No Tags
No Tags is a podcast and newsletter from Chal Ravens and Tom Lea that chronicles underground music culture. It covers various aspects of the underground music scene, including interviews, reviews, and discussions. The podcast is available via Substack.
Episodes
74: What does it take to run a clubnight for 20 years?
For 20 years, Mantra and Double O have been running Rupture, the London-based party that’s become guiding light for 160-inclined ravers. As any promoter will tell you, that’s a damn good shift.Next month they celebrate two decades with a book – We Are Rupture: Signals From The Heart of the Rave – which gathers stories and reflections from their community, from international pilgrimages to processi
73: Dance music has entered its proteinmaxxed era
We need to talk about this event flyer, and not just because of how Big Beat Cinema-coded it is.Prospa, Josh Baker and Kettama have worked their way into the uppermost stratum of dance music – a rarefied zone which might seem a million miles away to No Tags listeners, but which has officially become too big to ignore.The massive Finsbury Park show that this photo shoot is advertising received 220,
72: When is a festival not a festival?
Is this the way they say the future’s meant to feel? Or just 20,000 people milling about at the White Claw gazebo?This summer Tom and Chal attended a LOT of different festivals, which got us thinking about not just what makes a festival good, but what makes a festival a festival.As well as rating and slating our 2026 jollies, we look back at the half-forgotten lifestyles that birthed British festi
71: Second quarter report – the best music of 2026 so far
Closing a hectic summer, we’re back with our regular report on the best music of the last three months.We’re joined as always by No Tags third Beatle and zillennial savant Henry Bruce-Jones to talk us through the more fried corners of his musical diet. Can he sell these stubborn uncs on DMV crime-rap, Ivorian plugg and people who simply refuse to rap on beat? Or will we just have to find our middl
70: The true story of real dubstep
“Is this dubstep?”There was a time in the 2010s when approximately 23% of all YouTube comments were a variation of this question. One of the UK’s most influential yet misunderstood dance exports, dubstep is also one of those rare genres that can trace its origins to a handful of people working in a few rooms.That unusual origin story is definitively told in a new book, Aftershock: The Seismic Impa
69: Your favourite DJ is a psyop
Keep honking, piggies: I’m listening to whatever rockslop the algorithm just sicked up for me!So we’ve been circling a certain topic for a while now – in order to be fashionably off-cycle rather than just late to the party, of course – and we’ve finally done enough muck-raking to present you with our red-hot take.It’s verifiable: your favourite DJ is a psyop.We jest, mildly. But why is it so satis
68: Djrum or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Clang
Why be seamless when you can go KLANGGG? This week’s guest is living proof that doing things wrong, backwards, upside-down or simply not at all can reap creative dividends.We speak, of course, about Djrum. Recorded at our book launch at London’s ICA last December, our conversation with the Oxford-dwelling DJ-producer followed up on the wild acclaim for his 2025 maybe-opus, Under Tangled Silence.Th
67: Sheffield, Synth City
Sheffield punches well above its weight when it comes to tunes. From #1 synth-pop hits to underground techno classics, clattering industrial funk to accidental Britpop icons, the Steel City might have produced more brilliant music per capita than any other world metropolis.And yet, no one has published the definitive book on the subject – until now! Daniel Dylan Wray is one of the UK’s best music
66: First Quarter Report – the best music of the last three months
The Q1 report is here and the charts are clear: buy underscores. 📈On this episode of No Tags, we talk through our favourite releases of 2026 so far – not to mention some music that we’re more mixed on but felt like it was worthy of discussion regardless.Before we get into it, on 5th May we’ll be returning to 180 Studios for our second session at their audiophile listening room. Following March’s s
65: The indies fight back! Damon Krukowski on the value of sound
We all know what sound is, but are we any good at describing it?This week’s guest is a musician, writer and one of independent music’s wisest observers. Damon Krukowski has been playing in bands since the ‘80s, drumming for dreampop originals Galaxie 500 and, for the past 30 years, fronting Damon & Naomi with his partner Naomi Yang.He’s also written three books about sound and its strange, intangi
64: A new film canon! Rockufiction
So we had another idea for a movie canon.After blinking our way through The Moment – the recent mockumentary about Charli XCX by director Aidan Zamiri – we got thinking about a certain kind of music film that exists between the margins of biopic and rockdoc. Not real, not exactly fake… and all the more incisive for it.We came up with a handful of movies – some of them HIGHLY recommended! – which d
