This month I’m pleased to welcome producer and composer Adam Wiltzie, best known for his projects @starsofthelid, and A Winged Victory for the Sullen (@awvfts).
After a chance meeting during university, Brian McBride and @adambryanbaumwiltzie formed Stars of the Lid in Austin, Texas in 1992. Their first album Music for Nitrous Oxide, a monolith of drone and extraterrestrial soundscapes, was a force of nature — and a tribute to the best kind of artistic collaboration. The duo went on to make several other successful albums, becoming of the minimalist and ambient genre, until Brian’s passing in 2023.
In this conversation, Adam and I look back on Music for Nitrous Oxide, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, the swings of collaborating with not only Brian, but A Winged Victory’s Dustin O’Halloran, and the impact of grief and memory on creativity.
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MUSIC
"Adamord" - Stars of the Lid (2025 remaster)
"Atomos VI" - A Winged Victory for the Sullen (2014)
"Buried At Westwood Memorial Park, In An Unmarked Grave, To The Left Of Walter Matthau" - Adam Wiltzie (2024)
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AIR 076 / Huerta
This month’s episode, which welcomes Berlin based, LA bred producer and DJ, @SteveHuerta.
Huerta moved to Berlin over a decade ago, seeking out the same dancefloor pleasures as all who make the pilgrimage to Berlin. With a central goal of making dance music, Steve cut his teeth producing and releasing on indie tech house labels, finding joy in creation. In the years since, despite breaking through with LPs like Junipero and TV Slang, a homegrown label called Leizure, and DJ sets that take him to festivals and dancefloors around the world, his joy continues to stay rooted in expression and creativity; the simple pleasures of making and playing music.
In this episode, we look back on a career spent persevering in an overly saturated Berlin music scene, the challenges of trying to make it as an artist, and the dedication required to stay afloat as a musician in 2025.
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MUSIC:
"Ruff Groove" - Huerta (2020)
"All Wild Things Are Shy" - Huerta (2020)
"Safe Passage to Toco" - Huerta
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AIR 075 / Branko
For this month’s episode, I’m joined by Portuguese producer and label boss João Barbosa, better known as @Brankoofficial.
Perhaps best known for his work as a founding member of kuduro meets techno group @BurakaSomSistema, and his label @Enchufada Records, which was born in 2006 as a creative platform for the band’s many outputs.
These days, Branko is focusing on his solo project, which continues to celebrate global club music and collaborations from not only all over the world, but all across the musical spectrum. For episode 75, we’re taking a look back at Enchufada’s history, from its days as a hub for the band to its diverse explorations in global club music.
Special thank you to @thehortonbrothers who worked on the sound for this month's episode!
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MUSIC
Branko - "NAFÉ" (feat. ÉLLÀH)
Buraka Som Sistema - "Hangover" (Bababa)
Branko - "On Top" (feat. Zanillya, Capadose & The Ruffest)
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AIR 074 / Marcel Dettmann
Here at AIR, we kicked off festival season in with Sonar Lisboa, the little sister to the famed Barcelona festival, which took place in early April this year and featured acts like Max Cooper, Jennifer Cardini, Juliana Huxtable, and this month’s esteemed guest, @MarcelDettmann.
A techno veteran whose name is synonymous with big room sound, Marcel recently debuted a new live set, his first ever foray into live performance, the result of a pandemic spent toiling away in the studio and crafting his landmark album Fear of Programming, which formed the foundation for his live act. At Sonar Lisboa, he presented a new version of his project, which he calls My Own Shadow, a mix of his own productions, field recordings, vocal elements, and on the fly craftsmanship.
Marcel and I sat down together in Lisbon to discuss his new live set and the creativity behind it, and how his musical and personal life is shifting over years. A big thanks to the team at Sonar Lisboa for the invite to this year’s edition!
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MUSIC:
"Linux" - Marcel Dettmann (2013)
"Water" - Marcel Dettmann ft. Ryan Elliott (2024)
"Fear of Programming" - Marcel Dettmann (2024)
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AIR 073 / Toby Wareham
Episode 73 welcomes London based DJ and booker @TobyNicholas, a longtime lover of dance music and a DJ in his own right, best known as one half of a duo with @HamishCole. Toby has seen every aspect of club culture, both the good and the bad. After stints in Leeds and Manchester, where he cut his teeth as a founding member of the cult party series Dog Eat Dog, he started working for London venue @picklefactorylondon when it launched as a sister site to the now defunct Oval Space in 2014. Balancing his creative life as a DJ with the challenges of booking a small, headsy nightclub in Bethnal Green has been an uphill battle for Toby, especially as the nightlife industry in London continues to fight for its life amidst rising costs and reduced spending.
In this episode, we look back at Toby’s early days as a raver and finding his place in the music industry as both as DJ and a booker, the trials and tribulations of the London nightlife scene, and his favourite memories of the club he devoted nearly a decade of his life to.
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Music:
Glowing Glisses - "On The Bridge (Larry Heards After Dark Dub Mix)"
North Avenue - "Solutions (Instrumental)"
Ross Couch - "Groove On (Original Mix)"
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AIR is an interview podcast series with a different theme each episode.
Created in 2017, AIR aims to be something different in the wide world of music journalism. Tired of the usual promotional fluff, host Emma Robertson invites artists, DJs, and musicians to get deep on one topic that inspires them — everything from nature, to film, to spirituality — in the hope that it inspires you, too.
Ireland