"Always notice whatever is happening in the background." The acclaimed producer and composer discusses the art of meaningful listening and his latest LP, Silencio.

Moritz von Oswald's legacy as one of the trailblazers of contemporary techno precedes him. The artist's initial claim to fame was his involvement in the duo Basic Channel with Mark Ernestus, a project that formed the dub techno canon in the '90s and is still a primary reference point for many, if not most, modern producers. He was also at the helm of the famous cutting and pressing plant Dubplates and Mastering in Berlin, which has become a home for countless artists over the years.

But on this occasion, Oswald sat down to discuss a more recent project: his LP Silencio on Tresor Records, which came out in November. He talked with RA's senior producer, Chloe Lula, about his lifelong love of  jazz, tapestry, French film, Southern Italian opera and music from Central Asia. He also reflects on his production process—an endless exploration of drama and dynamics. Oswald is fascinated with reducing sound to its most basic elements and broadening the capacity of what the ear can perceive. Most importantly, he's a critical listener, and in the final moments of the episode, he imparts wisdom on how he's learned to keep a conscious ear open to the world around him. Check out the episode in full.

EX.690 Moritz Von Oswald

Underworld dreams with Newworldaquarium 

It was seven or eight years since Newworldaquarium last appeared in Berlin, playing Berghain or Panorama or something like that. In the grace of the artist's movements over the last years however, NWAQ has swayed from house music to something more 'life listening' - with his Wake 'n' Bake show on Mutant Radio a testament to his tastes and styles these days.

Bugged out at the fact that it had been so long since he last visited town, and with such a sound at his finger tips these days, a place in Absurd Lustre was an invite we had been trying to post for a long time. A man who loves his German beers as much as his lush, serene and calming ambient, the legendary Newworldaqaurium set can be described as some kind of technicolour  dream.

Event: https://ra.co/events/1752086
Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/es/artist/8209-Newworldaquarium
Bandcamp: https://newworldaquarium.bandcamp.com/

ALxFW: Newworldaquarium (05.11.23)

Mutant radio 2024

Wake & Bake with NWAQ fm [09.09.24]

Exploration of known places EP

Sendepause - Exploration of known places EP - 01 Deepsea Diver

Donato Dozzy has long been a revered figure in the global electronic music scene, known for his rare ability to craft hypnotic soundscapes that linger in the mind. Whether in contemporary clubs or classical settings, his sets consistently conjure deep moods and immersive atmospheres.

With this being his first mix release in over 5 years, we’re treated to an early insight into what he’ll bring to Continuum on February 1st. 

RA tickets: https://ra.co/events/2051095

051 - Donato Dozzy - fabric podcast

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

Me and Ben thought it would be fun to play a long DJ set together at Globus, the upstairs floor at Tresor in Berlin. 
We last played together (as Frequency 7) in May 2013. This time we played a ‘back to back’ DJ set, I’m pretty sure playing 2 tracks each for the whole six and a half hour set. All we had in mind beforehand was to start with some Dub and ‘see where it goes’. 

It was a lot of fun so we wanted to share the recording with you.



Sendepause - Exploration of known places EP - 01 Deepsea Diver

sendepause

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