Music Not Diving with Scuba

Scuba

Paul Rose aka the musician, DJ, and label boss known as Scuba talks to people of significance from the world of electronic music about their experiences, observations, and attempts to cultivate a life for themselves in the murky and sometimes treacherous waters of the music industry.

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229 episodes
Updated Wednesday
Explicit

Episodes229

Newest first

Jul 22, 2025 · 13 min
Schedule PSA and the world's worst Spotify take
Music Not Diving is supported by Acid Nation (formerly AC55ID)... head over to www.acidnation.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! -- Watch the video episodes of Music Not Diving over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving No full episode this week but an update on our scheduling woes and what we have coming up for the rest of the summer. Oh and the world's worst Spotify take. -- If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 15, 2025 · 1 hr 42 min
Classic Episode: Luke Slater on techno, acid house, and Berlin
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! -- Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving We've covered techno quite a lot over the years, but this episode is definitely one of our favourites. Originally broadcast May 2024, we were discussing the LB Dub Corp album Saturn To Home. But we talk about a lot more than that! Normal service will resume on Tuesday 29 July. -- If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:52 Luke Slater's definition of Techno 05:20 Techno vs Rave 09:30 Dance music vs Rave Culture 15:40 Modern festivals 18:30 Early 90s Techno wars 30:00 Using aliases 35:00 LB Dub Corp - Saturn To Home 43:00 Vocalists on the album 57:20 On very long tracks 01:05:30 Berlin clubs 01:13:00 Problems in the modern club scene 01:24:00 Different eras of Hard Techno 01:33:40 Internationalism in the dance scene 01:37:00 Techno recommendations! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 8, 2025 · 1 hr 16 min
#016 Psychotherapist on mental health, creativity, and whether geniuses are all mad: Denise Devenish
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! And for artists and labels... use the code Scuba6 for six months free use of the platform!! -- Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving Denise Devenish is a psychotherapist who specialises in treating musicians, offering a specialist service for those working in music and the creative industries. She describes herself as having grown up "in a family steeped in the music business and having been surrounded by musicians and industry folk my whole life" and having "witnessed first hand the unique highs and lows that working in the industry entails." So of course this is an interesting person to talk to! We discuss the extent of the mental health crisis in the creative industries (as well as the wider economy), the differences in the younger generation and their attitudes to drug and alcohol, the "art comes from pain" and "genius requires madness" tropes, and the changes that digital music has brought to participants in the industry. The book we refer to is Can Music Make You Sick? by Sally Anne Gross and George Musgrave (aka Context). A key input into that is Jodi Dean's Communucative Capitalism (2005), which I also recommend. This a really interesting discussion of some pertinent issues! -- If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Chapters: 00:00 Intro and how you can support the show 03:39 Who is Denise Devenish? 07:45 Mental health challenges in creative industries 13:30 The realities of creative work 20:40 Suffering for your art 27:30 On-stage characters 30:50 Challenges of different levels of success 36:10 Metrics of value in digital music 43:30 Are young people really drinking less? 50:00 What are the treatment options? 01:07:00 Early experiences Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 1, 2025 · 1 hr 45 min
Classic Episode Remastered: Steve Davis on fame, snooker, and modular synths
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! And for artists and labels... use the code Scuba6 for six months free use of the platform!! -- Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving This is easily in my top 3 favourite episodes of the 170-odd we've done. The sound of it was originally pretty terrible though, it was a constant battle in the early days of the podcast to get people recording in good spaces. Luckily we kept most of the individual mic channels and the software has come on leaps and bounds recently, so it's now very easy to convert a very roomy mic recording into something that sounds like it was done in a proper radio studio. Steve Davis was one of the very biggest sporting celebrities in the 1980s. He totally dominated the sport of snooker in Tiger Woods-like fashion, winning the world title six times and setting unprecedented levels of excellence in front of enormous television audiences. The 18m who tuned in on BBC2 to watch him lose the 1985 final on the final ball of the final frame, well after midnight, is still a record. But he's also a major music head, DJ and modular synth-playing member of experimental group The Utopia Strong, who has always