Laksa's (@laksauk) contribution to techno is as vital as it is hard to define. The London-based Bristolian never sits still in one stylistic niche and is as likely to ramp up the techno as he is slow then down. His meticulously designed grooves have come on tasteful labels like Hessle Audio, Timedance and Ilian Tape, always with a focus on dance floor dynamics. Further creative outlets come in the form of the re:lax label, club night and NTS show he runs with with re:ni. Most recently he has cooked up the WONDA EP which includes a vocal collaboration with Nyege Nyege-affiliated Phelimuncasi The podcast he serves up for us is, in his own words, "a mix of hype and hypnotism" and it includes some tasty unreleased music from the man himself as well as the likes of Ma Sha, Siu Mata, Erik Luebs and Crespi Drum Syndicate. The 90 minutes are as wide-ranging as you might expect with bass-heavy grooves, trance-inducing synths, broken techno workouts and tribal rhythmic explorations all making sure both head and body are catered for in style.
Whatever Jennifer Loveless (@jenniferloveless) turns her attention to, she always looks to find real human emotion. The Berlin-based, Australian-born multidisciplinary artist works across a wide musical realm as a DJ, producer and top-line writer who also scores for the screen. In the club, she is all about big energy, warmth and colour as she flits between future sounds and euphoric nostalgia all while dropping plenty of big tunes on labels like Sex Tags UFO, Planet Euphorique and Future Classic. Over the last decade-plus, she has proven herself adaptable in the DJ booth and just as able to lock in a heady crowd at Panorama Bar as she is making her mark on festival stages like Horst. Across 90 minutes in this week's mix, Loveless draws on all of that experience to lay down a silky smooth trip that touches on deep techno and lush electronic minimalism before delving into more menacing atmospheres, jacked-up house and feel-good sunrise sounds.
London's Moxie (@djmoxie) has always embodied a fearless approach to DJing. Her sets are driven by her famously eclectic taste and can go from deep Detroit techno to face-melting bass via loved-up disco in an instant. She made her name as one of the earliest hosts on NTS Radio but is now a favourite of the global underground who has often impressed at our own events. Her "Moxie Presents" compilations have shown her dedication to championing forward-thinking artists and have helped make her a genuine new school tastemaker. This week Moxie has put together a breezy jaunt through many different facets of her sound. There are balmy summer pads and carefree house beats to start with then things head indoors for deeper, darker sounds but always saved up with plenty of warmth and emotion. This mix is a perfect encapsulation of how Moxie can take you from the early evening to late into the night without you even noticing.
FAUZIA (@djfauzia) is an artist who is always evolving. The UK DJ, producer and live act first broke through as a DJ who played fast music be it techno, electro, IDM or bass-heavy breaks. Her famous NTS has always shown a different side, where anything from soul to jazz can be called upon to tell a story. As a producer since 2020, she has tended to mine a more emotive side with releases that explore dub, ambient and jungle. She has also done pop collabs with Kelela and sings ever more on her own material. Basically, she is anything but easy to categorise, and instead works in many different worlds with equal style and skill. For this week's mix, FAUZIA focuses on the dance floor with a thrilling 90-minute selection. The scene is first set with some escapist ambience, deep and beatless jungle and spine-tingling vocals but then some serious breakbeats arrive. They come thick and fast and take on many forms from heavy and apocalyptic to blissed out and astra. FAUZIA's own voice occasionally arrives to lend them a personal, intimate quality while the mix grows faster and more futuristic. It's a showcase that's as brilliant in taste as it is in technique.
Sound Metaphors (@sound-metaphors) is Nemo Ripoll and Castro Moore, but it is also the name of their famously well-curated label and record shop in Berlin. As such the pair has been helping to define the sound of the underground on many different fronts - electric DJ sets, cult events and even through the custom-made sound systems built for customers worldwide. With a vast musical knowledge between them and a never-ending supply of their own unreleased edits and DJ tools, they are able to tell musical stories that draw from all across all genres and many different eras. That plays out in the superb mix they have put together for us this week. It's a full-bodied selection that shows off their love of contrasting styles - loose, percussive house music brushes up with deep and dubby cuts, dark acid grooves sit next to '80s synth sounds before a disco finish goes from stomping to funky. The exuberance of it all is infectious and leaves you wanting more.
