Richard Marshall

Sometimes - and often - living in London makes you feel like the centre of the universe is within touching distance. Tracking this down before the cowards removed it in unbridled fear of artistic protest was truly a sight to see. I have seen a lot of art in my time, I hunt it down around the world. Seeing this today before it was ripped down by an embarrassed group of foot soldiers was beyond epic. Go @london , go @banksy Fuck fascists

AI is infiltrating creativity. Not until I wrote this did I realise how much conversation about the obvious markers in writing is out there already. But this is my take anyway. I did my research in reverse, which is sometimes not a bad thing. It’s important to know that it’s starting to look mighty obvious, and even more important for consumers of the written word to look for cues, to start recognising AI's unmistakable 'tone'. We are being taught the tell-tale signs of AI-generated writing at @arden_university so that we know not to submit AI-generated assignments, how we will be penalised for doing so, and why they're marking papers using two grades these days. And the signs are everywhere. AI is an assistant and a tool, it is not a substitute for creativity and original thought. Link in bio and comments 🔗

This post as a nod to what happened in January is long overdue, and slightly rushed. Lost Track of Time - with good reason 🫢 Need to get this one out though, for the sake of new information we are getting ready to drop over at @sub_sahara_ HQ. Finding these pics on my phone was a trip - can’t believe we did this all! This is just a little tip of the hat to the unbelievable run of headliners we had to kick off 2026. Thank you all so much for trusting me and the teams I work with on the ground. It was insane and I’ll post an ode to all of them - as well as the f(r)iends and family who keep me pseudo-sane for this type of project. Thank you @marceldettmann @gerdjansonofficial @horse_meat_disco x @severinodj @gabriellekwarteng @make.a.dance @cinthie_dj @tama_sumo x @lakuti_ @freudenthal_of_pardonmoi @stevenbraines x @he.she.they @blackers_andy x @fabriclondonofficial and shout to @piotrbr @sibot_ x @markus_wormstorm for coming out of hibernation My massive team - you know who you are. I’ll put some personal pics together for that post but a huge shout to the boy-in-the-last-bubble @codyhof for the elevation station you’ve brought to it all 🩶 @sheer_city_ @fabriclondonofficial @sub_sahara_

Story 1 This is me forcing myself to put writing out! Very grateful for the 300+ people who read the article from last week and the amazing feedback I got from a few of you. I am publishing work slowly on @substack in three silos: 🗝️ Signal - our brains and the psychology of electronic music 🗝️ Story - the history of rave in South Africa 🗝️ Scene - gossipy anthropology and notes from the dance floor This is Story. A project that I have been working on since 2011 thanks to and with help from my darling friend @drmentis that lead to, among other things, a @tedx_official talk in 2012. Dig that one up for a laugh if you have fifteen minutes. "To understand the rise, fall and resurgence of this scene, you first have to understand the feelings that powered it. How the cultural and political landscape in South Africa helped till such fertile soil for rave-as-resistance. By the mid-to-late 1990s, the warehouse parties had outgrown the language used to describe them. Apart from, of course, the word Rave." Put on some techno and lets go! Link in IG bio 🔗

Alone in the air The architecture of trees Weekends in the fields

Signal 1 As I near the end of my psychology degree I have decided to put easy-to-digest essays and articles up on Substack. New territory for me - but something I need to do as I feather the nest of my next chapter. The first article is from a series I will be sharing called Signal, focussing on psychology in electronic music. In edition one I talk about the dance floor as a place for nervous system reset. We are precariously close to losing sight of the essence of electronic music and why it holds the cultural significance that it does. And how raving can be good for you. And why we need to keep the bad guys form completely corrupting it - and us. Link to article in bio and in comments 🔗 I hope you enjoy it. Like! Subscribe! Shoot me! Jokes. But if you read it and like it please share it x

Sub Sahara 30 with Richard Marshall, Phijos & Dragmother - Live today at 16:00 CET! To celebrate Sub Sahara’s 30th show we have - for the first time - a three-person show. @aremarshall is joined by @thedeathofglitter organisers @phijosphijos and @iamtazme . A trailblazing collective at the forefront of queer culture and razor sharp music curation from the City of Cape Town. Stay tuned for a three-hour special featuring individual mixes from all three artists!