been a very interesting character. The Utopia Strong releases since we first broadcast this conversation two years ago are... well, strong, especially the BBC Sessions release which was recorded in a live session at the legendary Maida Vale studios. And he's also Eddie Hearn's Godfather. So we talk about all of the above, but perhaps most interestingly the experience of fame at that level and how to cope with it. Having a really top manager helps, we discover. This is well worth a re-listen if you caught it first time round, and if you didn't - well, you're in for a treat. -- If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Chapters: 00:00 Intro and how you can support the show 04:45 Warming up for Blur 10:50 The legend of Magma 12:40 Starting a DJ career 21:15 Getting into modular 25:15 The Utopia Strong - influences 28:30 Playing music live vs playing professional snooker 40:00 Dealing with nerves 42:30 Issues with quitting professional sport 48:00 Longevity in music careers 54:00 Professionalisation of snooker 59:00 Management and Barry (and Eddie) Hearn 01:13:30 The pressures of fame 01:21:30 On Stephen Hendry and Jimmy White 01:24:15 The 1985 World Championship Final 01:29:30 The similarities of flow in sport and music 01:33:40 On going on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 24, 2025 · 1 hr 35 min
#015 James Holden on playing live, coding swing, and what he really thinks of nightclubs
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! And for artists and labels... use the code Scuba6 for six months free use of the platform!! -- Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving James Holden is a highly respected electronic musician from the UK. He first broke through in the late 90s with his trance-crossover anthem 'Horizons', and quickly became established as an expert producer and DJ. Following his first album 'The Idiots Are Winning', released like almost all of his music on his own label Border Community label, his sound has evolved in expansive and unexpected ways, culminating in 2023's 'Imagine This Is a High Dimensional Space of All Possibilities' and most recently 'The Universe Will Take Care Of You' with Waclaw Zimpel. We discuss his changing approaches to making recording and performing, his relationship with nightclubs and DJ culture, the specifics of making his most recent albums, and the nature of music as art. We also attempt to get him to dish the dirt on big name DJs but he turns out to be the model of discretion! This is a good one, stick it on, and then listen to his recent catalogue - it's truly amazing work. -- If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Chapters: 00:00 Intro and how you can support the show 03:33 DJing and nightclubs 09:30 Playing live 13:00 Originality 16:00 Meeting Waclaw Zimpel 21:30 Improvisation 32:10 Jamming or songwriting 36:30 Awful superstar DJs and meeting heroes 39:40 Composition and coding 48:30 Is recorded music a historical blip? 57:00 Recording session in Morocco 01:08:00 DJing as art 01:14:40 The Animal Spirits 01:19:30 Imagine This Is A High Dimensional Space Of All Possibilities 01:28:30 Influential albums Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 17, 2025 · 1 hr 55 min
Classic Episode: Tijana T on music journalism and the politics of dancing
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! And for artists and labels... use the code Scuba6 for six months free use of the platform!! -- Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving We've been talking a lot in recent weeks about politics in dance music. Over on the Patreon feed we did a bonus episode covering the debate around private equity in festivals, of which there will be a second part this week. There will be a solo podcast covering all that on the main feed in the next couple of weeks but in the meantime we wanted to return to one of the absolute best episodes we've done, one which covered many of the wider themes that have come to the forefront of the discussion recently, from all the way back in March 2023. Tijana T is a DJ from Serbia. She's been involved in the scene in Belgrade one way or another since the 90s, a period which for obvious reasons was extremely fraught across the whole region. The discussion covers her wider career, but we spend a lot of time discussing the effect that conflict has on art, and on artists. From a position of direct experience, Tijana speaks with real insight on these topics. Covering this sort of thing is difficult. Not least because we get blocked from promoting our videos on Youtube when certain topics are even mention. But this is the important stuff that's happening in culture right now, and while tackling anything of it with a degree of nuance is a serious challenge, it's one that we enjoy on this show. Even if you listened to this episode the first time round we highly recommend giving it another spin. It's highly relevant to what is going on today. -- If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Chapters: 00:00 Intro and how you can support the show 02:32 the problems with music journalism 12:40 privilege in dance music 21:20 developing as an artist in Serbia 33:30 the rave scene in 90s Belgrade 47:10 war in Yugoslavia and the dance scene 56:00 representing Serbia as an artist today 01:06:00 the war in Ukraine and the dance scene 01:22:00 performative activism in music 01:35:00 musical pigeonholing 01:40:30 DJs and personal branding 01:48:30 favourite DJ mixes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 10, 2025 · 1 hr 7 min
