Rave to the Grave

This is Part 2 of our episode with Baseck, as part of our collaborationg with Holly Dicker and her book, Dance or Die. We pick up where episode 1 left off, with Baseck discussing his later journey in the hardcore rave scene, the formation of L.A. crew Dark Matter Soundsystem and his transition from turntablism to using drum machines and modular synths. We talk about his collaborations with Boys Noize, AG Cook and Lady Gaga, his favorite sounds and gear and the resurgence of trance. We also talk about talk about creativity, community and the meaning of this music and culture, plus fun stuff like Terminator, arpeggiators and the mall! This is part two of a two-part episode, hosted by Vivian Host aka Star Eyes. For more info and extras, visit Ravetothegrave.org or Instagram @ravetothe.grave.

In this special collaborative episode with Dance or Die, author Holly Dee sits down with Siuli Ko in the Netherlands. Siuli has been integral to the Dutch free party rave scene since its late '80s acid punk beginnings. From fronting the noisy DIY group MINIGOD to organising some of The Hague's first basement raves, Siuli was a rebel youth with a diehard love of music and bringing people together beneath the blinding flash of a strobe. Whilst living in one of Holland's most famous squats Blauwe Aanslag, she organised the infamous Acid Planet parties where Unit Moebius and the Bunker label forged their cantankerous acid techno punk sound. Linking up with the newly exiled Spiral Tribe in the early '90s, she helped establish the Network 23 record distribution network and launched her own labels Grijs and Nocturnal State a.o. to support local talent. Four decades in, Siuli is still playing vinyl, raving, and producing multimedia exhibitions and festivals – we find out more about the extraordinary journey of this cornerstone of the scene. Hosted by Holly Dicker (aka Holly Dee). For more info and extras, visit Ravetothegrave.org or Instagram @ravetothe.grave.

We're headed to the woods of Western Canada to talk to Andrea Graham, a bass music DJ/producer known as The Librarian and the co-founder of British Columbia's music and arts festival Bass Coast, which she established with her friend Liz Thomson in the small coastal town of Squamish in 2009. Ahead of Bass Coast's 16th year this July, we talk running a festival, harm reduction, bass music, environmental awareness, vibe setting, charcuterie plates, what goes on party-wise on the West Coast of Canada and how she had the courage and drive to make an independent festival happen. Hosted by Vivian Host (aka DJ Star Eyes). For more info and extras, visit Ravetothegrave.org or Instagram @ravetothe.grave.

Justin Carter and Eamon Harkin are DJs, founders of the parties Mister Saturday Night, Mister Sunday, and Planetarium and the Mister Saturday Night record label, as well as New York City nightclub Nowadays. In part two of our interview, we dive deep about opening and running Nowadays, the NYC underground scene at the moment, and how cultural and political shifts impact the underground. If you're interested in soundsystems, nightclub design, Brooklyn after dark and/or what it takes to run a club, this episode is for you. Hosted by Vivian Host (aka DJ Star Eyes). For more info and extras, visit Ravetothegrave.org or Instagram @ravetothe.grave.

Over the last 20+ years, Shawn Reynaldo has been a DJ, record label owner, radio station manager, journalist and the editor-in-chief of XLR8R magazine. He's a one-time staple of the San Francisco indie rock scene, a former promoter of tropical bass and UK funky parties, and also one of the pre-eminent critics writing about house and techno for Pitchfork, Spin, NPR and beyond. Velocity Press just released Shawn's first book, First Floor Volume 1, which collects the spiciest thinkpieces and hot takes on electronic music and culture that he's penned over the last couple years in his popular First Floor weekly newsletter. To celebrate the kick-off of his North American book tour, we talk about how DJ culture has changed over the last two decades, his view on music writing, his spicy takes on the best and worst sonic trends, the current club scene in Barcelona (where he's based), sober raving, and the time he saw Claire Danes eat shit at Berghain. Hosted by Vivian Host (aka DJ Star Eyes). For more info and extras, visit Ravetothegrave.org or Instagram @ravetothe.grave. Quick LinksGet Embed PlayerDownload Audio File

Multiple nights a week for the last four decades, Kevin Carpet has rolled himself up in a body-sized custom carpet and placed himself in bars, clubs, and the streets of NYC for folks to step on, bounce on, take pictures with or... whatever they want really. We talk to Kevin about stepping out at legendary '80s nightspots like Danceteria and the Peppermint Lounge, the ins and outs of his profession/obsession, fashion, kink and consent, how he compares to other human carpets worldwide, and his wildest and most famous encounters. It's everything you wanted to know about being a human carpet but were afraid to ask! Hosted by Vivian Host (aka DJ Star Eyes). For more info and extras, visit Ravetothegrave.org or Instagram @ravetothe.grave.

Seana Gavin is a London-based visual artist who spent 10 years immersed in the free party culture in the UK and beyond, traveling to week-long parties in Czechoslovakian fields, French mountains, and Berlin squats with soundsystems like Spiral Tribe, Bedlam, Desert Storm, and Hekate. Her photos and diary entries of the adventures of these roving cyberpunks are collected in books like Spiral Baby and Spiralling, and we sat down to talk about the intersection of punk and rave, border crossing, fashion, friendship, adventure, freedom, and just how dirty things can get. Hosted by Vivian Host (aka DJ Star Eyes). Visit RavetotheGrave.org or follow us on Instagram at @ravetothe.grave.

Guestlist etiquette, artisanal ketamine, sordid afterhours parties, club sex and trapeze artists are just some of the topics we delve into with Steven Klavier, a house vocalist and nightlife staple who has worked in a bevy of NYC clubs including House of Yes, Verboten, Thompson Hotel, and Public Records. Along the way, he's been a door person, bartender, booker, stage manager, and many other unofficial positions that have put him on the frontlines of all the blood, barf, bodily fluids, and bad behavior the nightlife can serve up... and he still chooses to go back for more! Hosted by Vivian Host (aka DJ Star Eyes). Visit RavetotheGrave.org or follow us on Instagram at @ravetothe.grave.