A rare, revealing interview with the long-time Circoloco resident.

For many years, Andrew Grant was one of Circoloco’s most ubiquitous DJs. He landed on the White Isle in the summer of 2001, having spent a few months in Sheffield, England, DJing whenever and wherever he could. Yet, in spite of his widespread public appearances, Grant’s personal accounts of his past are little known given his reclusive character—until now. 

For this week’s exchange, host Marcus Barnes engaged in a candid conversation with Andrew Grant about his experiences grinding in the clubbing Mecca, teaching lacrosse in the northern UK and even working briefly as DC10's light technician.

Raised in Baltimore, Grant’s first musical memories involved listening to Baltimore club radio stations late at night. Back then, he wasn’t allowed to listen to radio, so he’d have to do so quietly and away from prying ears. He recalls catching the Basement Boys remix of the Crystal Waters club classic, “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless),” on MTV, feeling inspired by the fact these artists on the TV were from his hometown.

When Grant first began DJing in 1988, he was spinning hip-hop records at house parties and in basements across the city. “I had a box of records and a decent pair of headphones,” he tells Barnes. “I felt like I was doing the right thing.” 

It wasn’t until a visit to NYC club Twilo in the mid-’90s that he really began to engage with dance music. A few years down the line, in Ibiza, Grant caught his first big break—he was invited to play a Thursday morning after party at DC10. Not long after, he was playing primetime slots on a Monday at Circoloco, before becoming the first American resident of the iconic Ibiza brand when he was just 24-years-old.

EX.594 Andrew Grant

"My real gift is arrangement." William Orbit opens up on his 40-year career. 
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Born in Hackney, London, in 1956, Orbit has been writing, producing and arranging music for four decades. With almost 1,200 credits to his name on Discogs, his vast and varied body of work spans classical, pop and electronic. He produced for some of pop music's most seminal artists—Madonna, All Saints, Blur, Robbie Williams, Pink—as well as being, as his interviewer Matt McDermott explains, "one of the most prolific electronic music remixers of the '90s." He released 11 solo albums and seven collaborative albums—as part of Torch Song, Strange Cargo and Bassomatic—and founded Guerilla Studios in the '80s, working with artists like Cabaret Voltaire and Gary Numan. In 1995, Orbit released the Pieces In A Modern Style LP, which paved the way for musicians like Nils Frahm and Jon Hopkins, who bring together classical arrangements with electronic production in revelatory ways. 

The journalist Kate Hutchinson described Orbit as "the Mark Ronson or Jack Antonoff of his day." But as this conversation with RA highlights, Orbit is once again enjoying his day. Having, in his own words, "spent 20 years becoming disengaged," he has just put out his first solo release in seven years—the Sunbeam EP on Anjunadeep—and things are feeling good. "I know how to have fun," he said. 

In conversation with McDermott, Orbit shares stories about his fascinating career, how to make a great record, working with Madonna and how to stay relevant in a fickle industry.  


Tracklist:
William Orbit - Diso [Anjunadeep]
William Orbit - Wordsworth [Anjunadeep]

@williamorbit

EX.596 William Orbit

Nik Colk Void's new LP, Bucked Up Space, is her ninth studio album, but her first as a solo artist. 

Based in Norfolk, Void is an electronic musician and analogue synthesiser virtuoso who forms part of both Factory Floor and Carter Tutti Void (with Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti of pioneering industrial group Throbbing Gristle). Her work has been released on iconic labels like DFA, Mute and Throbbing Gristle's Industrial Records, and in late 2017 she released 33 33, a collaborative record as NPVR with the late Peter Rehberg of Editions Mego. 

In this week's Resident Advisor Exchange, Void talks about her relationship with Rehberg and how her confidence grew significantly through their working together. Without him, she explains, she may not have found the voice and the language she was looking for to put out her own full-length record. It is fitting and meaningful, therefore, that on April 8th, Bucked Up Space came out on Editions Mego.  

In conversation with RA writer Katie Thomas, Nik Colk Void discusses her album, the process of mastering analogue synths, the art and value of collaboration and affirming performances—plus details about a new Factory Floor record that's on the horizon.  

Tracklist:
Nik Colk Void - Big Breather (Editions Mego) 
Nik Colk Void - FlatTime (Editions Mego)

EX.606 Nik Colk Void

Reflections, a new addition on the RA Exchange, takes a magnifying glass to long-form journalism on our website. On each episode, writers break down their latest feature in an effort to shed more light on underlying issues surrounding the story.  

As part of Resident Advisor's technology month, senior staff writer Nyshka Chandran investigated how blockchain networks known as Decentralized Autonomous Organisations (DAOs) are looking to disrupt the global nightlife industry. Here, she outlines how she came across the niche world of Web3 nightlife and explains the cautious sentiment behind this fast-growing sector.  

