The OG electronic music podcast. The concept is as simple as it is perennially compelling: in-depth conversations with those who truly matter in dance music and club culture. With well over 700 episodes at the time of publishing this article, the archive is way too deep to pick a favorite. We’ll do it regardless. Get your brat summer breakdown from the queen Charli XCX herself or learn about jungle and garage pirate radio stations in a rare interview with Rinse co-founder Geeneus. He shares truly incredible stories of fixing aerials to rooftops and finally obtaining a license for an illegal operation that helped shape multiple genres on the UK’s hardcore continuum.

Chal Ravens and Tom Lea have been at the forefront of underground music culture for a while. Tom mainly spends his time on running the Local Action label which has brought us UK classics such as Finn’s Do What You Want Forever or Heartbeat by T.Williams and Terri Walker. Chal is one of the leading voices in music journalism with notable work for everyone from RA to RBMA. Each week they come together to hone in on one particular subject matter from the extended world of electronic music, usually with an expert guest. From genre trends to goings-on in the club scene, from London to the world. For music nerds by music nerds!

Electronic music taking over the world? Well, at least it’s taking over a podcast feed from Coldplay… Each season of The BBC‘s Music Uncovered series unpacks one musical phenomenon in eight short episodes at about 15 mins. After a Coldplay retrospective and a brief history of drum & bass, it is UKG‘s time to shine. Following a brief overview in the first episode – half super-charged minimix, half music documentary on, err, speed – genre greats Jamz Supernova and DJ Spoony chart the rise and fall and re-re-rise of garage, touching on everything from godfathers Grant Nelson and Matt “Jam“ Lamont to glorious pop moments, from Ayia Napa to “Ladbroke Grove“. Sweet like chocolate and just as nice as any Sunday night in London in the summer of 1996.

If you’re obsessed with hunting down rare test pressings in dusty dollar bins – this show is not for you. While the pun is of course fully intended, Digging isn’t about digging in the crates but digging up earth. For each episode, NTS morning show host Flo Dill is joined by a music maker or writer for a session of gardening and a conversation about their artistic practice. The exquisitely compiled list of guests goes way beyond electronic music and includes everyone from Memphis rap pioneer DJ Spanish Fly to multi-instrumentalist Duval Timothy to the world’s most famous whistler, Molly Lewis. It’s Flo’s brilliance as a host that ties it all together: her warmth, curiosity and genuine interest in her guests’ art and life story. NTS just shared the “final episode for a while” but the conversations have a timeless, calming-yet-inspiring vibe to them that make the archive worth revisiting whenever you feel like some quality time out in nature.

Vorsicht, ze German is spoken here. But it makes sense. Germany has long established itself as the prime location for culture-shaping dancefloors, and that doesn’t stop at the Berlin city limits. This ten-part series – hosted by DJ Gigola of Life From Earth – covers pivotal places in Düsseldorf (Salon des Amateurs), Offenbach (Robert Johnson) and Leipzig (Institut für Zukunft) and what makes them special. In addition to its high production value, the series excels with original music from Gerd Janson, Sedef Adasi, Lena Willikens and many more. If you’re more interested in tales of a glorious past, turn to Red Bull’s Nightclubbing series or The History of the World’s Greatest Nightclubs by iHeart Radio, hosted by legendary house music vocalist Ultra Naté.

Run by Amanda and Filip Sandström Beijer, Playful is a self-described peephole into the underground. The podcast expands on their work at the intersection of sex positivity and electronic music culture: intimate interviews with kink activists and players from the world of adult entertainment as well as DJs and producers. New episodes don’t drop too regularly which make them feel all the more special. Take their conversation with the bondage practitioner and BDSM educator Ron Hades or the episode with Lokier as examples: it‘s Amanda‘s openness and welcoming conversation style that creates a safe space for guests to truly open up about their vulnerabilities and hopes.

How deep do you want to get? John Kennedy: yes. Every other week (ish) the London based DJ and radio personality “looks behind the scenes of the magic of recording and producing music” with a variety of guests on the indie-dance spectrum. Tape Notes stands out for its professional tone and track-by-track approach, as well as an impeccable curation of guests. Notably, the archive includes two extensive conversations with a pre-superstardom Fred again.. and a #100 milestone episode with the producer FINNEAS that does not focus on his work with Billie Eilish.

The title is way more than a play of words: i-D’s i-Dentity really is about subculture’s power to shape and create identity. Not limited to music, the show celebrates a broad variety of creatives from fashion designers to nightlife luminaries. The latest season includes conversations with the likes of Honey Dijon and Diplo, as well as celebrated stage costume designer Casey Cadwallader, queercore icon Bruce LaBruce and party visionary Susanne Bartsch. You’ve probably heard of these people – and from these people – before. But i-Dentity actually manages to reveal new facets of their personality in pretty emotional ways. If you’ve experienced the sheer emotional force of belonging, hearing Honey Dijon talk about growing up in Chicago during the birth years of house music culture will certainly give you goosebumps.

Launched in 2018, Electronic Beats’ podcast is one of the longest running shows in the realm of forward-thinking electronic music. The archive features everything from career-spanning deep dives with German house and techno royalty Gerd Janson, Ellen Allien and Sven Väth, to international trailblazers like Honey Dijon, Amelie Lens, Jayda G, Sevdaliza, Kelela or Billie Eilish, to roundtable discussions of specific topics in club culture. More recently, we shifted our focus to a weekly talk format. Every week, hosts Juba, Kikelomo and OttO Kent dissect what everyone is talking about: from new releases, to the big headlines we didn’t have on our bingo card, to the hypes shaping our feeds right now. Expect plenty of hot takes, background info and expert guests. Okay, shameless self promotion over.