Presented by Pittsburgh Track Authority and The Loud Minority
Recorded October 18, 2014 live at Hot Mass. 

Theo Parrish - Live at Hot Mass Pittsburgh - 10/18/2014 - Part 1

"It was so difficult to become someone." The house hero talks about Chicago's competitive scene, developing a sound and letting go of his ego. 

Theo Parrish is one of dance music's most influential DJs and producers. Raised in Chicago, he's become synonymous with slow-burning, immersive grooves and sets that mix classics with obscurities. He began DJing in 1986 aged 13, eventually earning a degree in sculpture and moving to Detroit, where he hit his stride as an artist and became a member of the collective Three Chairs alongside Moodymann, Rick Wilhite and Marcellus Pittman. He also started the label Sound Signature, which uses the language of soul, jazz, disco, Chicago house and Detroit techno.

A few months ago, Resident Advisor teamed up with London institution fabric to host Parrish for an eight-hour set—his first time playing the club. While he was in town, he also spoke with CDR's Tony Nwachukwu. In the Exchange, Parrish talks about the intensely competitive scene he grew up in. He DJ'd for 13 years before he was ever paid or had his name billed on a lineup. It took years of passion and hard work to break out of his local scene and build the career he's become known for. 

"At five years, you're dealing with the technical part [of DJing], at ten it's finding your sound and at 15 it's dealing with the ego of it all," he says. "It's not until much later that you actually start to play for and with people."

Parrish also reflects on the ongoing dearth of diversity in the dance music industry and posits whether some of the most popular music in the US—such as trap—reinforces counterproductive racial stereotypes. He asks: did house music ultimately survive because it left where it originally came from? Listen to the episode in full. -Chloe Lula

EX.763 Theo Parrish

A memorable all night set at London's Night Tales Loft 
Big thank you to all the dancers!

Move D @ NT-Loft London 2025-02-21

HUNEE live from Giant Steps at GALA'22. 

A precious recording lifted from our archives ahead of Ten Years of GALA.

HUNEE live from GALA '22

Kiosk and The Lot Radio proudly team up for a three-day broadcast from the Moon Ra stage at Horst Festival, highlighting the vibrant music scenes of New York and Brussels at one of Europe’s renowned festivals.

instagram.com/musclecars.nyc

www.kioskradio.com
www.thelotradio.com
www.horstartsandmusic.com

musclecars | Kiosk Radio x The Lot Radio at Horst Festival 2025

Marcellus Pittman: 18th June '25

For RA.1000, we take it back to the source with two never-before-heard tapes from Frankie Knuckles's private collection

There is no house music without Frankie Knuckles, literally or figuratively. The queer icon's luxurious DJ sets at Chicago's Warehouse gave a rising movement its name. From there, countless offshoots splintered and travelled the globe. But what did the genesis and growth of the sound really feel like?

The Godfather of House left behind not only timeless records, but personalised cassettes with hand-drawn liner notes handed out to friends and family. Two of those, dated to 1989 and 1996, have been digitised especially for RA.1000. (Thank you to the Frankie Knuckles Foundation.)

To put that in context: the first tape predates not only many of today's active clubbers, but the entire existence of jungle, drum & bass, UK garage, French touch, Jersey club, Afrobeats, IDM, baile funk, hardcore, footwork, dubstep, dub techno, tech house, breaks, minimal, maximal, gqom, gabber, grime and hyperpop.

In short… that's a very, very long time ago. The world of dance music was much smaller. DJ culture was functionally unrecognisable from the one we see in 2025. 

And yet, to some degree, what you'll hear on RA.1000 hasn't changed at all. It's a capture of not only what made Frankie Knuckles one of the beloved pioneers of first-generation dance music, but what draws people to club culture in the first place.

The mood on these Frankie Knuckles sets outlasts even its creator: a spirit of optimism that floods the world's best dance floors and keeps dance music pulsing on into the future, nearly 40 years later, in spite of it all. We end our 1000th mix celebrations here because it all starts there.

Find the tracklist at ra.co/podcast/1018. Listen to all RA.1000 mixes, as well as the complete history of the RA Podcast, at https://1000.ra.co

RA.1000 Frankie Knuckles

One of house music's true originals, Maurice Fulton, graces the RA Podcast with a mix that connects the dots between soul and experimental electronics.

RA.021 Maurice Fulton

A Detroit favourite plays his favourite house records.

RA.278 Mike Huckaby

Harvey Sarcastic Disco Volume 2

House, techno, electro and all other assorted leftfield records — is there anything Optimo cannot do? Listen back to these Dekmantel regulars simply being at their best once again.