RA.1015 Dave Huismans

One of the defining producers of the 21st century steps up for a rare, era-spanning mix. We've been in a reflective mood lately: mulling emergent icons, modern classic and the cyclical nature of trends. All things bend around eventually, but if you lived through the mid-'00s the first time, it felt tricky to envision some specifics of those interim years making a second splash. More fool us. Amongst many other things, dubstep is well and truly back. This resurged appetite for low-end has been a central storyline in 2025. Clear tells were there in the form of Introspekt's Moving The Center and Tracey's "Sex Life," two major highlights of the past 12 months. Alternately, cup your ear to the tremors rumbling across the world and you'd find Mala packing up crowds with gusto. Which makes closing out the year with a mix from the man himself serendipitous. The South Norwood-born sub sensei has held an anchor role in the movement since its earliest days. A little like what Upsetter was to Black Ark, the principles Mala, Coki and Loefah's DMZ laid down have been expanded on by Deep Medi, a label that has cultivated a loyal fandom who watch over the catalogue like a hawk. (Six years of frothy debate and knowing in-jokes between MEDi 99 and MEDi 100 paints a picture of both steep expectations and an affinity for gently ribbing their leader.) But Mala's banner 2025 hasn't relied on the heads alone. The adrenaline of his fissuring basslines and barrel-chested vocals have drawn people into his orbit, and there are rarer qualities at play, too—like pacifism, winked at by the demilitarized name and reinforced on their all-time greatest tune; or contemplation, inked on flyers beseeching the crowd to meditate on bass weight. In that spirit arrives a mix we've asked after for years. Subtitled The Listening Session, it's rare on two counts. Despite his enduring popularity, Mala is a conspicuous absence on most DJ series. (It's not that he doesn't enjoy recording, just gets spooked by the reaction.) A nearly-three hour studio set—spaciously paced and laced with a combination of 2025 highlights, freshly-cut dubplates and some of the biggest anthems in the genre's history—is unheard of. No tracklist for now, on Mala's request. Soon come. RA.1016 is the kind of document that jogs the memory back to when dubstep was a discrete enterprise, something you could only fleetingly access by, say, dialling into Youngsta on Sub FM, ripping 320s of "Circling" off long-forgotten blogs or hugging the back wall of Mass. Which, in service of thinking the evolution of 21st century electronic music, is pretty perfect really. Find the interview at ra.co/podcast/1035 @maladmz @deep-medi-musik

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