Welcome back to our monthly mix roundup.

With the prospect of IRL clubbing (and IRL DJ mixes) on the horizon, this month we’re showcasing club-primed offerings designed to make you dance, as well as more subdued post-party soundtracks. There are selections built for at-home enjoyment too, if you’re not ready to take up your spot on the dancefloor just yet.

And if you’re still looking for more after this list, be sure to check out this bonus selection from London-based DJ Eleanor (formerly known as FUCKINGELLE) who went back-to-back with DJ Wawa in this broadcast on Bristol’s 1020 Radio. FOMO-inducing stuff, but a total must-listen.

Don Zilla

Bleep Mix 190

There are the DJs that approach mixes like writing a novel: easing listeners in with subtle, atmospheric scene-setting before dialling up the drama and tension later. Then there are the DJs, like Hakuna Kulala’s Don Zilla, who start as they mean to go on: fiendishly hard and fiercely intense. Shared fresh off the back of his debut album, Ekizikiza Mubwengula, Zilla’s Bleep mix features unreleased tracks from artists like Slikback, Scotch Rolex, Lord Spikeheart and Swordman Kitala, alongside an array of bass-led mutations spanning gqom, footwork and, on occasion, something more euphoric. Unforgiving dance music that deserves to be enjoyed on the darkest of dancefloors, with a great system to boot.

Cora

HNYPOT 384: Cora's 日出银河 Mix

The trance revolution has been well underway for some time. Around the world, rising DJs and producers – and promoters, too – have flirted with the genre’s euphoric trademarks to varying degrees much to the delight (or disdain) of listeners. This ravey, trance-indebted mix from DJ Cora was recorded live at the first anniversary of her 6G+ club night at Chengdu venue .TAG. Dubbed 日出银河 Mix, it features tracks from Saltwater, JKS, Cyber X and Kamaya Painters. One to boost your mood, and your heart rate. 

Anastasia Kristensen

Bassiani Podcast 97

There are a few musical pairings that just make sense: UKG and the summertime, perhaps, or those oddball tunes that truly hit the spot in the early Sunday hours. Anastasia Kristensen recording a mix for Tbilisi club Bassiani is another example of when kindred spirits collide, or, in this instance, techno titans unite. Kristensen is known for her slick and nimble techno-driven pursuits – be it in release, mix or as a live show. Likewise, Bassiani is lauded as a techno hotspot, and a hub for defiant dance music in general. So, expectedly, Kristensen’s mix stitches together vigorous techno cuts and hard-edged stompers. However, never one to succumb to predictable endeavours, Kristensen keeps things fresh with the occasional detour through something off-kilter.

Rainy Miller

The Face Mix

Rainy Miller stopped by The Face with a mix of unreleased music from rising artists in and around the North West. From Space Afrika (who also feature in our new issue, in case you haven’t picked one up yet) to Iceboy Violet, FUMU, Henzo and Blackhaine, across the mix Miller prioritises emotion, tone and texture. In many ways, his entry offers an apt accompaniment to his releases. Take his most recent single, Yellowman, on which he ruminates on themes like familial relationships and loss while channeling a feeling that could easily slot into this mix. Overall, this is an ambient-leaning offering that draws more from industrial living and metropolitan landscapes than the pastoral, but sounds all the more enticing for it.

Gothjafar

Rumors Mix Series 064

Ephemeral trance, hardstyle brain-melters and lashings of pop from NYC’s Gothjafar. Shared via Rumors Chicago, Gothjafar’s hour-and-a-half-long mix is filled with the sorts of hard, fast club tunes we haven’t been able to experience on a dancefloor for the past year. Keep an ear out for everything from old-school classics (your As the Rush Comes On‘s or Castles in the Sky‘s) through to more contemporary offerings and totally bonkers edits, all stitched together with care.

Loraine James

Fact Mix 814

Loraine James‘ music is cathartic and mind-bending all at once, while her interviews paint a picture of a laid-back, personable musician with a plethora of interests, keen collaborative instincts and a penchant for pop. (Oh, and a desire for people to stop misspelling her name!) This mix for Fact aligns with James’ eclectic interests, jumping from KG to emotive techno stylings of Otik via DigDat, Erika de Casier, Florentino, LYZZA, Mr Mitch and more. To surmise, this one’s like a game of pass the parcel reinterpreted into mix form, with each new selection revealing another layer to James’ palette, inspiration pool and current listening habits.

Downstairs J

Juanita's 047

Last month, Brooklyn’s Downstairs J – real name Josh Abramovici – released his debut album basement, etc... on Anthony Naples and Jenny Slattery’s Incienso imprint. Abramovici’s recent Juanita’s Mix entry does an excellent job at offering a similar listening experience to that of the album. Described by Abramovici himself as a “downtempo crescendo”, its a meandering mix that veers from chilled as can be through to something more commanding. Sonically, expect a fusion of trip-hop, dub and other sink-into-your-sofa sounds all blurred together like a watercolour painting, one that continues to shift with each new track.

Amelia Holt

RC:070

This blissed-out mix from fellow Brooklyn-based DJ Amelia Holt begins on a delicate note. It opens with a track from this forthcoming mini-LP – think ambient and spa-like tranquility. However don’t be fooled. As soon as you’re lulled into a meditative state, Holt whips the cucumber off your eyes and reveals the true aims of the mix: music to make you dance as wildly and freely as possible. Or at least as freely and wildly as your out-of-practice limbs will allow for, at least. A journey through house and groove-orientated dance music, featuring tracks and remixes from artists like Azu Tiwaline, Groove Armada, Fatherhood (aka Physical Therapy and Michael Magnan) and Roza Terenzi.

In Focus: Foxy Brown (Mixed by OK Williams)

NTS

NTS aired a couple of essential In Focus deep-dives last month. The first episode was an hour dedicated to Memphis group Three 6 Mafia, mixed by London-based DJ and producer ONY. The second was this collection of Foxy Brown tracks, selected and mixed by NTS mainstay OK Williams. For the early birds, OK Williams has been soundtracking our mornings via the station’s relatively new show, which airs right before Charlie Bones’ Do!! You!!! Breakfast Show. Across the mix, OK Williams glides through Foxy Brown singles, collabs with Method Man, Kelis, Jay-Z and more as she pays homage to the New York rapper.

KMRU

Leftfield sounds from Africa and the diaspora

KMRU’s music feels both unique and familiar. His releases (like May’s Logue LP) demonstrate this duality well, with the Kenyan artist flexing his skills within the realms of ambient and leftfield electronic music much to the delight of his ever-increasing fan base. This mix, shared as part of our Specialist Mix series, offers a similar experience. However, instead of honing in on his own sound, KMRU showcases a selection of music from Black artists in Africa and across the diaspora. There are tunes from Slikback, Space Afrika, Nexcyia, Wayne Phoenix, alongside several of his own, sprinkled in for good measure. Plug in, unwind and be sure to check out the full tracklist on crackaud.io.

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