Zepherin Saint's first release, 1988's Give Me Back Your Love as Boyz in Shock featuring Carol Leeming, was one of the first soulful house records to hit the UK. Saint played a key role in the UK's dance music scene, but as journalist Marcus Barnes highlights in this week's Resident Advisor Exchange, the influence and value of his work over the years has often been overlooked. 

Saint grew up in Harrow, North West London. His earliest experiments with music happened at school, playing the drums in a band making music that he describes as "Spandau Ballet funk, soul and pop tracks." The tunes were so good that their teacher organised studio time so they could make a demo. 

Handed down one of Harrow's key soundsystems from his older brother, Saint would go on to build rigs, and recording studios, of his own, supplying the sound for many acid house nights as the scene exploded. He worked at legendary London shop Black Market Records and spent time in the US managing R&B artists like Terri Walker, before returning to the UK to launch Tribe Records, bringing dance music from South Africa and establishing the blueprint for what is now the Afro house scene. Today, Saint is based in Melbourne, where he's started a new label, Inner Sauce, to celebrate the live house sound bubbling there. 

In an enlightening conversation with Barnes, Saint discusses Melbourne's return to partying post lockdown, building soundsystems, finding his identity in London as a young West Indian man, working at Black Market Records and how he's now turning his focus back onto his own productions.

EX.607 Zepherin Saint

A repeat episode from last year in celebration of Pride month.

Steven Braines and Sophia Kearney founded the party brand He.She.They. in 2018 with a mission to make their events "a utopia where people feel they belong whilst expressing their utmost individuality." Their first event was at London's Ministry Of Sound and has since visited Pacha, Watergate, Rex Club and other big-name venues in Europe, Asia and the United States. They also run the artist management agency Weird & Wonderful, representing acts like Jossy Mitsu, LOUISAHHH and Maya Jane Coles, who's also a regular DJ for He.She.They. 

In conversation with journalist and author Marcus Barnes, Kearney and Braines expand on the history and ethos behind the brand, having to trade DC10 for London lockdown and their Pride parties in Brighton.

RA Exchange

EX.615 HE.SHE.THEY(Archive)

Slow Sessions Exklusv Weekend Mix By Kamaal Thewan (ZA)

I'm Being Lied To

An exclusive DJ mix I made for the Whitney ISP crew for the closing reception of their group exhibition at Artists Space in lower Manhattan May 28, 2023.

Track list coming soon...

Clocking Out: Time Beyond Management
May 17-28, 2023
Artists Space
11 Cortlandt Alley, New York, NY 10013
Wednesday-Sunday, 12pm-6pm

Co-curated with KJ Abudu, Zachary B. Feldman, Johanna Thorell, and myself. The culmination of a year of collective study as the 2022-23 Helena Rubinstein Curatorial Fellows of the Whitney Independent Study Program.

Kobby Adi, Julieta Aranda, Julieta Aranda & Anton Vidokle, Yto Barrada, Black Quantum Futurism, Helen Cammock, Maria Chávez, Kajsa Dahlberg, Kevin Jerome Everson, Brendan Fernandes, ektor garcia, Hicham Gardaf, Gerard & Kelly, Simon Gush, Sky Hopinka, Clare Hu, Samson Kambalu, Karrabing Film Collective, Victor Masayesva, Jr., Rosalind Nashashibi, Katie Paterson, Dario Robleto, Finnegan Shannon, and Mona Vatamanu & Florin Tudor

Clocking Out: Time Beyond Management challenges the dominant modern conception of time as objective, divisible, and linear. Situating the global imposition of this naturalized temporal order alongside the advent of Western capitalist modernity and the implementation of standardized clock time, the exhibition explores how time is represented, lived, and contested in the catastrophic present.

