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Sound systems have driven the development of music in the UK, powered by hard work, passion and innovation. But preserving UK sound system culture, its knowledge and history, while also pushing it forward, is no easy task today. Ria Hylton traces its path through ska and reggae at blues dances in West Indian households, to soul, boogie, hip-hop and house in ’80s warehouses and at the Notting Hill Carnival, to nationwide tours and global popularity, and finds out how initiatives like the Sound System Futures Programme are seeking to secure its future 

For DJs with a packed touring schedule, gigging at one iconic club after another, finding the time to sit down in the studio can be nearly impossible. But when Kerri Chandler wanted to work on a long-delayed album, he hit on a solution: he’d transform those clubs into temporary studios, creating tracks attuned to each space. The result is ‘Spaces And Places’, and it’s some of his best work yet

As likely to play South African hip-hop as she is Congolese rumba, Egyptian jazz or Brazilian boogie, Gauteng-born, Manchester-based SNO is spreading the word about music often overlooked by the Western industry. Alongside her genre-spanning Recognise mix, she speaks to Kamila Rymajdo about familial influence, her chance start in DJing and sharing the music she loves

Ron Trent has a deep understanding of electronic music. Beginning his production career in his teens, the venerated Chicago resident has travelled through techno, deep house and Afro house over the years. His latest album ‘WARM: What Do The Stars Say To You’, produced with a live band, demonstrates the duality of his work: it’s futuristic and somehow ancient, cosmic and aquatic. DJ Mag's Ria Hylton catches up with the Chicago house legend to learn more

Brooding and austere, Richie Hawtin’s third album under the Plastikman alias is a minimalist masterwork