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Not A Diving Podcast with Scuba
#114 Laurent Garnier: Looking forward, "techno is about tomorrow, not yesterday"
D:U:LIVE is coming in June! My first live set since 2013.... London / Bristol / Manchester - all tickets: scubaoficial.io/live
How could we possibly follow last week's episode with the techno legend Luke Slater? Well, with another legend of techno of course!
Laurent Garnier is, in fact, and all-time great of dance music PERIOD. He was playing the Hacienda before acid house really got going. He can plausibly claim a large amount of the credit for the sound gaining popularity in France. And he continues to be one of the best DJs on the planet.
So it's a slightly daunting prospect to welcome him to a humble podcast such as ours, but welcome him we absolutely do.
Discussion topics include: what are the challenge facing the current scene, and the grounds for optimism. We talk about Paris as a dance music city, and the role of venues such as the Rex Club and Concrete. And we talk about his relationship with music, as a DJ and also as a producer.
This is a great conversation with a man who many claim to be the GOAT. You're gonna enjoy it...
If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.
You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.
Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.
Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Not A Diving Podcast Spotify playlist
Follow Scuba: twitter instagram bandcamp spotify apple music beatport
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4. #004 Jane Fitz: Raving in 90s Hong Kong and the mystery of the underground
01:40:21||Season 2, Ep. 4Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing!--Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDivingIs Jane Fitz a DJ's DJ? Even though we hate the term, it probably applies here... A DJ of more than 25 years and a crucial figure in underground house and techno, Jane is also a promoter of some of the best parties in the UK over a similar time period. We discuss her roots in London, experiences living in Hong Kong during the 90s, and her route into DJing via magazine journalism and record collecting. And of course we cover her seminal parties, Peg, and Night Moves which is still running sporadically when suitable venues can be found. This is a great conversation with someone who does things the right way... get involved! --If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist3. #003 Spencer Parker on the phone: Berlin, changes, and HorsegiirL
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01:19:11||Season 2, Ep. 2Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing!--Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDivingThe DJ / Producer / Label boss paradigm is a classic career path in dance music, not least in the case of the presenter of this show. But few have nailed all three elements quite as well over the last three decades as this week's guest on the show.Blueprint is James Ruskin's label - an absolute foundation of UK techno, and techno generally it should be said, with seminal releases from the likes of DVS1, Mark Broom, Oliver Ho, Sigha, as well as the boss himself. It will soon be celebrating 30 years of releases, which is a pretty incredible achievement.As a producer he's released prolifically outside his own imprint, most notably via an association with Tresor that goes back to the 90s. And as a DJ he's been a key part of the UK scene and beyond for at least that long too.We discuss familiar themes such as the state of the scene today, the comparative challenges of releasing music over a thirty year period, the evolution of his approach to work in the studio, amongst a lot of other stuff besides.This is a great conversation with an absolute key man. Get involved!If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist1. #001 Tom Middleton: Sleep, audio therapy, and Aphex Twin
01:18:45||Season 2, Ep. 1Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing!--Welcome to the first episode of Music Not Diving! Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDivingIt's very far from perfect but it is out on time and no-one ever does perfect drops anymore do they?There is one perfect aspect to the new show though, and that is the first guest. Tom Middleton is a true don of electronic music. From his seminal work with Mark Pritchard as Global Communication and Jedi Knights, through multiple solo albums, and collaborations with luminaries such as Matthew Herbert, the man's record is unimpeachable.Perhaps just as interestingly though, is his second career as a sleep coach, sensory designer, and pioneer of audio therapeutics for sleep, relaxation, pain management, and cognitive performance. He's a co-founder of White Mirror, where he crafts health-driven sensory content and experiences, and a sleep science expert and neuroscience researcher. His therapeutic audio helps millions through Calm, Apple Music and Breathonics.So this is a highly interesting conversation, and a great way to start the new show. Grab the GCOM album discussed hereIf you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Not A Diving Podcast Spotify playlist157. #157 DJ Bone (redux): a re-run of one of our favourite episodes
