Getting to know the music behind the man. 

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://ra.co/exchange/562

@vvvirgilabloh

RA Exchange

EX.562 Virgil Abloh

Navigating the rough and the smooth with the revitalised UK producer.  

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://ra.co/exchange/563

@KARENNYAMEKG

EX.563 KG

Clipz, Lobster Boy and a Dream Vision Future. 

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://ra.co/exchange/565

@redlight-uk

EX.565 Redlight

Riding Chicago house's second wave with the edits specialist. 

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://ra.co/exchange/566

@jamie3too6

EX.566 Jamie 3:26

The journalist documenting abuses at sea who opened an archive of field recordings to musicians.

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://ra.co/exchange/570

EX.570 Ian Urbina

"Everyone knows I'm a lively character, I like the party." Oliver 'Skream' Jones is attempting to explain his stamina over a near two decade-long career and true to his unpretentious personality, he makes it sound easy. The 36 year-old has been making music since the age of 15 and despite being a busy father, this hour-long, unfiltered conversation at RA's London headquarters confirms that his love for the dance is as strong as ever.

Discussing his childhood, the seminal Dubstep Forum and and finding confidence through music, the dubstep legend reveals how his social skills, born from childhood visits to the pub with his father, gave him his first record store job. "My musical taste is all over the place, my range is broad," he says. That includes pop, a style that he likes for its collaboration with underground producers.

Skream's endurance in an industry that's synonymous with burnout is remarkable but he simply attributes it to pure instinct. "When something feels right, I do it. I don't see it as change, I see it as a natural feeling." That's why he made the decision years ago to focus on house and techno instead of dubstep, a style that he transformed from dark and slow to ravey. "I play for myself but that's what my fanbase has grown to love." 

That intuition also applies to his productions. "I've got to a point where I know what I want to hear and make it happen. That comes from doing the same thing for a long time." In the studio, he says he regularly listens to tracks repeatedly "and if it ever gets boring" or doesn't bring "a certain feeling," then he knows it's not ready.

To hear about his approach to remixes, his parenting style and what he has in the pipeline, listen to the conversation in full.

EX.633 Skream

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

Peggy Gou is one of electronic music's biggest celebrities. Her catchy productions, high-intensity DJ sets and personal style have propelled her to the upper echelons of stardom—a journey that's brought an equal number of fans and critics. "There are a lot of assumptions about me," she tells moderator Souhayla Ou-Oumar during a live RA Exchange at last year's Amsterdam Dance Event. 

Over the course of the 50-minute conversation, which includes a Q&A with the audience, the label owner, producer, DJ and fashion designer spills the beans on her decision-making process, how she deals with haters and maintaining authenticity. Emphasising the power of saying no, the Korea-born artist explains how she executes her creative philosophy by being selective on projects. "I have a great team who follow my vision but basically, I'm a control freak." She says she's never had a manager and does all social media herself because "I don't like it when people tell me what to do."

To hear more about how Gou finds inspiration, why South Korea is a place of healing for her and the importance of listening to the body, listen to the conversation in full.

EX.643 Peggy Gou

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

There's a lot to be excited about this year. For the first Critics' Roundtable of 2023, RA staffers sat down to discuss the events, DJs, producers and technological developments that are poised to shape the electronic music landscape over the next twelve months.

Featuring senior staff writer Nyshka Chandran, Bogotá city manager Luisa Uribe and US account manager Natalie Papaeracleous, the conversation starts in Colombia where artists such as Julianna and Matías Aguayo are creating parties and platforms that spotlight local talents. The group then explores how nature influences festival programming, focusing on the likes of Terraforma in Italy, Vietnam's (Re)treat and Thailand's Karma Kastle.

Buzzworthy artists Sansibar, Amantra (AKA HUMA) and Hessle Audio's Toumba also get a mention, as does Venezuela's euphoric raptor house genre. Finally, the trio share their concerns and predictions for the Instagram economy, AI-generated music and the ethics of sampling. Listen to the conversation in full for more details on these topics.

EX.642 Critics' Roundtable [January 2023]

In a scene dominated by thundering techno and its industrial iterations, Scotland’s experimental electronic landscape often goes unnoticed. This niche community of creatives finds inspiration in the country’s ethereal yet contradicting past, combining folk traditions with avant-garde production.

In this documentary-style podcast, RA contributor Rowan Crerar speaks to artists, labels and festivals about the deep relationship between Scottish music and folklore. Hyperdub affiliate Proc Fiskal, musician Gavin L. Sutherland, Aberdeen's aerial community radio, interdisciplinary artist Abby Beatrice Quick and Glasgow label 12th Isle each discuss the complex nature of Scottish identity, highlighting how topics such as archaeology and science fiction influence creative practices.

For more insights, listen to the conversation in full.

EX.644 Source Material: Scottish Music's Mythic Imaginary

Amsterdam-based DJ Antal Heitlager needs little introduction. As a co-founder of Rush Hour—a globally respected label and distributor of rare and collectable records—he has been disseminating his distinct vision for buoyant house, hip-hop, disco and more for over two decades.

