RA Podcast

Ron Trent delves into the luxurious essence of house music, blending machine and organic sounds. His rich history from Chicago brings a deep connection to the genre's roots. The discussion highlights how music shapes personal identities and relationships, emphasizing its role as a universal connector. With a passionate exploration of melodies and spiritual frequencies, Trent showcases impressive tracks like 'Morning Factory,' capturing the elegance and euphoric joy of house. It's a masterclass in musical craftsmanship.

Dive into the energetic world of Nyege Nyege and its innovative music scene. Discover how Kampala's Kampire masterfully blends genres, delivering thrilling narratives that keep the dance floor alive. Meet the rising DJ TOBZY, whose raw and frenetic sounds reflect Lagos's vibrant cruise scene. The lively discussion highlights the fusion of cultural rhythms and joyful expressions, inviting listeners to connect deeply with the pulsating beats and playful themes of attraction and confidence.

Explore the radical sounds of East Africa with dynamic mixes from Kampala's Kampire and the enigmatic DJ TOBZY. Discover the vibrant energy of the Nyege Nyege collective, known for pushing boundaries since 2015. Kampire's mix fuses diverse genres like batida and singeli, while TOBZY brings a frenetic sound from Lagos that defies convention. Dive into playful banter, thrilling DJ culture, and the transformative power of music, celebrating connection and identity within the eclectic world of underground beats.

Dive into the mesmerizing world of techno with insights into D.Dan’s journey as a Berlin-based DJ and producer. Explore how his background in psych rock influences his unique sound, blending classic roots with modern twists. Discover the role of community and collaboration in the electronic music scene, and how music connects culture and identity throughout history. Plus, engage with intriguing discussions on cosmic influences and their potential impacts on life on other planets.

Peshay, a legendary figure in drum & bass known for his vibrant musicality, shares fascinating insights into his journey from the rave scene to becoming a pivotal voice in atmospheric drum & bass. He discusses the impact of his tracks like 'The Piano Tune' and 'Miles From Home,' blending jazzy chords with infectious grooves. The conversation also touches on the recent challenges surrounding his celebrated Studio Set and his unwavering commitment to preserving the history of the genre, showcasing why he remains a vital presence in the music world.

A rare club mix from the ever-evolving artist, with 90 minutes of shadowy, atmospheric pressure. Music's therapeutic value is often linked to relaxation—gongs, singing bowls and the like. Dense passages of foggy droning and eerie static aren't traditionally considered restorative, but Laurel Halo makes a pretty good case for it. The Detroit-born, Los Angeles-based musician's abstract, often improvised productions are heavy on sound design and emotional climax. Driven by atmosphere rather than rhythm, they push listeners to grapple with their innermost insecurities, fears and dreams. "I'm lucky my music has helped people through crises," Halo once told Discwoman. It's easy to see why. Since her 2010 debut King Felix, Halo has built a stunningly diverse catalogue of classically-informed records. A multi-instrumentalist—piano, violin, guitar, keys—her sharpest instrument is arrangement. Inspired by the surrealism of Italo Calvino and Apichatpong Weerasethakul, her releases, from Atlas to Behind The Green Door, unfold with slow-burning narrative and dense emotional weight. Her soundworlds are layered and labyrinthine—an architectonic space where self-reflection happens almost by force. Even in the club, the sought-after composer excels in immersion. Her sets extend the expressionist palette of her records, trading traditional rhythm for tension, space and surprise. It’s no wonder she takes a genre-agnostic approach to the dance floor—her deep roots in freeform radio began at WCBN-FM in Michigan, followed by Berlin Community Radio, Rinse FM, and now a regular show on NTS. RA.992 stitches foggy ambient loops, propulsive techno, mutant percussion and heady left turns with care. Tracks from DJ Rush, Octave One and Eddie Fowlkes nod to her Midwestern heritage, balanced out by deeper, psychedelic fare from the likes of Polygonia and Cousin. It's the mark of an artist revealing both deep curiosity and a precise hand as a selector. Rare, indeed. @laurelhalo Find the full interview at ra.co/podcast/992

Club futurism and a stack of new material from one of São Paulo's boldest shapeshifters. BADSISTA doesn't do stasis. In fact, he prefers to be in a constant state of motion. It was immediately obvious when the São Paulo artist broke out with his 2016 self-titled EP, in which a bass-heavy melange of baile funk, dembow and trap demonstrated an ability to satiate almost any dance floor. But BADSISTA continued to evolve through the different moods and textures of the club: from experimental compositions with Brazilian trans icon Linn Da Quebrada to ballroom bass and heads-down funk shellers for TraTraTrax. This RA Podcast finds BADSISTA in a fluid place once more. The mood starts out slow and moody—one of a slew of unreleased BADSISTA tracks—before seamlessly morphing into the soul-stirring synthwork of Al Lover Meets Cairo Liberation Front. Then he gets playful: tasteful, techy house morphs into smutty baile funk. (And as for the guests, look out for Sully's "XT" and a spicy Batu rework.) BADSISTA's style is connected by a uniquely Latin sense of rhythm and groove. Here, dramatic synths build up to even more dramatic funk crescendos. Perreo rattles appear in and out of the mix, as if acting as a reminder for people to move. But really, above all, this mix radiates with aliveness. When you whittle it down to the bare essentials, all that matters is the joy and connectivity you feel within yourself and the world around you. BADSISTA is an excellent facilitator, and you'll hear as much on RA.991. @badsista Find the tracklist and interview at ra.co/podcast/986

