Every month, RA staffers share their favourite new music and reflect on key news stories from the electronic music scene.
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Critics' Roundtable

Live Sets

Alex Downey Live at Infinite Space - Birmingham 2022-04-02

Every day at Resident Advisor, we discuss the latest interesting music but there's only so much information we can pack into features, reviews and news. The Critics' Roundtable podcast, part of our Exchange series, is a chance for the team to go deeper into striking artists, records and industry trends in the global club underground.

This instalment, featuring senior staff writer Nyshka Chandran, music editor Andrew Ryce and chief creative and brand officer Kazim Rashid, touches on recent releases in London, Ecuador, Atlanta and beyond. First, each highlight their favourite albums from the past four months, with selections ranging from Terrence Dixon's supremely abstract techno to Marcela Dias Sindaco's sexy electro. Next, contributors discuss an artist or platform of note. Washington DC label PPU gets a mention, as do the hard-hitting bass mutations of Nikki Nair and Colombian label Insurgentes. Finally, Nyshka, Andrew and Kazim reflect on significant developments in the electronic music world, commenting on the ongoing attempts to get artists paid for online mixes, the intersection of club music and theatre and the recent passing of hip-hop icon DJ Kay Slay.

Tracklist:
Alabaster DePlume - Visitors XT8B – Oak [International Anthem] 
Terrence Dixon - Aurora - Other Dimensions [30D Records] 
Marcela Dias Sindaco - À Flor Da Pele - Rio de Janeiro 3025 EP [Fixed Rhythms] 
Nikki Nair & Nala - The World Is Always Ending - The World Is Always Ending [Dirtybird] 
Dwight Sykes - You’re Exactly - On The Rocks [PPU]
PVSSY & Entrañas - Manía (Menzi remix - Fervor [TraTraTrax]
Terrence Dixon - Aurora - Other Dimensions [30D Records]

EX.608 Critics' Roundtable [May 2022]

Two new faces join Head Of Podcasts Martha Pazienti-Caidan on the June edition of Critics' Roundtable, Resident Advisor's monthly podcast that showcases the varied tastes of our contributors. Over the course of 40 minutes, Glasgow City Manager Rose Manson, Staff Writer Zoey Shopmaker and Pazienti-Caidan herself present their favourite music and new stories from the past three months.

Their selections include New York producer K Wata, whose recent 12-inch connects the dots between loopy drum patterns and experimental ambient, as well as the 10 year anniversary compilation of UK label Local Action. Kiernan Laveaux's March mix for Noods Radio is also highlighted, as is the new Air Max '97 EP and Glasgow community radio station Buena Vida. Towards the end of the chat, the trio discuss a directory of women, trans and non-binary producers, the slow pace of festival ticket sales and efforts to end sexual violence at large gatherings.

Listen to the conversation in full.

EX.613 Critics' Roundtable [June 2022]

@fleet412 recorded at Mizz Softee in Brooklyn, NY.

Sunrise, January 15th, 2022

Favorite Flavor: Pistachio

MS 03 - Paul Fleetwood at Mizz Softee 15 January 2022

New music, community-driven parties, tech talk and more from RA staffers.

Every month, members of Resident Advisor's global team highlight their favourite artists, exciting labels and industry trends on the Critics' Roundtable podcast. This edition, featuring senior designer Lucy Ross, senior US partnerships lead Lottie Moore and senior staff writer Nyshka Chandran, jumps across genres and regions in a reflection of the trio's myriad tastes. 

Selections feature records with an introspective touch, setting the tone for a mindful summer. From the furious breaks of NIGELTHREETIMES to V.C.R's gospel-inspired soul to Joy Orbison collaborator KEYAH/BLU, the group describes how each artist incorporates a cinematic gloss into their respective compositions. Elsewhere, Honolulu-based label Aloha Got Soul gets a mention for its commitment to showcasing Hawaiian funk and jazz, as does young amapiano star Uncle Waffles, whose global footprint keeps expanding.

Recent developments impacting the electronic music ecosystem are also discussed. Moore looks at community-building initiatives of promoters, highlighting Los Angeles' Mapamota and noting the potential of chat platforms such as Discord to strengthen ties with punters. Ross, meanwhile, summarises how AI is influencing brand identity from a designer's viewpoint.

Listen to the full podcast for more.

EX.618 Critics' Roundtable [July 2022]

This volume of the Critics Roundtable, Resident Advisor's monthly podcast that showcases staff selections, looks back at the summer's important moments and releases in electronic music. Over the course of 40 minutes, podcasts chief Martha Pazienti Caidan, events writer Katie Thomas and content intern Fahad Akinsanya each recap a memorable news story, record and live performance from the past two months. 

Offering insights, opinions and most importantly, discussion, the trio praise the reopening of London venue The Cross and analyse The Jaguar Foundation's latest report on gender diversity in UK dance music. Also on the agenda is the public backlash against RA's critical review of Beyonce's new album. In terms of new releases, the new EP by Eliza Rose and Interplanetary Criminal gets a mention, as does Sierra and CalvoMusic's "Fast Lingo." Finally, the trio highlight their favourite festival gigs, which include Vanyfox and Tame Impala at Primavera Sound.

