In honour of World Radio Day—which landed on February 13th—this week’s RA Exchange celebrates the power of radio in a documentary-style deep dive. UNESCO inaugurated World Radio Day in 2011 in order to commemorate its efficacy in reaching remote communities, connecting with people everywhere regardless of their education level, and providing a platform for positive and democratic discourse. It's also critical in spreading critical information during times of crisis or emergency. According to UNESCO, "increasing radio's journalistic standards and capacity should be considered as an investment in peace."On a more modest level, podcasting and radio, especially in the world of underground music, can help forge in-person and virtual networks and celebrate and spread new and lesser-known music. During the pandemic, it also held together underground music scenes when people couldn't be together in the club, and sustained a kind of intimacy and connection by letting people share music over the airwaves and community platform chat rooms. In this episode, we hear from various radio producers around the world—including Jamz Supernova, Hana Walker Brown, Dublab Barcelona and Hong Kong Community Radio, among others—about why radio resonates so strongly with them. "Good radio is always an exercise in connection, especially host-led radio,” says Rory Bowens, NTS’s Head of Radio Production. “The fact that it's a live experience is really crucial. People can listen to something in real time with a huge audience of other listeners at the same time, and that intrinsically connects them to each other." Take a listen to the episode in full.

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London-based musician I. JORDAN—a disciple of fast-paced, high-energy dance music—has undergone a creative renaissance since 2021. Last February, they were nominated for Best Producer at the annual NME awards, and they celebrated a jam-packed touring and release schedule, which included signing to Ninja Tune. Now, they're on the heels of a residency they oversaw designed specifically for trans and nonbinary artists, produced by Brighter Sound and Generator. They're also planning a tour with close friend and collaborator SHERELLE. "There is something really beautiful about trans only spaces, something that I can't put words into," they tell host Vanessa Maria in this week's RA Exchange. "It's just a feeling. Trans people get it. Trans people know it. It just does stuff to you, and I can't really explain."Their conversation touches on the power of queer community, the spectre of imposter syndrome and the growing importance of nurturing creative outlets for marginalised musicians. Critically, I. JORDAN and Maria also take stock of what the underground scene can do to support trans and nonbinary artists by reconfiguring some of the industry's deeply rooted discriminatory practices from the ground up. Take a listen to the episode in full.This episode was recorded at Qube in East London.

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DJ Perception is lauded as one of the leading voices in the contemporary UK garage landscape. His sets are widely known for being jam-packed with exclusive dubplates and sought-after cuts of slick 2-step, and his productions are just as highly revered, blending elements of UK garage with house and soul. “I like to make all types of garage, but never commercial music," he tells moderator Heléna Star in his interview. "It’s just underground.”In this live listening party hosted by Timehri Records and the Black Artist Database, the artist talks with Timehri head T Dunn about the production of his most recent LP, Journey To The Star, which landed on the label in October 2022. They also listen to segments of the record and discuss its wider concept and construction with a live audience. "The music I make has to be soulful," DJ Perception says. "It can be dark, but it has to be groovy and it has to be soulful. That's how I work."To hear more about the album, the diversity of the UK garage continuum and the underrated practice of bedroom music production, listen to the conversation in full.

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Amsterdam-based DJ Antal Heitlager needs little introduction. As a co-founder of Rush Hour—a globally respected label and distributor of rare and collectable records—he has been disseminating his distinct vision for buoyant house, hip-hop, disco and more for over two decades.For this special edition of the RA Exchange, the artist and entrepreneur is interviewed by Berlin-based DJ Juba about the label and store’s 25-year anniversary, as well as his first forays into record collecting and the changing landscape of vinyl distribution in an ever-digitalizing world. To hear more about the inception of his legendary shop front and imprint, listen to the conversation in full.

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In a scene dominated by thundering techno and its industrial iterations, Scotland’s experimental electronic landscape often goes unnoticed. This niche community of creatives finds inspiration in the country’s ethereal yet contradicting past, combining folk traditions with avant-garde production.In this documentary-style podcast, RA contributor Rowan Crerar speaks to artists, labels and festivals about the deep relationship between Scottish music and folklore. Hyperdub affiliate Proc Fiskal, musician Gavin L. Sutherland, Aberdeen's aerial community radio, interdisciplinary artist Abby Beatrice Quick and Glasgow label 12th Isle each discuss the complex nature of Scottish identity, highlighting how topics such as archaeology and science fiction influence creative practices.For more insights, listen to the conversation in full.