#014 Groove Armada - Andy Cato on juggling music, regenerative farming, and working with Jeremy Clarkson
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! And for artists and labels... use the code Scuba6 for six months free use of the platform!! -- Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving Andy Cato is half of Groove Armada - one of the biggest ever UK dance acts and source of some of the biggest hits of the late 90s and early 2000s. To a younger audience, however, he might be more familiar as the guy who does regenerative farming on Top Gear alumnus and pantomime villain Jeremy Clarkson's weirdly successful Amazon show 'Clarkson's Farm'. This is an interesting combination to say the least, and really we could've done with another couple of hours to explore the two things in full, and also the link between. But an hour is all we had on the day... because Andy had to go off to film with Clarkson. We actually focus mostly on the second half of Andy's career during this conversation - I found the prep for this so interesting that I had a ton of questions on his journey to prominence in this area, as a farmer but also a co-founder of the Wildfarmed organisation, and also the area itself. But we also get into the music too. Episode 1 of Farming Not Diving it is... -- If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Chapters: 00:00 Intro and how you can support the show 03:14 Getting into farming - France 09:40 European agriculture 15:00 Agriculture in the US 19:00 Regenerative farming 36:00 The food industry 44:00 Farming and climate change 50:30 What is rewilding? 55:00 Music! 58:20 Working with Clarkson 01:01:20 Hit records Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 27, 2025 · 1 hr 22 min
#013 Joe Goddard on getting political, musical longevity, and the beauty of jamming
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! And for artists and labels... use the code Scuba6 for six months free use of the platform!! -- Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving How important is it for musicians to have a political message? Not just the platitudinous virtue signalling that many in the arts indulge in - but a real message that poses a challenge to the powerful forces in society? That's a question that sounds like it has an easy answer to it, but reality is always more complicated. Hot Chip's Joe Goddard joined us on stage last summer at Lost Village festival for a chat in front of an audience that you can find on this episode of our previous incarnation - the Not A Diving Podcast. But this episode is not that - Joe joined us in the studio earlier this month for a 'proper' episode in which we tackle the above questions and a lot more besides. We also discuss the process for making a Hot Chip record, and also the processes behind his solo material. We talk about his work a producer for other acts and his music making philosophy more generally. We continue on the topic of grunge from our last conversation, and we ponder the challenges of staying relevant in music over a long career. Joe is one of the good ones and you're gonna enjoy this! -- If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist 00:00 Intro and how you can support the show 04:00 new Hot Chip album sessions 07:00 writing music in the studio 12:00 working with different producers 17:30 the art of music production 25:00 jamming and song writing 32:30 Kneecap and Rage Against The Machine 41:00 is politics in music important? 53:20 is the streaming model evil? 01:05:00 the debate over ticket prices 01:09:00 the economics of live tours 01:17:40 reasons to be optimistic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 20, 2025 · 1 hr 19 min
#012 WME Booking Agent on clubs, festivals, Ticketmaster, and Kneecap (Steve Hogan)
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! And for artists and labels... use the code Scuba6 for six months free use of the platform!! -- Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving Is the club scene dead? Have festivals killed it? Or are festivals themselves in terminal decline? Or is everything actually doing great in live music, humming along nicely with a rosy future? These are questions inexpertly pondered in the usual morass of music discussion, but on this week’s episode we are graced with real expertise on the subject. Steve Hogan is a partner and senior agent at one of the world’s biggest talent agencies - WME - who looks after acts including Pete Tong, Eric Prydz, and Groove Armada. He's a twenty-year veteran at the company who has seen it all in the live sector and particularly the electronic side of it. We address the aforementioned questions, as well as discussing the role of the agent in an artist’s career, ticketing and the role of Ticketmaster, and we also get into the topical question of politics in music and the specific example of Kneecap. Strap in for some expert