Another Barker masterclass.

Sam Barker asks more from techno. The artist known simply as Barker is one of electronic music's most consistently conscientious and curious producers, challenging listeners to question the norms we accept about our shared culture—whether it's the music that fills the room, the process behind it, or the purpose of the space itself.

British-born yet based in Berlin since 2007, Barker forged a connection to many of the city's leading institutions, including Ostgut Ton, and over the course of a long and fruitful relationship, he carved out one of the more singular paths on the club and label's roster.

Not one for orthodoxy, Barker challenged four-to-the-floor techno framework in favor of melodic experimentation. By decentering or completely stripping away the typical trappings of kick drums and claps, his productions are both light and immersive, buoyant in low-end presence and shimmering in weightless space.

Six years after Utility, his sophomore album Stochastic Drift arrives this month. Shaped by pandemic-driven reinvention, it burrows deeper into harmonic twists and freeform drift. "At some point I became conscious of the process," he wrote of his latest album. "The only thing you can do is embrace the uncertainty and see every change as a potential positive.”

Consider his RA Podcast another sequel. Like his much-beloved 2019 mix for FACT, it's a collage of live recordings and a fitting expression of the artist's own internal spring. RA.982 radiates wide-eyed optimism: percussion cloaked in foggy, swirling pads and trance-like chords, neatly synched in synthetic glimmers. 

All in all, it's an hour of music crafted for contemplation, collective euphoria, or heads-down epiphany—or for that matter, any moment, really, its emotive depth seemingly endless.

@voltek

Find the tracklist and Q&A at ra.co/podcast/982

RA.982 Barker

Entuzjasta dobrego przewozu i zapalony digger z Warszawy, wprawiony zarówno w klimatycznych warmupach jak i intensywnych closingach. Regularny punkt programów imprez na Smolnej. Grał również m.in. na Wisłoujściu, LAS Festivalu, w Ciele, Crackhousie, Drugim Domu, CELu i STK47 Warehouse, niosąc ze sobą energetyczne bangery, sprawdzone klasyki i zaginione skarby zapomnianych labeli.

Enthusiast of a good, oldschool ride and a passionate digger, hailing from Warsaw, proficient in both atmospheric warmups and intense closings. A regular part of the event programmes at Smolna.  He also played in such places as Wisłoujście, LAS Festival, Ciało, Crackhouse, Drugi Dom, CEL and STK47 Warehouse, bringing energetic bangers, tested classics and lost treasures of forgotten labels with him.

contact/booking:
instagram: sildekk
mail: sildatkemarek@gmail.com

2025

24.10 TBA Kraków (b2b Mordeaux)
6.09 Smooth Groove @ K-Bar Powiśle, Warszawa
30.08 End of Summer @ Fun Park Płock

14.08 Placebo @ Wynurzenie, Warszawa
9.08 Smolna x Sickdat invites: Kabay @ Smolna, Warszawa
31.07 Iskry @ Huta, Wrocław
19.07 Kotłownia Birthday @ Bałagan, Lublin
28.06 LAS Festival
18.06 Smolna x Sickdat invites @ Smolna, Warszawa
10.05 Smolna: Speedy J @ Smolna, Warszawa
11.04 Gruuv On @ Luzztro, Warszawa (b2b Klamsonic)
4.04 Ledernacht: Vertical Spectrum @ Drugi Dom, Gdynia
28.03 ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U @ Praga Centrum, Warszawa (b2b Mordeaux)
21.03 Kevs B-day Rodeo @ Luzztro, Warszawa
28.02 Warehouse Takeover @ STK47 Warehouse, Kraków
21.02 Luzztro, Warszawa (b2b vakkum)
15.02 Theia Crush: frazi.er @ Smolna, Warszawa
25.01 Luzztro, Warszawa (b2b Musiał)
17.01 Gruuv On @ Luzztro, Warszawa (b2b Mordeaux)
10.01 Rodeo @ Luzztro (All Night Long, b2b Mordeaux 8h)

