The PUTF Podcast: Laraaji Interview at Dripping 2025

This interview was recorded at Dripping Festival in New Jersey in June 2025.

Laraaji is a seminal figure in ambient and New Age music—a pioneering multi-instrumentalist, composer, and spiritual practitioner. Known for his expansive body of experimental and meditative work, he has released dozens of albums and led laughter meditation workshops worldwide, weaving together sound, joy, and mindfulness into a deeply transformative practice.

Laraaji’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/laraaji_official/

Laraaji’s Website: laraaji.blogspot.com

Dripping explores the authentic connections between sound-system driven club music and the experimental avant garde.

Dripping is organized by Daniel Martin-McCormick and Leo Miller. Dripping at Nowadays is organized by Daniel Martin-McCormick and Sol León. Design and website by M.C. Madrigal.

Dripping’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/dripping.fyi/

Dripping’s sonic archive: https://soundcloud.com/drippingfyi

Dripping’s website: https://www.dripping.fyi

Dripping's linktree: https://linktr.ee/drippingfyi

Laraaji's photo courtesy of Dripping.

PUTF’s interview series is dedicated to showcasing inspiring creatives from the PUTF community and beyond. Guests are invited to share their unique career journeys, stories, and visions.

Pick Up The Flow, is an online resource based in NYC striving to democratize access to opportunities. Opportunities are shared daily on this page and website, and weekly via our newsletter.

Newsletter: https://putf.substack.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pickuptheflow

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pickuptheflownyc/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pickuptheflow

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pickuptheflow

#laraaji #dripping #pickuptheflow

#creativeprocess #artist #nyc #spirituality #drippingfestival #music #sound #career #newage #ambient #dripping #consciousness #spirituality

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The PUTF Show - Episode 19 / Doug Henwood

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pickuptheflownyc/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pickuptheflow

Doug Henwood is a journalist and broadcaster based in Brooklyn. From 1986 to 2013 he published Left Business Observer, a newsletter on economics and politics. Since 1995 he’s been the host of Behind the News, a weekly radio show originating on KPFA, Berkeley, that enjoys a vigorous afterlife as a podcast. He’s the author of four books, notably Wall Street: How It Works and for Whom (Verso, 1997), After the New Economy (New Press, 2004), and My Turn: Hillary Clinton Targets the Presidency (OR Books, 2016). He’s written for many publications including Harper’s, The New Republic, The Nation, and Jacobin. He’s been working for all too many years on a book on the rot of the American ruling class.

Doug's Website: https://lbo-news.com

Follow Doug on X: https://x.com/DougHenwood

Doug Henwood's Radio Archives: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html

Wall Street book: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/WSDownload.html

We also requested Doug to share with us some of his favorite things.

Catch them all in our newsletter: https://putf.substack.com/

The PUTF show is an interview series, dedicated to showcasing inspiring creatives from the PUTF community and beyond. Guests are invited to share their unique career journeys, stories, and visions.

The PUTF show is produced by WAVDWGS, a video production company based in NYC.

https://wavdwgs.com/

https://www.instagram.com/wavdwgs/

If you'd like to support this project: https://www.patreon.com/pickuptheflow

Pick Up The Flow, is an online resource based in NYC striving to democratize access to opportunities. Opportunities are shared daily on this page and website, and weekly via our newsletter.

#doughenwood #journalism #behindthenews #news #radio #economics #politics #nyc #writer #leftbusinessobserver

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The PUTF Show - Episode 18 / TYGAPAW

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pickuptheflownyc/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pickuptheflow

https://putf.substack.com/

TYGAPAW grew up as Dion McKenzie in Mandeville, Jamaica. Today, the Artist,

producer, DJ and label owner resides in Brooklyn, New York, where they have spent the

better part of a decade uplifting frequencies representative of the Black electronic music

diaspora. Their sonic palette—informed by the dancehall of their hometown as much as

it is the techno emanating from the warehouses of Detroit—has made them an

indispensable figure in Brooklyn's electronic music scene.

Since 2014, McKenzie has been carving spaces in New York for queer people of color

through their queer club night, and now label, Fake Accent. The platform is part of their

broader mission to forge liberating spaces for marginalized people, particularly Black,

queer and trans people, an agenda embedded in the various layers of the artist's work.

Early records like the breakthrough EP Handle With Care (2019), Ode To Black Trans

Lives (2020) and their debut album, Get Free (2020) established McKenzie not only as

a skillful producer, but further as an emotive storyteller. Through their production, they

are known to weave together stories of queer immigrant life, radical self-preservation

and Black communal joy.

