RA Podcast

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RA.835 Marco Weibel Jun 06, 2022

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Marco Weibel is the epitome of modesty. Over the past decade, the New York artist has quietly amassed a loyal following through expansive DJ sets that touch on everything from spiritual jazz to disco, but rather than credit himself, he lets the tunes speak for themselves. This humble attitude has won him the respect of veterans such as Lefto, as well as a growing fanbase from all corners of the musical spectrum. When he's not DJing, Weibel curates nights at various New York venues and co-runs Darker Than Wax, a label based out of Singapore (where he was born and raised). His selections showcase rhythm and texture over drops, but he always has an arsenal of radiant house cuts or UK garage to fire up a crowd. Cavernous crates aside, the cadence of his sets is perhaps their most distinguishing feature. On his weekly shows at Lot Radio, Hawaiian funk is followed by broken beat while at the club, 2-step spills into dembow techno and rich amapiano. While his mixes and performances usually start out on the melodic side, his RA Podcast switches things up. Unleashing a whirlwind of jungle before moving onto '90s-flavored house and other loopy styles, his session highlights local talents with plenty of delightful transitions throughout. Peter Brown's spacey soul flows into Aquarian's pulverising breaks, Ayesha's percussive techno precedes heart-tugging house and heavy dub morphs into Kerri Chandler's acid. Fluid and rolling, this is a true digger's delight. Read more: http://ra.co/podcast/835 @marcoweibel

RA.834 Emerald May 30, 2022

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Emerald is a name that should be familiar to any Rinse FM devotee—she's been DJing on the UK dance music radio giant since 2014, and has just started a new flagship slot called The Dance Show on Friday nights. The Londoner is a consummate radio DJ, blending together genres and tempos with pitch-perfect mixing and an ear for hooks that makes each track stand out. (She calls herself "genre fluid.") She's said so much in the lengthy, excellent interview below, so we can keep this part brief. Her RA Podcast combines newer favorites from Lauren Flax, Queer On Acid and Neil Landstrumm with older, recently acquired records from DJ Deeon (1994) and FSOM (1992). If this is your introduction, then take a listen and make a note to check out The Dance Show next Friday. And if you already know Emerald, then you know this is gonna be a good one. Read more: http://ra.co/podcast/834 @ emerald-rose

RA.833 Nick León May 23, 2022

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Nick León is part of a newer generation of Miami producers who infuse modern-day club music with sounds from around the region, everything from Miami bass to reggaeton. In León's case, his most recent—and most exciting—music has focused on beats inspired by reggaeton and its sub-genre perreo, but with a musical palette that speaks to a love of electronic music from Aphex Twin to Burial to music on labels like NAAFI and TraTraTrax. (This is a predilection he shares with DJ Python, whom León just launched a new party with.) It's on the latter label he released the Rompediscoteka EP, one of the canniest genre fusions he's done yet, meant to hark back to the feeling he had when he first discovered reggaeton. (It came with eye-opening remixes from Maral, Kelman Duran and Henzo, producers whose personal-but-global approach mirrors León's own.) He also head a head-turning EP on Future Times, which threw Miami-style electro into the mix, with an ambient touch. Like his productions, the young Miami DJ's sets can range from slow and low to high and tight, and his RA Podcast captures León in peak-time mode. It's a Latin-spin on everything from techno to tech house to cool-kid club music, with selections from Nico, Simisea, Siete Catorce, Ricardo Villalobos and MM adding up to a vibrant and rhythmically restless hour that soars across genres and scenes. Read more: https://ra.co/podcast/833 @NICKLEON

RA.832 Ciel May 16, 2022

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Toronto's Cindy Li, AKA Ciel, has a knack for balancing warmth and pressure. Her productions and mixes often feel coated in an iridescent gloss, evoking the trippy stylings of '90s UK tech house and the swung drums of classic New York house. In between that, though, there's lots of vigor via sleek electro, rippling trance, barrelling techno and big, bad breakbeats. Her style may lean towards the atmospheric but it's loaded with moxie, giving her the versatility to close out a main room or kick off the afters. Her fluid movements between bouncy basslines, spiraling synth patterns and weightless house grooves are just one facet of her impressive rise as a DJ and producer. When she's not behind the decks, presenting radio shows or working on the excellent Parallel Minds label she runs alongside other Toronto acts Yohei S and Daniel 58, Li throws herself into community work. Committed to diverse dance floors, affordable housing and overall equality in the music industry, she's a hard worker in the realest sense of the phrase. Li's RA mix is a treat. Rolling through scintillating drum work, wonky rhythms and dreamy pads, it feels like quintessential Ciel. In her interview below, she described how she enjoys "the challenge of trying to combine and make cohesive all the diverse styles of music I loved in a DJ set." Judging by this mix alone, it's safe to say that Li succeeded. Read more: http://ra.co/podcast/832 @ciel_dj

RA.831 Madam X May 09, 2022

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Read more: http://ra.co/podcast/831 @madam_x

RA.830 Roy Davis Jr May 02, 2022

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The decade-spanning career of Roy Davis Jr. is intrinsically intertwined with the history of house music. As one of the defining voices of Chicago's underground, he's worked both behind the decks and behind-the-scenes. From handling Strictly Rhythm's A&R sector in the '90s to joining seminal production crew Phuture to launching his own Undaground Therapy Muzik label, Davis Jr. isn't just a veteran but a compendium of dance music knowledge. Daft Punk cites him as an influence while the likes of Disclosure, Zed Bias and Waajeed have sought him out for collaborations. He may be best known for his 1998 single Gabriel with Peven Everett—now a garage anthem on both sides of the Atlantic—but his discography and DJ sets go well beyond club hits. Weaving in soul, gospel, disco, techno and acid into a deep house framework, he marries raw funk, plush melodies, hypnotic synths and stripped-down arrangements. All these elements are beautifully captured on his RA Podcast. Moving from a state of eyes-closed bliss to body-moving grooves, the near two-hour session is as grounding as it is free-floating. Spiritual, sensual and tightly mixed, it's a lesson in multifaceted house music.