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Peggy Gou is one of electronic music's biggest celebrities. Her catchy productions, high-intensity DJ sets and personal style have propelled her to the upper echelons of stardom—a journey that's brought an equal number of fans and critics. "There are a lot of assumptions about me," she tells moderator Souhayla Ou-Oumar during a live RA Exchange at last year's Amsterdam Dance Event. Over the course of the 50-minute conversation, which includes a Q&A with the audience, the label owner, producer, DJ and fashion designer spills the beans on her decision-making process, how she deals with haters and maintaining authenticity. Emphasising the power of saying no, the Korea-born artist explains how she executes her creative philosophy by being selective on projects. "I have a great team who follow my vision but basically, I'm a control freak." She says she's never had a manager and does all social media herself because "I don't like it when people tell me what to do."To hear more about how Gou finds inspiration, why South Korea is a place of healing for her and the importance of listening to the body, listen to the conversation in full.

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There's a lot to be excited about this year. For the first Critics' Roundtable of 2023, RA staffers sat down to discuss the events, DJs, producers and technological developments that are poised to shape the electronic music landscape over the next twelve months.Featuring senior staff writer Nyshka Chandran, Bogotá city manager Luisa Uribe and US account manager Natalie Papaeracleous, the conversation starts in Colombia where artists such as Julianna and Matías Aguayo are creating parties and platforms that spotlight local talents. The group then explores how nature influences festival programming, focusing on the likes of Terraforma in Italy, Vietnam's (Re)treat and Thailand's Karma Kastle.Buzzworthy artists Sansibar, Amantra (AKA HUMA) and Hessle Audio's Toumba also get a mention, as does Venezuela's euphoric raptor house genre. Finally, the trio share their concerns and predictions for the Instagram economy, AI-generated music and the ethics of sampling. Listen to the conversation in full for more details on these topics.

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Since at least the 1970s, artists have composed music for plants. From Mort Garson’s Plantasia to dublab's Plant Music compilation, albums recorded with nature in mind often intend to stimulate growth or simply entertain leafy creatures. This episode of Source Material, a documentary-style series, explores the symbiotic links between electronic music and house plants.Diving into the world of frequencies and root systems, @martharadio speaks to various experts to learn how nature responds to ambient tunes and synthesisers. Among them are biotherapeutic musician Imka, Joe Patitucci of PlantWave, an app that translates plants' biorhythms into music, sound artist Karine Bonneval and composer Erland Cooper.To discover how bass frequencies mimic bees and why festivals are adopting sonic soil pollution, listen to the episode.

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Slimzee is a legend in every sense of the word. He launched Rinse FM alongside Geeneus and Uncle Dugs in 1994, running the station for three years out of his bedroom. His shows, focused on garage and grime, paved the way for the genres' current architects. As a member of Pay As U Go Cartel alongside Wiley and Flowdan, he also helped lay the foundations for early grime.Speaking to @martharadio, the East London veteran discusses the specifics of the Rinse FM compressor, explaining how he learnt to fine-tune frequency levels through trial and error. Back then, it was normal to focus on a specific sound in mixes and DJ sets but now, genres are more fluid, he noted, describing how he currently plays hybrids of dubstep and grime. The duo then go onto discuss the dos and don'ts of DJing with an MC, Slimzee's favourite festivals as well as his mental health journey.Listen to the conversation in full for more details.

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Dance music deepened its presence in pop culture this year, expanding into TikTok's nichest corners as well as Billboard Hot 100 charts. For the December edition of the Critics' Roundtable, staffers Chloë Cochran, Whitney Ajayi, Martha Pazienti Caidan and contributor Vanessa Maria reflect on the major milestones of 2022.Electronic music was part of global conversations on gender disparity and sexual violence, the group noted. Women's safety in clubs was a particularly concerning issue this year, they continued, highlighting incidents of needle spiking at clubs. On a more positive note, they applauded Butterz cofounder Elijah, RA's guest editor from earlier this year, whose efforts to educate on issues in the music industry led to a staff position at SOAS University of London.To hear more about these topics, as well as the popularity of higher BPMs and definitive tunes like "B.O.T.A. (Baddest Of Them All)," listen to the chat in full.

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