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RA.839 Eli Escobar : “Working my ass off, to be honest,” is how Eli Escobar starts our interview below. That basically sums up his vibe. The New Yorker might not have the same household name status of other DJs who have been soundtracking Manhattan clubs since the early ’90s, but he certainly deserves it. Any New York resident worth their salt should have him near the top of the list of their favorite local DJs. He plays anywhere and everywhere in the city, and he can play pretty much anything he wants to, as his RA Podcast will attest.

When it comes to his own music, Escobar puts out records equally informed by disco, hip-hop and house—in other words, a very New York sound. He hasn’t been producing as long as he’s been DJing, but his albums and EPs for labels like Classic, Night People and Razor N Tape are full of the soul, humor and talent of someone who knows dance music inside out.

As Escobar says below, he doesn’t really have any one type of sound. Bis DJing varies greatly from night to night, and he’s always adding to his considerable collection, so no one set is quite the same as another. For his RA Podcast, put together painstakingly with many specially edited tracks and recorded in a hotel room in Colombia, he strikes a relatively reflective tone, but it’s still eminently danceable. He moves gradually through two hours of house and disco that ranges from celebratory to muted, from minimalist to rich with live instrumentation. It’s the sound of New York dance music as passed through generations, from one of its best and most beloved musical storytellers.

@eliescobar

Read more: https://ra.co/podcast/839

RA.838 OSSX : Last year, New Jersey group OSSX wowed us with a mix of completely original material that blended infectious edits of Janet Jackson and September with tracks like “Split Wig”—one of last year’s indisputable breakbeat anthems—that showed how the then-duo could bring together generations of American dance music into one compelling, vibrant mix that celebrates all shades of East Coast club.

Their RA Podcast might not be an all-originals mix, but it shares the same spirit. OSSX—now a trio, with Juke Bounce Werk member Elise joining original duo Equiss and Lektor Scopes—sprinkle the mix with more of their excellent unreleased originals, in-between canny and clever edits new and old, like DJ Sega’s rework of Basement Jaxx’s “Where Your Head At,” which makes for an early highlight, along with DJ Swisha’s Baltimore club edit of Robin S.’s “Luv 4 Luv” and the bouncy DJ Problem version of Mary J. Blige’s classic “Family Affair.” You can hear both the evolution and history of these genres through this mix, along with cuts that touch on UK garage, ballroom and jungle. Trust us when we say that this is over an hour of pure fun, showing the ingenuity and timelessness of American dance music through the decades.

Read more: http://ra.co/podcast/838