RA Exchange

For the Exchange's Season Two relaunch, the visionary duo discuss their first release in 13 years and the inspiration behind their trailblazing sound.

Neel and Donato Dozzy, who perform and make music together as Voices From The Lake, first joined forces in 2011, when what was supposed to be a one-off performance in the Japanese Alps changed the trajectory of ambient techno forever.

The music they made for the occasion was released as a self-titled album in 2012—a record that achieved mythical status in the underground and is still described as the Selected Ambient Works for the Berghain generation. Instead of following techno's standard linearity and instrumentation, the duo deployed a soft pulse, massive reverb trails and carefully placed silence to make their music feel like a living, breathing organism.

Dozzy and Neel then went silent for 13 years, each pursuing their individual careers while fans pined for more music. And in December 2025, they finally delivered. II, which is dedicated to their late friend Nuel, manages to be both a continuation and a reinvention of the sound they pioneered more than a decade ago.

In this RA Exchange, they uncover its guiding concepts, which draw deeply from the well of improvisational practices, concepts in Japanese design and aesthetics, and the minimalist visual art of contemporaries like Mike Parker. The duo also reveal their plans to veer away from the ambient blueprint altogether. Listen to the episode in full.
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The Leisure System co-founder talks psychology, behavioral science and his standout album of the year, Stochastic Drift.

Sam Barker's influence on contemporary electronic music culture spans many levels—not only as a producer and DJ pushing against traditional genre boundaries, but also as key figure behind the scenes as head of the label Leisure System. He came into RA HQ to talk about the central thesis in his current work: exploring organic, human timing in a genre that has become increasingly obsessed with mechanized grids.

The Berlin-based artist tells us about how he puts this theory into practice in his standout album of the year, Stochastic Drift, and his recent collaborative project with saxophonist Bendik Giske. Beyond the technical, he also reflects on the evolution of the Berlin scene, the surprising arguments for liberation in the streaming economy and the role of art in imagining a utopian future. Listen to the episode in full.
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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
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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
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The Innervisions cofounder reflects on the label's 20-year anniversary, the art of DJing and bringing politics back to the underground.

One of the most popular record labels in the RA ecosystem is Innervisions, and one of its most popular DJs is cofounder Steffen Berkhahn, AKA Dixon. He started the outlet in 2005 with Kristian Rädle and Frank Wiedemann of Âme. Back when RA ran DJ polls, Dixon was #1 several years in a row. We've since retired them, but Dixon's appeal remains as widespread as ever. He made a name for himself in Berlin in the '90s when he was just a teenager, spreading a melodic strain of house and techno that became the Innervisions brand and continues to pull heartstrings around the world.

This year, the label has been celebrating its 20-year anniversary, and Dixon reflects on its astronomical success on the heels of two major anniversary parties at Berghain and fabric. He also discusses how he's kept the label—and his own career—fresh and relevant; his feelings around commercial success; the importance of taking annual breaks from music and production; and his interest in reclaiming underground electronic music as a political space. Listen to the episode in full. -Chloe Lula
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