Welcome back to another collection of the month’s finest mixes laid to tape or line of code.

It’s now officially spring, and the climbing temperatures align with the rise in tempos we’ve been hearing as of late. For our roundup of mixes from the month gone by, we’ve got Sweetpea and upsammy turning the tempos up over 160BPM, and a blinder by DJ Persuasion for Tape Echo. You’re Me and GЯEG provide moments of tropical serenity for balance, and a trio of selectors head up the NTS booth for a special b2b2b session. Scroll down and plug in.

01

Sim Hutchins

ClubEighteen2ThirtyRadio2 [The Payback Special]

Sim Hutchins returns with the follow-up to what was this column’s favourite radio show of last year, pulling in another 12 artists to submit 10-minute megamixes for a frantic tornado of out-there club sounds. As with last year’s show, the short run-time means there’s little space for nuance, and these artists throw down with giddy abandon. Nullsleep dropping a few bars of Utah Saints’ Something Good, followed by Papa New Guinea around halfway gives an indication of the now-or-never vibe. Hutchins promises this will be last show, unsurprisingly given the massive amount of work required to make them. All the more reason to savour this one.

02

Moxie, Peach and Shanti Celeste

NTS Radio

Three of the brightest and best DJs in the game take control of the NTS studio for a two-hour b2b2b session. It’s the line-up Moxie would ask to play the third birthday of her On Loop party (minus Saoirse) later in the month and the three of them show off a chemistry on air that explains why that party was so in-demand. The majority of the session is characterised by an easy warmth in the cradle of breakbeats and swung house, but satisfyingly, builds up the BPMs for its conclusion.

03

Sweetpea

Rupture Promo

A thunderous set of jungle and drum’n’bass in promotion of last month’s Rupture at Corsica Studios. Fast, broken music has been having a moment for minute now but the likes of Sherelle blowing up goes to show it never really went away. Sweetpea’s mix blurs the lines between jungle of the old school and modern drum’n’bass, representing the sizeable community who have stuck with the sound even when everyone else had lost interest.

04

LDY OSC

GhostlyCast #82 – The Art of Warming Up

Warming up is a skill that is often overlooked, particularly at smaller nights where the promoter or a friend take on the task themselves. People generally start DJing because they want to play shellers to a club full of people, but everyone’s been to a night that starts heavy and punters hover around the dancefloor like a year nine school disco – not a good look. For those looking to brush up, this mix by multifaceted artist LDY OSC, recorded live at Good Room in Brooklyn, is a stellar example of steadily ratcheting tempos and tonalities. Take heed.

05

A Boy From Outer Space

50/50 Transmission #5

Gabber Eleganza, Lyzza, The Prodigy, Eris Drew and Octo Octa… one glance at the tracklist for this mix and it’s enough to make you want to strap on the neon goggles and dive in. A Boy From Outer Space channels the spirit of hardcore herself and crams as many weapons-grade monsters into one mix. She also reveals only the names of the artists in an attempt to encourage you to dig through their wider catalogue. A noble pursuit and a good idea when this set refuses to be anything other than a riotous laugh.

06

upsammy

Truancy Vol. 237

2018 saw upsammy have the kind of year which transforms your working life. She released very good records with the likes of Whities and Alleviated Records, earned a residency at De School and played increasingly outside of the Netherlands. After taking a short break from releasing, it looks like this year will follow the same trajectory with an album and live show coming soon. Her Truancy mix stays true to what she might play in a club, unlike many of her previous mixes online. Glitchy IDM, jungle and straight techno all fold into the makeup, played out at an energetic 160+.

07

Gundam

NSX Records Podcast

Remember that Ashanti Only U bootleg? The enormity of that track alone told us Gundam one of the sharpest producers working at 140 and for this mix he swings towards classic wubby dubstep bejewelled with synths reminiscent of early grime in HD. It recalls the period of extreme experimentation just before much of dubstep was swallowed in hyper-masculine frat-housing. With a tracklist that avoids his own tunes and bootlegs this is a treasure trove of producers doing the business.

08

GЯEG Presents Port-Louis

Stamp the Wax City Guide

The latest entry in Stamp the Wax’s wonderful city guide series is provided by 18-year-old GЯEG, who digs into his collection for 90 minutes of tropical heaters. Musically, Mauritius is best known for the genre of sega, the rocksteady child of its conflicting traditions, and GЯEG peppers his set with that energy between slower cuts of local jazz and dancehall. There’s so much great music in here – as well as tips on where to go fishing and walk off a hangover – that you’ll have trouble believing the island is around a tenth of the size of Wales.

09

DJ Persuasion

Dedicated to the Dedicated 94-95 Mix

By now, any of DJ Persuasion’s era-specific mixes are a cause for celebration, so it’s with a certain degree of delight we point you in the direction of the latest lesson in jungle history just a few months after the last one. There isn’t a whole lot to say other than to echo the sentiment that anyone with an ounce of interest in the history of rave music in the UK should get into this one and quickly.

10

You’re Me

Sanpo Disco 139

You’re Me, the collaborative project by Yu Su and Scott Gailey, fits snugly into Sanpo Disco’s catalogue of breezily eccentric mixes and radio shows. The mix reflects the soft, dusty air of their productions and is threaded with a subtle romance that makes it the perfect accompaniment to some quiet reflection on a restorative Monday.

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