2024

31.12 NYE 24H @ Smolna, Warszawa
31.12 Sylwestrowa Klubodomówka @ Luzztro, Warszawa
21.12 Citadel x Techno WIR pres. Sickdat @ Sekta Selekta, Kraków
20.12 Pod Napięciem @ Luzztro, Warszawa
6.12 WiREFRAME pizzaiolo © ver. 2.00.2 @ Pizzaiolo, Warszawa
23.11 NEED 4 SPEED @ K-Bar Powiśle, Warszawa
16.11 21 Urodziny Luzztro @ Luzztro, Warszawa (b2b Kaj Garage)
10.11 Strefa Ruchu Bday Bash @ Pizzaiolo, Warszawa
2.11 Lust Supper: This is Hedoween @ Praga Centrum, Warszawa
12.10 Escape from Luzztro @ Luzztro, Warszawa (All Night Long, b2b Trans Timmermans, 10h)
21.09 Luzztro, Warszawa (All Night Long, 8h)
7.09 Smolna: Carla Roca @ Smolna, Warszawa
31.08 CEL goes HARD @ CEL, Katowice
17.08 Szepty: 36h Summer Rave (b2b Trans Timmermans) @ REJS, Warszawa
2.08 8. Urodziny Tamki @ Wyspa Tamka, Wrocław
27.07 Mystic Dance Music Alternative Festival @ Tychy
26.07 Czwórka Polskie Radio
6.07 Strefa Ruchu @ Smolna, Warszawa
28.06 Warehouse Takeover @ STK47 Warehouse, Kraków
2.05 BREAKY DELIGHT vs TECHNO FLIGHT @ K-Bar Powiśle, Warszawa
29.03 Smolna: Nastia @ Smolna, Warszawa
14.03 Smooth Groove @ K-Bar Powiśle, Warszawa
17.02 Przewóz @ NoceKrk, Kraków
10.02 After na Smolnej @ Smolna, Warszawa
2.02 Genderfluid @ Luzztro, Warszawa (b2b Chrupky, All Night Long)
13.01 Smolna: Wallis @ Smolna, Warszawa

2023

31.12 NYE @ Smolna, Warszawa
30.12 genderfluid: prologue @ Luzztro, Warszawa (b2b Chrupky)
9.12 Zmień Znajomych @ CEL, Katowice
8.12 Luzztro, Warszawa
1.12 Smolna, Warszawa
5.11 LAST_AFTER Undercity 2023 @ Smolna, Warszawa
27.10 Mocno Techno x Kotłownia @ Paradox, Lublin
14.10 Secret Object Reactivation @ Willa, Łódź (b2b Mordeaux)
7.10 Smolna, Warszawa
9.09 Drugi Dom, Gdynia
8.09 Youngblood birthday @ CEL, Katowice (b2b MPE)
2.09 Sadzimy Techno Las
1.09 The X Festival
14.08 TRZECH KRÓLI @ Samo Centrum, Warszawa
28.07 Luzztro on Tour @ Płock
23.06 Smolna: Tommy Holohan, KRTM @ Smolna, Warszawa
10.06 Willa @ Łódź (b2b Zimnygrzyb)
9.06 Młoda Krew @ Crackhouse, Gdańsk
31.05 Smolna New Faces @ Smolna, Warszawa
14.05 Ultimate Sunday chāos. @ K-Bar Powiśle, Warszawa
6.05 - Acid Smile @ Luzztro, Warszawa
5.05 - Warehouse Takeover @ STK47 Warehouse, Kraków
28.04 - GRUWIONE MOCNE vol. 1 @ Czeska Sauna, Łódź
9.04 - Ciało: Początek @ Ciało, Wrocław
1.04 - Pogotowie Techno × Duna pres. CONCEPTUAL @ Fabryka Biedermanna, Łódź (b2b Mordeaux) 
24.03 - Smolna, Warszawa
17.03 - Techno Azyl @ Łódź (b2b Zimnygrzyb)
17.02 - DOMÓWKA KOLEKTYWZAKŁADAMY&OG BDAY @ Amnezja, Łódź
11.01 - Nie Bój się Elektroniki @ Luzztro, Warszawa

2022

12.11 Fast Mood Co Fire @ Luzztro, Warszawa
22.10 Pogotowie Techno // Warszawska Izba Przyjęć @ Przyjaźń, Warszawa
17.10 After Before @ Luzztro, Warszawa
23.09 danse des âmes | WE ARE THE CIRCUS @ Przyjaźń, Warszawa
10.09 7 Urodziny Czacha Dymi @ Czacha Dymi, Warszawa
26.08 Break - Rave Souls @ Przyjaźń, Warszawa
19.08 Wisłoujście
5.08 - 2WIEŻE W RAVE PNTR BDAY - WE ARE THE CIRCUS @ 2 Wieże, Warszawa
15.07 - [Secret Location]
1.07 - Naparzanie @ Czeska Sauna, Łódź (b2b HOXYN)
13.05 - Metaverse Rave Party @ Oaza VR, Warszawa
2.04 - Mgnienie @ Przyjaźń, Warszawa
14.01 - No Sleep Sessions Versus @ Luzztro, Warszawa (b2b PAD)

2021

6.11 - Lust Supper @ Odessa, Warszawa
15.10 - Mgnienie @ Przyjaźń, Warszawa
9.07 - banquet. @ Ordona 2a, Warszawa

Expression
noun
/ɪkˈspreʃ.ən/
act of saying what you think or showing how you feel using words or actions

A place for artists to express themselves through sounds, harmonics and melodies.

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RA.982 Barker

Resident Advisor