opinion! -- If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Chapters: 00:00 Intro and how you can support the show 04:30 Big hitters 08:40 State of the club scene 12:22 Super clubs changing the landscape 16:05 Relationship between fans and artists 20:44 Growing organically 21:55 Keeping one foot in clubland 22:46 Clubs are the lifeblood of what we do 27:17 We’re all still clubbers at heart 29:27 Techno at 195bpm 30:16 On Keinemusik 31:27 Martin Garrix and fireworks 32:10 On UKG resurgence 34:46 London is the leader 35:51 The pros and cons of festivals 40:48 Cost of living crisis 45:30 Balancing the needs of the artist 46:26 Artist integrity 48:30 Politics and music 52:40 Ticket prices and hidden costs 01:02:36 Live bands vs. DJing 1:06:45 Fish56Octagon 1:08:48 TikTok in the industry 1:12:05 Nightmare scenarios Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 13, 2025 · 1 hr 20 min
#011 Baltra on Lo-Fi House, making an album, and working on Wall St during the GFC
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! And for artists and labels... use the code Scuba6 for six months free use of the platform!! -- Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving What does the short-lived Lo-FI House trend of the late 2010s have in common with the subprime mortgage crisis of the previous decade? On this episode with one of the biggest names to emerge from the aforementioned scene we find out. Lo-Fi was very much a 21st Century style of breakout, via Facebook groups and tunes posted to YouTube months before getting signed. But the wiser participants in the scene, including DJ Seinfeld and Ross From Friends, got out early and almost without exception carved out successful careers for themselves. Baltra, a Philly native who got into music after a move to NYC, epitomised that trend. His 2019 album Ted - a tribute to to his late father - was a step outside of the parameters of the scene that had got him noticed, and since then he's established himself as a fixture on the global DJ circuit and one of house music's most interesting producers. We discuss all of that, plus his previous, slightly inauspicious career on Wall Street and his experience working in the sector during the biggest crisis in the industry since the 1929 crash. Get involved! -- If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Chapters: 00:00 Intro and how you can support the show 05:42 NYC scene 13:35 On Lo-Fi House 16:18 Bad publicity 22:04 Developing scenes 27:50 Breaking out of Lo-FI 34:09 DJing in New York 35:48 Making 'Ted' 44:35 Slowed down TikTok tunes 46:28 Musical journey 52:36 Studying Finance at NYU 01:00:10 Working on Wall Street in 08 01:05:30 Getting fired 01:11:26 Manipulation and skullduggery on the floor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 6, 2025 · 1 hr 38 min
#010 Emma Marshall on repetitive beats, wellness, and the science behind banning phones from clubs
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! And for artists and labels... use the code Scuba6 for six months free use of the platform!! -- Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving What's the link between repetitive beats, wellness, neuroscience, and phones in nightclubs? We discover on this week's episode with someone who has written a very interesting book, 'Music Is Medicine', covering these topics and a lot more besides. Emma Marshall's career in the industry was initially in roles at giants such as CAA & Sony, but the wider story told in the book led her to found Movement is Medicine, a groundbreaking education and research platform that explores how rhythm, BPM, and tempo influence the body and mind. As well as discussing her personal journey, we cover topics including the reimagining of nightclubs, the significance of repetitive rhythms in societies throughout history, music therapy, as well as the cost of those cameras intruding into the rave. This is a really interesting one... get involved! -- If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Chapters: 00:00 Intro and how you can support the show 05:21 Drum n Bass as first love 12:21 Mystery illness 19:51 Alternative treatments 23:51 PTSD and trauma 24:39 Working with functional medicine 27:12 Hyperthermia 30:36 Frogs as medicine 33:16 Fake shamans 41:14 Finding God 42:55 Music as healing 46:05 On Plague raves 49:21 Observing tribes 51:36 Trance dance 54:43 Vision questing 58:16 Raving is not content 1:00:06 The effect of rhythm on the body 1:02:12 Rhythm as a spectrum 1:05:01 Phones and dancefloors 1:09:06 MDMA the love molecule 1:14:36 Music and sobriety 1:16:48 Changes in consumption habits 1:21:06 Movement is medicine 1:28:06 Parties going underground again 1:33:36 Music as therapy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 29, 2025 · 1 hr 28 min
#009 Richard Fearless on Death In Vegas, Daniel Avery, and getting dropped by a major
