HE.SHE.THEY did a show in Chicago nearby the PRIDE month in 2022. Didn't know if they were a collective or an artist, but this is so enlightening! Must listen!

RA Exchange podcast

"My real gift is arrangement." William Orbit opens up on his 40-year career. 
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Born in Hackney, London, in 1956, Orbit has been writing, producing and arranging music for four decades. With almost 1,200 credits to his name on Discogs, his vast and varied body of work spans classical, pop and electronic. He produced for some of pop music's most seminal artists—Madonna, All Saints, Blur, Robbie Williams, Pink—as well as being, as his interviewer Matt McDermott explains, "one of the most prolific electronic music remixers of the '90s." He released 11 solo albums and seven collaborative albums—as part of Torch Song, Strange Cargo and Bassomatic—and founded Guerilla Studios in the '80s, working with artists like Cabaret Voltaire and Gary Numan. In 1995, Orbit released the Pieces In A Modern Style LP, which paved the way for musicians like Nils Frahm and Jon Hopkins, who bring together classical arrangements with electronic production in revelatory ways. 

The journalist Kate Hutchinson described Orbit as "the Mark Ronson or Jack Antonoff of his day." But as this conversation with RA highlights, Orbit is once again enjoying his day. Having, in his own words, "spent 20 years becoming disengaged," he has just put out his first solo release in seven years—the Sunbeam EP on Anjunadeep—and things are feeling good. "I know how to have fun," he said. 

In conversation with McDermott, Orbit shares stories about his fascinating career, how to make a great record, working with Madonna and how to stay relevant in a fickle industry.  


Tracklist:
William Orbit - Diso [Anjunadeep]
William Orbit - Wordsworth [Anjunadeep]

@williamorbit

EX.596 William Orbit

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)

Darren Dixon, AKA D Double E, wants the world to know that he's not just a MC. In a short but deep chat with London DJ and presenter Tash LC on the sidelines of Outlook Festival's debut UK edition, the grime veteran discusses his recent productions for for the likes of Novelist and others. Despite producing for years, Dixon has largely hidden that side of his artistry from the public. But that's now changing following the release of his latest EP, Bluku! Bluku! 2.

"It's a separate life but I'm now pushing it into the world," Dixon tells Tash LC ahead of his live performance at the festival.  His production and vocals on the new EP touch on classic grime but there's also elements of '80s synth music and R&B. The record is a reflection of his personal tastes, he explains. Putting out new music is a chance for fans to see his personality, he continues, noting how that's not always possible during live grime shows. "When I'm doing grime sets, they're playing mad beats and I have no choice but to spit on the beat," he says.

Listen to the full conversation for more details on Dixon's creative process as well as his collaborations with Swindle and Chip.

EX.619 D Double E & Tash LC

Decisive Creative Artist Series Dj Mix Episode #80 
with John Tejada, dj, musician, artist. I respect his ability to keep himself relevant since the early 90s. He is a Vienna-born, Los Angeles-based electronic music composer, DJ, and professor at CalArts. Tejada’s professional output of music began in 1994 and has never let up, including five albums for the revered label Kompakt, plus releases on Pokerflat, Cocoon, Plug Research, Seventh City, Playhouse, Defected, and his own label since 1996, Palette Recordings. Tejada has also been responsible for remixing over 100 songs for acts including The Postal Service, Télépopmusic, The Field, Bomb The Bass, Way Out West, Kevin Saunderson, Darren Emerson, Gui Boratto, Simian Mobile Disco and many others. Tejada’s latest venture as Wajatta is a musical collaboration with international star Reggie Watts, having released their debut album, Casual High Technology, in 2018 and Don’t Let Get You Down in 2020 on Brainfeeder. 

Tejada has traveled to more than 30 countries DJing and performing live at clubs—Berghain (Berlin), Fabric (London), Rex Club (Paris), Womb (Tokyo)—festivals such as Dance Valley (Netherlands), Decibel Festival (Seattle), Dekmantel Festival (Amsterdam), Detroit Electronic Music Festival (aka Movement), Mutek (Montreal and Mexico), Sonar Festival (Spain and Tokyo) and Sync Festival (Greece), as well as esteemed venues such as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and twice at Walt Disney Concert Hall, both in Los Angeles.

• facebook.com/johntejadaofficial
• twitter.com/johntejada
• instagram.com/johntejadaofficial
• SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/paletterecordings
• Bandcamp - https://johntejada.bandcamp.com
• Discogs - http://www.discogs.com/artist/62-John-Tejada
  

spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/2JWmMcE8Z0vapxOIiT7PLq?si=0nuDK7s4SbqXf4ot2738wA

John Tejada New Mix

Lauren Murada @ The Lot Radio 08 - 16 - 2022

Faced with shrinking margins and higher rents, event organisers are finding new ways to keep the party going.

As the cost of living crisis continues to eat into club land, promoters around the world are increasingly being forced to adapt to shrinking margins. This new episode of Source Material, our documentary-style podcast series, shines a spotlight on Glasgow, Taipei and Chicago, where local organisers are testing out unconventional forms of inclusive promotion in response to widespread economic uncertainty. 

In Glasgow, Han Read runs a monthly night called Events Research Programme that operates off a Patreon subscription model. Bonjour, meanwhile, is a queer venue in the Scottish city that runs as a co-op, sharing a minimum 50 percent of its profits among staff in an effort to acquire more financial freedom. In Taipei, venue 23 Music Room is using its non-traditional business model to bolster the next generation of promoters while RA contributor Steve Noah describes the state of DIY parties in Chicago.

