The longtime BBC Radio 1 host talks about the liberation of leaving broadcasting, her pivot to fiction writing and her party series, Before Midnight.
If you grew up in the UK, chances are you've heard Annie Mac on the radio. The Irish native started on the airwaves in 2004 when she was 26. She hosted a nightly programme called Future Sounds, before eventually moving to a Friday night dance music show, which catapulted her into the pop cultural zeitgeist.
Being at the BBC was a boon to her career, but as she reveals in this Exchange—her second appearance on the series—it also came with its limitations. She left the media giant in 2021 to spend more time with her family, and to pursue her own projects without the inhibition of BBC codes of conduct on matters around free speech. Since departing, she has been outspoken about politics and engaged in ongoing advocacy work and calls for change as an independent curator and podcast host.
Annie Mac also speaks to Exchange host Chloe Lula about the art of interviewing; her popular party series, Before Midnight; her pivot to writing; how getting older has shaped her view of success; and what it means to lead the "good life." She has also published two novels, both of which pull from loosely autobiographical topics: The Troubles in Ireland, the music industry in London and bigger thematic arcs such as navigating motherhood and grief. Listen to the episode in full.
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The longtime BBC Radio 1 host talks about the liberation of leaving broadcasting, her pivot to fiction writing and her party series, Before Midnight.
If you grew up in the UK, chances are you've heard Annie Mac on the radio. The Irish native started on the airwaves in 2004 when she was 26. She hosted a nightly programme called Future Sounds, before eventually moving to a Friday night dance music show, which catapulted her into the pop cultural zeitgeist.
Being at the BBC was a boon to her career, but as she reveals in this Exchange—her second appearance on the series—it also came with its limitations. She left the media giant in 2021 to spend more time with her family, and to pursue her own projects without the inhibition of BBC codes of conduct on matters around free speech. Since departing, she has been outspoken about politics and engaged in ongoing advocacy work and calls for change as an independent curator and podcast host.
Annie Mac also speaks to Exchange host Chloe Lula about the art of interviewing; her popular party series, Before Midnight; her pivot to writing; how getting older has shaped her view of success; and what it means to lead the "good life." She has also published two novels, both of which pull from loosely autobiographical topics: The Troubles in Ireland, the music industry in London and bigger thematic arcs such as navigating motherhood and grief. Listen to the episode in full.
“My mission is to explore the boundaries of psychedelic music.” The revered artist talks about expanding consciousness, breaking boundaries and his new album on Tresor.
There has always been a strain of dance music that has leant psychedelic, from the left field psychoacoustics of pioneers like La Monte Young to the proggy techno taking over today's dance floors. One artist who embodies the spirit of psychedelia is Anthony Child—AKA Surgeon—a revered DJ and producer who has historically been placed in the world of industrial techno, but whose output over the years has consistently flirted with altered states of consciousness and a strong opposition to the mainstream.
Child is originally from Birmingham, where he and Karl O'Connor, AKA Regis, helped birth a style of powerful, loop-driven techno. Together they've put out music as British Murder Boys and released music on O'Connor's label Downwards Records. But they've had equally successful solo careers, with Child putting out several releases on Tresor and performing live improvised electronics as Surgeon and as part of ambient listening duo The Transcendence Orchestra.
In this interview, Child talks about his most recent release on Tresor, the album Shell~Wave, and its innovative use of techniques associated with Jamaican dub. He also discusses the throughline of psychedelia in his work and what it means to surrender oneself to sometimes uncomfortable processes—both creatively and in life—and come out the other side. There are strong links to spirituality and Buddhism in Child's work, many of which are designed to prompt listeners to question and reconsider the boundaries they've set around the reality they live in. Listen to the episode in full. -Chloe Lula
RA Exchange
The longtime BBC Radio 1 host talks about the liberation of leaving broadcasting, her pivot to fiction writing and her party series, Before Midnight.
If you grew up in the UK, chances are you've heard Annie Mac on the radio. The Irish native started on the airwaves in 2004 when she was 26. She hosted a nightly programme called Future Sounds, before eventually moving to a Friday night dance music show, which catapulted her into the pop cultural zeitgeist.
Being at the BBC was a boon to her career, but as she reveals in this Exchange—her second appearance on the series—it also came with its limitations. She left the media giant in 2021 to spend more time with her family, and to pursue her own projects without the inhibition of BBC codes of conduct on matters around free speech. Since departing, she has been outspoken about politics and engaged in ongoing advocacy work and calls for change as an independent curator and podcast host.
Annie Mac also speaks to Exchange host Chloe Lula about the art of interviewing; her popular party series, Before Midnight; her pivot to writing; how getting older has shaped her view of success; and what it means to lead the "good life." She has also published two novels, both of which pull from loosely autobiographical topics: The Troubles in Ireland, the music industry in London and bigger thematic arcs such as navigating motherhood and grief. Listen to the episode in full.
