first two hours of my annual all-nighter back home.

ALL NIGHT LONG @ GALLERY1986, 2025

The German minimal DJ returns to the spotlight with two hours of artfully subtle house and techno.

There's an old German proverb that goes "Der stete Tropfen höhlt den Stein." Literally, it means a constant dripping wears away the stone, but the point isn't about force but patience: slow, steady repetition can leave the deepest mark. It's an apt metaphor for the career of Kosta Athanassiadis, better known as XDB.

Active since the early '90s, first as a DJ and then producer by the decade's end, Athanassiadis has built a career less on hype than persistence. His catalogue spans labels like Dial, Metrolux and Echocord, alongside a steady trickle of EPs and remixes that have quietly cemented his reputation as one of minimal house and techno's undersung heroes.

That patience carries into his sound and production ethos. Where many of his peers embraced software upgrades and new workflows, Athanassiadis has long stuck to Cubase, a handful of trusty instruments and 30-year-old speakers he claims to have run "hundreds of thousands of tunes" through. He also still prefers to use inexpensive, straightforward gear—what matters, he insists, is not the tools but the feel. The result is a sound that’s stripped back, direct and enduring.

Lately, Athanassiadis has found himself back in focus. With minimal enjoying fresh attention, his calendar has filled, and with it a run of back-to-back sets—most often alongside PLO Man, a regular sparring partner this year. True to form, though, you won't find that his style has changed much. Over 30 years after his first gig, you can rest assured you'll still find him playing with patience, carving out long arcs rather than sharp peaks.

His RA Mix captures him in a reflective mood. Running just over two hours, RA.1003 is a hushed yet absorbing affair, moving seamlessly from the delicate atmospherics of Valentino Mora and Caldera to the machine funk of Robert Hood, Solid Gold Playaz and Marcellus Pittman. There are left turns folded into XDB's patient narrative arc, too: John Carpenter's brooding scores here, DJ Sprinkles' melancholic work with Will Long on "Acid Trax N (Acid Dog)" there.

It's the sound of a DJ who has been quietly chiseling away for three decades, and who understands the value of persistence as much as restraint.

@xdb

Find the tracklist and interview at ra.co/podcast/1021

RA.1003 XDB

Fade In Gently, 9 September, 2025

Dresden live from The Beach Stage at Love International festival 2025

Live from the Adriatic 2025: Dresden

Back again with a new mix! Manfredas, recorded live at The Carpet London, all night long in August. We hope you’ll love the ride.

pieces 004 - Manfredas - Recorded live at The Carpet Shop London

Pass The Time w/ Chris Stoker - Aaja channel 2 - 20 09 25

PDA MIX 19 ♥ John Loveless 

Our latest PDA mix is from John Loveless. A DJ, producer and writer from the North West of England. He is known for his residencies on Refuge Worldwide and Cashmere Radio, where his long-running show ‘Display Resolution’ recently concluded after 100 episodes. As well as his own Hot Concept imprint and parties, he is creatively involved with both Erol Alkan’s Phantasy Sound and CWPT with Palms Trax.

“PDA and the generous musical universe around it is one of the things that has kept me most excited about Berlin in the last few years, and this mix, recorded in one hasty take, is specifically my own interpretation of what might be possible on the dancefloor there. It takes inspiration from my early, mindbending clubbing experiences at parties in Manchester like Wet Play and Red Laser, as well as every producer making club music by their own strange and essential rules, for our communal pleasure.”

John’s presence is that of integral figure and fixer in this world of music, he’s also formidable force behind the decks and we are very pleased to welcome him for this weekend’s Public Display of Affection starting on Saturday the 4th of October and running until the following Sunday afternoon 💘

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

PDA Mix 19 ♥ John Loveless

H.A.N.D. MIX 078 - BELL TOWERS (HALLOWEEN SPECIAL)

Suga On My Tongue (EDIT)

RA.470 Andrew Weatherall

https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/optimo
@optimo-music
https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/gerdjanson
@runningback

Gerd Janson B2B Optimo - RBMA & As You Like It (Full Recording)

The facts of life. 

bookings : emma@pieces.live

Fade In Gently, 9 September, 2025

MANFREDAS

Recent comments

Hazare

proximal/distal

Related tracks