RA Podcast

A rare mix from the Dutch artist also known as A Made Up Sound, 2562 and ex_libris. What makes something sound like Dave Huismans? His music carries a signature you can't quite name, a tension which has defined every chapter of his career. And unlike most producers, he really does operate in phases. A man of many monikers, Huismans resurfaced this year after nearly a decade away with two new aliases, ex_libris and In Transit. His latest ventures, though sonically a world away from the work under his most recognised projects, share the same slipperiness, intricacy and disregard for tidy genre borders. "Naiveté and a lack of prejudice… a really wide-eyed type of open-mindedness," Huismans once told RBMA, recalling his youthful forays into dance music and that ethos is alive and well on RA.1015. Huismans's second RA Mix is as equally thrilling as his first one 15 years ago, traversing a map of influences from Madlib and Gyrofield to Prince and Autechre. There's no shortage of atmosphere (Losoul's "Sunbeams and the Rain" is one particular highlight), but the throughline is groove: soulful, vocal deep house into driving techy depths, walls of glitchy drums and frantic percussion into guitar funk. "I got carried away a bit," Huismans says of RA.1015 below. And that's no bad thing. It sounds like someone enjoying himself again, and perhaps, after letting a few old skins fall away, Huismans is ready to shift shape once more. And if it's anything like the last time, a lot of good music awaits. Find the tracklist and interview at ra.co/podcast/1034 @2562amadeupsound

The Honduran artist talks about the rise of reggaeton, the dark side of beauty standards and her new album, Vanity. In the past decade, reggaeton has taken the world by storm, expanding from beyond its origins in Panama and Puerto Rico to become an undeniable global force. Yet, within this massive cultural explosion, few artists are navigating the sound with the distinct, subversive energy of Isabella Lovestory. Originally from Honduras but shaped by a formative migration to the US and the liminal spaces of the internet, the Montreal-based artist has developed an aesthetic she calls a "plastic fantasy"—a hyper-stylised world of bootleg luxury and cinematic flair. In this Exchange, she talks to Resident Advisor's Chloe Lula about her new album, Vanity, which she calls a response to her obsession with the "dark side of beauty standards." She also discusses her place within the wider reggaeton landscape; her efforts to reclaim and feminise a historically male-dominated genre; the financial erasure of women in the scene; and how her experimental approach challenges the self-seriousness of electronic music. Listen to the episode in full. -Chloe Lula

A sun-soaked broadcast from two of Naarm's most loved selectors. Asked once how the name for their joint project started, Simon TK and Edd Fisher responded casually: "We were asked to produce a record fair many moons ago, Wax'o Paradiso was the name of that event," they recounted in an interview. Happy accident or not, the name rings true more than a decade later. What started as a record fair has since evolved into an event series and now a record label, with Fisher and TK becoming true pillars of Naarm's local scene in doing so, crafting paradisiacal musical worlds wherever they go. Wax'o Paradiso is a live act first and foremost. Rarely relying on conventional venues, their parties have become the stuff of urban lore, held everywhere from Fairfield Amphitheatre to an old convent and even a children's farm. Often outdoors, these gatherings carry a breezy, open-hearted feeling, and that flows directly into their sets. Think of it as Australian Balearic: eclectic explorations through warm and rolling shades of dance music, laced with licks of '90s prog and tech house, the spiritual foundation of any good bush doof. Their RA Mix captures the essence of why the pair have become stalwarts of their local circuit. It isn't a recreation of those beloved open-air sessions, but at nearly three hours long, it settles around you like a summer night—and, for listeners in colder climates, perhaps a bittersweet reminder of one. Most tellingly, RA.1014 is bookended by tracks from two Australian artists across two generations. Ten years in, TK and Fisher's focus remains steady: build community, elevate local voices and share the eclectic, joyful sound that has made them a cornerstone of Naarm's scene. Their RA Mix is a clear extension of that mission: warm, generous and rooted in the place they call home. Find the tracklist and interview at ra.co/podcast/10333 @waxo-paradiso

The drum & bass veteran talks about bass music eras, dance culture in America and his new album, Contact. British artist Nicolaas Douwma, AKA Sub Focus, has been steadily putting out big-room drum & bass since the early 2000s. In more recent years, he's become staggeringly popular, releasing a string of Top 40 UK pop hits that have made him synonymous with a more mainstream sound. His influence looms large across a whole generation of young producers, particularly in the US. In this Exchange, Douwma sits down with Resident Advisor editor Gabe Szatan at the beautiful Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado. They speak about how he hit number one in the US dance music charts last year, as well as how drum & bass moved from being popular with a "secret clique of people" to becoming what, for lack of a better term, could be called "brostep." There's a new Sub Focus album dropping on November 21st called Contact, which includes collaborations with Grimes and Katy B. Grab your copy when it comes out. Watch this interview in full on our YouTube channel, or listen to the audio via SoundCloud, Spotify or Apple Music. -Chloe Lula

A lesson in "diva house and horniness" from a modern New York darling. Ask Kilopatrah Jones who their favourite DJ is, and they'll give you an unequivocal answer: Junior Vasquez. And the influence is telling. Both born and raised in Queens, the two share a sense of house as a life force. Not in a new-age, spiritual sense. For Jones, it means being "sweaty, panting and free." The NYC DJ can play anything from techno to drum & bass, but when playing house, there's a particular sense of clarity: they understand the genre in the same lineage as Vasquez, Larry Levan and his peers, as the sound of reinvention, transgression, glamour and joy. Across the following two hours, RA.1013 immerses you in that world. It feels like walking into the Sound Factory at peak-time, bodies in glorious motion, fog thick in the air. The Lot Radio resident runs through familiar classics, bringing it home with a gag-inducing sweep of Donna Summer, Celine Dion, CeCe Peniston—and fittingly ends with Madonna, a wink to Jones's hero and his defining moment, "If Madonna Calls." Jones' RA Mix also reasserts the idea that clubs should be a place of joy. Not only for our individual needs and fulfillment, but as a political act—especially for marginalised folk. Arriving at a time when systemic regression and cultural decay feels increasingly pervasive, they is a model for what DJs and dance floors can, and arguably should be. As they put it, "I'm just so happy and grateful to be alive and in this body." Find the tracklist and Q&A at ra.co/podcast/1032