Like that, excellent ! 😁🙌👍🙌🙌

As we near our 100th mix in our main Phonica series, we up the game with a journey from New York born and Berlin residing, deep house legend Fred P AKA Black Jazz Consortium for number 97. Deep is truly in the essence of everything Fred does and its honest reflection shines brightest in his two latest albums "Oasis" and "Abstract Soul" which dropped back to back this year accompanied by some heavy in demand 12's on his Private Society imprint. That very essence is showcased in this mix he put together for us. Grooving through all sounds that have inspired the mind of this artist and cutting into deep layered moods of house, funk and techier bits this is a divine look into how Fred P approaches sound.

Phonica Mix Series 97: Fred P

"Working my ass off, to be honest," is how Eli Escobar starts our interview  below. That basically sums up his vibe. The New Yorker might not have the same household name status of other DJs who have been soundtracking Manhattan clubs since the early '90s, but he certainly deserves it. Any New York resident worth their salt should have him near the top of the list of their favorite local DJs. He plays anywhere and everywhere in the city, and he can play pretty much anything he wants to, as his RA Podcast will attest.

When it comes to his own music, Escobar puts out records equally informed by disco, hip-hop and house—in other words, a very New York sound. He hasn't been producing as long as he's been DJing, but his albums and EPs for labels like Classic, Night People and Razor N Tape are full of the soul, humor and talent of someone who knows dance music inside out.

As Escobar says below, he doesn't really have any one type of sound. His DJing varies greatly from night to night, and he's always adding to his considerable collection, so no one set is quite the same as another. For his RA Podcast, put together painstakingly with many specially edited tracks and recorded in a hotel room in Colombia, he strikes a relatively reflective tone, but it's still eminently danceable. He moves gradually through two hours of house and disco that ranges from celebratory to muted, from minimalist to rich with live instrumentation. It's the sound of New York dance music as passed through generations, from one of its best and most beloved musical storytellers.

@eliescobar

Read more: https://ra.co/podcast/839

RA podcast

RA.839 Eli Escobar

Further information and tracklist: https://bleep.com/bleep-mix-266--swayzak

"Kind of like we used to play on the radio or at Wonky (our monthly London night) - Not really mixed, but always using ambience and spoken words. Letting the songs play out in full." - Swayzak

Bleep Mix #266 - Swayzak

Cassy - 21 June 2025

Part two of RA.996 comes from a modern-day house luminary. 

As part of our countdown to RA.1000, a milestone in the 24-year history of RA's weekly mix series, we're switching up the usual format. The next few editions will pair two acts who compliment each other's strengths, offering a fresh take on a particular community, scene or style.

This week, we're zeroing in on two names who fly the flag high for old-school, US  house—a foundational pillar of the electronic underground. The first half comes from Ron Trent, which you can read more about here. 

On the B-side is Ash Lauryn. Hailing from Detroit, she's a modern-day house savant. Her comprehensive understanding of the genre's history—knowledge gained from the Detroit greats who that inspired her—and her own inimitable blend of old-world soul meets new-school grooves make her a force to be reckoned with. 

A former RA contributor, Lauryn keeps it <i>real</i>, whether in the booth or beyond. A role model to a new generation of DJs, she can just as easily be found teaching workshops at Underground Music Academy in Detroit or sharing tricks of the trade in the green room at some of the best clubs in the world.

An unwavering champion of Black dance music, the Atlanta resident makes it a point to play as much Black American music as possible, as she told us in her 2019 podcast. Not much has changed since then. Her contribution to RA.996 spans favourites like Larry Heard, Mood II Swing, Byron The Aquarius, Moodymann, Ron Trent and plenty of Detroit heavy-hitters.

Listened to together, both mixes are a powerful snapshot of house's timeless elegance and, most importantly, understated yet innately euphoric joy.

Find the tracklist and interview at ra.co/podcast/998

RA.996 Ash Lauryn

Set recorded from the Meta Ta Physica stage at The Great Beyond 2025

Henry Chow at The Great Beyond 2025

Back at the Lot! 

https://www.instagram.com/roman_fluegel 

x

Roman Flügel @ The Lot Radio 08-15-2025

This week's RA podcast is a rare DJ set from electronic gents Underworld.

RA.080 Underworld

Chicago's latest house music export lays down a live session for this week's RA podcast.

ELO

ALEXIS ROSE

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