RA.829 HAAi Apr 25, 2022

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There's a track on HAAi's upcoming debut album, Baby, We're Ascending, called "Louder Always Better." That kind of sums up her approach right there. (See also: "Biggest Mood Ever.") Since her first record, 2017's "Be Good" her approach to dance music has been to make as dense, overwhelming and uplifting as possible. Much has been made of her background in psychedelic rock, which definitely informs records like the muggy, intense Motorik Voodoo Bush Doof Musik, but it's not the whole story. A better point of reference might be DJ Harvey lost in the Australian desert, but comparisons are beside the point. At this point, HAAi is completely unique. The Australian producer has made quite a name for herself as a DJ in her adopted hometown of London, and while her album shoots off in all directions—from ecstatic rave-pop to sultry stunners—her RA Podcast captures the spark that makes her such a beloved force behind the decks. Weaving powerful techno from artists like Atrip and Piska Power with weirder, adventurous music courtesy of Cocktail Party Effect and Sha Sha Kimbo—plus a few tastes of HAAi's new album—it's an eclectic mix that's as windy and unpredictable as her records. Plus, it ends with classic track by The Cure. That's just good taste.

RA.828 Louie Vega Apr 18, 2022

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Louie Vega shouldn't need an introduction, but we'll do it anyways. The Bronx-born Puerto Rican artist embodies the soulful sound of New York house music, and he's been doing it since the '80s. His history features a litany of legendary names and clubs, from the Devil's Nest to his much-vaunted residency at The Sound Factory in Manhattan, and he's made music with the likes of Todd Terry, Mood II Swing and Barbara Tucker. But it's with Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez that Vega made his most cherished and influential work as the duo Masters Of Work, putting out huge singles and making house remixes for some of the most iconic names in '90s pop music. To listen Vega's discography, especially as part of Masters At Work, is to hear the evolution of house music and garage (yes, both US and UK). It's difficult to overstate the impact those '90s records had on New York and beyond, and they're still some of the most swinging, undeniable house records ever made. Just try playing a MAW Dub for a newbie and see their reaction. House music has been Vega's lifelong mission, and almost four decades in, he's still refining his craft, moving towards ever-jazzier, ever more soulful sounds. His RA Podcast shows off some of his favorite tracks from contemporaries like Mood II Swing, as well as his band Elements Of Life and a handful of new tracks from his forthcoming album, Expansions In The NYC, which aims to capture the sound of his club night of the same name. You'll hear lush live instrumentation, powerful vocals and, of course, those addictive, sometimes skippy house beats—the sound of a master at work. Read more: http://ra.co/podcast/828 @nuyoricansoulnyc

RA.827 NIKS Apr 11, 2022

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To an international audience, NIKS might be best known as one of the cofounders of Black Artist Database, but she's also an incredible DJ. And public speaker. Over the past few years, through a mix of activism, thought and DJing, the London selector has created an all-encompassing approach to her artistry that centers dance music, social justice and an endless desire to uplift those around her, especially Black artists. Through Black Artist Database, NIKS has created a resource to support Black artists from around the world. What started as a spreadsheet called Black Bandcamp has become a fully-fledged platform with editorial, mixes and, of course, the powerful directory of artists that started it all to begin with. Outside of that, NIKS curates panels, hosts and gives talks and DJs. Her RA Podcast is inspired by a specific night she played in Manchester, but it's also a wonderful snapshot of her style, connecting the dots between Drexciya and Octave One, Nicola Cruz and Seth Troxler, Lyric Hood and James Bangura, and an electrifying section that weaves between tracks from X-Coast and X-Press 2. It's as thoughtful and intentional as everything else she does, an hour-and-a-half in the world of one of London's brightest stars. Read more: http://ra.co/podcast/827 @niksbad

RA.826 Physical Therapy Apr 04, 2022

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Physical Therapy has as many vibes as he does aliases. You never really know what you're going to get from his sets—you can probably count on a bit of UK garage and some breakbeats, but beyond that, it's a free-for-all. He's gone through phases ranging from DIY pop edits to grayscale Berlin techno to all the fantastic and unpredictable music on his label Allergy Season to his latest EP of vocal-heavy 2-step tracks, part of a recent move towards more emotional dance music that he says captures his "twee" side. If there's anyone that truly believes in the power of crying on the dance floor, it's him. He's an expert at themed mixes, pulling together loosely categorized sections of his vast and sometimes hilarious collection. (Other sets, like his revered Honcho Campout recording, are gloriously all over the place.) But for his RA Podcast he's gone straight for the dance floor, choosing the kind of thing he would play at a club rather than one of his NTS sets. It's typically era-spanning and adventurous, yet woven together with an expert touch, running from an underrated Texas dubstep label (Pushing Red) to old-school IDM to vintage Miss Kittin and even an obscure (or just forgotten) turn-of-the-millennium cover of "How Soon Is Now" that would only really sound right in his hands. Read more: http://ra.co/podcast/826 @physical-therapy

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