Regis and Function's first mix in over 10 years is a unique paean to Silent Servant, heavy on unreleased material.

When it came time for RA to compile our Albums of the 2010s, one record with a tauntingly limited availability of 500 copies was never in doubt: Sandwell District's era-defining 'Feed-Forward'. Encompassing Karl O'Connor (Regis), Peter Sutton (Female), David Sumner (Function) and Juan Mendez (Silent Servant), Sandwell District had the underground in a vice grip for over a decade.

The collective imploded in 2013, with Sumner and O'Connor's relationship appearing beyond repair. And yet, an unlikely second phase is here, featuring imminent comeback LP 'End Beginnings' and their return to the RA Podcast after 16 years. In 2023, the trio of Function, Regis and Silent Servant had been performing and laying down new material before the latter's shock death last January. It's in the shadow of loss that this unique mix was forged.

Founded in 2002 as a spiritual sister to seminal Downwards, Sandwell truly began to hit its straps in the late '00s, as shadow-stalking cuts sliced through clubland orthodoxy like a switchblade. In parallel, the label's artwork—a noir recombination of Burroughs cut-ups, DIY zines and arthouse amour that Silent Servant made his own—helped fortify a movement which placed an aesthetic premium on grit, grain and sadism.

By the early 2010s, this fixation on the dark arts had utterly permeated the mood inside techno's masonic temples. Labels like Blackest Ever Black, Stroboscopic Artefacts, Avian and Modern Love were in their pomp, razorwire legends like Severed Heads and Chris & Cosey benefited from second winds, and it was briefly a jailable offence to not have a press photo in black and white. 'Feed-Forward' was the exceptional coronating statement.

RA.978 features a stack of unheard recordings from each of the trio, as well as close allies Stefanie Parnow and Tropic of Cancer, while also gathering many of Silent Servant's all-time favourite songs, including Psychic TV, Grace Jones and Galaxie 500. It's a strikingly vulnerable listen, one without many parallels on the Podcast. We're glad to run it. – Gabriel Szatan

Read more and find the tracklist here: ra.co/podcast/978
Read our new feature with Sandwell District here: https://ra.co/features/4426

RA.978 Sandwell District

@garcon at Waking Life 2024, 23h - 02h after L.B. Dub Corp and before Vlada at Floresta <3

ani/live Sixty Seven: garçon @ Waking Life

Utrecht's Vand delivers an elegant mix comprised entirely of unreleased work from the artist and ISOTOOP curator (including several yet-unearthed collaborations with close contemporaries & label favorites) alongside selections from his recently released Trialism EP. Vand's mix envelops as it unfolds, an eidetic, dawn-hued journey of carefully kinetic sound, showcasing a true craftsman in top form and offering a captivating glimpse at the future to come. Thanks Viktor!

@vandmusic

Artwork by Angelina Nikolayeva.

Sure Thing Mix 138: Vand

Room 303 ・三○三号室 
https://instagram.com/room303radio

16:00-18:00 JST
2025/03/18

The resident DJs of the new new techno mecca “Bassiani”, HVL and Kvanchi are currently on tour in Japan. Unique world based on a thick groove that traverses intricate genres unfolds at 303.

HVL @hvl
Kvanchi @kvanchi
BASSIANI @bassiani

https://instagram.com/evilgap
https://instagram.com/kvanchi.tiff
https://instagram.com/basssiani

@ WPÜ HOTEL SHINJUKU 
https://wpu-shinjuku.com

Bassiani presents… HVL & Kvanchi

The next Dekmantel mix is a wild melting pot of dark, murky techno grooves by @mattikk. A pillar of the Amsterdam underground, the Garage Noord resident has a long history of DJing in the city and is closely connected to your favorite techno labels. He’s the mind behind Delsin Records' Mantis series, collaborating with artists like Forest Drive West, Konduku, Lemna, and Dino Sabatini.

Drawing on UK sound system culture, his selections always carry an experimental edge, whether diving into deep Italian techno or ambient. Usually, he crafts mixes for immersive listening pleasure, but here he makes a rare turn to the dance floor, inspired by his closing set on the UFO2 stage at last year's Dekmantel Festival. Over an hour of powerful, driving grooves and subtle details, sprinkled with new tunes and some personal favorites that span low-end-heavy electro and broken beats.

Tracklist/
Dasha Rush - 100 Hearts
O.utlier - Evoparation 
Tammo Hesselink - Harbour Launch
R-010 - Exhaust Pipes (Absis Remix)
Amotik - Iktalis
Kon Janson - Unbound Perspective 
Saku Niamh - Unreleased 
Roseen - Separation
Stenny - Hazy Grove
CAIV - Shimmer 
Broken English Club - Ghost
Konduku - Unreleased Remix
Agonis - Unreleased
James Ruskin - Lahaine (O/V/R Remix)  
Konduku - Unreleased
Firn - Rakaposhi
Vand - Futureshock
Gez Varley - Purgę
DJ Slip - Spice
VC-118A -  Unreleased
Carrier - 2 Slow
Kellen303 - Pinehearse
Fret - Stuck

Dekmantel Mix 486 - Mattikk

slow paced electronics by konduku and mattikk.

https://www.instagram.com/konduku
https://www.soundcloud.com/kondukukonduku

Konduku & Mattikk @ The Lot Radio 04-18-2025

At 3AM on January 1st, Dutch Producer, DJ and De Lichting co-founder @humanspacemachine took us on a trippy techno journey.

Human Space Machine Live @NYE 2025

There’s a rhythm to how the festival unfolds. Thursday opens slowly, almost like a breath in. By Friday night, the pulse is stronger, but not too heavy. Monument festival had settled into its rhythm, and Kia and Polygonia stepped into the wooden dj-booth together.

The forest floor was vibrating, the crowd fully present. Their set matched the moment—playful, warm, and alive. It felt like Friday was always meant to sound like this. Varden became their playground.

This was more than a strong back-to-back. Two years earlier, they met here, both playing solo, both part of the Monument line-up for the first time. This night marked an anniversary of their friendship. From solo artists to close friends, now creating something special together.

Follow:
https://soundcloud.com/kia-sydney
https://www.instagram.com/kiasvs/

https://soundcloud.com/polygonia
https://www.instagram.com/_polygonia_/


Monument Festival 2024 : Kia b2b Polygonia

Mechanical Evolution

Break It Down 3000

Deep Temptations! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥26/5/25

Alone

三〇三号室

Community radio based in Shinjuku, Tokyo

Broadcasting live from WPÜ hotel
https://wpu-shinjuku.com/

Bassiani presents… HVL & Kvanchi

Room 303 Radio

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