Digital Warmth

Aya Sinclair is a Manchester-based producer and DJ. She has released music on Tri Angle Records, Wisdom Teeth, and Astral Plane Recordings and has a monthly show on NTS Radio. Topics include Prince, drumming, the Manchester scene, listening to your own music, etc.

LOFT is absolutely one of the people I had in mind when I started the podcast, and I’m very happy that it worked out. She’s an intimidatingly brilliant producer who matches freewheeling ideas with next-level sound design. In her radio shows and DJ sets, she manages to present boundary-pushing music with a sense of fun and intimacy. I was first introduced to her music by Gabe Meier, who put out the first LOFT EP on Astral Plane Recordings (as well as my recent work), and I’ve been a fan ever since. I highly recommend checking out her catalog to date, and I’m sure she’s only getting started.

https://soundcloud.com/loftminduk

https://ellohefftea.bandcamp.com/

https://astralplanerecordings.bandcamp.com/album/turbulent-dynamics

https://wisdomteethuk.bandcamp.com/album/loft-three-settlements-four-ways

https://www.nts.live/shows/loft

Alex Osuch is a Seattle-based producer & DJ. He started making music as DJAO, and more recently has been making music inspired by Baltimore dance battles as 7777777. He’s released records on labels including Car Crash Set, Dropping Gems, and Japan’s Trekkie Trax. Topics include underage raves, writing novels, navigating a regional scene as an outsider, and his podcast Prep The Cup.

Alex and I once played on the same lineup in Seattle, around when my album I Feel Like I Feel It came out. I loved his self-titled DJAO album that came out after that, and still do. I wanted to talk to him because not only am I a fan of his music, but I’ve become a huge fan of Prep The Cup, the podcast that Alex creates with his friends. It’s become one of my favorites but I have trouble actually recommending it to anyone, because at first it can feel like you’re not in on the joke. They’ll take some phrase or slang that they’ve made up, but which actually describes something very particular in the world that there’s not necessarily a good term for. Then they’ll dig deep trying to nail down all the different variations of that thing. It’s really funny and real. Getting the hang of it actually felt like hearing some unfamiliar subgenre of music and learning the vocabulary and how it functions, which is one of my favorite things.

Sage Caswell is a Los Angeles native who makes dreamy yet hard-hitting dance music. He has released music on Spring Theory and 2MR. Topics include early L.A. parties, a Daft Punk conversion experience, moving from DJing to producing, and the Midwest.

I hadn’t met Sage before we talked, but we had some random Madison/L.A. connections and I liked what I had heard of his music. Madison is so small that I always want to get to know the people who are doing interesting electronic music here, even if they’re passing through.

Digital Warmth is presented by Tone Madison. Follow the show on Twitter or reach out via email.

Ariel Zetina is a Chicago-based DJ, producer, and playwright. She is a resident at the legendary Smartbar and runs many of her own club nights in the city. Ariel has released music on Boukan Records (including underground club hit “Addy:” feat. London Jade), Club Chai, Sweat Equity, and Knightwerk, with a 2019 EP forthcoming on Maija.

I wanted to talk to Ariel because she’s doing great things in Chicago, bringing both people and different kinds of music together. I went to one of her parties at the Hideout and had an amazing time, the music and the vibe were great and it was clear that both were very connected to who she is. And then she put out tracks like “Oil Rig” and “Chino” and I became a fan of her music. Also, I was very curious to ask about her work as a playwright.

Digital Warmth is presented by Tone Madison. Follow the show on Twitter or reach out via email.