Recording of Batu B2B Donato Dozzy (the secret B2B) at Aura, Draaimolen Festival 2023, Day 1.

Batu B2B Donato Dozzy at Draaimolen Festival 2023

Kaleidoscopic psychedelia from one of Australia's finest.

While it might feel early to call bets on DJs of the decade, Kia Sydney, best known as Kia, is undoubtedly one of them. The Animalia founder began in Naarm's (Melbourne) underground scene in the mid-2010s, crediting a trip to the influential deep techno Japanese festival, Labyrinth, as the inspiration behind her sound.

Deep techno might not cut it as a descriptor for Sydney's sound, though. Hypnotic ribbons of steely techno mix with atmospherics and nimble grooves, drawing from IDM, dub and tech house, sharing as much with DJ Nobu and Donato Dozzy (try to find the track that overlaps with Dozzy's own RA Podcast) as well as modern practitioners like Priori and Beatrice M.

This distinctly Australian scuttling psychedelia has made Kia one of the most sought-after underground DJs globally. Her brainchild, Animalia, showcases a plurality of sounds and scenes, serving as living proof of the fruitful shift of the 2020s: less serious, perhaps, but with a sense of open-minded worldliness that offers a far more promising vision of what dance music can be and achieve.

Sydney's rare talent lies in forging connections, bringing people, sounds and ideas together with a distinct playfulness. Her RA Podcast showcases this alchemy in abundance, weaving classics like Monolake and Enya with peers such as OK EG, Cousin and Command D.

As she told us in her 2023 Breaking Through profile, "people tell me I have quite a distinctive sound but I can't tell so much because I hear so many different versions of it." RA.973 serves as confirmation that Kia's style is, to say the least, the mark of a generational talent.
 
@kia-sydney @animalia-label  @cirruslabel

Read more at ra.co/podcast/973

RA.973 Kia

We are very happy to present @jasminhoek for the next Nous’klaer Radio! The label favourite, both in DJ sets and productions, gave us the perfect start of the week with her new recording. Get to know her better through the small Q&A here below. Big thanks to Jasmín!

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴/𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴?
I started practicing DJing at the end of 2015, and had my first real gig in early 2017. I got Ableton in 2019, but didn’t get to spend a lot of time with it until the pandemic. So, it’s been 10 years (!) since I started DJing this year, and 5 years since I started producing.

𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲/𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼?
I think there were several tracks, but two tracks that stand out for techno specifically are Rrose’s Waterfall and Blawan’s Vibe Decorium. I remember being blown away when I first heard them on YouTube. They're still among my favorite producers, and I play those tracks quite regularly.

𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆?
As soon as the first rays of sun hit, I get sucked into late 1960s and early 1970s music.
Ann Peebles – I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down (this whole album is such a masterpiece)
Jefferson Airplane – White Rabbit
Jimi Hendrix – Foxey Lady

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲?
I’m a huge nerd when it comes to fashion and fashion history. I actually wanted to work in fashion as a kid/teen before I got sucked into music. I must say, for creativity, fashion is still my biggest source of inspiration. I really admire the crafts of sewing, designing, and working with fabric. Of course, like in any creative industry, there are plenty of things to be critical about as well, but the creativity and world-building behind certain fashion shows or editorials is magic to me.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗝𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘀?
Specifically for DJing, I’d say go to clubs early, see how a club night evolves, and learn what makes a good flow for the night/event. Listen to a lot of opening sets to learn how to build up a set. It takes time to learn what it’s like to play on a club sound system, so opening sets are great for easing into it. If you can do a good opening set, you can definitely slam it out later during the night. That said, this might be a hot take, but I think DJing should start as your hobby, and could then eventually turn into your job. If mixing, digging, collecting, or deep diving into music isn’t something you’d do if you weren’t paid for it, it’ll be hard to stick with it. Try not to monetize your hobbies right from the start.

Nous'klaer Radio #39 - Jasmín

Next up on the GROOVE Resident Podcast are LNS (@lauransparrow) and DJ Sotofett (@sophatmixes), resident DJ's of Tresor's Globus floor. Go to https://bit.ly/GrooveRP64 for interview and track list.

GROOVE Resident Podcast 64 – LNS & DJ Sotofett

Hex Code #4E3A69 by Aza

Erik Luebs makes his debut at The Lot Radio with a genre-blurring set that reflects his unique sonic world. 

https://www.instagram.com/erikluebs
https://www.soundcloud.com/erikluebs



Erik Luebs (live) @ The Lot Radio 08-02-2025

Haruka x Craig Gonzalez opened the Dance Room at I.T. presents The Bunker, May 26, 2025, Day 3 of Return to the Source, at Tangent, Detroit.

Craig Gonzalez – @craig-gonzalez:

It's one thing to hop on the decks with someone during peak time at a party in a packed room like the first time Haruka and I played together in NYC but it's another to open a party during the last leg of RTTS weekend. So we started talking about the set a couple of months beforehand, but nothing really prepares you until you're in the middle of RTTS weekend itself. We were texting and chatting about the setup and direction throughout the weekend and eventually landed on keeping things a little funky and fun.  Playing with someone with a similar approach to DJing and also range really made the set feel so effortless for me and I feel that cohesion and the fun we had translated quite well to those that were in attendance.


Haruka – @haruka_ptc:

2023, Good Room (Brooklyn)
We were both booked to play a Bunker party that night and with an hour left before our room was about to shut down, I asked Craig to jump on for an unplanned B2B.  Craig had already set the room up with a deep, super-diverse selection and then vibe in our room was so good, I will never forgot it. So when IT asked us to do it again we got hyped.

RTTS, Detroit
Our slot opened the last day of the three-day marathon, and other parties were running in the daytime too, so it felt like one long 72-hour session. Craig also played Movement. It was my first time in Detroit, so I wandered around, popped into a bunch of events, but spent every night back at Tangent Gallery with Craig—talking, listening to other artists, and getting a real feel for the room. That helped us lock in the vibe and refine the ideas we’d been tossing around for months.

The set
Two words kept coming up: funky and fun (maybe sexy too). I played only a few recent tracks but most were older finds with some electro slipped in naturally. In hindsight the whole thing was a back-and-forth between electro and deep, psychedelic techno, with extra flavours layered on top.




IT Podcast

IT.podcast.s14e06: Haruka x Craig Gonzalez

started making music again, but now electronic. Enjoy the shit show of complicated noises

Shit show 2 (206 BPM)

Controlled chaos from a sonic daredevil.

Read more here: https://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?id=627

Resident Advisor podcast

RA.627 Traxx

The first-ever DJ set from a key Detroit live act.

Read more here: https://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?id=652

RA.652 Ectomorph

https://www.discogs.com/fr/artist/969-Scion

RA.652 Ectomorph

Resident Advisor

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