"Working my ass off, to be honest," is how Eli Escobar starts our interview  below. That basically sums up his vibe. The New Yorker might not have the same household name status of other DJs who have been soundtracking Manhattan clubs since the early '90s, but he certainly deserves it. Any New York resident worth their salt should have him near the top of the list of their favorite local DJs. He plays anywhere and everywhere in the city, and he can play pretty much anything he wants to, as his RA Podcast will attest.

When it comes to his own music, Escobar puts out records equally informed by disco, hip-hop and house—in other words, a very New York sound. He hasn't been producing as long as he's been DJing, but his albums and EPs for labels like Classic, Night People and Razor N Tape are full of the soul, humor and talent of someone who knows dance music inside out.

As Escobar says below, he doesn't really have any one type of sound. His DJing varies greatly from night to night, and he's always adding to his considerable collection, so no one set is quite the same as another. For his RA Podcast, put together painstakingly with many specially edited tracks and recorded in a hotel room in Colombia, he strikes a relatively reflective tone, but it's still eminently danceable. He moves gradually through two hours of house and disco that ranges from celebratory to muted, from minimalist to rich with live instrumentation. It's the sound of New York dance music as passed through generations, from one of its best and most beloved musical storytellers.

@eliescobar

Read more: https://ra.co/podcast/839

RA podcast

RA.839 Eli Escobar

For our RA2122 series, we've been focusing on dyed-in-the-wool DJs paying tribute to the places that were most important to them. But what if you're an electronic music superstar and you didn't necessarily get your musical education in a club? That's how we come to Marie Davidson, a Canadian artist who counts among the world's most engaging and electrifying live performers, mixing techno with electroclash and post-punk for a sound that feels familiar but totally new at the same time. In 2019, she announced she was retiring from live club music, and then formed a band with fellow Montreal scenesters. But on her RA Podcast, she returns to dance music with a cannonball-sized splash.

To hear her tell it, Davidson only became interested in DJing recently—she's only been doing it for a few months. It's a new way for her to explore club music and also pay tribute to the artists she loves, without putting her whole self out there in the same way required of live performances.

But you could never tell that Davidson is new to DJing. Her RA Podcast is  a masterpiece of modern techno building and pacing, dipping into straight-up trance several times in a way that reminds us of Sasha's legendary Global Underground 013: Ibiza mix CD, with an hour of steady tension rewarded with one hell of a melodic payoff. She sounds like she's ready to play at some of the world's best clubs, proof positive you don't need to have the usual backstory to be an excellent DJ.

@mariedavidson_official

Read more at https://ra.co/podcast/857

RA.857 Marie Davidson

With what was mostly a full and fruitful year for us with many beautiful moments, we now turn our eyes forward to what is looking to be a very exciting year for us at Phonica as we walk into our 20th year of being alive. 2022 saw our mix series get even more killer contributions from artists like Paramida, Sally C, Fred P, Eden Burns, Alex Kassian, Erol Alkan and more. 2023's series line up plans to keep moving up and we have opened this years mix season in the capable hands of two of the finest DJ/Producers doing it right now. Bringing nothing but powerful, euphoric and goddess energies it can only be Octo Octa and Eris Drew of T4T Luv NRG. Amazingly celebrated for their strand of psychedelic, rolling progressive, trancey-house and break rhythms we can't think of two better selector's to take on our series. With an excellently curated compilation and mix for our good friends at Fabric last year as well as two banging cassettes on T4T we can't begin to imagine what this year has in-store for Maya and Eris but we have no doubt it's even more on the upward trajectory! Most likely to the heavens and back! We had a chat with Maya and Eris to see what they have been up to lately and little about how they approached the mix.

Interview Here

Phonica Mix Series 103: Octo Octa & Eris Drew

All Night Long in London (DJ Mix) Dec 2023

Was a pleasure to have Massi as a guest on my Dublab show this month; here is the full recording. Enjoy!

Dublab 02/05/25: Hearing Color w/ Massimiliano Pagliara

John Talabot @ MakingTime 2024

The Wasp - WOD mix April 2025

In an era of everything at once, Gabrielle Kwarteng is a DJ who weaves stories that often look to the past, while always focusing on possible futures. Dip in to hear a range of dance music from downtempo to deep house to techno rollers - and everything in between.  
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/gabrielle-kwarteng/episodes/gabrielle-kwarteng-16th-may-2025

Gabrielle Kwarteng 160525

Buy 1 Get 10 Free

[FREE] Rema x Shallipopi Afrobeat Instrumental – OYA OYA

House music for the end of summer.

Read more: https://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?id=535

@kornel


RA.839 Eli Escobar

Resident Advisor