While several DAOs throw parties featuring electronic music artists, only a few seek to operate their own venues and transform the process of event curation, she notes. But their lofty ambitions are tied to the fate of the cryptocurrency market, which could ultimately make or break a DAO, she warns.

Listen to the full conversation for more details.

EX.616 Reflections: Web3 in Nightlife

As a DJ, Rafaela Andrade AKA Badsista channels her childhood, culture and history into no-holds-barred sets that blur the lines between Chicago house, techno, hip-hop, pop and baile funk. At this year's edition of Nuits Sonores, the São Paulo creative jumped from Rihanna to acid, incorporating a medley of styles she grew up with. "I'm a result of my time," she tells Resident Advisor at the Lyon festival. Growing up, Andrade says she was constantly exposed to music from family members, street parties and friends. Those influences, reflected in her mixes and performances, add a degree of intentionality and meaning to her craft, she explains.

Baile funk is a recurring sound in her sets and productions. Speaking to Lula about the genre, Andrade discusses similarities with punk rock and how the genre varies around Brazil. In Rio de Janeiro, for instance, it's percussive and faster while in Belo Horizonte, it's slower and more vocal-heavy, she describes. Baile funk is also deeply intertwined with local politics, she points out. Federal programs under former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva provided computers to working-class neighborhoods, enabling more people to access music-making software. Under the current government, however, equipment has become expensive, which is weighing on the creative economy, she warns.

When Andrade isn't DJing, she focuses on education and club nights. As co-founder of collective BANDIDA, she helps to throw parties in São Paulo that showcase women artists in addition to teaching women of marginalised backgrounds how to DJ and produce using affordable hardware. For more details on her community-oriented approach to nightlife, listen to the full conversation.

EX.617 Badsista

A repeat episode from 2020.

Lafawndah's second album, The Fifth Season, on French label Latency, is a journey through science fiction, friendship and cinematic storytelling. 

It saw the Paris-born artist expand the myths of NK Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy and cover the likes of Beverly Glenn Copeland and Lili Boulanger. The record continues a four-year run of avant pop jewels, kicked off by her a debut EP for Warp and a collaboration with minimalist composer Midori Takada in 2018, before her first full-length statement, 2019's Ancestor Boy.

Here, she speaks with Martha Pazienti Caidan about the making of The Fifth Season, an LP that's elemental, emotional and uncannily fitting for the present moment.

EX.621 Lafawndah(Archive)

Patrick Topping's love of dance music stretches back to his early teenage years when he discovered mákina, a subgenre of hard Spanish techno that's popular in North East England. "I still love that music now," he says on this week's episode. Since those early days as a young raver in Newcastle, Topping has become an in-demand artist known for a wide range of styles that includes happy hardcore, classic pop and gospel-inflected house.

Currently holding down a summer residency at DC-10 in Ibiza, which he describes as "the pinnacle of my career," the UK artist explains how he reached this stage after starting out in the industry as promoter, following in his father's footsteps. After being mentored by Jamie Jones, Topping says he's now in a position to pass on insights to younger artists as well as support emerging talents through his residency and label, Trick.

Topping then goes onto his discuss why he prefers to play sober these days—"it changed my relationship with DJing"—and why he controls his own social media presence—"you're pulling together bits of media to tell your story, it's kind of like DJing."

Listen to the full conversation for more details.

EX.622 Patrick Topping

Byrell The Great is a name synonymous with New York's ballroom scene. The Harlem native is known for his story-telling prowess and cheeky edits that span hip-hop, pop and meme culture, all of which are on full display in his seamless production, spirited DJ style and his high-energy mix series, Vogue Workouts. Live from Resident Advisor's 21st birthday celebration at Nowadays, the ballroom don discusses his involvement in the Kiki scene and the genre's growing popularity in mainstream culture.

Speaking to staff writer Kiana Mickles, Byrell describes how he attended his first ball thanks to Teyana Taylor. He then goes to elaborate on the nuances of ballroom music, what sets New York's Kiki landscape apart from the wider scene and DJ etiquette during a ball before venturing into his production techniques. Finally, Mickles and Byrell flesh out what it means for the culture when artists such as Beyoncé and Madonna incorporate ballroom references.

For more details on each of these topics, listen to the conversation in full.

EX.638 Byrell The Great

Ryan Keeling spends time with one of dance music's most colourful characters.

For more, visit Resident Advisor:
http://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?exchange=200

EX.200 Sven Väth

The remix great splices together his decades in music.

For more, visit Resident Advisor: http://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?exchange=212

EX.212 John Morales

The weekly RA Exchange is a series of conversations with artists, labels and promoters shaping the electronic music landscape.

New tracks tagged #RA Exchange