THEYWILLNEVERSEEMETHEYWILLNOTBELIEVEME

www.wakinglife.pt
19 - 24 June 2024

📸 antoine grenez

Anthony Naples at Floresta - Waking Life '23

real

calming xaviersobased type beat (prod. 444jet)

Ivan Smagghe B2b Craig Richards - Recorded at fabric: Andrew Weatherall 60 (06/04/23)

xaviersobased - vibrator (official instrumental)

got a fat bitch ye she nasty
i jus called her fatty and she slap me
an if u gotta favor jus ask me
i dont want ur bitch ye she trashy
runnin from the cops like its track meet
pussy boy mad like he finna blast me
i am not the one dont u try to fukken test me
dat boy think he better but he will not ever best me
im the best version of myself im the best me
pussy boy u not a teacher dont u fucken test me
got his bitch an she love me she j wanna kiss me
now we fukken in the sheets now she sayin “fist me”
pussy boy think he tuff he a fuccen sissy
now he gettin mad ye actin like a sissy
boy u cannot live this life shit can get risky
gotta take what u can get never be picky

nasty prod me

Xaviersobased Type Beat (prod. 444jet) - 7

This podcast was recorded in summer 2012 for clubberia.com  ...special extended version out here!

Clubberia Lawrence Extended Podcast

ivan smagghe at floresta

foto: fofo.altinell

Ivan Smagghe at Floresta - Waking Life '24

The Tartan Records boss and equally boss DJ Wallace signs off on his recent stint down under with a mix packed with deep sea dubs and bumping 00s techy rollers. Based in England, and having previously run a string of club nights in Edinburgh, Wallace is a proud tartan enthusiast with a full tank of punchy dubwise grooves in his sporran, with plenty of nods to his UK roots here over a glorious hour and a bit full of chunky d-floor burners. Let's have it!

@wallacejimmygs

Q. What sounds or feelings did you draw upon when gathering inspiration for this mix, and what listening environments could you imagine it being best enjoyed in?

A. It’s been a pretty bruising winter back here in the UK but we’d just had our first smattering of sunshine when I came to putting this mix together. I think that shift—the changing seasons and the first signs of trees beginning to bloom in my hometown (as pictured)—definitely influenced the first part of the mix. The middle section leans more into the kind of stuff I’d play out, but I wanted to bring things to a softer landing toward the end. There’s certainly an outdoor feel to the selections so maybe a listening environment to match but equally I love music’s ability to transport us from our current states so bang it on indoors and see what happens.

Q. Are there any songs in the mix that you were especially excited to share, and what is it about these tracks that resonate with you so much?

A. There’s a Steve O'Sullivan Dub early on which I recently found & it’s just a gloriously mixed and executed piece of dub techno. Towards the end another recent find by Argentinian producer Federico Molinari which to my ears sounds like a lost 80’s gem but was produced just last year. It's rare to hear a modern producer capture that classic vibe so authentically, without tipping into pastiche.

Q. You were just out here in Australia over the past weekend and from all reports the shows were on point! What kind of directions did you take people in during those sets, and how might the energy of your club sets differ from your mixes? 

A. Yes, so glad to have finally made it out here. Was a real joy to meet some lovely people in your scene and to get the chance to do my thing. Always revel in the challenge of playing in a new country as you’ve got to be on your toes to adapt but stay true to what you’re all about. I truly felt the warm Aussie welcome, so let’s call this mix a little parting gift to tide things over until next time x

MDC.310 Wallace

The first half of RA.996 is Ron Trent's take on luxurious house.

As part of our countdown to RA.1000, a milestone in the 24-year history of RA's weekly mix series, we're switching up the usual format. The next few editions will pair two acts who complement each other's strengths, offering a fresh take on a particular community, scene or style. 

This week, we're zeroing in on Ron Trent and Ash Lauryn, two names who fly the flag high for old-school US house—a foundational pillar of the electronic underground. 

Trent takes the A-side. Hailing from Chicago, the birthplace of house, the pioneer is a master of finding the sweet spot where machine music meets organic instrumentation.  Listen to any DJ set or record in his extensive back catalogue and you'll find a wealth of exquisitely expressive melodies and deep, spiritual frequencies, making him the ideal narrator for any survey on house. (If you've only got a moment, sink into "Morning Factory," nine minutes of perfection.) 

Trent's return to the RA Podcast, 19 years after his debut in 2006, represents his many decades of expertise in fusing funk with gorgeous musicianship under the umbrella of heart-stirring house. Some may call it a masterclass but to us, it's just Trent doing what he does best.

Listened to as a whole, RA.996 is a powerful snapshot of house's elegance, class and most importantly, understated yet innately euphoric joy.

Find the interview and tracklist at ra.co/podcast/997

RA.996 Ron Trent

Introspective mind realignment from the deepest depths, Mike Buhl engages the senses with poise and purpose, lifting the spirit while carefully dialling up the pressure over two-plus hours of tension filled hypnotic techno and soaring interplanetary rhythms. 

@mike-buhl

Q. What sounds or feelings did you draw upon when gathering inspiration for this mix, and what listening environments could you imagine it being best enjoyed in?

A. My inspiration was driven by the urge to showcase lots of artists who have been on heavy rotation over the years. Somewhat cliche, but it was really important to blend genres and energies that represented every aspect of what I listen to, am inspired by alongside how and when they were experienced. Tracks I’ve loved listening to on my own, while entertaining friends, during lock in record nights and those tracks designed to be shared in public spaces and events. 
 
