96 Back is the kind of prodigious talent that can blow the minds of nascent ravers and anorak-clad old heads at the same time.

Fact Mixes

Fact Mix 815: 96 Back (July '21)

Tracklist: https://bit.ly/joyomix

Read the cover feature: https://bit.ly/joyomixmag

@joy-orbison: "I've been really enjoying DJing again cos it feels like there's some great new music around at the moment. I've just come off a mini tour on the west coast of America and this mix is kind of a snapshot of where my heads at in the clubs right now."

Tracklist

The Cover Mix: Joy Orbison

Skee Mask is one of dance music's greatest crossover stories of the past decade, with new albums greeted with the attention usually reserved for an Aphex Twin or a Caribou. ("Loved seeing this on r/indieheads," said one Reddit user, on the release of the 2021 LP Pool.) It's not hard to understand why: albums like Compro, he blends well-worn dance music tropes with incredible, detailed soundscapes and spine-tingling melodies. And on his 12-inches, he brings that sensibility to the dance floor, with an approach probably best described as articulate. Even on his most ambient of tracks, everything is in its right place. Along with founders the Zenker Brothers, his music outlines everything that makes Munich outfit Ilian Tape one of the best techno labels going.

On the decks, it's kind of a different story. It might surprise you if you only know his albums, but Skee Mask is an incredible DJ, balancing his predilection for hip-hop and UK-informed sounds with laser-focused techno. He can adapt to all sorts of situations—there's an incredible recording of him DJing with four of the best grime and drum & bass MCs in the business—and on his RA Podcast he focuses on the techno side of things, with nearly two hours of pacey techno and creative mixing, with dips into acid, electro, garage and more. It's a party-starting mix from a genuine star, perfect for getting through the holiday doldrums or pre-gaming your NYE plans. Like Skee Mask's best records, it's something to enjoy in any number of settings.

@skeemask-music

Read more at https://ra.co/podcast/864

RA podcast

RA.864 Skee Mask

Born in Santiago, Chile in 1973, Ricardo Villalobos soon fled with his family to Germany following General Pinochet's military coup. While living in Germany, he was exposed to the country's nascent house scene, and soon became involved himself, DJing at at parties as a student. Following a few false starts, Villalobos starting DJing professionally in 1998 and became a figurehead of a nebulous group of artists playing stripped back & minimal house music - a style which dominated European dance music for almost a decade. Following minimal's decline in popularity, Villalobos remains a legendary figure in dance music, famous for marathon length sets full of playful detours and unexpected surprises. 

This In Focus is two hours of music from the crown trickster of house, curated by 150 Session's  ML.

https://www.nts.live/shows/in-focus/episodes/in-focus-ricardo-villalobos-11th-august-2019

In Focus: Ricardo Villalobos

Sweet, shimmering electronics from Derwin Schlecker.  

Tracklisting and download: https://bit.ly/XLR8Rpodcast_GoldPanda

XLR8R Podcast

Tracklist & Download

XLR8R Podcast 796: Gold Panda

Before starting his own label Solar Body, Otik released music on labels like INTERGRADED, Keysound, 3024 and Shall Not Fade, doing his rounds on the imprints that make up a constellation of the UK's most exciting club music. (To keep it simple, we can call it broken techno, but that's not the whole story.) He hails from Bristol, and takes in that city's unique and enduring blend of techno, dub and drum & bass history, but what sets Otik apart is the sense of atmosphere and space in his music. Perhaps RA's Taylor Bratches put it best: "Otik's precise club music floats on a lush, celestial plane." 

You can hear it in his upcoming EP Xoul Trap, where even a straightforward house beat on "Unorthodox" rides an updraft of choral vocals and eerie synths, as if carried by the wind. Otik says his RA Podcast is meant to be a little more straightforward than usual for him, sticking purely to club music, but it's still full of twists, turns, throwbacks (hello, "Router" by Pangaea) and, of course, the melodic and atmospheric qualities that make Otik tick.

@otikmusic

Read more at https://ra.co/podcast/882

RA.882 Otik

For our 905th RA Podcast, we're proud to welcome Goldie, one of the most famous, talented and important electronic music artists of all time. Starting out as a graffiti artist, he eventually made music under the name Rufige Kru, helping push the then-nascent genre of jungle forward with tracks like "Krisp Biscuit (Power)" and "Terminator." The latter was released under the name Metalheads, which would later become the name of his label (with a z instead of an s). Metalheadz—which he cofounded with DJ Storm and the late Kemistry—celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and remains the defining outlet of drum & bass, the genre that grew out of jungle that Goldie helped invent with records like 1995's massive crossover album Timeless (alongside countless other classics). He's a producer, DJ, actor and all-around celebrity, a huge personality in UK electronic music.

Goldie is also RA's guest curator this month, and his tenure starts with this mix. We'll have more to come starting this week—check our editor's letter later today for more information—but for now, here's a survey of drum & bass past and present from a man who helped invent the genre. With plenty of new Metalheadz material plus a healthy dose of older tracks, these two hours lay out the history of Metalheadz, drum & bass and its various subgenres, from twinkling liquid to rumbling techstep. It's the first part of a month celebrating Goldie's legacy, and we can't wait to show you the rest.


@goldie-official

Read more at https://ra.co/podcast/905

RA.905 Goldie

Sounds for unraveling the knot of suffering. 
https://www.nts.live/shows/guests/episodes/crisis-acting-13th-february-2024

CRISIS ACTING 130224

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Swedish producer Seba Ahrenberg has established a reputation as one of the finest purveyors of quality Drum & Bass over a distinguished career that has stretched back over 25 years. With releases on Good Looking Records, Metalheadz, Soul:r, Hospital, Ilian Tape & his own label Secret Operations Seba’s music has retained a timeless appeal. Enjoy!

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