Presenting speculative, historical, and already-existing alternatives to the dominant temporal regime, the exhibition gestures towards a Time Beyond Management—a time outside of imposed regimentations, imperatives to productivity, and self-inflicted time management. The works on view foreground the orchestration of time as a site of struggle and critique, moving away from linear, progressive conceptions of time that historically and continuously enable interlocking systems of social, political, and economic domination. Spanning decolonial and Indigenous temporalities, alternative time-based economies, queered timekeeping devices, and materializations of interwoven time in textile practices, the exhibition resists the tendency towards a singular counter-hegemonic solution. Clocking Out is ultimately an invitation to imagine liberatory futures unhinged from the clock’s regulative hold on everyday life.

Whitney ISP DJ Mix May2023

SUNDAYS ARE 4 LUVRS.mp3 mixed by GHXST BUNNY

This is a soundscape to enjoy the stupendous summer breeze to🌬️, bask in the warmth and light of the sun ☀️, smell the damp sand from the summer rain to and peak in a young Rainbow picture & more importantly to watch the beautiful colours of sunrises 🌅 & sunsets. 🌇 ☀️❤️‍🔥


The first part, I would suggest you are in a quiet space, whether you’re studying, meditating at home or at the park but it requires you to be very present within the mix and your environment, accompanied by smooth jazz, it’s a selection of ambient sounds that help calm the brain and bring you to awareness.(won’t give away a lot) 🍃🎍🌊🌬️

The second part, follows through with some more jazz to slowly bring you into a conscious state where more attention can be payed to lyrics, chords and so many more details within the music and mix. Even though mellow we can always incorporate neck snapping Jay Dee inspired beats into these jazzy songs, which now gives us more groove to either stand up or sit up and get a little active, maybe write lyrics, journal, paint or design. Essentially this is a great time to pull out Shazam. 🌞🎋🌿


Then for the last part, with an assist from DJing software effects I’m able to move you from the boom bap with an echo and a drum intro from Emma Jean Teachkray, and ideally this could be played during a walk, run, cycle, dance session or any exercise. This is the time to dance if we’re at a party and this is the part the involves MOVEMENT because THE SUN IS LIFE. 🌞🌞☀️☀️🌅🌇


Tracklist: 


1. Lionmilk & MNDSGN - Sun
2. muva of earth - mermaid under the sun
3. Hania Rani - Sun
4. muva of earth - the sun will guide you
5. Frank Ocean - Summer Remains 
6. Buli, 104rog - Radiating Sun
7. Knxwledge - Mysunshine
8. Jhene Aiko - Summer 2022 
9. Benny Sings - Summerlude
10. RAMP - Daylight 
11. Thandi Ntuli - Sunset in California 
12. Cleo Sol - Sunshine 
13. Yesterday’s New Quartet - Sun Goddess 
14. Incognito - Back On The Beach
15. Nuyorican Soul, Q-Tip - I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun 
16. Emma Jean Thackray - Sun (EJT & Jitwam remix)
17. Opolopo, Angela Johnson - Sunshine (Atjazz Love Soul Remix)
18. Jitwam - Sun After Rain (Kaidi Tatham Remix)
19. Nutty Nys - Sunshine 
20. Dj Kent, Mo-T - Horns In The Sun (China Chameleon Remix)
21. Kelvin Momo - Summer Rain (feat. Jay Sax)
22. Kelvin Momo - Sunset

GREAT BLACK MUSIC PRESENTS: CHILDREN OF THE SUN 🌞❤️‍🔥

Mixing Zoe Modiga’s UMDALI with Theo Parrish’s Violet Green was a thrill from start to finish! UMDALI brings all the depth and richness of African jazz and soul, while Violet Green has Parrish’s signature Detroit groove, raw and vibrant. Together, they’re a vibe that flows from introspective to completely freeing.

The goal here? Pure atmosphere. I wanted this mix to feel like stepping into a world where Modiga’s bold, soulful vocals meet Parrish’s beats, creating an unexpected fusion that’s uplifting and textured. It’s the kind of blend that lets you sink into the mood one minute and get up to move the next.

I’m excited to share this because it’s one of those combinations that brings out the best of both worlds. Here’s to more mixes like this—tracks that get under your skin and leave you feeling energised, grounded, and just a little bit lighter!

UMDALI (Violet Green Mix)

LAVAS

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