63: Baltimore is still the engine room of US club music
Some of the most exciting dance music around right now is coming out of Baltimore.Reenergised by a younger generation of artists putting a fresh spin on the Baltimore Club sound, the city is producing stacks of great new records – and we keep hearing dazzled on-the-ground reports from our cool DJ friends (yes, we have them!) about the shows they’ve played there.Kade Young and JIALING are two of th
62: Lil Internet changed our minds about AI music
Taganistas may know Lil Internet from his music videos (Beyoncé, Diplo), his high-concept DJ mixes, or his ever-present voice on Twitter. Since 2017 his main focus has been New Models – a website, podcast and active Discord.But the reason we asked Lil Internet to join us on No Tags is his latest music project – a brand new, rule-based genre he’s calling gencore. Showcased across two mixes released
61: Is clubbing really in decline? We asked Ed Gillett
Reports of the death of nightlife may be greatly exaggerated. In recent months we’ve heard of new clubs opening in Peckham and Brixton, an audio upgrade at Tola and plans for a DIY venue in Catford. Even the Old Blue Last is good again!Yet the official figures paint a depressing picture, with hundreds of venues lost, and thousands of jobs. So which story is right? To inspect the situation, Party
60: A radical vision for club culture with Anjali Prashar-Savoie
A stack of new interviews are coming down the No Tags pipes right now, but first we return to a conversation from our sold-out event at the ICA last month.If you couldn’t make it down, or if you were there but forgot to take notes, this episode is a keeper. London-based rave researcher Anjali Prashar-Savoie set out her vision of a ‘club commons’ – a radical, positive and participatory kind of nigh
59: The best music of 2025
Sneaking in at the last possible moment, it's the No Tags best of 2025 show! As is tradition, we’re joined by Henry Bruce-Jones to look back on the year in tunes and spotlight some lesser-feted records that you need to hear.We tried to avoid going over the same releases that we covered on the Best Music of 2025 So Far episode from July, so if you’re wondering where the love is for Smerz, aya, Jim
58: Deepfake Jorja and the biggest bangers of the 21st century
First off, we’re plugging.The second No Tags book is here – and it looks great. ‘Conversations on underground music culture, Volume 2’ compiles the best interviews and conversations we’ve had on the second year of No Tags, plus five exclusive pieces with Emma Garland, Shaad D’Souza, Mattie Colquhoun, Nono Gigsta and Yu Su. You can order it here, and it will ship from the 10th December.Speaking of
57: The second No Tags book is here!
…And we’re back!Yes, first episode of No Tags for a few weeks, and while we do appreciate the concern, it’s just the two of us running this show, we both have jobs that we do it around, and sometimes we get really busy. Also Tom was in Asia for three weeks and most importantly, we were making a book.That’s right: the second No Tags book is here! Titled ‘Conversations on underground music culture,
56: Burial whisperer Dan Hancox on grime reunions, the power of crowds and sodcasting
First, news: our new book is almost at the printers ahead of launching it at the No Tags live show in London on 11th December! We’ll be announcing our guests very soon, and you can grab tickets now from the ICA website.This week’s guest is a revered member of the UK blognoscenti: Dan Hancox. Dan has written extensively on grime (including its definitive history, Inner City Pressure), crowds, the p
55: One monoculture after another
First, a plug: tickets are now on general sale for No Tags live at the ICA in London on 11th December! There will be special guests, and there will be a new book for sale: Vol 2 is in production now.On this week’s episode we drive headfirst – Modelos in hand – into the discourse around One Battle After Another, the designated cinema event of the year. Is it PTA’s masterpiece, or has he bitten off
54: Flags, football shirts and indie nationalism
Lots to cover today, but first off: we’re going live again!We’ll be bringing No Tags live to the ICA in London – yep, that one – on the evening of 11th December. If you are based enough to subscribe to our paid tier, then you now have early access to discounted tickets via the link in this email’s header (and in the paywalled section at the bottom of the email). These early access tickets will be
53: Holly Dicker will be the last hardcore raver standing
We all know that hardcore will never die – but do we really know what hardcore is? As a music journalist for 15 years and raver for much longer, Holly Dicker is no stranger to documenting dance music’s heaviest, gnarliest and speediest niches – but in Dance or Die: A History of Hardcore, she attempts to finally answer that big question.From the pioneering hardware assault developed in Frankfurt an
52: Will the AI slopwave ruin music for good?