One hour of resolutely DIY club workouts, from one of the West Coast's most exciting producers. If you've been in the club recently, chances are you've heard the work of Julian Edwards, AKA bastiengoat. Maybe it was the standout 2022 track "Tell Me If You Like It," which blends jungle breaks with a slinky sample from Cassie's R&B anthem "Me & U" to create a 130 banger perfect for modern dance floors. The Oakland-based producer has become a go-to name for party cuts that bounce, favoured by the likes of Bianca Oblivion and fellow Bay Area artist—and frequent back-to-back partner—Bored Lord. Born and raised in the Bay Area, Edwards is deeply connected to Oakland's underground rave scene. Reflecting on his early experiences, he explained how the region's unique blend of crowds—from "raw hardcore sound to hyphy house parties"—and legacy of DIY warehouse raves has always shaped his music. While gentrification in the region has limited opportunities to throw parties in those spaces, Edwards, as part of the label and collective NO BIAS, is carrying that torch for a new generation, pushing jungle, UK garage and all manner of US club variety while maintaining a strong DIY ethos. As dance music grows increasingly global and commercial, Edwards and co offer a refreshing antidote. A prolific producer, Edwards is hard to pin down musically. He can apply his distinctive touch to virtually any genre. Take "Slander," where he blends hardcore and electro with Jersey club. Or "at em" a collision of 2-step, bassline and furious breaks. At the core of his work is a transatlantic bass connection, much like fellow West Coast star Introspekt. Both have a serious knack for fusing intricate rhythms with the kind of deep, murky bass weight synonymous with so much UK dance music. For RA.990, Edwards jumps between genres with flex and ease—one moment it's grime-like basslines evoking "Pulse X," then aqueous, melancholic club, before twisting into fast and furious breaks. Rough, ready, and rowdy, it’s music that’s equal parts technical showcase and peak-time firework display. @bastiengoat Find the interview and tracklist at ra.co/podcast/990

Three hours of high drama, recorded live at Nowadays in New York. We know what you're thinking: why did it take so long to get Binh on the RA Podcast? There's no easy answer, especially given that he's been a favourite of ours for over a decade now. So to make up for lost time, the revered digger lands on the series with a tantalising three-hour mix, recorded live at Nowadays in New York earlier this year. Crammed with rare and unreleased gems spanning house, techno, and electro, RA.989 is heavy on drama, catching the Düsseldorf native in unbridled performance mode. This is Binh in 2025. But rewind across the past two decades and you'll find a DJ who excels in pretty much any situation, whether warming up for Zip or Margaret Dygas, going back-to-back with masters like Nicolas Lutz or rolling out solo sets that stretch across ten or even 12 hours. He's acted out all these scenarios most often at Berlin institution Club der Visionaere, the cosy canalside club that became a kind-of spiritual home. (He'd sometimes spend every night of the week there, before parenting duties got the better of him.) To play for half a day you need a lot of records, and the backbone of Binh's craft has long been a freakish passion for vinyl. Along with Lutz, Vera, and others in CDV's orbit, he approaches the pursuit of wax, new and old, with next-level dedication and a fondness for blind buys. That's true of RA.989, although among the un-Shazamables are many tracks that are either out or coming out on Binh's popular Time Passages label. The mix finds him on a house-y tip, luxuriating in roomy basslines, driving 303s and twinkly melodies—with just the right amount of evil. Lock in and savour a one-of-a-kind DJ, completely in the zone. @binh Find the interview at ra.co/podcast/989

A clinic in minimal from the elusive Acting Press boss. Why do certain sounds cultivate a cult following? Simply put, it's often because they resist easy consumption. PLO Man and his imprint Acting Press lean into this. Searching for the Berlin-based DJ and producer, you won’t find much online presence, interviews or conventional PR. What you will find, if you look hard enough, is a catalogue of records and mixes with a kind of tape hiss charm (a spiritual successor to Basic Channel and Chain Reaction, but scuzzier and lighter on its feet). Founded in 2015, Acting Press once seemed to belong to the short-lived "outsider house" trend, but is now synonymous with a certain strain of modern minimal, one that is analogue, spacious and pointedly opaque. PLO Man's output is equally sparse by design: this week, he joins the RA Podcast with a characteristically elusive style, accompanying the near two-hour mix is a one-answer Q&A that gives almost nothing away. Stripped-back, ever-so-slightly sleazy and coated in dust, PLO Man's RA Podcast continues that lineage in style. Opening with the featherlight microhouse of Margaret Dygas, RA.988 unfolds into a carefully curated spectrum of minimal, dub and deep techno. Among familiar names—look out for the blinding Rhythm & Sound and Moodymann blend—are deep cuts and left turns alongside the odd outlier, like lovers' rock pioneer Gregory Isaacs. Like the best of his forebears, PLO Man wants RA.988 to take time for you to settle in. But once you do, you won’t want to leave. @p_el_oh Find the tracklist and interview at ra.co/podcast/988