MCMLXXXV (@thetruemcmlxxxv) is a co-founder and resident at Berlin's celebrated queer party Herrensauna. Though it has gone from being a local underground favourite to a globe-travelling brand, it always remains true to its mission of empowering people though music and community. The soundtrack is hard and dark and comes from across the electro, techno, EBM and industrial spectrum but for every bit of grit, there is always a hint of seduction. MCMLXXXV was a real highlight when he closed down Dekmantel Festival '22 at the UFO stage with his fellow residents so we're delighted to welcome him back to the podcast series. And he doesn't disappoint across a high-octane hour. The slick selections are in a rush to get you moving and once you start you won't be able to stop. The rhythms are elastic but bumping with earth-quaking bass down low and everything from tribal percussion to liquid synths via sleazy vocals up top. It's a perfect display of MCMLXXXV's ability to blend the physical with the sensual into colourful and contemporary soundtracks that really bang.
Victor's (@victormgcpwr) superpower is his ability to adapt. He is a famously versatile selector who can impress a niche crowd at his Blitz Club residency in Munich, or light up cult festivals like Nachtdigital. The diversity of his solo sets is matched by his skill for finding common ground with other selectors, which is why he famously loves playing back-to-backs. From syncopated, break-riddled techno to ambient dub and everything in between, his selections are unified by their diversity. Victor also heads up his own Main Power label and this week plays Dekmantel Selectors in Croatia. As a warm-up for that, he has put together a superb 75-minute mix that starts with one of his traditionally atmospheric and beatless openers before taking flight on lithe club rhythms. Genres are meaningless in his hands as the German transitions between deft percussive workouts, swinging drums and dubbed-out soundscapes that are always on the move, never easy to predict, but completely absorbing for both mind and body.
Chinese-German artist @samgoku has a distinctive take on techno that draws on his own Asian heritage and blends it with contemporary electronics. Across two sublime albums for Atomnation and Permanent Vacation, he has infused his fluid rhythms with gorgeous melodies and ambient haze, traditional Eastern instruments and ethereal moods. This summer, he debuted on the Dekmantel label with four tracks of unconventional techno that marry the physical with the emotional in exceptional style. There are plenty of similar contrasts in this week's mix, which is an almost two-hour dive into his sound world. It is a deep and compelling blend of supple rhythms that are always subtly shifting. His pristine selections take in dubby and cavernous grooves, tripped-out minimal details and stylish techno cuts that always come with plenty of colour and high-definition designs which lend the whole thing a futurist edge but very human soul.
Londoner Josey Rebelle is 'just' a DJ. She doesn't make records, she plays them, but she plays them like no one else. Her impeccable taste and ability to join the dots between disparate genres in the club, on the radio and with the compilations she puts out has won her countless awards. She is known for drawing on her Caribbean roots as much as she is for the passion she pays with and the authenticity of her selections. Whether old or new, jungle or soul, a Josey Rebelle set is a thing of joy. And she proves that for us this week with an almost two-hour mix that traverses a dizzying amount of terrain. It's a club-focussed trip that fizzes with apocalyptic energy before taking off into worlds of cosmic techno, twitchy club music and supple jungle. The drama comes as much from the mixing as the tunes but one thing is for sure, there is no real way of knowing whether you're listening to sounds from the past, present or future.
Konduku (@kondukukonduku) is Dutch-born but with a proud Turkish heritage that colours the music he makes. It's impactful techno but with curious time signatures and minimalist percussive that draws on the rhythms of his ancestral homeland. As the son of a musician and Balkan folklore dancer, he was always set to spend his life in music and so far it's been a rich one that has included a standout debut album on Nous’klaer in 2018 and fresh EPs on the cult likes of Delsin, Bitta and Spazio Disponibile. This week's mix showcases exactly what he is all about with 80 minutes of supple and subversive techno. Liquid tracks from Jeff Mills, Donato Dozzy, Shackleton and plenty of his own all feature in this timeless trip where slick transitions and carefully threaded grooves constantly build mood and atmosphere. From deep and cosmic to dark and dystopian, there is an always underlying tension that keeps both mind and body utterly locked in.