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! -- Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving Death In Vegas broke through in the late 90s with a run of albums beginning with 'Dead Elvis', a classic of the era that brought together many of the sonic trends of the not-quite-dancefloor, back to mine side of the dance scene. The new album, Death Mask, is out soon. As a DJ, Richard Fearless has remained a crucial figure throughout. A resident at the Heavenly Social in that late 90s era, he has more recently been running the 'Goo' parties with Daniel Avery in London and across the world. In this conversation we cover Richard's leadup to the point of breaking through with debut single 'Opium Shuffle', growing up in apartheid-era Africa, as well as the classic period of hedonism at clubs like Turnmills and across the world. And we also get the positive case for dance music in 2025. Richard is a highly engaging guy with some great stories... you're going to love this one! -- If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Chapters: 00:00 Intro 04:50 Self-releasing music 09:40 The first album 12:30 Growing up in Africa 15:20 Working at Reckless records 17:30 Changing habits of digging 23:00 Techno the sound of Detroit 26:40 Back to mine ideology 28:05 Andrew Weatherall 34:32 Acid House 43:54 Fame, success and getting dropped 49:38 Oasis, back to school and New York 58:05 Studio gear and the creative process 01:05:30 Supporting Nine Inch Nails 01:10:15 London as an engine 01:14:34 Starting a night with Daniel Avery 01:20:55 Running a label 01:25:24 Reasons to be optimistic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 22, 2025 · 1 hr 19 min
#008 Tim Reaper on Jungle, internet forums, and the Future of Retro
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! -- Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving Everyone loves a bit of nostalgia, but can you be too retro? And what do you need to do to take a classic piece of art and update it into something new? These questions are addressed on this week's episode, in which we welcome arguably the most important producer in the new wave of Jungle that has caught the imagination of so many people over the past few years. We also discuss the broader Jungle/DnB scene today, and how the various parts of it fit together, as well as Tim's personal pathway from first hearing an Andy C cd at school in the mid 2000s to his current position. And we also discuss his label, Future Retro, and the changing tactics and strategies required to be successful in today's landscape. Get involved! -- If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Chapters: 00:00 Intro and how you can support the show 05:00 Can you be too retro? 06:18 Being the new torchbearer for Jungle 12:30 Jungle in the wider world of DnB 17:30 The role of Internet Forums 27:26 Learning to use FL Studio 39:00 Getting into DJing 43:45 Digital vs vinyl 52:25 Functional music 55:00 Future Retro the label 01:06:00 The modern Jungle audience 01:12:30 Storytelling in Music Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 15, 2025 · 1 hr 18 min
#007 Dustin Zahn on the phone: Counterculture comeback, a golden age of standup, and the ghost of Hard Techno
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! -- Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving Train Wrecks is a podcast hosted by this week's guest that has been going since 2016. Even taking into account a few breaks along the way, that makes it (by our calculations) the longest running piece of alternative media in the electronic music space. So it's great to welcome Dustin Zahn to Music Not Diving for an episode that will be going up on both feeds. Dustin has a wealth of experience in techno, having released extensively as well as running his Enemy Records label. But his interest in music goes beyond that, and we discuss a wide range of issues concerning the scene today and the historic context of rave in the US. We also discuss whether counterculture is back in fashion, the political nature of rave, the cyclical nature of the music, and the current golden age of standup comedy. This is a good one! -- If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 8, 2025 · 1 hr 37 min
#006 Elijah on Yellow Squares, peak authenticity, and the unfortunate ubiquity of Joe Budden
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! -- Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving Elijah is one of the deepest thinkers in underground culture. Having first come to prominence in the second wave of Grime along with Skilliam and their label Butterz, and as an artist manager to UK DJ Flava D amongst others, he has reinvented himself in recent years with the Yellow Squares project which seeks to encourage debate around the changing nature of the UK music scene. His appearance on episode 41 of the audio-only predecessor of this show (link below) was one of the most popular and best episodes, so it's great to welcome him back for a full video episode. The Yellow Squares project is now a book which you can get hold of here: https://velocitypress.uk/product/elijah-close-the-app-make-the-ting/ We discuss the changing landscape of the UK music scene, from the decline of music's audibility generally in London itself to the obligation (or not) of successful acts to support smaller venues. We also discuss the push for diversity in recent years and associated trap of tokenism, as well as the changing role of artist management over time and the obsession of Xtra radio programmers with a particular 20 year-old Joe Budden track. And we also touch on the cultural influence of professional wrestling and the need for more heels in music... -- If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Chapters: 00:00 Intro and how you can support the show 07:30 Yellow Squares project phase 2 11:53 Not enough UK festival headliners 13:47 'We're a small nation of old people' 18:50 The need to do things differently 21:30 DJ AG is the most important DJ in the UK 25:55 Keep London loud 32:10 Should big DJs play in small clubs? 