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

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]

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]

In a way, every Critics' Roundtable episode feels like a time capsule. Each month, the show documents the tracks and talents on the personal playlists of RA staffers, serving as a snapshot of the musical zeitgeist at the time. On this edition, staff writer Kiana Mickles, software engineer Alex Wanyoike and senior writer Nyshka Chandran outline their most listened to records from the past three months and noteworthy artists in their respective cities.

Discussing Kelela's long-awaited return from a long hiatus, the trio note how her new single marks a departure from her earlier club-oriented cuts. Moving onto the production duo of Abdul Raeva, whose heavy-hitting style brought back memories of the '90s UK label Orbital Records, the conversation gets into the ever-evolving palette of rave music. Djoser in Washington, DC, is more percussive techno than pure rave but he's a key US name who's leading the way for innovative club music and his dextrous drum work on his latest EP, Expand, gets a mention here.

Shifting gears, the trio go on to describe some of their favourite local acts such as Damo B, a Manchester veteran with an extensive radio career. River Moon in New York also wins praise for breaking the mould of "techno stoicism," a term that describes when artists take themselves far too seriously.

For more details on artists to watch and the trio's favourite RA's mixes of the year, listen to the conversation.

EX.630 Critics' Roundtable [October 2022]

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]

"Dance music artists are creating in an environment where they can be more outspoken about their queerness, which means that their work becomes extensions of their queerness." RA's critics discuss expressions of gender and sexuality in the underground scene during this month's roundtable.

Each month, Resident Advisor reviews a number of standout EPs, albums and singles, but there are some that resonate with us more than others. In this episode, our in-house music critics Andrew Ryce and Kiana Mickles join RA's Senior Producer, Chloe Lula, in a deep dive into the releases that they considered to be the most noteworthy from this month: Surgeon's new LP, Crash Recoil; Fever Ray's much-anticipated new full length, Radical Romantics; and I. JORDAN and SHERELLE's split two-tracker. 

Beyond just assessing the music itself, we also debate bigger questions that these works raise. We discuss how some of this month's music invokes themes of love, romance and desire—which are relatively new to the electronic music underground; how representations of queerness are shifting in the contemporary music landscape; and the perennial pop-electronic music crossover, which has defined the contours of the last few weeks' worth of releases yet again. Listen to the conversation in full. 

This week's intro and outro music, "Transience," was composed by Jo Johnson.

EX.654 Critics' Roundtable [March 2023]

"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]

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