Finding a cohesive path through those different styles, genres and energies was the adventure in this mix. Distilling a sonic mountain of records into something that flowed seamlessly and translated well when listening back in all of those moments felt most authentic. A mix best consumed while moving, sharpening that assignment, at the tail end of a dinner party as the vibe shifts to next gear or while embracing the magic of a lock in with the crew. 

This has translated into snapshots, across a timeline stitched together from records new and old, capturing a weekend drive, early floors through to closed doors, spilling onto the street, the afterhours and beyond. Almost two and a half hours of ambient ear candy, arm chair burners, peak melters and thought provokers that attempt to relive moments and feelings from our past years listening, curating and creating electronic music.

Q. I know you’ve developed a close kinship with some modern pillars of the dub techno scene, mastering and editing .VRIL’s 2025 Edit of his classic tune ‘UV’ and being tasked with closing out his recent Melbourne show. Tell us how that connection came about, and what other studio projects have you got bubbling away that you’re excited to share?

A. I first reached out to .Vril ahead of a past tour to Australia. His music resonated with me so much that I wanted to meet him for a coffee. Since then, we’ve hung out a few times, shared music, and bounced some tracks off each other. It was an absolute highlight, when he asked to be a part of reshaping ‘UV’ and he's kindly returned serve with a remix for my follow up EP, 'Modern Explorer II' on local imprint Denude. We’ve had some very early conversations around a collaboration next time he’s out here and I would really like to continue pushing creativity here.

In the background, I've been spending a good amount of time in my studio. Focusing on creating for myself and helping others. Improving my abilities as a mix engineer has been a big focus and I’ve been fortunate enough to work on a number projects with artists locally and abroad. Whether that be mixing, providing creative direction, arrangement work or mastering. I really love working with others and often find it more enjoyable than working alone. In saying that, I’m building a volume of new music that needs an outlet and will focus on that over the next few months.

MDC.313 Mike Buhl

Michelle emerged from the Uruguayan underground back in 2018. Since then, she's explored the sort of sounds that have made her homeland such a creative hotbed: stripped-back techno, electro and early tech house all collide in her tracks on the likes of My Own Jupiter, CABARET Recordings and, most recently, Element Of Impact. Though designed purely for dancing, they're rich with intriguing textural contrasts between steely metal surfaces, wonky acid lines and sultry synths.

Michelle only plays live, so this week’s mix is a raw, unfiltered one-hour transmission pulled straight from her machines. It’s a rugged ride that grinds through industrial tech, shadowy broken beats and deeper techno. The energy is relentless and the tension is palpable, as if intergalactic warfare lurks just out of sight. The pounding rhythms, strobe-lit grit and sweat-soaked intensity make this a masterclass in pressure and release that's alive, dangerous and keeps you right on the edge.

Dekmantel Mix 495 - Michelle (live)

The German minimal DJ returns to the spotlight with two hours of artfully subtle house and techno.

There's an old German proverb that goes "Der stete Tropfen höhlt den Stein." Literally, it means a constant dripping wears away the stone, but the point isn't about force but patience: slow, steady repetition can leave the deepest mark. It's an apt metaphor for the career of Kosta Athanassiadis, better known as XDB.

Active since the early '90s, first as a DJ and then producer by the decade's end, Athanassiadis has built a career less on hype than persistence. His catalogue spans labels like Dial, Metrolux and Echocord, alongside a steady trickle of EPs and remixes that have quietly cemented his reputation as one of minimal house and techno's undersung heroes.

That patience carries into his sound and production ethos. Where many of his peers embraced software upgrades and new workflows, Athanassiadis has long stuck to Cubase, a handful of trusty instruments and 30-year-old speakers he claims to have run "hundreds of thousands of tunes" through. He also still prefers to use inexpensive, straightforward gear—what matters, he insists, is not the tools but the feel. The result is a sound that’s stripped back, direct and enduring.

Lately, Athanassiadis has found himself back in focus. With minimal enjoying fresh attention, his calendar has filled, and with it a run of back-to-back sets—most often alongside PLO Man, a regular sparring partner this year. True to form, though, you won't find that his style has changed much. Over 30 years after his first gig, you can rest assured you'll still find him playing with patience, carving out long arcs rather than sharp peaks.

His RA Mix captures him in a reflective mood. Running just over two hours, RA.1003 is a hushed yet absorbing affair, moving seamlessly from the delicate atmospherics of Valentino Mora and Caldera to the machine funk of Robert Hood, Solid Gold Playaz and Marcellus Pittman. There are left turns folded into XDB's patient narrative arc, too: John Carpenter's brooding scores here, DJ Sprinkles' melancholic work with Will Long on "Acid Trax N (Acid Dog)" there.

It's the sound of a DJ who has been quietly chiseling away for three decades, and who understands the value of persistence as much as restraint.

@xdb

Find the tracklist and interview at ra.co/podcast/1021

RA.1003 XDB

A closing set is always something special, and here is no exception. Thorgerdur (@thorgerdur-johanna) saw Space out with just over 3 hours of playful progressive wizardry. It’s deep whilst remaining ecstatic, charged; an ode to dancing impulses.

photo by Simon Englyst

Kune Festival 2025: Thorgerdur @ Space Stage

#Wiiup3D #swaggtroublee
Preserving and making the classics

calming xaviersobased type beat (prod. 444jet)

syndcte

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