We all know what happened to the sorcerer’s apprentice, right?Mickey Mouse got hold of a spell book before he was smart enough to use it, conjured a broom that just wouldn’t quit, and nearly got sucked into a whirlpool. Yet, tragically, no one can remember what the moral of this story was supposed to be!This week we batten down the hatches in preparation for the #slopwave – at least, that was the
51: The best music of 2025 so far
And they said music journalism was dead. It’s list time, losers!When it comes to round-up episodes we like to draft in No Tags’ very own fifth Beatle, Henry Bruce-Jones. Minimal intro required here: we discuss our favourite music of 2025 so far, from the new wave of weird UK rappers to the changing faces of mainstream pop – plus rap oldheads, surveillance electro, minimal techno reboots and more.
50: Jeff Weiss is still waiting for Britney Spears
Who’s on your Mount Rushmore of pop?That’s the question of the week. After welcoming Jeff Weiss back to London for a live show about his tremendous novel-slash-memoir, Waiting For Britney Spears, we got to thinking about our own pop album percies. 2007’s Blackout is certainly up there – ‘a lost weekend of one-more-gram indulgence’ that ‘embodied the hedonistic sleaze of the late Bush years,’ as Je
49: When does a simulation become a dystopia?
It’s Glastonbury weekend, and we’re back with the Big Questions.Not a sentence we expected to be saying on No Tags, but we kick off by talking about Will Smith – specifically his recent appearance with London streamer du jour DJ AG. The Fresh Prince is in the middle of a generationally cringe promo run and we’ve been wanting to discuss AG’s streams for a while now, so these two forces colliding ov
48: How (not) to run a DIY festival, with Field Maneuvers
We talk about festivals a lot on No Tags, and usually the negative stuff: monopolisation, bad owners, overpriced cheesy chips. But good can still prevail, and are hopes are pinned on Field Maneuvers: an LED beacon of hope in the darkness, and an event that puts the comfort and enjoyment of ravers first. Perish the thought!In this episode, FM organisers Henry, Ele and Leon explain how they’ve just
47: Free parties, rave theories and a moment with Grace Sands
What connects Adonis resident Grace Sands, the free party explosion of summer '91, Deleuzian dancefloor philosophy, and the annual Gloucestershire cheese-rolling competition?It's this episode of No Tags, obviously, but the connecting tissue goes much deeper, we promise. The last third of the show contains our recent conversation with Grace Sands – house DJ, free party originator, icon of London's
46: Paul Woolford is peaking
Rave royalty on No Tags this week as we’re joined by Paul Woolford.We’re both drawn to artists who are driven by a compulsion to put art into the world at all costs – and 25 years into his career, Woolford (AKA Special Request) seems to be more driven than ever. In the last six years he’s released six albums and countless singles and remixes, and he still tours relentlessly – from seasons in Ibiza
45: What makes the perfect night out?
Tom and Chal emerge from a proper-large-’avin-it May bank holiday weekend with a desire to explain the perfect clubbing experience. Borrowing a few ideas from Friedrich Nietzsche, we sketch out two divergent tendencies in club culture and talk about the countless variables that accelerate our rave engines. Got feedback? Obviously please write in, DM or voicenote us with critiques of our emergent t
44: Derrick Gee, the internet's most professional music fan
We’re back! And booting off a busy season of No Tags content by speaking to 'professional music fan' Derrick Gee. You’ve likely come across Derrick on your feeds already. He’s a beacon of sophistication in the murky waters of social video, and a true enthusiast for music of all kinds – from audiophile sound systems to viral TikTok trends to his favourite bossa nova recordings. He’s racked up milli
43: Should dance music boycott Boiler Room over Palestine?