For this special edition of the RA Exchange, the artist and entrepreneur is interviewed by Berlin-based DJ Juba about the label and store’s 25-year anniversary, as well as his first forays into record collecting and the changing landscape of vinyl distribution in an ever-digitalizing world. 

To hear more about the inception of his legendary shop front and imprint, listen to the conversation in full.

EX.645 25 Years of Rush Hour

DJ Perception is lauded as one of the leading voices in the contemporary UK garage landscape. His sets are widely known for being jam-packed with exclusive dubplates and sought-after cuts of slick 2-step, and his productions are just as highly revered, blending elements of UK garage with house and soul. “I like to make all types of garage, but never commercial music," he tells moderator Heléna Star in his interview. "It’s just underground.”

In this live listening party hosted by Timehri Records and the Black Artist Database, the artist talks with Timehri head T Dunn about the production of his most recent LP, Journey To The Star, which landed on the label in October 2022. They also listen to segments of the record and discuss its wider concept and construction with a live audience. "The music I make has to be soulful," DJ Perception says. "It can be dark, but it has to be groovy and it has to be soulful. That's how I work."

To hear more about the album, the diversity of the UK garage continuum and the underrated practice of bedroom music production, listen to the conversation in full.

EX.646 DJ Perception and Timehri Records

London-based musician I. JORDAN—a disciple of fast-paced, high-energy dance music—has undergone a creative renaissance since 2021. Last February, they were nominated for Best Producer at the annual NME awards, and they celebrated a jam-packed touring and release schedule, which included signing to Ninja Tune. Now, they're on the heels of a residency they oversaw designed specifically for trans and nonbinary artists, produced by Brighter Sound and Generator. They're also planning a tour with close friend and collaborator SHERELLE. "There is something really beautiful about trans only spaces, something that I can't put words into," they tell host Vanessa Maria in this week's RA Exchange. "It's just a feeling. Trans people get it. Trans people know it. It just does stuff to you, and I can't really explain."

Their conversation touches on the power of queer community, the spectre of imposter syndrome and the growing importance of nurturing creative outlets for marginalised musicians. Critically, I. JORDAN and Maria also take stock of what the underground scene can do to support trans and nonbinary artists by reconfiguring some of the industry's deeply rooted discriminatory practices from the ground up. Take a listen to the episode in full.

This episode was recorded at Qube in East London.

EX.647 I. JORDAN

In honour of World Radio Day—which landed on February 13th—this week’s RA Exchange celebrates the power of radio in a documentary-style deep dive. UNESCO inaugurated World Radio Day in 2011 in order to commemorate its efficacy in reaching remote communities, connecting with people everywhere regardless of their education level, and providing a platform for positive and democratic discourse. It's also critical in spreading critical information during times of crisis or emergency. According to UNESCO, "increasing radio's journalistic standards and capacity should be considered as an investment in peace."

On a more modest level, podcasting and radio, especially in the world of underground music, can help forge in-person and virtual networks and celebrate and spread new and lesser-known music. During the pandemic, it also held together underground music scenes when people couldn't be together in the club, and sustained a kind of intimacy and connection by letting people share music over the airwaves and community platform chat rooms. 

In this episode, we hear from various radio producers around the world—including Jamz Supernova, Hana Walker Brown, Dublab Barcelona and Hong Kong Community Radio, among others—about why radio resonates so strongly with them. "Good radio is always an exercise in connection, especially host-led radio,” says Rory Bowens, NTS’s Head of Radio Production. “The fact that it's a live experience is really crucial. People can listen to something in real time with a huge audience of other listeners at the same time, and that intrinsically connects them to each other." Take a listen to the episode in full.

EX.648 Source Material: The Power of Radio in Times of Crisis

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

In 2023, we're refreshing our Critics' Roundtable format, inviting RA's in-house staff writers and industry specialists to reflect on the releases that resonated with them, as well as the trends and news that's circulating around the music sphere. March's roundtable features Andrew Ryce and Kiana Mickles. 

In addition to discussing the much-anticipated EPs and albums that they've enjoyed—Caroline Polachek, Nene H, Fadi Mohem and more—the duo also raise important questions about the contemporary club music landscape: how should we consider an artist's core audience, especially when their music taps into an uncharted trend? What is the strategy behind releasing multiple albums at once, like Skrillex's recent double LP? What can we make of the new pop-electronic crossover, and what are the deeper implications of mainstream musicians appropriating underground tropes and themes?

We explore these issues and more in this month's roundtable RA Exchange, and talk about our most anticipated new releases for the coming weeks. Listen to the conversation, moderated by RA's Senior Producer Chloe Lula, in full.

EX.650 Critics' Roundtable [March 2023]

"I don't know what I would do if my life was on the line." In a new audio documentary, female Iranian musicians reflect on the implications of speaking out against the country's misogynistic regime.

On September 16th, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini—from the northwestern Kurdish city of Saqez—was arrested by Iran's morality police for not wearing her headscarf in accordance with the Islamic Republic's clerical standards. The circumstances of her death were suspicious; while authorities deny beating Amini and insisted in a statement that the cause of death was sudden heart failure, eyewitnesses, including women who were detained with Amini, reported that she was severely beaten and that she died as a result of police brutality. The incident sparked a series of protests described by the media as the most widespread in Iran in almost 10 years. 

