Name: Line Noise 236 - Paul Kalkbrenner by Line Noise Podcast
Duration: 27 min 24 s
Description: Ben Cardew spoke to techno titan Paul Kalkbrenner about why The Essence is his best album - and the first to feature no filler - the wonky dance productions of the 90s, playing to half a million people, Depeche Mode, melancholia, Stromae and why he will never play Mein Freund Onze live. Line Noise is supported by Cupra.

Telepathic Fish co-founder DJ Food, aka one part of Openmind, takes us on a trip into the world of 90s chill out.

Strictly Kev likes the company of plants whilst working on music so that's handy for us isn't it?! We're assuming he's talking about a beautiful Calathea sitting in the corner for inspiration, tho his dream plant setup - a conservatory packed with Romanesco broccoli, trippy Caladiums, and Persian Shields - is something we'd be well on board with too.

Enough of the plant talk for a second and back to the music, ambient music to be clear. For those that weren't squatting in South London back in the early 90s, Openmind were the four-piece behind the mighty Telepathic Fish - the legendary ambient afterparty that transformed chill-out rooms from dub-playing afterthoughts into proper destinations.

Kev, along with Chantal Passamonte (Mira Calix, RIP), David Vallade, and Mario Aguera, started in a shared house above a shop with no neighbours to complain/bash the door down. What began as art school parties quickly grew into Sunday afternoon sessions in squatted venues - a former dole office in Brixton and even the derelict Roundhouse on New Year's Day. They hosted everyone from Aphex Twin to Mixmaster Morris among wall-to-wall mattresses, UV installations, and  Coldcut's Matt Black with his boundary pushing video projections.

The idea was simple: recreate that post-clubbing comedown vibe but on a massive scale, as an "aural and visual blanket" for club-rattled minds. They even published a fanzine called Mindfood and worked at the scene's hub, Ambient Soho record shop, helping shape what Simon Reynolds called a "wombeldelic sound-and-light bath" in contrast to the current trend of hardcore and it's relentless assault.

Thirty years on, that spirit's having a comeback. Events like London's A Loose Ting are bringing back the bedding and the hushed reverence, while Berlin's Overflow is going full sensory overload with vibrating mattresses, fountains, and harpists. New York's Planetarium gatherings have people mostly horizontal, inspired by psychedelic therapy sessions. There's even and ambient sauna in South London you might have come across via the wonder of Music To Watch Seeds Grow By's recent takeover.  Our very own Watching Trees dabbled in said chill out space this year, pairing the abstract and the ambient with projected dappled sunlight visuals from the mighty Jamie House. Turns out people still need those little havens away from the madness, especially in this day and age!

Also handily 30 years on the Openmind crew have just compiled the first-ever Telepathic Fish retrospective for Fundamental Frequencies - a double vinyl love letter to those hazy early-90s mornings when the music finally slowed down.

For this Seeds Mix, Kev has leaned into his love of minimalism and systems music - repetition built from layers of loops offset against each other to form subtle polyrhythms. There's a deliberate avoidance of drum machines here in favour of organic percussion, and around the eight-minute mark, a section from Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia that captures the feeling of being deep in the forest, phone abandoned, discovering that paradise was just a forage away.

Full interview here: https://www.theransomnote.com/music/mixes/seeds-mix-005-openminds-leave-your-phone-at-home-discover-paradise-after-a-forage-in-the-forest/

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INTERVIEW

Seeds Mix 005: Openmind's Leave your phone at home & discover paradise after a forage in the forest

Coco María visits the Lot Radio to play one hour of her recent finds during her US tour. 

https://www.instagram.com/cocomaria___



Coco María en Nueva York @ The Lot Radio 10-13-2025

Selections from mom 

https://www.instagram.com/mrbighappy

The Big Happy Show @ The Lot Radio 10-18-2025

A fortnightly journey into H.O.U.S.E. hosted by Dan Beaumont & Nadia Ksaiba featuring interviews & mixes from super special guests. Expect two hours of old bangers and upfront pumpers. 
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/rhythmconnection/episodes/rhythmconnection-23rd-october-2025

