Electronic Beats Weekly

We're at the end of a wild and unpredictable year – and we're not just talking about club culture and electronic music. In this episode, our hosts Juba, Kikelomo, and Otto Kent run through the highlights and lowlights of 2024 in music and more. They cover some of their year's most memorable moments on dancefloors and on online, and what they're looking forward to leaving behind in 2025. Electronic...

Big DJ gigs with an intense lightshow and a strong focus on visuals have been there for a while – but it seems like they are having a new peak. With DJs like Anyma selling out the Sphere in Las Vegas, it sparks the question: Has it become more important how a show looks than how it sounds? In this episode, we are joined by cultural commentator and journalist Cameron Cook to talk about how visuals...

Interior and set design have always been a part of dance music, with different parties and clubs creating spaces that amplify and enhance the sonic and social experience. But for every person turned on to techno by TikTok and craving Instagrammable visual moments, there's another who wants a raw warehouse and no-frills dancefloor. In this episode, we invited Arnold from KWIA – one of Berlin's cozi...

So much of nightlife and electronic music is ephemeral, enjoyed in the moment. But those nights and moments and sounds are simultaneously something we want to preserve – whether through is an exciting new online mix, blurry phone photos from our last night out, a heavy coffee table book, or even a museum. This week, Otto Kent and Juba are joined by Berlin-based DJ, producer and music journali...

We live in a time of division and polarization. But when it comes to dance music and club culture, we like to think of them as a unified global community. How true is that, really? In this episode, Otto Kent and Juba are joined by Cormac , the DJ, Polari Records owner and host of the Queerly Beloved podcast. They dig into what exactly people mean when they talk about "community", and the shared va...

We love to go out to clubs and have a good time with friends and strangers alike. But anytime you're on a crowded dancefloor, not everyone’s going to be on the same page when it comes to appropriate behavior. The way we all act and interact can make or break a night, but these expectations can also be hard to pin down, and vary widely depending on the city, scene, and personal preferences. In this...

In September, the visionary electronic producer SOPHIE released what was promoted as her final album , three years after her tragic passing. And people had a lot of opinions on it – as they usually do with music that comes out after an artist's death, whether it's Tupac, Avicii, Lil Peep, DJ Rashad, Prince, or many, many others. There are moral and musical questions to consider. So this week, Kike...

That's what the Jamaican production duo Steely & Clevie are trying to do, with an ongoing lawsuit claiming ownership of the so-called "dembow" riddim – the basis for reggaeton worldwide. It's one of the most significant music copyright cases of the last decades, with significant and widespread implications for both the mainstream music world and underground dance music. To discuss the question...

Clubs are closing all around the world, but it still seems like there are more DJs than ever before. Why do so many people want to be DJs – whether bedroom amateurs or touring professionals? And how does all the attention and effort affect the scene? In this episode, Otto Kent and Kikelomo explore the ongoing impact of the pandemic and social media on DJing, the musical, social, and financial moti...

It’s not just Fred again fans trying to identify an unfamiliar genre. Drum & bass, jungle, and breaks are back in a big way – both in the underground and on the UK charts. Chase & Status have earned #1 records, artists like Kenya Grace are going viral, and there's a vanguard of producers like Tim Reaper and Nia Archives waving the flag for the genres while continuing to push them forward....

Clubs in Berlin are closing at a rapid rate – including the legendary Watergate. And it’s not just Germany. In the UK, a study found that if nightlife continues struggling at the same rate, there will be no clubs by 2030. Some of these issues are perennial, but the reality is that “Clubsterben” is accelerating – even though there seems to be more money in nightlife than ever. So what impact do the...

We're back for our first episode after the summer break. Or shall we say... Brat Summer break? With her sixth studio album, BRAT, released this last June, Charli XCX sparked what was arguably the biggest pop culture trend of the social media age so far. From underground producers serving up remixes to brands (and presidential candidates) jumping on the meme bandwagon, the British pop star with rav...

Do you still feel like wearing a piece of merch makes you a part of a specific subculture? Or has that sense of exclusivity and meaning been lost? This week, our host Otto Kent speaks to writer Claire Mouchmore about our shifting relationship with merch, and how that's changed along with the internet and the explosion of niche identities. Plus, we discuss new features on YouTube music, UK laws aga...