There was only one topic we could tackle this week. The argument boiling over around Boiler Room and the BDS movement is one of the most divisive and emotionally charged intra-scene disputes we’ve seen in a long time.There’s a lot being said in public and in the comments, with much of it relegated to Instagram Stories with a 24-hour timer. So in the spirit of our mission statement – chronicling un
42: Between two hardcores with aya
We’re pretty confident about slapping the “AOTY contender” badge on this one: aya’s second album hexed! is out on Hyperdub next week, and it has blown our tiny minds to pieces.The South London artiste joined us in the No Tags “studio” to reveal the pills, thrills and bellyaches behind the phenomenal follow-up to 2021’s im hole. We talked about shaking off the curse of drink and drugs, embracing he
41: Major labels are hoovering up what's left of independent music
No guest this week, but plenty of meat as we take our previous episode with Spotify chronicler Liz Pelly as a jumping off point to talk about the idea of independence.We use the word ‘independence’ a lot on No Tags without really investigating what we mean by it. In a era when the major labels are all stake-holders in the biggest streaming platform on Earth, and are hoovering up indie labels and d
40: All the things Spotify didn't want you to know but Liz Pelly found out
No journalist has contributed more to our understanding of the streaming era than Liz Pelly.A contributing editor at The Baffler and a lifelong DIY scene participant, she’s been investigating the inner workings of Spotify since 2016, writing a series of increasingly alarming stories that exposed the streaming giant’s black box of profit-seeking operations: mood-based playlists filled with mysterio
39: Big Beat Cinema²: Bigger, Breaksier, Uncut
Still high off the fumes of January’s first Big Beat Cinema episode, we return to the scene of the crime this week for a follow-up film special with Finn, Manchester’s very own pope of trash.In this episode, we start by diving into your feedback, ranging from literary theory to eyewitness accounts from big beat OGs. We expand the official BBC canon with even more movies, including Go, Twin Town an
38: How umru laid the building blocks of hyperpop
A jam-packed episode of No Tags this week, but we had a lot to catch up on. Central Cee’s debut album Can’t Rush Greatness is out (02:56) and it’s UK drill’s biggest album to date, almost by default. Eusexua (10:07) might be the record that finally sells us on FKA twigs? And we talk about the grey zones of desire in Babygirl over in film corner (18:32).But then onto the main event: we’re joined th
37: Big Beat Cinema
This week we kick off the first ever No Tags film season! Based on an original idea by DJ and NTS host Finn, Big Beat Cinema is our attempt to identify and decode a much-loved and entirely made-up micro-genre.We begin by outlining the core canon and basic tropes of BBC, paying particular attention to the ultra-stylish heist movies of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s – think Ocean’s Eleven, Mark Wahlbe
36: God did not intend his creation to go raving in IKEA
Heaving ourselves into 2025 like a rebuilt BILLY with half its dowels missing, No Tags returns to its usual schedule.We kick off with a journey to the North Circular, where London’s biggest club is under investigation following two drug-related deaths and an alleged stabbing. Following the recent revelations about Drumsheds in Jim Waterson’s excellent London Centric newsletter, Tom and Chal ask: w
35: The best (and worst?) music of 2024
December comes but once a year, and sneaking in at the very last point we could probably get away with… it’s No Tags’ 2024 round-up!Joined by regular guest Henry Bruce-Jones in what’s becoming a bit of a list-making tradition, we run down our favourite music of the year and tackle some of the year’s big consensus releases – good and bad.Minimal intro required, really, but below is a timestamped ru
34: Zombie Nation is the artist, not the song
What do The Simpsons, Dawn of the Dead and the Facebook page for Tom and Chal’s former employer have in common? They’re all overrun by zombies.Prompted by the publication of No Tags’ first physical book, in this episode we return to our long-held worry about disappearing archives. As older platforms fade away, can we be bothered to start again with the latest social media fads? Will gated micro-co
33: The No Tags book is here!