34:16 Black British music on vinyl 31:30 Corporate sell outs 46:10 Diversity of the money 54:00 Public speaking gigs 59:20 The changing role of artist managers 01:09:50 The problem with 1Xtra radio programming 01:17:25 The role of the BBC in music 01:19:40 Peak authenticity: kayfabe and UK music Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 1, 2025 · 1 hr 19 min
#005 Lawrence Hart: Burial’s sampling, music theory, and Soviet-era synths
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! -- Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving What happens when you sign on to a label roster that contains The Arctic Monkeys, Jon Hopkins, and Hot Chip... and the drummer quits your band on the release day of the first single? This and other pertinent questions are answer on this week's episode. Lawrence Hart is still signed to Domino Records, but now as a solo artist whose debut album, Come In Out Of The Rain, will be released imminently. We also discuss his background as a jazz musician, travelling all over America with various bands in his formative years, and get into one of our favourite recurring questions on the show - the one about music theory in dance music. This is a good one! Check it out. -- If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Chapters: 00:00 Intro and how you can support the show 03:40 What's in a name? 06:00 Working with George FitzGerald 11:40 Early experiences in music 15:30 Studying Jazz in New York City 18:21 Music theory and dance music 20:45 NYC Jazz clubs 22:45 Discovering electronic music 25:30 Touring in America 28:30 Signing to Domino with Little Cub 35:20 Going solo as Lawrence Hart 40:00 The decline of bands 46:53 Playing electronic music live 53:30 The perils of sample clearance 59:30 Burial influence 01:06:00 Key changes in modern pop 01:11:00 More on the new LH album 01:12:40 Key synths on the album Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 25, 2025 · 1 hr 40 min
#004 Jane Fitz: Raving in 90s Hong Kong and the mystery of the underground
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! -- Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving Is Jane Fitz a DJ's DJ? Even though we hate the term, it probably applies here... A DJ of more than 25 years and a crucial figure in underground house and techno, Jane is also a promoter of some of the best parties in the UK over a similar time period. We discuss her roots in London, experiences living in Hong Kong during the 90s, and her route into DJing via magazine journalism and record collecting. And of course we cover her seminal parties, Peg, and Night Moves which is still running sporadically when suitable venues can be found. This is a great conversation with someone who does things the right way... get involved! -- If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Chapters: 00:00 Intro and how you can support the show 05:30 Current raves in South America 07:30 What is 'underground'? 18:20 Music is no longer the most important thing 23:13 Anxiety in the younger audience 25:45 Rock shows vs Clubs 28:30 Early experiences with music 32:50 A lifetime of collecting vinyl 38:20 DJing with vinyl or USB 43:32 First DJ gigs 46:30 Discovering Jeff Mills 48:35 Living in Hong Kong 01:01:40 Moving back to the UK 01:04:30 Promoting parties in London - PEG 01:10:30 Promoting Night Moves 01:14:54 Smoking ban and noise complaints affect UK clubs 01:20:30 Should big DJs play small clubs? 01:26:00 Problems with the dance press 01:35:50 Italian deep house recommendations Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 18, 2025 · 1 hr 23 min
#003 Spencer Parker on the phone: Berlin, changes, and HorsegiirL
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! -- Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving We had our first bit of negative feedback last week... 'too much deconstruction of the club scene' they said! Or something along those lines anyway. Unfortunately this episode was already in the can when we read that, so that person is going to have to soldier on for another week... :( Spencer Parker is a Brit, but also something of an underground legend of Berlin having lived there for 15 years and been part of the clubbing furniture for about the same length of time. He's the long-time a&r of Work Them records, a producer with a catalogue going back to the the mid 2000s (although he always plays this down massively), and a serious DJ who's been on the circuit for that long too. This is a phone conversation that covers many of the familiar topics of scene development, challenges, personal experiences, and music curiosity. But we also discuss HorsegiirL and PC Music. -- If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Chapters: 00:00 Intro and how you can support the show 04:00 The enduring appeal of Berlin 09:20 Heartbreak and leaving London 15:45 easyJet Techno 23:00 Subculture to mainstream 28:30 "If the DJ wants to be on the stage, don't book them" 31:30 Getting into club music 36:50 The decline of the anthem 42:00 An infinite amount of music 45:00 Fake it til you make it culture 47:30 DJ HorsegirrL 59:40 Working in a record shop 01:07:00 Becoming a DJ 01:15:00 Progressing into production 01:19:50 Perseverance and DJing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 11, 2025 · 1 hr 19 min