Listen to the episode for all the details.

EX.623 Critics' Roundtable [August 2022]

What did your summer sound like? For the RA staffers featured on this month's episode of the Critics' Roundtable, the answer ranges from dubby jungle to cheeky UKG to hazy krautrock.

Looking back on their favourite records from recent months, managing editor Chloe Lula, Mexico City manager Valeria Martin del Campo and senior writer Nyshka Chandran highlight Dax J's Soul Enforcer,Prelude by Barbie Bertisch and Lichi's latest fruit-inspired compilation.

The conversation then shifts to special live performances. Aquarian's dextrous mixing at Dekmantel gets a mention, as does SCHNITT and Gianluca Sibaldi's captivating AV performance at MUTEK Montreal, where they scanned audiences in real-time. Moving onto industry trends and significant news stories, the trio discuss the significance of Mexico City online radio station Aire Libre shutting down, the impact of algorithmic populism on artists and the massive labour crunch in event production jobs.

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

EX.627 Critics' Roundtable [September 2022]

"I wanted to do something that was a bit more downtempo techno with an oldskool house vibe. Keeping it, sleazy, sexy. A lot of the tracks I've enjoyed playing out over the summer too."

@josh-caffe

Mantissa Mix 272: Josh Caffé

Lost Soul Enterprises is back with Heidi Sabertooth and Arvin T spinning their best wave, industrial, body music and more.

http://www.instagram.com/heidisabertooth 
http://www.instagram.com/arvint.nyc

Lost Soul Enterprises with Heidi Sabertooth and Arvin T @ The Lot Radio 01 - 10 - 2023

Read our interview with @ludwig-roehrscheid and check out this mix's track list here: bit.ly/LudPod

Groove Podcast 366

Tracklist

Groove Podcast 366 - Ludwig A.F.

Rinse FM Podcast

DMX Krew Show - 18 February 2023

In this week's episode of the RA Exchange, we host an exclusive talk with Scottish novelist and playwright Irvine Welsh, who's best known for his 1993 book, Trainspotting. His work raises crucial and provocative questions around class, identity and the human condition, as well as running themes around nightlife and DJ culture. Welsh has always harbored an avid love of electronic music—and acid house specifically.

In this live keynote interview at the Night Time Industries Association conference at E1 in London, he talks to RA's Senior Producer, Chloe Lula, about his enduring love of nightlife as well as the grueling creative process, his new record label and how club music has changed with the advent of new music production technologies and the rise of the bedroom techno producer. "All the good things really happen at night, the real freedom happens at night, the real expression happens at night," he says. Listen to the episode in full.

EX.649 Irvine Welsh: 30 Years on From Trainspotting

Interview: https://truantsblog.com/2023/truancy-volume-303-sam-goku/

Soundcloud: @samgoku

Access the download and tracklist (Confirmed, will add soon) on our Patreon. Your support helps cover all our costs and allows Truants to continue running as a non-profit and ad-free platform. patreon.com/truants

http://truantsblog.com

Sam Goku

Truancy Volume 303: Sam Goku

"You can trace techno's origins to the seminal 1988 album Techno! The New Dance Sound of Detroit, which featured many producers that are now regarded as techno pioneers." We discuss Detroit techno, Frankfurt's electronic music museum and more in this month's Critics' Roundtable.


As we approach the end of May, and with it, Movement Festival in Detroit—one of the longest-running dance music events in the world—Resident Advisor returns to a discussion about electronic music's roots.

In this month's Critics' Roundtable, RA music critics Kiana Mickles and Andrew Ryce talk with producer Chloe Lula about the newest release from Detroit "techno soul" stalwart Eddie Fowlkes and a breakout album from a newer Detroit name, DJ Girl, who just released on Planet Mu. 

The trio also discuss how techno's origins in Detroit's Black communities continue to be contested. The Museum of Modern Electronic Music in Frankfurt, which opened last year (and was written about recently in The New Yorker), has overlooked the city's key role in the creation and dissemination of techno, sparking backlash from the electronic music community. Mickles and Ryce lay out the implications of the continuous omission of Detroit from techno's narrative. Why is electronic music's origins an ongoing debate, and how do we honour its progenitors as electronic music moves further away from its foundations into the mainstream? Listen to the conversation in full.


Tracklist:

Eddie Fowlkes - Shake Your Hips
DJ Girl - Technician
Rhythim Is Rythim - It Is What It Is
Jossy Mitsu - World's End

EX.659 Critics’ Roundtable [May 2023]

I haven't posted a live DJ set for a long time - so here's one from this summer's Rural Festival held in the mountains not far from Nagano in Japan. It was my 2nd year at the festival, and I had an amazing time playing from 2.30-5am, with my set starting in pitch black and ending with the sun emerging for the last moments of the set. Big shouts to all the crowd and of course the organisers for having me back! 

Tracklist: http://www.mixesdb.com/w/2016-07-17_-_Pearson_Sound_@_Rural,_Yunomaru_Highland,_Chubu,_Japan

DJ Set @ Rural Festival, Japan - July 2016

Mike Banks - UR 🛸  The Underground Resistance

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

EX.659 Critics’ Roundtable [May 2023]

RA Exchange

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