We trailed ‘big things coming’ on our last episode, and would you look at that – the big thing has come. Or is available for pre-order, at least.That’s right, it’s our first ever book. Titled No Tags: Conversations on underground music culture and designed by All Purpose Studio, this hefty tome (350+ pages) compiles every interview to date on No Tags, edited transcripts of the best of Chal and Tom
32: Midland is reborn and jamming with Arthur Russell
Truly an artist who needs no introduction to the No Tags universe, Midland is also one of the nicest people we know in this bottomless viper pit called dance music.Harry Agius has been a constant presence on the dancefloor since we were first finding our feet as music writers, and we’ve followed him every step of the way – from his early run of steppy house records on Aus Music and Phonica, to ‘Fi
31: No tags and it's completely different but also still no tags
A chunky episode, this, as we tackle the last fortnight of music news.We mull over Charli XCX’s Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat, a star-studded remix album that reworks the original from the stems up. If these are Brat Summer’s dying embers, then it’s a flame that struggles to consistently flicker – but the bright spots are very bright indeed.We pay tribute to Ka, the Brookl
30: Amy Lamé, we hardly knew yé
On October 2, Amy Lamé stepped down from her post as London’s first Night Czar. Lamé had faced constant scrutiny since taking the job in 2016, especially following her chunky pay rises – most recently she was earning £132,846 a year in a period when the city’s venues have been struggling to survive. But Lamé’s achievements have also been defended by people deeply involved in the city’s nightlife.O
29: Vivian Host has caught every beat
Vivian Host’s rave credentials go deep. Much deeper than we realised in fact, and we’ve been friends with her for over a decade.There are several entry-points through which you could have discovered Vivian. Maybe it’s her podcast, Rave to the Grave, where she interviews DJs, dancers and ‘freaks of all ages’, from legendary house vocalist Barbara Tucker to performance art pervert Kevin Carpet. In V
28: Why has the festival bubble burst?
With festival season over, it's time we investigated a story that’s been on our minds all year: has the bubble burst? In March it was reported that 21 UK festivals had already cancelled, postponed or closed in 2024. By the end of summer that number had risen to over 50.Industry bodies blame rising costs, which is doubtless a factor – but what else might be at play here? A small cluster of dominant
27: What would OK Williams do?
We’ve not interviewed too many DJs so far on No Tags, so when we do, it’s a safe assumption that a) we’ve watched them play a few times, and b) they’re pretty tasty at it.OK Williams falls into both categories. We’ve seen her DJ multiple times and have never failed to leave the dancefloor refreshed. But she’s also one of our favourite dance music personalities, as evidenced on her regular NTS show
26: What the hell was indie sleaze?
Regular No Tags listeners will notice that we often talk about living through several revivals at once, but indie sleaze is one that doesn’t seem to be going away. So why indie sleaze, and why now? And what do people actually mean when they talk about an indie sleaze revival in 2024?For this episode, Chal and Tom dug out their skinny ties and shutter shades (not to mention some brutal photos from
25: Jonny Banger, folk hero and rave lifer
On No Tags 25, we meet Jonny Banger: T-shirt hustler, avant-bootlegger, visionary rabble-rouser, DJ battle champ and bossman of the anarchic anti-fashion brand Sports Banger.From a certain angle, it can seem like the clothes are the main event at Sports Banger, from the original Free Tulisa tee and bootlegged NHS logos to wearable inflatables and a Chanel toilet seat headpiece. Naturally, Jonny ha
24: The spirit of 2011 is haunting dance music
If four generations make up a family, then how many podcast references to the early 2010s make up a revival?We confront the spectre of 2011 from a few different angles in this episode, but particularly via dance music, where it feels like the anthems of the early 2010s, not to mention the top tier of DJs, are yet to be replaced. Is that down to nostalgia for the music itself? A lack of inventivene
23: The best music of 2024 so far
This week, Henry Bruce-Jones joins us to run down the best music of 2024 so far.With the caveat that we didn't think it was worth revisiting the albums we've already discussed (and Brat summer's over anyway, babes), we start with the gaseous moods of Naemi, Bianca Scout and Chanel Beads. Are we in the midst of a brave new wave of shoegaze, or has the NTS early morning schedule pumped one too many
22: So what was the sound of Tory Britain?
