RA Exchange

Hello and welcome back to the RE Exchange.

I'm your host in the Exchange's Hello and welcome back to the RE Exchange.

I'm your host and the Exchange's senior producer, Chloe Lula.

Today on the program, I'm joined by Sam Barker,

an artist whose influence on contemporary electronic music operates on several levels,

not only as a producer and DJ pushing against the boundaries

of dance music, but also as a key infrastructure builder behind the scenes with his seminal

label leisure system. Joining us fresh off a recent gig at fold, Barker came into the RA headquarters

to engage in a conversation about the central, compelling thesis in his current work,

an exploration of organic, human timing, and a genre that has become increasingly obsessed with mechanized grids.

We dive deep into how this philosophy manifests in practice, discussing his standout album of the year, Stochastic Drift, and his recent collaborative

project with saxophonist Benedict Gisca, where he designed sensors that forces his synthesizers

to follow the nuances of human breath rather than a study clock. Beyond the technical, we widen

the lens to cover his 20-year perspective on the evolution of the Berlin scene,

the surprising arguments for liberation in the streaming economy, and the role of art in imagining a utopic future.

We had a very rigorous and wide-ranging conversation about subverting dance floor expectations and the physics of sound,

the changing architecture of the music industry.

Sam is an insightful and incredibly thoughtful and well-read guest, and it was really a delight to have him on the show.

Thank you so much for tuning in.

Next up, Barker.

Hey Sam. Hey Chloe.

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