RA Exchange

"I put all of my energy into what I do." The Italian DJ and producer talks about his undying passion for music, his take on "business techno" and how the scene has changed over the course of his long career. Naples native Joseph Capriati has received criticism for being the "CEO of business techno." But the longtime artist is a genuine lover of all kinds of electronic music, from the incredibly niche to the more commercial strains he plays in Ibiza, intimate clubs and major festivals. In this RA Exchange, Capriati talks about how he climbed to success in the electronic world, getting his start at the age of 11 (he's now 37) before being booked on the international circuit with breakout releases on CLR and Adam Beyer's Drumcode. While Capriati has consistently ranked high in year-end polls and music roundups, no outside plaudits have impacted the choices he's made in his career. He's doggedly followed a lifelong passion for the underground and the community surrounding it. He opens up about the changes he's made in his personal life to facilitate his rise to the top, his struggle with his mental health, his turn towards sobriety and more. Listen to the episode in full.

"I was surrounded by all walks of life." Live from Dekmantel, the New York native talks about how the Bronx shaped her taste in music, her long-time love of radio and blowing up on the international DJ circuit. Gabrielle Kwarteng is a product of her diverse musical environment. The Berlin-based New Yorker has a unique sound that's dynamic and house-heavy, incorporating elements of acid, techno and everything in between. In this interview recorded live at Dekmantel, she discussed her upbringing in a Ghanaian household in the Bronx, and how that environment (and the neighborhood itself) moulded her taste in music. The community she grew up in was culturally rich, filled with the sounds of reggaeton, bachata, merengue and freestyle from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and beyond. As both of her parents moved from West Africa, she was introduced to a diet of highlife music and jazz from a young age. Kwarteng's taste began to expand when she began exploring New York's record stores. Fast forward to university, and the aspiring DJ became deeply involved in her school radio station, which she describes as a turning point and a revelation. She speaks movingly about the abiding power that radio has had in her life—she continues to be involved with stations like Refuge Worldwide and The Lot, and soon NTS Radio, where she'll hold a residency beginning in 2025. She also talks about what it's like to be a female minority in the music industry, the experience of having her career take off at such rapid speed upon relocating to Europe and the importance of summoning optimism no matter the circumstances. Listen to the episode in full.

"We're getting better at what we do." The Australian dance music trio discuss their longtime creative collaboration and their new album, Inhale / Exhale. Australian electronic dance trio Rüfüs Du Sol—composed of the artists Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George and James Hunt—is synonymous with catchy, vocal-led bangers. They've received a huge amount of success in more commercial and underground scenes in the more than 10 years that they've been active. In fact, they hit it big from their very first release, Atlas, which peaked at #1 in the Australian charts when it came out in 2013. In the years that have elapsed since, they have won a Grammy Award (and multiple nominations) and sold out stadium shows around the world. In this Exchange, they talk to RA editor Gabriel Szatan in a closed door interview recorded at San Francisco's Portola Festival. The trio took a break from music-making for a period and even moved to different cities. Since they've reconvened, they've undertaken a number of measures to refine their inter-group communication, which has included wellness exercises, group therapy and breath work. They talk about this in some detail, as well as the realities of touring as they've gotten older and started having families. The time required to "fill their bucket" in between tours, as they say, is more critical than ever. As an outfit that's worked together for a long time, they also reveal the intricacies of their now well established creative process, such as how they create internal momentum in songwriting, and their newest album, Inhale / Exhale, which they will tour throughout 2025. Listen to the episode in full.

"I do activism as much as I can." The Peruvian DJ and producer talks about the human rights issues close to her heart, fighting for human rights and the incredible story behind her LP for Ninja Tune. Sofia Kourtesis is a Peruvian DJ and producer based in Berlin known for her buoyant, upbeat music that channels and transmutes sociopolitical activism and personal hardship. While she's put out a number of solo works, her EP Fresia Magdalena and her debut LP, Madres—both of which came out on Ninja Tune—have been received with exceptional critical acclaim and put her on the map as a headlining touring artist. Both speak to some of the discrimination Sofia has felt as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community in South America, as well as how she's confronted difficult topics like family caregiving, illness and death.  In this RA Exchange recorded live at C2C Festival in Turin, she opened up about her mother's recent battle with cancer and the neurosurgeon who provided life-saving surgery (as a thank you, Kourtesis took him and his surgery team out to one of her shows in Berlin). She also discusses her commitment to human rights at length. For Kourtesis, music is a form of activism and healing; she uses it to talk about her Latin American community and the movements that are happening, to show the diverse range of demonstrations for equality, for the queer community and for abortion rights. In a touching final moment of our talk, she opens up about the homophobia that ultimately caused her to leave her school in Lima and then to depart from Peru to Europe altogether. She's been based in Germany since she was 17. Listen to the episode in full.