Do you also miss the magical, fun parts of social media? With noplace hitting the top of the American app charts Kikelomo and OttO Kent are reminiscing on their personal journey in social media. They’re sharing hot takes, making confessions about being comment warriors, and talking about what it takes to put the social back in social media. Plus: Balenciaga’s raver bracelet and Peggy Gou and Fred...

Melt-Festival is celebrating its final edition this weekend after more than 25 years. We spoke to the legendary Ellen Allien, who has played the festival more than anyone, about her memories from the famous Sleepless Floor over the years, and what made Melt so significant to ravers in Germany and beyond. Also, Juba presents this week’s news: Honey Dijon curating a jukebox in tribute to the Stonewa...

Just a few days before her Glastonbury show Sofia Kourtesis joined us for an in-depth conversation. The Peruvian singer, producer, and DJ has lived in Berlin for 20 years now and released her debut album “Madres” last year to critical acclaim.  Together with OttO Kent , Sofia talks about being a DJ mum, approaching music like a filmmaker, and why she’s scared of playing B2B with Caribou. They...

It's Glastonbury time – and this week, we're diving into the past, present, and future of electronic music at the UK’s biggest music festival with the Editor of Resident Advisor, Gabriel Szatan . Also, Kikelomo presents this week’s news: From far-right remixes of hit songs and Justin Timberlake's viral arrest to a new podcast from Ableton . Dazed - The alt-right movement spreading hate with dance...

With the Euros on, the Olympics upcoming, and everyone getting back into summertime Strandbad shape, we bring back The Week co-host Juba to chat with Otto Kent about the connections between fitness and music, and their favourite workout tunes. Also, Otto presents this week’s news: The impending shutdown of mix database MixesDB , British fashion brand Sports Banger giving away a DJ slot at Glastonb...

Her anthem “ Baddest Of Them All ” went viral on TikTok in 2022, hit number 1 in the UK and is now certified double platinum. Life has been a crazy ride lately for Eliza Rose. What most people don’t know is that the DJ, singer and producer from Hackney, London, has been an institution for British club culture long before she was headlining big festivals.  In conversation with The Week host Ki...

The Sugababes are definitely having a moment right now. Between new music, appearances at festivals like Glastonbury and MELT, and them being all over our TikTok feeds, the legendary London group is back in a big way. As part of Deutsche Telekom’s Summer To Remember campaign, their biggest hit Push The Button has been remixed by Berlin duo DJ Heartstring. In this episode, they talk about the remix...

Have you been feeling too tired to go out clubbing recently? You are not alone. There is even a word for it: rave fatigue. For this week’s episode Kikelomo talks to music journalist Marie Dapoigny about how rave fatigue has become a thing, and what we can do about it as a community. Plus: a youth initiative going viral with a D’n’B tune , a new documentary on the piracy era , and Billie Eilish rev...

With festival season approaching, OttO Kent invited co-host Juba to share some of their best and worst festival experiences ever. What are they hyped for in 2024? How important is the line-up? What’s their take on mega festivals like Coachella? And what about the toilet situation…? Plus: Open AIs new chatbot reminds people of the movie HER, Apple Music’s 100 best albums , Ice Spice’s MetroCards, a...

This week, Juba speaks to Shani Atani to peel back the meta and musical layers behind the ongoing beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, and how listeners choose sides in the digital age. Plus: fka Twigs on AI deepfakes, Eurovision Song Content controversies and the North American premiere of Daft Punk's Interstella 5555. Interstella 5555 at Tribeca Film Festival . The Week is a production by Tele...

Narciss is on a mission to make techno fun and colorful again. Born and raised in Berlin, the DJ and producer is the opposite of what their name might suggest, more like a nerdy video game fan, a 90s kid who’s grounded, humble, amazingly charming – and a queer icon in the making. After witnessing their first Loveparade in their mother’s womb, Narciss became a part of what they call "the anime scho...

This week, OttO Kent speaks to Marke Bieschke of the Stud collective to learn the inspiring story of a community banding together to save a beloved local venue. Plus: an iconic house label is reborn, Black British music at the British Library, and celebrations of Rico Wade of Organized Noize and footwork pioneer DJ Rashad. Support the Stud Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music at t...