Listen to the full conversation for details on each of these scenes.

Producer: Rose Manson
Executive Producer: Martha Pazienti Caidan

EX.637 Source Material: Sustainable Promotion

Byrell The Great is a name synonymous with New York's ballroom scene. The Harlem native is known for his story-telling prowess and cheeky edits that span hip-hop, pop and meme culture, all of which are on full display in his seamless production, spirited DJ style and his high-energy mix series, Vogue Workouts. Live from Resident Advisor's 21st birthday celebration at Nowadays, the ballroom don discusses his involvement in the Kiki scene and the genre's growing popularity in mainstream culture.

Speaking to staff writer Kiana Mickles, Byrell describes how he attended his first ball thanks to Teyana Taylor. He then goes to elaborate on the nuances of ballroom music, what sets New York's Kiki landscape apart from the wider scene and DJ etiquette during a ball before venturing into his production techniques. Finally, Mickles and Byrell flesh out what it means for the culture when artists such as Beyoncé and Madonna incorporate ballroom references.

For more details on each of these topics, listen to the conversation in full.

EX.638 Byrell The Great

Dance music deepened its presence in pop culture this year, expanding into TikTok's nichest corners as well as Billboard Hot 100 charts. For the December edition of the Critics' Roundtable, staffers Chloë Cochran, Whitney Ajayi, Martha Pazienti Caidan and contributor Vanessa Maria reflect on the major milestones of 2022.

Electronic music was part of global conversations on gender disparity and sexual violence, the group noted. Women's safety in clubs was a particularly concerning issue this year, they continued, highlighting incidents of needle spiking at clubs. On a more positive note, they applauded Butterz cofounder Elijah, RA's guest editor from earlier this year, whose efforts to educate on issues in the music industry led to a staff position at SOAS University of London.

To hear more about these topics, as well as the popularity of higher BPMs and definitive tunes like "B.O.T.A. (Baddest Of Them All)," listen to the chat in full.

EX.639 Critics' Roundtable [December 2022]

Since at least the 1970s, artists have composed music for plants. From Mort Garson’s Plantasia to dublab's Plant Music compilation, albums recorded with nature in mind often intend to stimulate growth or simply entertain leafy creatures. This episode of Source Material, a documentary-style series, explores the symbiotic links between electronic music and house plants.

Diving into the world of frequencies and root systems, @martharadio speaks to various experts to learn how nature responds to ambient tunes and synthesisers. Among them are biotherapeutic musician Imka, Joe Patitucci of PlantWave, an app that translates plants' biorhythms into music, sound artist Karine Bonneval and composer Erland Cooper.

To discover how bass frequencies mimic bees and why festivals are adopting sonic soil pollution, listen to the episode.

EX.641 Source Material: Plants and Electronic Music

Slimzee is a legend in every sense of the word. He launched Rinse FM alongside Geeneus and Uncle Dugs in 1994, running the station for three years out of his bedroom. His shows, focused on garage and grime, paved the way for the genres' current architects. As a member of Pay As U Go Cartel alongside Wiley and Flowdan, he also helped lay the foundations for early grime.

Speaking to @martharadio, the East London veteran discusses the specifics of the Rinse FM compressor, explaining how he learnt to fine-tune frequency levels through trial and error. Back then, it was normal to focus on a specific sound in mixes and DJ sets but now, genres are more fluid, he noted, describing how he currently plays hybrids of dubstep and grime. The duo then go onto discuss the dos and don'ts of DJing with an MC, Slimzee's favourite festivals as well as his mental health journey.

Listen to the conversation in full for more details.

EX.640 Slimzee

In this week’s RA Podcast, DJ and remixer extraordinaire Ewan Pearson manages to catch the sound of the late summer.

RA.027 Ewan Pearson

Rinse FM Podcast

Rinse FM Podcast - Hessle Audio w/ Pearson Sound - 15th September 2016

Lisbon is enjoy plenty of time in the spotlight at the moment, not least thanks to artists like Violet, who is busy on many different fronts at once. As a lone force she producers anything from big techno breakbeats to rave tinged acid house. Next to that she’s also co-founded Radio Quântica, which is an essential platform for local underground artists and activists. She also performs as part of an all female rap group and covers classic tunes made solely by woman. Besides that, she even found time to start her own new label, Naive, this year. 

It should come as no surprise that such an active mind packs a lot into her 75 minute mix. Tripped out cosmic breakbeats kick things off before the drums grow more distorted and synths begin to howl as you’re dumped onto a dance floor at 3am. A subtle rave euphoria washes over the mid section before dusty breakbeats and slippery electro see things out. Despite the driving nature of the underlying drums, this is a mix that exudes warmth, soul and romance.

Dekmantel Podcast

Dekmantel Podcast 203 - Violet

Read our interview with @black-jazz-consortium alias Fred P and check out this mix's track list here: bit.ly/BJCPod

Groove Podcast 245

Tracklist

Groove Podcast 245 - Black Jazz Consortium

The Turner Prize-winning artist on the social and political importance of rave culture.

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?exchange=506

EX.506 Jeremy Deller

http://www.louchemusic.com/podcast/fred-p/

Louche podcast 038 fredp

The weekly RA Exchange is a series of conversations with artists, labels and promoters shaping the electronic music landscape.

EX.615 HE.SHE.THEY(Archive)

RA Exchange

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