Rhythm Connection 231025

Every week, as they’ve done since February 2016, Barbie Bertisch and Paul Raffaele host the Love Injection radio show on NYC’s beloved online radio institution, The Lot Radio. Airing Saturday mornings, this sonic extension of Love Injection the print fanzine provides the duo, and their occasional esteemed guest hosts, the latitude to explore sounds unrestricted by the demands of the nocturnal dance floor. Listen in, or listen back to the more than 300 aired and archived episodes, as Barbie and Paul interweave selections past and present with equal amounts attention and affection.  Love Injection on The Lot Radio airs Saturdays, 10am-12pm EST, thelotradio.com
 
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https://www.instagram.com/loveinjection.records

https://loveinjection.nyc

Love Injection @ The Lot Radio 10-25-2025

This month’s Carhartt WIP Radio show welcomes none other than producer and DJ @carlcraignet, a leading figure in Detroit’s electronic music scene, who rose to prominence in the late 1980s as part of the second generation of techno pioneers.

While shaping the city’s musical legacy, Craig also evolved his own sound, with an eclectic approach to making music that has seen him explore breakbeat, jazz, disco, and classical, under several aliases including 69, Paperclip People, Innerzone Orchestra and C2. In 1991, he founded the label Planet E, through which he released his own music as well as that of artists such as Kevin Saunderson, Moodymann, and Kenny Larkin.

For this episode, we are diving into Planet E’s catalogue to celebrate over 30 years of the label and its founder’s enduring influence, with a mix created by Carl Craig himself. The mix comes with an interview where Craig discusses discovering electronic gear via 80s toys, how his fascination with cars converged with a love of music, and why AI-assisted tools aren't as novel as they may seem.  Read the interview at www.carhartt-wip.com.

tracklist:

1. Carl Craig - Meditation One
2. Slam - Azure (Carl Craig Remix)
3. Carl Craig - Meditation Three
4. 69 - Desire
5. Carl Craig - Meditation Two
6. Carl Craig - Sandstorms (Versus Beatless Version)
7. Designer Music - The Truth
8. Innerzone Orchestra - Bug In The Bassbin

Carhartt WIP Radio November 2025: Carl Craig - Planet E

For over a decade Daniel Avery has shone as a singular artist and one of the electronic underground’s most forward-thinking voices. This year sees the release of Tremor, his most expansive album to date.
 
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/daniel-avery/episodes/daniel-avery-30th-october-2025

Tremor w/ Daniel Avery - Pulse 301025

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Through The Trees w/ Ty - 02.11.25

Red Laser Records crew brings Manchester's own blend of Manctalo, Disco & Boogie. A high energy Sunday Buzz guaranteed. 
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/red-laser-records/episodes/red-laser-records-2nd-november-2025

Red Laser Records w/ Pharaoh Brunson & Il Bosco 021125

Special edition of DTW FM recorded live from Amsterdam Dance Event at Sounds Australia's mixer/pop up. The show features 2 hours of strictly SEAsian + Australian producers / music.  

https://www.instagram.com/marcoweibel
https://www.instagram.com/soundsaustralia
https://www.instagram.com/darkerthanwax
https://www.soundcloud.com/marcoweibel



Darker Than Wax FM with Marco Weibel (Live from ADE) @ The Lot Radio 11-01-2025

Ben Cardew spoke to techno titan Paul Kalkbrenner about why The Essence is his best album - and the first to feature no filler - the wonky dance productions of the 90s, playing to half a million people, Depeche Mode, melancholia, Stromae and why he will never play Mein Freund Onze live. Line Noise is supported by Cupra.

Line Noise 236 - Paul Kalkbrenner

A podcast about electronic music by Ben Cardew. Formerly home to Braqueberry and Philip Sherburne. Picking at the threads of electronic music. Now available on Radio Primavera Sound (primaverasound.com/en/radio). We also have a Substack: https://linenoise.substack.com/

Line Noise 236 - Paul Kalkbrenner

Line Noise Podcast

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