#002 James Ruskin: Tresor, Blueprint, and the enduring appeal of vinyl
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! -- Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving The DJ / Producer / Label boss paradigm is a classic career path in dance music, not least in the case of the presenter of this show. But few have nailed all three elements quite as well over the last three decades as this week's guest on the show. Blueprint is James Ruskin's label - an absolute foundation of UK techno, and techno generally it should be said, with seminal releases from the likes of DVS1, Mark Broom, Oliver Ho, Sigha, as well as the boss himself. It will soon be celebrating 30 years of releases, which is a pretty incredible achievement. As a producer he's released prolifically outside his own imprint, most notably via an association with Tresor that goes back to the 90s. And as a DJ he's been a key part of the UK scene and beyond for at least that long too. We discuss familiar themes such as the state of the scene today, the comparative challenges of releasing music over a thirty year period, the evolution of his approach to work in the studio, amongst a lot of other stuff besides. This is a great conversation with an absolute key man. Get involved! If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Music Not Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Chapters: 00:00 Intro and how you can support the show 03:50 The definition of Techno 11:05 Small clubs vs. festivals 16:30 Hard Techno and 30 year cycles 20:33 "Minimal was so fucking boring" 25:39 30 years of Blueprint 35:45 UK Techno brotherhood 37:30 Digital vs. Vinyl 46:25 "I still buy vinyl every week" 49:50 Hip-Hop, Beat Street and Breakdance 54:05 Learning how to mix in the club 58:11 Illegal raves and commercialisation 01:01:33 The legend of LOST 01:06:00 The importance of Tresor 01:10:13 Playing Detroit tunes in Detroit 01:11:15 Techno in Spain 01:16:40 James Ruskin the race car driver Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 4, 2025 · 1 hr 18 min
#001 Tom Middleton: Sleep, audio therapy, and Aphex Twin
Music Not Diving is supported by AC55ID... head over to www.ac55id.com to check out the fastest growing electronic music marketplace, a central hub for music discovery, streaming and purchasing! -- Welcome to the first episode of Music Not Diving! Watch the full video version of this episode over at youtube.com/@WeNotDiving It's very far from perfect but it is out on time and no-one ever does perfect drops anymore do they? There is one perfect aspect to the new show though, and that is the first guest. Tom Middleton is a true don of electronic music. From his seminal work with Mark Pritchard as Global Communication and Jedi Knights, through multiple solo albums, and collaborations with luminaries such as Matthew Herbert, the man's record is unimpeachable. Perhaps just as interestingly though, is his second career as a sleep coach, sensory designer, and pioneer of audio therapeutics for sleep, relaxation, pain management, and cognitive performance. He's a co-founder of White Mirror, where he crafts health-driven sensory content and experiences, and a sleep science expert and neuroscience researcher. His therapeutic audio helps millions through Calm, Apple Music and Breathonics. So this is a highly interesting conversation, and a great way to start the new show. Grab the GCOM album discussed here If you're into what we're doing here on the pod then you can support the show on Patreon! There are two tiers - "Solidarity" for $4 a month, which features the show without ads, regular bonus podcasts, and extra content. And "Musicality" which for a mere $10 a month gets you all the music we release on Hotflush and affiliate labels AND other music too, some of which never comes out anywhere else. You can also make a one-off donation to the podcast using a card, with Paypal, or your Ethereum wallet! Head over to scubaofficial.io/support. Plus there's also a private area for Patreon supporters in the Hotflush Discord Server... but anyone can join the conversation in the public channels. Listen to the music discussed on the show via the Not A Diving Podcast Spotify playlist Chapters: 00:00 Intro and how you can support the show 04:00 Working as a sleep coach 08:43 Top tips for good sleep 14:15 Touring life as a DJ 17:08 Narcolepsy and jet lag in Miami 24:10 Psychedelics and therapy 35:40 The untapped 66.3 trillion industry 42:00 Origins and the Cornwall Electronic mafia 45:55 Being introduced to Aphex Twin 52:00 Music theory vs. instinct 01:02:00 Meeting Mark Pritchard and forming Global Communication Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.