I freaking adore you @emileecara 🩶 Thanks for being my wife It has been the very best of times with you Thank you for loving me #leatheranniversary

Sub Sahara with @lelowhatsgood & @aremarshall - Live today at 16:00 CET ⚡️ DJ, producer, Johannesburg style icon and tastemaker Lelowhatsgood joins us for the first @sub_sahara_ show of 2026. The face behind Joburg’s legendary @VNJBall , Lelo has established himself as an innovative and creative force through his unique style and voice. His set of Balearic-tinged Afritronica is Sub Sahara at its best. Live at 15:00 UK / 16:00 CET / 17:00 SAST  Listen via our website or 106.4 FM in Ibiza 📡

This is a true honour and amazing way to head into the last stretch of 2025! This week I was voted onto the board of @bridgesformusic - most who know me will know how close I have kept this organisation to my heart and what this moment means. @nicksabine.coach has gifted me many life-changing opportunities, introducing me to @valentinobarrioseta when he first landed in SA a dozen years ago has always been one of the greatest. I have worked with and supported Bridges in whichever way I can since its inception, including cycling the Argus, outbidding myself to purchase (a now invaluable) @vusi_beauchamp_art piece, cycling to Amsterdam, talking at the Academy and most importantly booking and working with dozens of students and alumni. I can't wait to see what this next chapter holds. If all goes according to plan I'll graduate from university with a psychology degree in October 2026 - and something tells me tectonic shifts are afoot. Thank you Val and the entire Bridges team - and to the board for this vote of confidence. You have all inspired me more than you know 🎓

Meet: Richard Marshall Richard has been a career DJ since the early 2000’s. In 2014 he founded the now internationally defamed Wolfkop Weekender and in the last twelve years has created some of the most iconic and celebrated festivals in South Africa. In the wake of the Weekender, Richard has joined forces with fabric London who he hosts annually in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and is the co-founder of Sheer City - a new inner-city multi-discipline music and arts festival focussed on celebrating queer and inclusive culture in South Africa. All of this, along with an encyclopedic knowledge and love of all genres of music has made Richard one of the most sought after wedding and private party DJs in any city he might find himself. Now residing in London, he has been meticulously bridging the gap between Africa and the UK and EU with his project Sub Sahara. As far as a party goes, a better musical mind would be hard to find 🧐

Hello friends, Today is the final day of fundraising for the @bridgesformusic cycle to ADE. All 82 of us are aware that our networks have probably seen just about enough of it, but the difference (for me anyway) is that it is DONE and every single rider crossed the finish line. A broken rib (@valentinobarrioseta ), a fractured shin (@msaki_za ) and a hand without any skin (@mmaponyane ) included... It was monumental. The reason we push so hard for donations is because without exercises like this, Bridges for Music cannot exist. In a new world order where funding is being cut from the very top, community support is the lifeline for entities like this - and few things change lives more than BFM and @bridges.academy . Where does your money go? Among other places: - 𝟭𝟱𝟬𝟬 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 from BFM so far. That is 1500 lives changed for the better, for good - 𝟭𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 are catered for on campus. In many cases, a student’s meal at the Academy is the only meal they’ll receive for the day - 𝟲𝟬𝟬 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 are available to students on the campus. Mental health plays as big if not an even bigger role at the Academy than music and education We cycled 236 km over two days. We slept on a ferry. We laughed, we cried, we broke bones but alas - we made it! If you are reading this, please help me reach my €1500 target (I am €180 short) and help Bridges get closer to the €100,000 target. You have until midnight tonight to chip in - even the tiniest bit helps! Special thanks to @valentinobarrioseta and @jasonbrettlind for the insanity it took to organise that, not to mention the incredible team you guys assembled to support. And to my latest donors, thank you so so much: @marshallmaureen and @petermarshall929 @openlabradio and @tintinchambers @joelsees @arnobasson @janetmacleod @nicksabine.coach @laurajulieluypaert @rowlandbennett Mary Wolf @micakitto @nikegustavsson @lauren_louise_slinger and @mr_j_slinky (and Hannah & Jack) @antheascholtz Finally to @frivolous_dj and @delaygrounds for the time of my life and Group 10 for being epic 🩶 Link in bio