In honour of International Women's Day, this week's RA Exchange examines the ongoing fight for women's rights in Iran. At the time of this writing, the situation on the ground has escalated, with the government arresting and killing protestors who have spoken out against the country's oppressive policing practices, and even inciting suspected poison attacks against dozens of schoolgirls in the country's capital. According to our guests, women and minorities face more discrimination than ever as the Islamic Republic continues to extend and entrench its grip over Iranian society. "It is this conflict that has to do with the regulation of women's bodies that has been at the core of the Islamic Republic's main agendas," says one interviewee. "By controlling women, they're also somehow solidifying their power within the society."

RA Exchange's Senior Producer Chloe Lula starts this episode with a reflection on RA staff writer Anu Shukla's news piece from last autumn, which documented the protests when they first erupted, before speaking with Iranian musicians Azin Zahedi, Farahnaz Hatam and a third woman who asked to be removed from this episode for fear of her life. They reflect on the repercussions of the protests, the implications for the Iranian diaspora and how music and art can amplify sociopolitical issues—and galvanise communal action and positive change. Listen to the episode in full.

Tracklist:

Jo Johnson - Transience
Jo Johnson - Vigil
Shervin Hajipour - Baraye

EX.651 Source Material: Music and Iran's Fight for Women's Rights

Since the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd, there have been renewed efforts to shine a light on dance music's roots in Black communities. Still, there's a critical need for more Black-forefronted collectives and programmers—as well as more thoughtfully curated and balanced rosters of talent in clubs and festivals—to keep the origins of electronic music alive. 

In comes Brooklyn’s dweller festival, founded in 2019 by Discwoman's Frankie Decaiza Hutchinson, which aims to highlight exclusively Black talent from across the globe. This year’s edition featured a live RA Exchange with Nigerian-British selector OK Williams, who spoke to RA music critic Kiana Mickles about some of the deep-rooted inequities that continue to bar Black artists from contributing to the contemporary dance music landscape. They also discuss Williams’ ascent on the global stage—beginning from her Early Bird residency at NTS and full-fledged touring career post-pandemic—and her first forays into production. This is a lively discussion that includes questions from the audience. Listen to the episode in full.

EX.652 dweller festival with OK Williams

“I actually believe that humans are made for more than what we're currently doing. We just need to switch on parts of our brains that we're not." Funktion One creator Tony Andrews reflects on music and spirituality live from AVA London.

According to visionary sound system designer Tony Andrews, the creator of Funktion One, there’s a spiritual current that unites humanity—and good sound is the first way for us to explore our communal mind.

In this RA Exchange recorded live from AVA London, the founder of one of the best high-end speakers on the market reflects on his experience engaging in the broader, spiritual meaning of music and the universe and how his decision to start Funktion One in 1992 sprung from a desire to help humans connect with each other. Far from being a technical deep dive into loudspeaker design and engineering, this conversation delves into his first forays into the world of sound as well as the broader implications of music and how it can incite a paradigm shift in how we experience the human experience and consciousness. 

Listen to the full, live talk and Q&A moderated by RA contributor Will Lynch.

EX.653 Tony Andrews on Sound Systems and Spirituality

Hardcore, gabba, breakbeat techno, rave—Vivian Host hears from the New Yorker who pioneered them all. 

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?exchange=505

EX.505 Lenny Dee

Talking eternal music with a profoundly moving artist.

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?exchange=508

EX.508 Beverly Glenn-Copeland

What makes community radio so crucial in times of crisis?

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?exchange=513

EX.513 The Hour: The Power Of Radio

One of the UK's essential DJs reflects on the state of dance music and his recent DJ Kicks mix.

For more, visit Resident Advisor: http://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?exchange=519

EX.519 Mr Scruff

The Hyperdub mainstay sits down with Martha Pazienti-Caiden.

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?exchange=524

@ikonika

EX.523 Ikonika

The drum & bass innovator talks through his first album in 14 years.

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?exchange=529

EX.529 Krust

Darren Cunningham talks karma and desire.

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?exchange=532

EX.532 Actress

BBC Radio 1's longest serving DJ celebrates 50 years of broadcasting.

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?exchange=533

EX.533 Annie Nightingale

The Teklife innovator returns with his second album.

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?exchange=534

EX.534 DJ Earl

London's afro house advocate shares his story.

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?exchange=535

@sefkombo

EX.535 Sef Kombo

The House Of Silk founder talks UK garage and the London events landscape.

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?exchange=539

@deejay-s-houseofsilk

EX.539 DJ S

Andrew Mensah speaks to the Touching Bass cofounder for the first in a series of interviews released with Black Minds Matter.

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://ra.co/exchange/541

EX.541 Errol

The Fractal Fantasy cofounder talks Virtua, CGI and Ten Billion Angels.

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://ra.co/exchange/545

@zora-jones

EX.545 Zora Jones

Three contributors share highlights from electronic music in 2021.

For more, visit Resident Advisor: https://ra.co/exchange/547

EX.547 Critics Roundtable

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

Popular tracks by RA Exchange