We’ve become so accustomed to bad news that Labour’s landslide victory in the UK general election has been a hard one to process, despite it being a dead cert. The Tories are actually gone? Can it be real? So this week we decided to piece together our memories of the last 14 years of cuts, corruption and chaos, and see if we can identify the sound of Tory Britain. We’ve spent most of our music car
21: Meaghan Garvey, America's #1 vibes-based journalist
This time we’re joined by Meaghan Garvey, author of America’s #1 vibes-based newsletter, SCARY COOL SAD GOODBYE, and one of the best writers in the game. Meaghan started off as an illustrator, laundering a semi-successful weed-dealing operation through an Etsy empire before becoming better known as a music journalist. Whether writing pin-sharp profiles of megastars like Lana Del Rey and T-Pain or
20: Does payola exist in underground music?
A fairly big topic this week, as Tom and Chal investigate the issue of payola in underground music. Does it exist? Well, kind of - but not in the way you might think.Some background: in our Fish56Octagon episode, Tom mentioned that he was pretty sure that Fish was being seeded and potentially paid to play people’s music. A couple of people got in touch to confirm that the first part of that at lea
19: The expanding universe of Brazilian funk, part 2
We're back with the second part of our conversation with GG Albuquerque, our expert guide to the new-new wave of Brazilian funk.This time we find out about how bailes operate inside the favelas, Brazil’s love-hate relationship with funk, oppressive policing, grime connections, regional DJ cultures and more.We also carve out the minimum possible amount of time to discuss Brat, once again, and GG ha
18: The expanding universe of Brazilian funk, part 1
We’re witnessing a breakthrough moment (again) for Brazil's funk scene, an ever-expanding universe of bone-shaking low-end, CDJ theatrics, synesthetic drug cocktails, barking MCs, extreme production choices and a fuckton of wraparound sunglasses.It's incredible music, but it's not always easy to keep up with what's going on, so in this episode – the first of a two-part interview – we speak to GG A
17: Fred Again walked so Fish56Octagon could swim
Some say that algorithmic content has fragmented our social media feeds to the point that we no longer exist in a shared culture. Others say, ‘Has anybody else noticed that bald dude in a dressing gown all over Instagram suddenly?’ We think you know who we mean, but either way, let us introduce you to the one-man DJ phenomenon that is Fish56Octagon. Who is the Fish? What does he want? And what can
16: Iglooghost, rockpooling for subgenres in a parallel world
As if we hadn’t gorged enough on lore last week, this time we welcome one of electronic music’s boldest world-builders, Iglooghost.Iglooghost’s new album Tidal Memory Exo takes place in a punk-dystopian vision of a British seaside town that’s been cut off from the rest of society. It even comes accompanied by an online forum where users debate the politics and micro-genres of the local “tidal scen
15: Learning to love lorecore
We’re still reeling from last week’s Reynoldsmania, but in the wake of our conversation with the great music scribe about the past and future of electronic music, this time we’re firmly in the present.First, Chal puts forward a thesis about the genre trend of the moment – a movement that brings together Taylor Swift, Disney Adults, A. G. Cook and Warhammer freaks. Welcome to the lorecore era.Next,
14: Simon Reynolds, futuromaniac
For millennial music journos like us, Simon Reynolds is one of the Goats. He’s a writer best known for his era-defining book on dance music, Energy Flash and the ultimate history of post-punk, Rip It Up And Start Again. But there’s barely a genre that Simon hasn’t touched, from hip-hop, shoegaze and glam rock to pivotal essays on Auto-Tune, “conceptronica” and the hardcore continuum.Reynolds’ newe
13: Cindy Lee, claire rousay and the haunted, horny sound of now
No Tags is going weekly!Since launching last year we’ve managed to stick to an episode every fortnight, but the time feels right to try and make things more frequent. So in that spirit, we’re going to be recording more regular Tom-and-Chal-only episodes. Anything you particularly want us to tackle in these? Email, comment or DM us.This week: we tackle Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee and the revelation
12: Why Vybz Kartel is the most important Jamaican artist of the century
Without Jamaican sound system culture, much of the electronic music we love wouldn't even exist. So why is it so often underrepresented when we talk about dance music history?To tackle this and more, we brought in author Marvin Sparks, one of the UK’s preeminent experts on reggae and dancehall.We also had topical news to cover: Vybz Kartel, currently serving a life sentence in prison, had his murd
11: Lena Raine and the quest for the cosy web
