that feels like your sandy dance holes were already at the ready-waiting for you and Sarkawt to appear in Olganitz. Definitely a name to keep on your radar. @callshopradio

New NACHTI Merch !!!

Sarkawt Hamad // Nachtipod for NACHTI 2025

90 minutes of zippy house, techno, electro and more from the NTS resident, recorded at Mode Festival 2024.

@danielle_dj

RA Live - Danielle - Mode Festival 2024, Australia

Multisexual Dance Music by @amaliahppeche
Recording of her set at Multisex Pentecost June 2025 <3

Multisexual Mix #28 Amaliah

The trance queen opens RA.998 with her cheeky, break-heavy vision.

The RA Podcast began with RA.001 in 2006. Since then, it's spotlighted the best and brightest in dance music every week, without fail. As we approach our 1,000th episode next month, we're switching things up, pairing artists whose sounds complement one another and, in doing so, zeroing in on the forces shaping the past, present and future of electronic culture.

This week, we shift lanes to Roza Terenzi and Kim Ann Foxman, two artists who strike a rare balance between reverence and reinvention. Both are key figures in queer clubbing circles, deeply informed by the halcyon days of '90s and early '00s club music yet fully committed to pushing it forward.

Each artist has carved out a distinct path. Roza Terenzi started out in Perth, Australia, before making a home in Berlin in 2020, while the Hawaii-born Foxman made her name in New York by way of San Francisco in the early '00s. For RA.998, they've contributed separate mixes, to be enjoyed together as two parts of the same whole.

Roza Terenzi opens with a high-impact A-side. Clocking in at just over an hour, her second mix for us picks up where the first left off, connecting breakbeat, acid, UK garage and trance with an ear for tension and a sense of play. Peppered among the skippy percussion and earworm vocals are moments of proper heft that build and release with purpose. It's cheeky, confident and tailor-made to get any dance floor moving.

While Foxman and Roza Terenzi embrace a fun, vibrant musical style, their work is grounded in intentionality. They're invested in honouring the cultural and political roots of dance music: Foxman has long advocated for a more inclusive, community-driven club scene, while Roza Terenzi was among the first artists to begin pulling shows this summer as a matter of political principle.

Both sides of RA.998 show how the sounds of past eras can be reimagined to move seamlessly with the present. Hopefully you'll even feel a jolt of inspiration to get yourself to the nearest dance floor, ASAP.

@rozaterenzi

Find the tracklist and read the full interview at ra.co/podcast/1002

RA.998 Roza Terenzi

Gilles Peterson remembers great artists who have passed in the last year with his annual RIP Mix for Worldwide Awards 2020.

Gilles Peterson: Worldwide Awards 2020 RIP Mix

SE London-based DJ and producer making house and techno. Events // radio @ Signal Sound Ldn.

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