Their music, much like New York, is a cultural stew made vibrant by influences as local

as New York's ballroom community and as distant as Berlin's hard techno circuit. In

2021, one of techno's most vital institutions, the Berlin venue and record label Tresor,

enlisted MacKkenzie to contribute to their 30th anniversary compilation, where the

musician was in the company of techno luminaries like fellow contributors Juan Atkins,

K-HAND and Robert Hood. In 2022, McKenzie brought their visionary take on techno to

life with a three-part techno opera, Devil Woman (Obeah Woman)—the first iteration of

which premiered at New York's The Chocolate Factory Theater, and Queens Museum

before the project traveled to Berlin.

2023, TYGAPAW's second album love has never been a popular movement, was

released on fabric Originals in the spring. This album is a special one for several

reasons: It's the first album the musician produced with hardware rather than Ableton,

their first record that features their vocals prominently and it also sees McKenzie try

their hand at songwriting. In eight tracks that hopscotch across atmospheric techno and

East Coast club, love has never been a popular movement addresses, with unshakable

confidence, fierce self-love and TYGAPAW's journey as a Jamaican reckoning with their

trans identity.

https://www.instagram.com/tygapaw/

The PUTF show is produced by WAVDWGS, a video production company based in NYC.

https://www.instagram.com/wavdwgs/

If you'd like to support this project: https://www.patreon.com/pickuptheflow

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The PUTF Show - Episode 17 / musclecars

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pickuptheflownyc/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pickuptheflow

Native to New York City, musclecars is a DJ / Producer duo consisting of Brandon Weems and Craig Handfield. As musicians, they nod to great classic and soulful dance music, but with their added twists of transcendental jazz, deep elements, and cinematic mood. They also run the NYC staple party Coloring Lessons (now also a record label and radio show), pulling on a musical lineage passed down by the generations before them, and influenced by their black and brown ancestors. They aim to spread the music that has been influential to them, and share it with a younger generation of their peers.

https://www.instagram.com/musclecars.nyc/

https://musclecars.bandcamp.com

Sugar Honey Iced Tea! :

https://musclecars.bandcamp.com/album/sugar-honey-iced-tea

https://coloringlessons.com

https://www.instagram.com/coloringlessons/

The PUTF show is an interview series, dedicated to showcasing inspiring creatives from the PUTF community and beyond. Guests are invited to share their unique career journeys, stories, and visions.

The PUTF show is produced by WAVDWGS, a video production company based in NYC.

https://wavdwgs.com/

https://www.instagram.com/wavdwgs/

If you'd like to support this project: https://www.patreon.com/pickuptheflow

Pick Up The Flow, is an online resource based in NYC striving to democratize access to opportunities. Opportunities are shared daily on this page and website, and weekly via our newsletter.

Listen to this episode on audio platforms:

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/spotify-putf

Apple: https://tinyurl.com/putf-applepodcast

#nyc #musclecars #artist #nyc #dj #coloringlessons #community #interview #career #artist #inspiration #motivation #podcast #producer #pickuptheflow #music

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guarionex Rodriguez, Jr. is a Dominican-American artist based in Brooklyn, NY. He received a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2011. His work explores the ways in which diasporic unity and niche musical movements have served in the creation of community and identity in the recent past and present. Simultaneously, he experiments with analog techniques to bring elements of abstraction to his figurative images. This manual practice heightens the intimacy of his work while additionally asking himself and the viewer to consider the ways in which we influence and are influenced by our surroundings. 

Rodriguez has been featured in various publications including Forgotten Lands, Hola Pardo, It’s Nice That, and Musée Magazine. Currently exhibiting at Busan’s Museum of Contemporary Art. He has been selected as a finalist for Aperture’s 2023 Portfolio Prize, a finalist for Lucie Foundation 2023 Open Call, and long listed for Foam Talent Call 2023.

https://www.instagram.com/guarionex_jr/

https://x.com/Guari1x

https://www.guarionexjr.com/

Episode with Guarionex from 2022: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/putf-podcast/id1586663974?i=1000579259279

We also requested Guarionex to share with us some of his favorite things.

Catch them all in our newsletter: https://putf.substack.com/

The PUTF show is an interview series, dedicated to showcasing inspiring creatives from the PUTF community and beyond. Guests are invited to share their unique career journeys, stories, and visions.

