RA Podcast Folgen

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 first-ever live recording from an elusive icon of dubby electronic music. Lore is an underrated quality. Neuroscientists have mapped that music elicits similar feelings in the brain to when we satiate cravings, but what about the psychological impulse that drives listeners of a certain disposition toward everything they don't know? It's tricky to put your finger on, but artists able to conjure intrigue without overhawking the backstory can really cut through—just ask SAULT, [ar:pi:ar] or Gerald Donald. Then there are those who don't try whatsoever. These are the ones who stay in mind the most. In 2001, a striking 12" called Ship-Scope emerged through Chain Reaction, credited to Shinichi Atobe, with no other info available. Okay, mulled fans, this is probably a cat-and-mouse game dreamed up by someone on a label with a fine line in foggy obfuscation. Vainqueur on a wind-up? Another Moritz 'n Mark alias? But no: Atobe was real, and really had posted a demo to Hard Wax. It was that simple. Then he went back to his day job—until, after 13 years of silence, an even better follow-up emerged. From the near-perfect Butterfly Effect onwards, Atobe has built up one of the most revered catalogues in underground circles. A steady clip of elegant, transportive dub techno and deep electronics has arrived on Demdike Stare's DDS, complimented by the launch of his own label, plastic & sounds, earlier in summer 2025. Atobe has also made strides into the public domain, DJing intermittently, as well as performing live for the first time in 2023, gracing WWW at the tender age of 52. It's that debut 2023 show heard on RA.1009: a hypnotic yet comparatively pumping set full of Atobe staples, as well as material you won't find anywhere else. Contact with the big man, as you might anticipate, is glacial: since we first reached out, the RA Mix has changed name, look and rolled over into its second millennium. Still, patience pays off. This is a one-off we're stoked to run. – Gabriel Szatan @shinichiatobe Find the interview at https://ra.co/podcast/1028