My World My Way was the name of @e-saggila's album back in 2019. It perfectly encapsulates her brazen approach to sound which chews up and spits out everything from noise to breakcore to techno. The Iraq-born, Toronto-based artist has always revelled in the contrast between tempos, shocking rhythms and distorted textures. Part of the thrill of listening to it is the sense it could all collapse at any moment, whether releasing on her label Summer Isle or the likes of Opal Tapes, Hospital Productions, and Northern Electronics. This week she delivers an hour of pure electronic potency that brings to life her uniquely dystopian visions. Staring in what sounds like a haunted underground metro station, she then transitions into futuristic worlds of pulsating bass, squealing synths, scratchy melodies and hyper-driven percussive patterns that race along into the unknown. It's an abstract selection of sound that is cerebral and cinematic but will also cause utter carnage in a club setting.
Bogota-born, Berlin-based Tania Humeres Correa aka @thc_dj has perfected the art of high-energy sounds that get big room crowds close together. The Rinse FM host has her own party series La Noche with Byron Yeates and sibling DHC, and with the latter plays back-to-back as S-candalo. Acid, potent rave bangers, vocal gems and deeper delights all feature in her sets which always look to combine an unbridled sense of party with plenty of emotional nuance. This week's mix was recorded just after the start of festival season so is aimed at getting your summer started in style. Staying true to her signature house sounds with plenty of warmth, euphoria and rolling grooves, it's a perfect representation of her ideal dance floor soundtrack. While leaning towards the energy of the main stage and "anthemic vastness," her selections never forget about the all-important elements of intimacy and soul which help the beats make a lasting impression.
Wave Arising (@wavearising) aka @69db aka Sebastian Vaughan has lived through many musical movements from hip hop to acid house, rave to hardcore. He began making his own as a drummer and drums remain at the heart of his weightless techno sounds all these years later. That was exemplified once more by his most recent album which is an exercise in rhythm that works equally on mind, body and soul. He has long been a part of several key techno collectives including Spiral Tribe, SP23, R-Zac and Dharma Techno and seeks to bring movement, trance and spirituality to the weightless sounds he makes and plays as Wave Arising alongside the dancer Kynsie. This week he has put together a special live mix that has been fully improvised in the studio as opposed to a standard DJ selection. It comes ahead of his performance as 69db at Dekmantel Festival this year and is a perfect example of the intense and ritualistic music he makes: it's a tribal soundscape constructed from supple, elongated and heavy rhythms, spaced-out ambient pads and experimental dub movements that are all doused in psychedelic overtones which consumes all your focus. Check Wave Arising's new album (The) Rooted Sky here: https://wavearising.bandcamp.com/album/the-rooted-sky
Polygonia's (@polygonia) creative world knows no boundaries. It is a project from Munich-based instrumentalist Lindsey Wang that incorporates production, DJing, illustration, graphic design, and photography. Wang is a core part of the IO collective which works all across the audiovisual spectrum, and also runs her own label QEONE. Pining her down musically is hard as she isn't defined by tempo, but instead blends ambient and techno into soundscapes defined by great sound designs, texture and emotion. Wang's love of exploring a dizzyingly diverse array of musical codes and colours is evident on this week's mix. The 90-minute showcase is a portal into a hyper-real world - an alien yet organic soundtrack of sub-aquatic synths, bioluminescent melodies and pulsing deep space rhythms. Pads drip and ripple, drums are dubbed out but direct and the mood is always brilliantly curious.
Nick León (@NICKLEON) is an artful DJ and producer from Miami who has always operated at the experimental fringes of electronic music. Though he has always pushed at the boundaries he never fully loses sight of the dance floor while colliding reggaeton, techno, ambient, dubstep and hip-hop. He is a frequent collaborator and something of an album specialist who most recently took inspiration from Florida’s diverse sub-aquatic ecosystems on his superb Projections of a Coral City album alongside Coral Morphologic. Nick will be joining us at Dekmantel Festival 2024 and this week's mix is a great way to keep you going until then. It's an hour of loose-limbed and largely genre-less rhythm with a naturalistic feel. There's a blend of filtered and futuristic voices and centuries-old dancing rituals that take you to the heart of an ancient rainforest, all with his signature Latin flavours and an undercurrent dembow-laced beats.
