Whether you’re prepping for the weekend ahead or still recovering from the last, we select the mixes you need in your life right now.

This month features a trio of women on what feels like an inexorable rise in Anina, iona and Elena Colombi, while elsewhere Test Pressing pay homage to Bristol legends Smith & Mighty. Plus, we remind you of the frankly ridiculous 200th entry to our own series from the most exciting DJ in the world.

Helena Hauff

Crack Mix 200

For our 200th mix, we were delighted to call on one of the finest DJs of the modern era, Helena Hauff. Over the past few years, we’ve watched her tense, muscular style evolve and crystallise into a coherent identity unlike any of her peers, and here is another stellar addition to a growing catalogue of her powers. Upon the tough, electro canvas we have come to expect, she liberally splashes hypnotic acid, black leather techno and a sneering punk attitude, propelling ever forward toward a superlative finish.

iona

‘Shine a Light on’ Mix (R$N)

An infectious blend from one of London’s most exciting up and comers, mixing with an assuredness earned through regular spots at Field Maneuvers, south London’s Rye Wax and beyond. She keeps it rhythmically varied, and throughout moves between tones and moods: celestial wondering here, a faint hint of the tropical there, or something a little tougher with heavy low-end. Closing out with some classically cosmic techno, we leave her company feeling a little lighter.

Midori Takada

NTS Radio

Japanese composer and percussionist Midori Takada appeared on NTS for the first time last month. A contemporary of many talented composers from Japan, Takada is particularly revered for her ambient and percussive works, including her seminal 1983 album Through the Looking Glass. On NTS, she plays a stunningly beautiful mixture of her own compositions and those she admires in one of the most cathartic hours of radio you are likely to encounter. One of the greats.

Elena Colombi

Beats in Space

Elena Colombi is someone who has taken her deserved elevation in stature and wasted no time in building on her skills. Her gigging schedule remains hectic and international, and it’s always exciting to hear what she will pull out of the bag next. For her Beats in Space mix she starts out dubby and at a reasonably slow pace. Before long before her favoured dark and sinister textures begin to bleed in, with strange key combinations making for a deliciously unsettling experience

Smith & Mighty

Test Pressing Producer Mix

Though most people will think of Massive Attack, Portishead or even Roni Size when asked about Bristol’s influence on UK music in the late 80s and 90s, really none of them have had anywhere near as much of an impact as Smith & Mighty. With a hand in the development of jungle, dubstep and the particular of-Bristol-ness that so defined the aforementioned artists, not to mention some of the best steppers dub record ever laid onto wax, their influence is comparable to that of the city itself. With this lovingly assembled treasure trove of some of their finest works, Test Pressing supply a succinct reminder of a group we are all lucky to have had.

Ziúr

Fact Mix 649

Ziúr is fast becoming a master of the recorded mix format. We’ve featured her in this series before with her excellent show on Radar Radio a few months back, and for her FACT Mix she steps it up further. Microtonal flavours blend with stunning Japanese RnB covers at its start, before she settles into an unsettling rhythm of clashing harsh screeches with smoother plateaus. The mix’s highlight appears early, when a rousing speech by Angela Davis is juxtaposed with police radio sounds, before bleeding into the absurdly strength-giving Secondo Coro Delle Lavandaie by Roberto De Simone. Challenging and gorgeous.

Detroit in Effect

Dekmantel Podcast 173

D.I.E is one of those figures that for years has floated under the surface, a key player in a scene that has gone on to conquer the world and a respected peer of many who have found wider acclaim. With the recent resurgence of Detroit-style electro it’s hardly surprising he’s garnering some attention again, but with this hour of turntable acrobatics and impeccable selection, spanning electro, ghettotech and techno of every shade, it’s apparent this should have been the case a long time ago.

Anina

Tape Echo Mix

Typically dubby and dark business on the latest Tape Echo mix. This time they call on Anina, an ever-present DJ in Bristol and increasingly beyond, with ties to Happy Skull, Slack Alice and now Tape Echo. In a time obsessed with 90s nostalgia and a fixation on older jungle records, it’s easy to forget that drum ‘n’ bass producers never stopped moving and plenty are making exciting moves in the medium today. This mix is a testament to that, and is refreshingly true to the spirit of evolution the early jungle pioneers held dear.

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