- House and techno with New York swagger.
- Spend enough time at (or listening to) The Lot Radio, and chances are all you'll find Gabrielle Kwarteng. Even though she lives in Berlin now, the American DJ wears New York on her sleeve, repping for the station that helped make her name (she won a Mixcloud award for "Best Eclectic Show" pretty early on). Sure, you could call her sound eclectic—she jumps from house to Afrobeat to Jersey club and beyond—but it seems like intuitive might be a better word. She has the taste of someone raised by musical parents on a diverse diet of albums, of someone who eats, breathes and sleeps records.
Buoyed by her success in the US, Kwarteng moved to Berlin in 2019, not too long before the pandemic. Like so many other up-and-coming DJs, her momentum almost stalled as a result. But here we are in 2022 and Kwarteng is more successful than ever, with a string of upcoming festival dates highlighting her wide, transatlantic appeal. Her RA Podcast is equally welcoming, with a taste for house music that feels perfectly pitched between the classic and the new. You can hear an old soul, but she also has cutting-edge tracks from the likes of NIkki Nair, and a gutsy, fantastic edit of "Can You Feel It?" by Tom Carruthers. The mix also reflects her recently getting back in touch with her roots, featuring smatterings of East Coast club music and ballroom, all wrapped up with an exquisite finishing touch courtesy of a long Moodymann play-out.
What are you grateful for these days?
I'm grateful for every single one of my loved ones and for being able to do one of the things that I love for a living. I count my blessings every day to be in my current position and am so thankful to have the support system that I do. I'd also like to add that I'm incredibly grateful for a Berlin summer and extended daylight because this past winter was certainly way too long.
How and where was the mix recorded, and can you tell us the idea behind the mix?
This mix was recorded in Berlin at both Riverside Studios (massive thank you to Fidelity Kastrow for constantly granting me access to the facility) and Pirate Studios. At Riverside, I played on two CDJ-3000s and a Pioneer DJ DJM V-10 mixer, and at Pirate, on two CDJ-2000NX2s and a Pioneer DJM-900NXS2 mixer.
Since touring has resumed over the last couple of months, I've had a lot of fun digging the crates for new music and playing out in clubs. I appreciate and love the intimacy captured on a club dance floor that creates this beautiful space to engage with the crowd. I attempted to recapture the energy found during a 3 AM peak time set when the euphoria is at an all-time high, but I also wanted this mix to showcase my musical journey. I'd say that my sound and style have taken various shapes and forms over the years, yet it still reflects the many genres that have influenced me since I was in high school.
I've found as I delve deeper into music that includes techno, acid, progressive house and trance, I have also returned to others like ballroom, Jersey club and ghetto house—genres that shaped me in my formative years even before I could legally party in a club (bear in mind that you have to be 21 to go to most clubs in New York).
Baltimore and Jersey club were becoming very popular during my high school years and they were constantly being played at house parties and school events. By my early 20s, I had a few friends who were connected to the ballroom scene and they invited me along to many incredible vogue battles. I reflect and look back on these moments so fondly, recognizing more and more of the rich musical history that I was fully immersed in and digesting during those years.
I can admit that when I was younger, I took it for granted growing up in New York City and being exposed to many scenes and music. But as I now live thousands of miles away and subconsciously and consciously return to these genres through my crate digging and particularly in this mix, I wanted to celebrate some of the music that's shaped my ears today.
You said that you've recently returned to sounds from New Jersey and New York like Jersey club and ballroom. Who are some of your favorite artists in this realm that you've discovered or rediscovered?
Masters of Work have produced one of the most iconic ballroom tracks to date, "The Ha Dance (Pumpin' Dubb)." I've definitely overplayed Banji Boys' "Love Thang (Cat Walk Mix)" in the last year. It's been really fun digging deeper and discovering other hidden gems like The Serious House Mixer's "Bardot Swing feat. Byrd Bardot (Cha Cha Mix)" and Rare Arts' "Boriqua Posse (The Kiss Connection Mix)." I can only imagine the countless tracks and artists who haven't received much playtime that are just waiting to be uncovered.
What's one social or political cause you want the world to pay more attention to??
I believe that collectively we should take care of one another. The last two years have not been an easy journey for many of us to navigate and I do think that the social isolation we endured globally left a really rough impact on us and we're still witnessing a ripple effect of it today. Fortunately, mental health as a topic has increasingly risen to the forefront of many conversations, not only within the industry, but on a general basis. Check in regularly with your loved ones and be kind to the people around you. Positive vibrations go a very long way.
What are you up to next?
This year is already proving to be a year of firsts in many ways and I'm so blessed to be able to tick some boxes off of my list. I had my first North America tour this past spring, which was a wonderful experience. It also ended in a full circle moment with a set in New York at Nowadays, an evening that I got to share with family and some of my oldest friends. I'm incredibly excited for this summer that's lined up with festivals across Europe and the UK, not only because it's the first summer since 2019 that we have the opportunity to do so, but also because I moved to Berlin from NY just eight months before the pandemic struck. I'll be making my debut at many festivals, like Glastonbury, Dekmantel Selectors and Love International and playing alongside many old and new friends. Very much looking forward to what's in store.
What are you looking forward to in the near future?
I look forward to many more moments behind the booth, on the dance floor and just connecting with beautiful, like-minded souls. If there's one thing that the last two years has taught me is to not take anything for granted.
TracklistDJ Delish - Oh, La La [Kier Kut Up]
Tom Carruthers - Can You Feel It
Pluto - B1 Anna
P. J. Swerve - Gimme Mo'
ZZZ - UZKZOWZ (DJ Haus Body Heat Mix)
Nikki Nair - XXX
Blu:sh - Hush feat. noff
Quazar - Isis
DJ Brad Smith - Hallucin-8-ing (PM Mix)
The Music Freaks - Wild Pitch (The Early Morning Mix)
DJ Deeon - Gigabytes
Traxman presents Robert Armani - Watch It
Byrell The Great - Skin Honey
DJ Duke, The Soundman - The Factory feat. Mercy (Blaster Mix)
Farsight - Tusi
Nutrogen - Rollin' Reptiles (Original Mix)
Digital Domain - I Need Relief (Acid Mix)
Arma & QNOE - Lose Your Love
Moodymann - The Thief That Stole My Sad Days [Ya Blessin Me]