The PUTF show is produced by WAVDWGS, a video production company based in NYC.

https://wavdwgs.com/

https://www.instagram.com/wavdwgs/

If you'd like to support this project: https://www.patreon.com/pickuptheflow

Pick Up The Flow, is an online resource based in NYC striving to democratize access to opportunities. Opportunities are shared daily on this page and website, and weekly via our newsletter.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The PUTF Show - Episode 15 / Dreamcrusher

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pickuptheflownyc/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pickuptheflow

Dreamcrusher is a New York City-based musician and artist, who describes the project as 'nihilist queer revolt musik.' Dreamcrusher’s work is at once personal and abstract, revealing and antagonistic; performances and recordings shift between genres while subjecting the characteristic elements—melodies, beats, instrumentation—to distortion until the point of transformation. Dreamcrusher has released dozens of recordings with labels such as PTP, Fire Talk, and Corpus, as well as on Bandcamp and other online platforms. Dreamcrusher is also a member of the duo Centennial Gardens with King Vision Ultra.

https://dreamcrusher.bandcamp.com

https://www.instagram.com/drmcrshr/

https://linktr.ee/drmcrshrx

https://x.com/xdrmcrshrx

Merch: https://shop-dreamcrusher.creator-spring.com

A note from Dreamcrusher:

“Unfortunately I’m navigating 2024 unemployed and overdrawn… in desperate need of kind donations yet again. I hate asking, and I hate how hard I’ve worked this past year with little to no yield (and I’m definitely not the only one). I hope that the work I have coming this year truly supplements my life in a real way. Twenty-one years in now! THIS YEAR WILL BE BETTER FOR US ALL!!! If you’re reading this and have the means, please consider donating and sharing. As always, I very much appreciate the continued support.  https://account.venmo.com/u/drmcrshr “

We also requested Dreamcrusher to share with us some of their favorite things.

Catch them all in our newsletter: https://putf.substack.com/

The PUTF show is an interview series, dedicated to showcasing inspiring creatives from the PUTF community and beyond. Guests are invited to share their unique career journeys, stories, and visions.

The PUTF show is produced by WAVDWGS, a video production company based in NYC.

https://wavdwgs.com/

https://www.instagram.com/wavdwgs/

If you'd like to support this project: https://www.patreon.com/pickuptheflow

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The PUTF Show - Episode 14 / Kyle Garner

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pickuptheflownyc/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pickuptheflow

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@pickuptheflow

Kyle Garner (aka KG) is an artist, designer, curator, DJ, and the visionary behind Light and Sound Design studio. He has been hosting a gathering called Last Saturday Dance since 2016 and in 2022 launched an offshoot weekly deep listening series called Present Sounds. His work investigates the intersection of community, happenings, architecture, performance and music. 

http://www.lightandsound.design

https://lightandsounddesign.substack.com

http://instagram.com/lightandsounddesign

We also requested Kyle to share with us some of his favorite things.

Catch them all in our newsletter: https://putf.substack.com/

The PUTF show is an interview series, dedicated to showcasing inspiring creatives from the PUTF community and beyond. Guests are invited to share their unique career journeys, stories, and visions.

The PUTF show is produced by WAVDWGS, a video production company based in NYC.

https://wavdwgs.com/

https://www.instagram.com/wavdwgs/

Pick Up The Flow, is an online resource based in NYC striving to democratize access to opportunities. Opportunities are shared daily on this page and website, and weekly via our newsletter.

Listen to this episode on audio platforms:

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/spotify-putf

Apple: https://tinyurl.com/putf-applepodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Relaxer is the project of Daniel Martin-McCormick, fka Ital, member of Black Eyes & Gaze, ex-Mi Ami, Halal & Relaxer, Sleeper Cell, Interplanetary Prophets, and more. Rooted in the US punk/noise underground of the late '90s and early 2000s, Martin-McCormick's music embodies a sensual, visceral edge that reflects and extends that legacy. His hardware live sets, honed over a decade of tours, are exhilarating, white knuckle rides, while his DJ sets fluidly cross genres and eras with a cathartic sense of play.

He's been a repeat performer at Berghain (where the Relaxer project made its live debut), De School, Unsound, Nowadays and many others. On albums "Concealer" (Planet Mu), "Coconut Grove" (Avenue 66) and "Hedonic Fatigue" (Climate of Fear), his productions stretch out, weaving strands of wormhole techno, minimal, noise, UK hardcore continuum and fractured ambient into a rippling, mesmeric tapestry. Recent club-focused EPs "Licking" and "Candy" (Lovers Rock Recordings) sharpen the blade, amping up his music's animialstic snarl and erotic undertones. 