02:01:02||Season 1, Ep. 157The Not A Diving Podcast is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing!--We will be back next week with some important changes to the show... but in the meantime we bring you another chance to catch one of our favourite ever episodes. From all the way back on episode 73, it's DJ Bone!The majority of DJs spent the pandemic mostly of stood in front of a camera, attempting to perform the impossible task of transplanting a rave into the bedrooms of the few people lucky enough to be watching at the other end of a fibre optic cable.We are only beginning to come to terms with the implications of what the failure of that approach have had for our culture, but DJ Bone did something completely different.'Further' was a hugely successful series of events which combined music, talking, and a bit of socially-distanced vibing out. DJ Bone just released an album of the same name as those events, which he sees as jumping off point to his career even at this relatively advanced stage. We discuss that in detail, as well as those events, and what they mean in the context of what he's done in music since the 90s.We also discuss his roots as a party-goer in Detroit, the wider state of Techno and dance music generally today, and what needs to change to get back on track after a few years of real turmoil.If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Not A Diving Podcast Spotify playlistFollow Scuba: twitter instagram bandcamp spotify apple music beatport156. #156 Wrestling, Rap Beefs, and Cultural Nihilism: the changing skillset of the modern musician
38:17||Season 1, Ep. 156The Not A Diving Podcast is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing!--What connects professional wrestling, the 2025 Superbowl halftime show, finance alternative media, and a ubiquitous major label tech house stooge?On this episode we find out.The podcast episode referenced can be found on Spotify here.If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Not A Diving Podcast Spotify playlistFollow Scuba: twitter instagram bandcamp spotify apple music beatport155. #155 Riva Starr: House music and songwriting, "as a producer it's important to be challenged"
01:26:08||Season 1, Ep. 155The Not A Diving Podcast is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing!--What happens when an established house producer wants to write songs? What happens when they want to do things which might not appeal to their existing audience? That is what this week's guest is currently discovering, as he makes the finishing touches to an album that sees him step out of his comfort zone and into unfamiliar surroundings.Riva Starr is one of the most successful house producers of the past couple of decades, starting out on Dirty Bird and becoming a fixture of the biggest house label of them all, Defected, as well as collabbing with huge names including Diplo, Fatboy Slim, and Todd Terry.We discuss the processes behind the forthcoming record, running recording sessions in LA, the challenges of working with big names and pro musicians, his backstory in Italy and breakbeat, and a ton of other stuff.This is a great conversation with one of the good guys. Get involved!If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Not A Diving Podcast Spotify playlistFollow Scuba: twitter instagram bandcamp spotify apple music beatport154. #154 Aly Gillani: Bandcamp - the insider take, "what's best for the artist always comes first for us"
01:37:02||Season 1, Ep. 154The Not A Diving Podcast is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing!--We are getting deep in the independent music industry weeds on this week's episode...To get started we must redirect you to episodes 91 and 92 of the podcast, which were a pair of deep solo dives into the world of direct-to-consumer music sales, Bandcamp in particular, and specifically the takeover of the platform by Songtradr that had just occurred. On those episodes I tried to debunk some of the wilder takes that had been circulating online and drill down into the platform and wider sector to establish what's so special about it and why it provokes such strong reactions. On this week's episode we welcome Aly Gillani, the European Label Representative at Bandcamp, to discuss all these issues in detail and get the insider take on the whole thing.As you might expect, this is absolutely fascinating - if you're interested in the backend workings of the independent music industry that is... ...and of course you are!If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Not A Diving Podcast Spotify playlist153. #153 Ben Sims: what is Hardgroove anyway? "I wasn't expecting it to be a term that other people use to describe their music"
01:42:18||Season 1, Ep. 153The Not A Diving Podcast is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing!--What is Hardgroove anyway? It's a genre of techno isn't it? A general sort of vibe? Maybe even a music trend that has saved techno as a whole from the encroachment of the execrable nonsense that really shouldn't be included in the genre in the first place?Well actually Hardgroove is really just Ben Sims techno. It's a term that he coined in the mid 90s and the name of a label he's been running since not too long after that. But it's also become a kind of shorthand for a wave in the music whose renewed popularity in recent years has been a something of a lifeline for a corner of the scene that had got itself into a very bad spot indeed. So we talk about all that in this episode, as well as what it's like to be one of the biggest techno DJs on the planet, as well as his journey from being fascinated by early hip hop, through Acid House and onto the global techno circuit that he's inhabited for a good few decades now. This is a great conversation with a true legend of the scene... get involved!If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else.You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support.Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels.Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Not A Diving Podcast Spotify playlist