American artist Introspekt (@sageintrospekt) has a sound rooted in the darker side of UKG but comes at it from a unique perspective that incorporates elements of US garage and ballroom. The LA-born, NYC-based talent has now made her mark in Europe as a DJ and a producer on labels like Eris Drew and Octo Octa's T4T LUV NRG. Her style blends heavy basslines, diva vocals and well-crafted broken beats into something that harks back to the sounds that once came out of the likes of Paradise Garage and Club Zanzibar, always with a focus on bringing up her own community. She says that the idea behind this week's mix was "to take the listener on a journey through tech-garage sonics and intergalactic dancehall rhythms." Tracks of her own and those from Skream, Holloway, Hatcha, Phuturistix and many more all plot a line through earth-shatteringly heavy rhythms from across the past, present and future of garage, dubstep and bass. It's a mix aimed at both body and head from this formidable talent and is a great taste of what to expect from her when she plays Dekmantel Festival later in the year.
Without people like Cashu (@carol-schutzer), São Paulo’s queer community wouldn't be thriving in the way that it is. The Mamba Negra label collective, party and label co-founder has been working tirelessly to provide safe spaces, creative outlets and raise funds for the LGBTQIA+ community for many years. She closely intertwines politics and dancing at events that reclaim urban spaces and now enjoys an international DJ diary that sees her mixing up breaks, techno, dancehall and electro across Amsterdam, Berlin, and places like our own Dekmantel Selectors. She takes us on a similarly whirlwind tour with this week's mix, including some unreleased gems. It's a full-throttle party selection that fires through several house, club and techno rhythms - some bounce on big bass, some are twisted with raw percussion and some get stripped back to loopy drums and trippy sound designs. These global beats from the likes of DJ Wawa, Nick León, and Lewis Lowe add up to a colourful carnival atmosphere that sounds even better when the sun is shining.
Stella Zekri (@stella-zekri-ouiddir) is based in Berlin but her sound defies the usual expectations of those who dance in the city best known for house and techno. Her sets instead are instead led by soul and emotion and reach far and wide into the worlds of hip hop, house, new beat, trance, jazz, disco and bring rich colours and exultant vibes to the scene. She often likes to play long sets and isn't afraid of twisting and turning through diverse tempos and rhythms along the way, which is something she also does at the Body Language events she founded with Camilla Rae and Caitlin Russell in 2021. They have brought something all new to the queer scene in Berlin, while her monthly Breakfast Show on Refuge Worldwide and her studio work with 80s zouk and boogie band Stella and the Longos are further creative outlets that make Stella a new school star. All of this is reflected in the sixty-minute selection Stella has put together for us this week: it's a celebration of her eclectic collection that is powered by outgoing pianos, emotive vocals and gleeful grooves. There are old school house jams and silky soul-laced depths, happy 90s tracks and plenty of sensuous voices that all prove Stella Zekri's ability to keep the good times flowing is second to none.
There is nothing ordinary about Sepehr (@sepehr-a): he hails from the Bay Area of San Fran, is based in New York City but has Iranian heritage and takes great pleasure in pulling apart everything you think you know about dance music. His maverick approach results in versatile and genre-defiant sounds that collide EBM, drum & bass, techno, electro, acid and plenty more on some of the finest labels out there. He runs his own Shaytoon Records which is focussed on the Middle Eastern underground, and in May lands on our own Dekmanel Records with Genesis Domain, a varied EP full of intriguing sounds. The same could be said of his mix for us this week. It's a deep dive into his eclectic and eccentric musical mind that spans several sounds and scenes. Although united by body-moving rhythms, there is everything from club to techno to broken beat and plenty more besides. Each track is packed with detail and surrealist sounds that will keep your head as busy as your heels.
JakoJako (@jakojako_live) always wanted to make music and her self-confessed hyperactivity ultimately led to her getting the most joy out of playing about with machines and patching up synths. These days the Berghain resident is a celebrated live act and DJ who draws on the considerable knowledge she picked up working at Berlin's legendary synth shop SchneidersLaden, but she has also worked on several high-profile motion sensor dance projects at places like The Royal Albert Hall. Her smart sound designs and unique rhythms have landed on Leisure System, Tresor and Figure and she has a new EP coming on Mute this June. Her mix for us this week features a sneak preview of one of the tracks from that EP as well as mixing up music from Alaric, Siege, Altinbas and many more. It's full of high-speed sounds couched loosely in techno but with moods and textures borrowed from industrial, minimal and even trance as things reach an emotional peak late on. Though she broke through as a live act, this set shows JakoJako can now speak just as freely through the decks.
Richard Middleton
HEAVY!!!!!