Following his recent composition studies with Morton Subotnick, Relaxer's music has evolved a new modality: alongside his club works there have been concerts of long form durational works featuring spoken word and richly spatialized sound design. His debut performance in this new style was a standout at Sustain-Release Year Seven. These works were released in the Summer of 2022 as "Force Field: A Guide for the Perplexed" on Club Night Club. "In Softening Air," the follow up, is out on Lovers Rock Recordings April 1st. 

Behind the scenes, Martin-McCormick has been a consistent force shaping the US underground. He is the co-founder of Dripping camping festival and NY-based event series. He was a key member of Sustain-Release from its inception and co-director from 2017-2021, founded the labels Lovers Rock Recordings & Climate of Fear, was one of the first residents at Bossa Nova Civic Club. He currently holds residencies at The Lot Radio and Mansions.

https://relaxerelaxer.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/relaxerrelaxer

https://www.dripping.fyi

We also requested Daniel to share with us some of his favorite things.

Catch them all in our newsletter: https://putf.substack.com/

The PUTF show is an interview series, dedicated to showcasing inspiring creatives from the PUTF community and beyond. Guests are invited to share their unique career journeys, stories, and visions.

The PUTF show is produced by WAVDWGS, a video production company based in NYC.

https://wavdwgs.com/

Pick Up The Flow, is an online resource based in NYC striving to democratize access to opportunities. Opportunities are shared daily on this page and website, and weekly via our newsletter.

Listen to this episode on audio platforms:

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/spotify-putf

Apple: https://tinyurl.com/putf-applepodcast

Watch on:

Youtube: http://tinyurl.com/putf-youtube

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ruth Saxelby is a writer and editor based in Queens, New York, with a background in electronic music journalism. Born and raised in the UK, she got into writing through clubbing in the north of England in the late '90s. She was the clubs editor at The Leeds Guide (2001 -2003), new music editor at Dummy (2009-2013), and managing editor at The FADER (2014-2018). Some of the things she's written include a column about listening for NPR, record reviews for Pitchfork, memoir essays for Hazlitt, and a libretto for an opera by Actress's Darren Cunningham.

https://ruthsaxelby.com

https://twitter.com/ruthesaxelby

We also requested Ruth to share with us some of her favorite things.

Catch them all in our newsletter: https://putf.substack.com/

The PUTF show is an interview series, dedicated to showcasing inspiring creatives from the PUTF community and beyond. Guests are invited to share their unique career journeys, stories, and visions.

The PUTF show is produced by WAVDWGS, a video production company based in NYC.

https://wavdwgs.com/

Pick Up The Flow, is an online resource based in NYC striving to democratize access to opportunities. Opportunities are shared daily on this page and website, and weekly via our newsletter.

Watch on:

Youtube: http://tinyurl.com/putf-youtube

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pickuptheflownyc/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pickuptheflow

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch on:

Youtube: http://tinyurl.com/putf-youtube

Meriem Bennani  (b. 1988 in Rabat, Morocco) lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Juxtaposing and mixing the language of reality TV, documentaries, phone footage, animation, and high production aesthetics, she explores the potential of storytelling while amplifying reality through a strategy of magical realism and humour. She has been developing a shape-shifting practice of films, sculptures and immersive installations, composed with a subtle agility to question our contemporary society and its fractured identities, gender issues and ubiquitous dominance of digital technologies. Bennani’s work has been shown at the Whitney Biennale, MoMA PS1, Art Dubai, The Vuitton Foundation in Paris, Public Art Fund, CLEARING and The Kitchen in New York. Her animated series, 2 Lizards, a collaboration with director Orian Barki, premiered on Instagram during Spring 2020 and was described by The New York Times as “hypnotic…deploying a blend of documentary structure and animation surrealism…both poignantly grounded in actual events and also soothingly fantastical” and its animated protagonists “art stars.” (Jon Caramanica, April 2020) 

https://www.instagram.com/meriembennani/

http://meriembennani.com

Meriem Bennani - Life on the CAPS (book): https://store.renaissancesociety.org/products/meriem-bennai-life-on-the-caps

We also requested Meriem to share with us some of her favorite things.

Catch them all in our newsletter: https://putf.substack.com/

The PUTF show is an interview series, dedicated to showcasing inspiring creatives from the PUTF community and beyond. Guests are invited to share their unique career journeys, stories, and visions.

The PUTF show is produced by WAVDWGS, a video production company based in NYC.

https://wavdwgs.com/

Pick Up The Flow, is an online resource based in NYC striving to democratize access to opportunities. Opportunities are shared daily on this page and website, and weekly via our newsletter.

Listen to this episode on audio platforms:

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/spotify-putf

Apple: https://tinyurl.com/putf-applepodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.