RA Podcast

The longtime BBC Radio 1 host talks about the liberation of leaving broadcasting, her pivot to fiction writing and her party series, Before Midnight. If you grew up in the UK, chances are you've heard Annie Mac on the radio. The Irish native started on the airwaves in 2004 when she was 26. She hosted a nightly programme called Future Sounds, before eventually moving to a Friday night dance music show, which catapulted her into the pop cultural zeitgeist. Being at the BBC was a boon to her career, but as she reveals in this Exchange—her second appearance on the series—it also came with its limitations. She left the media giant in 2021 to spend more time with her family, and to pursue her own projects without the inhibition of BBC codes of conduct on matters around free speech. Since departing, she has been outspoken about politics and engaged in ongoing advocacy work and calls for change as an independent curator and podcast host. Annie Mac also speaks to Exchange host Chloe Lula about the art of interviewing; her popular party series, Before Midnight; her pivot to writing; how getting older has shaped her view of success; and what it means to lead the "good life." She has also published two novels, both of which pull from loosely autobiographical topics: The Troubles in Ireland, the music industry in London and bigger thematic arcs such as navigating motherhood and grief. Listen to the episode in full.

Dubwise atmospherics flood Guy Brewer's third RA Mix. Hear the word "Dionysus" and you picture the Greek god of ecstasy: overflowing tables, delirious revelry, chaos. Not the austere soundworld of Guy Brewer, AKA Carrier. On the surface, the UK artist's latest alias feels almost Spartan. But look closer and the Dionysian link starts to show: it's about shedding fixed forms and identities, to allow something more true, more alive, to form. RA.1011 marks Brewer's third entry in the RA Mix series, following editions as drum & bass outfit Commix (RA.269) and, later, the techno alias Shifted (RA.310). "I guess it's an effort to step away from purism," Brewer told Resident Advisor back in 2023. "Right now the thresholds between genres are where you find the most exciting music." Carrier's phenomenal debut album, Rhythm Immortal, delivers on that promise. Low-end pressure cloaks like foreboding shadows, punctured only by eerie, otherworldly percussion comparable only to Photek or T++. Listen to the LP in full and it feels like walking through a scene in a true-crime drama: a fog-drenched city street in the deep of night, ambushed by gusts of wind, whispers and strange noises—and it sounds totally, utterly original. Tracing a line through dub pressure, fractured percussion and narcotic ambience, Brewer explores that same world on RA.1011. As with the album, there's a primal pulse that threads through the recording. Walls of negative space seem to hover before dissolving inexplicably, their tension intact; drums move more like the weather than rhythm. - Bella Aquilina

The German legend talks about the state of modern trance, what it takes to create a legacy and writing his most recent album. Poll the average dance music fan and they'll have almost certainly heard of Paul van Dyk. The German DJ and producer is so synonymous with trance that it's impossible to talk about the genre's history without mentioning his name. He's also been one of the most successful electronic artists full-stop since the '90s, when he first started touring around Berlin. His 1994 hit "For an Angel" launched him into the limelight, and he's been selling out clubs and arenas ever since. In this RA Exchange recorded at the Berlin Synth Museum, he reflected on the current state of trance and how its modern DJs are missing the mark; his lifelong engagement with politics and his efforts to enlist Americans to vote alongside Bono; his experience growing up in East Berlin; and a life-threatening accident he suffered at a festival in Utrecht, which left him with multiple spine and brain injuries. He said the experience taught him to cherish every part of life, and that love is the greatest and most healing power that exists. Van Dyk's most recent album is called This World is Ours, and in this conversation he unpacks the accompanying tour and some of the key themes that run through the tracks—namely, the rise of AI and our need to unite in the face of a non-human ruling elite. You can watch it on our YouTube channel, or listen to the episode in full. -Chloe Lula

"Combining sounds that wouldn't normally be thought of together." So reads the final line of Mexican DJ and producer 1OO1O's short-but-sweet artist bio. It's a claim many make but few pull off. Are truly new fusions still even possible in 2025? Hasn't electronic music reached saturation point? Not in the hands of 1OO1O, AKA uno cero cero uno cero, or one O O one O. For the best part of a decade, the Xalapa-born artist has been mashing up footwork, jungle, techno, electro, UK garage and breaks with Latin America's myriad folkloric styles, from salsa and merengue to mambo and dembow. The results, like 2023's SALSA & BREAX, or last year's SALÓN CANDELA, feel electrifyingly fresh, connecting threads across eras and traditions with a subtle dexterity. The secret is a deep respect for the source material. Indeed, foregrounding the best of Latin America—and specifically Mexico—is the dominant theme on RA.1010 (do you like what we did there?). By his own admission, 1OO1O switched up his DJing a couple years ago to prioritise music made locally or regionally by himself and his friends. At a time when Latin American culture is both at its peak and yet still constantly "reshaping itself to accommodate tourists and 'expats,'" his sets in clubs, festivals and radio stations around the world are his way of spreading the gospel. This 70-minute mix, then, is heavy on both Mexican talent—Regal86, DNZA, AAAA, Loris, FRAN G—and unreleased 1OO1O tracks. It's tough, rhythmic and strikingly modern, with just the right balance of light and intensity. Given the glut of local music, a late cameo from London grime MC Trim glistens like an emerald in the sun. If you want to know what the cool kids are raving to in Monterrey, Guadalajara and Mexico City right now, here's your answer. - Carlos Hawthorn

The New York-based journalist talks about her breakout book, Mood Machine, live from Soft Centre Festival in Sydney. As we approach the end of 2025, it's clear that one of the year's most zeitgeist-defining books has been Liz Pelly's Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist. The New York-based writer has been on a promotional tour, speaking at festivals around the world, and one of her recent stops was at Soft Centre in Sydney, where this Exchange was recorded live with writer, editor and DJ Audrey Pfister. Pelly's background is in the DIY scene, college radio and independent alt weeklies, all of which ignited her interest in writing about music. Over the last few years, she has become an outspoken advocate for underground music, and an incisive critic of how the streaming economy has debilitated independent artistry. In this conversation, she unpacks some of her book's main conceits. Spotify, for example, was originally designed around advertising models rather than music-first models, which is why it rewards music that performs well at scale. She explains how that's created so much growing inequity in what performs well on the platform, and she also draws fascinating parallels between the streaming economy and digital media. Mood Machine ends on a somewhat hopeful note, and Pelly proposes some solutions: as custodians of the independent music scene, we have a responsibility to go to live shows, subscribe to emerging DIY media projects and give money directly to artists by buying their music and merch. Listen to the episode in full. -Chloe Lula