“Watch out for a great singer from New Zealand called Arjuna Oakes” - Gilles Peterson (BBC Radio 6 Music)

Motel is a song about feeling stuck in life but using that pent up energy to propel yourself into the future. 

"The imagery of being stuck in a shitty motel room just felt like it resonated well. I wanted the groove to feel relentless, and the psychedelic production to hint at the darker themes at play."

The deeply infectious drive of this sleazy and delirious beat, dressed up in the false luxury of fender rhodes and glistening synths is hard to put down - and then comes the twist in the tail. 

"I had recorded a demo years ago and ended up using the vocal take from it because it had a rawness that I loved. We went into the studio to record drums and bass live."

"The second half of the song is my homage to D'Angelo and the Soulquarians who've been a big influence on me. It features some incredible kiwi musicians including Sam Notman on drums, Harrison Scholes on bass, Jo Jenkins on guitar and James Macewan on Trumpet."

Arjuna Oakes is an accomplished singer/songwriter, pianist, composer and producer from New Zealand, currently based in London. Following the release of his debut EP ‘The Watcher’ in 2019, Arjuna has released another six projects all to widespread acclaim. Two EP's ‘First Nights’ and ‘Final Days’ are a collaboration with longtime friend and co-producer Serebii, released by LA-based record label Innovative Leisure (BADBADNOTGOOD, Allah-Las). First Nights debuted at #5 on KCRW's top 30 Albums chart and has had extensive play on BBC6 and BBC1xtra.

Arjuna Oakes' first release on Albert's Favourites is a heady and confident statement that we're sure is going to leave people very excited for what's to come.

Motel

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Arjuna Oakes - Motel

j4 127v4

A new record for the longest RA Podcast ever: Ten hours from the powerhouse duo sweeping techno, Chlär and Alarico.

Both commanding performers in their own right, sparks fly when the Swiss-Italian duo of Funk Assault combine. The buzz surrounding their productions, DJing and their label Primal Instinct is at fever pitch, and short wonder: when it comes to gritty, high-impact sets that barrel through multiple shades of techno, few are in their league right now.

RA.960 was laid down at Watergate this March during a signature Funk Assault marathon. The pair ramp up incrementally, and even before they hit top velocity, you can hear them ripping through records with tenacity and verve. You don't need elbows in your face to tell the place is rocking.

We're informed that ID'ing the set would probably take longer than playing it (fair enough), so no tracklist for this one. Instead, fill in the blanks at your leisure. As well as 150+ BPM stompers and groove wormholes, there's everything from tribal to ballroom, electro to bassbin rattlers, and plenty of classics. 

As an encapsulation of a night out's full arc, RA.960 does the business—and best of all, you won't even need a trip to the bar for water. The gauntlet has been thrown down.

@primalinstinctrecords @funkassault_og @chlaer @alarico_katana

Read more at ra.co/podcast/960

RA Podcast

RA.960 Funk Assault

Brazil 45, number 21: http://www.mrbongo.com/products/azymuth-a-manha-osmar-milito-e-quarteto-forma-america-latina

Azimuth - Manha

Key track from their all-time classic self-titled 1975 LP on Som Livre. Lush percussion laden, rhodes driven jazz-fusion groover.

The legendary trio are one of the most well-known and most loved Brazilian exports, still regularly touring, including dates worldwide.

Most prolific during their time signed to Milestone, where they released 10 LP’s between 1979 and 1988.

Osmar Milito e Quarteto Forma - America Latina

‘America Latina’ is taken from the soundtrack to the Rede Globo soap opera "Selva De Pedra”, released on Som Livre in 1972. A cheerful, upbeat MPB song with a killer chorus drop.

Milito began his career in 1964 artists as Nara Leão, Maria Bethania, Vinicius de Morais, Gilberto Gil, Jorge Ben and Elis Regina amongst others. He worked in the USA with Chico Buarque and Sergio Mendes for several years in the 70’s, also appearing alongside artists including Liza Minelli, Mark Murphy, Spanky Wilson and Sammy Davis Jr.

As sampled on Madvillain ft. M.E.D 'Raid', and featured in the Floating Points  and Fourtet Plastic People mix!

Azimuth - Manha

Waves of pulsing, layered techno from the revered Mala Junta resident.

If the electronic music industry is caught in the crosshairs of a battle over what makes for true techno, then D.Dan is one of the underground's great modern emissaries.

A figurehead from the new guard of DJs to arise in the '20s, the Berlin-based artist and Mala Junta resident is an ambassador for a sound that is strongly anchored in the classic roots of techno. His productions, like his mixes, are revved-up takes on the hypnotic wormholes that defined dance floors last decade, but with a fresh (and high BPM) millennial twist. 

Originally from Seattle, D.Dan became enamoured with the spectral stylings of psych rock and shoegaze in adolescence. It's not difficult to see how the cosmic tapestry of bands like Cocteau Twins became a blueprint for the entrancing music he's gone on to make as an adult. His releases on Mutant Future and summerpup are latticeworks of loops and layered percussion, custom-tooled for lost hours on the dance floor and drawn-out mixes behind the decks. 

This approach directly extends into his DJ practice, where he pairs song selections from contemporaries that mirror his own reduced, controlled approach to techno. RA.994 is a Grade A display of contemporary four-to-the-floor from flagbearers like Roll Dann and Marcal.

And like D.Dan's standalone records, his RA Podcast finds room for sweetness—the intermittent peal of an open clap, the steady ripening of a chord—while ultimately emphasising the beauty of function and form over flair.

@ddan-sounds

Find the full interview and tracklist at ra.co/podcast/994

RA.994 D.Dan

Hessle Audio feat. Ben UFO (Recorded At Sustain Release 2025) - 06 October 2025

Boundary-less club music from Dave Huismans recorded at last year's DGTL Festival. Catch RA taking over the intimate Gain space from March 31st to 1st April with the likes of Honey Dijon, Mall Grab b2b Or:la, Nightmares On Wax and many more: https://www.residentadvisor.net/news.aspx?id=40706

RA Live - 2017.4.15 - A Made Up Sound, DGTL, Amsterdam

Void

Hang On

Broken Hearted Kota

Can of Worms

Flobblebee | Solitary Orbit

DJ and producer dabbling in house, minimal and ambient music. Front left since the 90's 🔈🔈🔈

Flobblebee | Solitary Orbit

Scott Sharp Music

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