It’s a question that crops up a lot: how do musicians move into video game soundtracking?Lena Raine is one of the most respected game composers on the circuit, capturing the imagination of millions with her work for Minecraft and Celeste, one of the key indie games of the last decade.Often with No Tags, we try to focus on people who haven’t had their story adequately told. That’s not the case with
10: Dr Robin James, vibes philosopher
Dr Robin James is a philosopher of sound studies whose Twitter presence and blog, It’s Her Factory, are reliable sources of galaxy-brain takes on the discourse, from Taylor Swift Studies to “Brexit techno”.We asked Robin to share some of her latest thinking on the forces that are changing how we listen to music, from vibes-based listening and the secrets of the Spotify algorithm to the connection
09: The most important voice in UK radio you've never heard
Look – chances are you’ve never heard of Gavin Douglas.But if you’ve had even one ear to what’s been going on in UK radio over the last decade, you’ve definitely felt his impact – as a curator, radio programmer, trainer and mentor. Snoochie Shy, Jeremiah Asiamah, Jamz Supernova, Tash LC, JK & Bempah, Reece Parkinson and CassKid are just a handful of the country’s prominent radio hosts that he’s ha
08: Frankie Decaiza Hutchinson on Dweller and making actual change
Frankie Decaiza Hutchinson has had a monumental impact on the last decade of dance music, first by disrupting a male-dominated industry through the agency Discwoman, and then by creating a new, dedicated zone for Black artists with Dweller, an annual festival that takes place across various venues in New York each February.And all without ever lowering herself to the status of a DJ.With the peak o
07: The Large, soundclash champion turned industry oracle
The Large is a perfect example of the sort of figure we want to talk about on No Tags.She’s been a savvy behind-the-scenes operator for over 15 years, coming of age in London’s late ‘00s DIY clubbing era as a promoter, DJ, radio host and blogger. It was in the early part of the next decade, however, that she came into her own at Mixpak, the New York-based label that did more than any to connect th
06: Music journalism, the final farewell tour
It’s been a bad week for music journalists. Anna Wintour kept her sunglasses on to inform Pitchfork staff of their absorption into men’s magazine GQ, while FACT Magazine – alma mater of both yours truly – quietly announced the end of an era, with the mix series closing down and editorial scaling back.Nothing lasts forever, but we were still jolted by FACT’s announcement (especially when it got com
05: Jeff Weiss, reporting live from the fall of Rome
Jeff Weiss is probably the best music writer we’ve got. We admire him not only for his radiant and voluminous prose – 8,000 words on the Grateful Dead, anyone? – but his willingness to put gumshoe to pavement in order to dig up the real story. That investigative instinct has placed him at the forefront of American rap scenes for the best part of two decades, from exposing the white devilry of Post
04: Are end of year lists over?
Are end of year lists over?This year it felt like end of year season came and went with minimal impact and minimal consensus. So why was that? Falling in the middle of a global crisis obviously doesn’t help, but even outside of the news context — and frankly that’s never stopped musicians tooting their own horns before — 2023’s parade of end of year lists really did feel like a damp squib. We also
03: CCL, international selector of mystery
A true DJ’s DJ, CCL is typical of the kind of artist we both admire: someone with reassuringly broad taste, a lifelong affinity with the underground and a winningly self-deprecating sense of humour.After obsessing over their recorded mixes for ages we realised we knew almost nothing about Ceci the person. Turns out, there’s much to tell – with past lives in Moscow, Rome, Bristol and Seattle, their
02: Sorry Records, keepers of the dance music flame
For the second episode of No Tags, Chal & Tom meet Nick Boyd and Tony G, the duo behind one of the underground’s best dance labels.We talked about why a record label in 2023 needs to do more than just release good record, the increasing corporatisation of the underground, acid epiphanies, Boiler Room, the music press and this episode’s main theme: the network of underground dance music in North Am
01: JK & Bempah, chronicling UK street music
For the first episode of No Tags, Chal and Tom meet JK & Bempah, hosts of NTS's go-to rap show and true scholars of street music. Early champions of everyone from Pop Smoke to Jim Legxacy, their weekly radio show is a must for anyone with even a passing interest in rap music from either side of the Atlantic. We spoke about their story so far, the Met Police’s treatment of drill artists, whether Ce
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