Whether you’re prepping for next weekend or recovering from the one just gone, we select the mixes you need in your life right now

Wading through the endless sea of internet content, we’ve picked out smooth grooves from Jessy Lanza, a heavier excursion of EBM and industrial sounds from DJ October, transcendental drum’n’bass that pulses with emotive power from Toronto trailblazer Ciel and one of our very own: a heavyweight mix from Pinch and Rico Dan, produced exclusively for Crack Magazine.

01

Pinch & Riko Dan

Crack Mix 191

For the 100th release on Tectonic, Pinch eschews a lap of honour in favour of a celebration of the best MCs to ever pick up a mic, Riko Dan. To mark the label’s centenary, the legendary Subloaded party returned to Bristol, and they supplied Crack Magazine with a heavyweight mix that’s loaded with dubplates and yet-to-be-released music from Tectonic and beyond. Two unparalleled talents, reminding us why they’re still at the top of their game.

02

Finn

Truancy Volume 206

This month’s round-up could have included any of three Truancy volumes. Olof Dreijer’s entry full of personal edits and oddities initially usurped Kahn’s powerfully dark installment. But Finn’s entry is such a natural collection of dancefloor fuel that it trumped them both. It’s full of catchy hooks and irresistible breaks and basslines, and so fun throughout. Sharda’s unreleased Chin Up is the showstopper, a frenetic bassline banger that rivals Finn’s own Sometimes the Going Gets a Little Tough in euphoric release.

03

Zombie Zombie

The Ransom Note Mix

A refreshingly loose mix that jumps genres without too much consideration. Long Fin Killie and Mark E Smith set the tone, hooting and howling with skittish abandon, and from there the mix carries itself through whatever the trio fancy. This includes plenty of percussive electro in the mould of Zombie Zombie themselves, but highlights come from an enchanting Brazilian roller by Maria Rita Stumpf and the stunning Propiedad Prohibida that sees out the hour.

04

DJ October

Sacred Pools on NTS

October’s Sacred Pool is consistently one of the best shows on NTS Radio, especially of those showcasing sounds drawn from the grimy soup of EBM, post-punk and industrial. February’s show was heavy on tracks from the excellent Cold Waves of Colour compilations, while classics from the likes of 23 Skidoo and Cellophane are thrown in for good measure. Bookended by two epically slow pieces by Coil and Earth, the effect is weirdly calming.

05

Ciel

Noods Radio

Transcendental drum’n’bass from Toronto’s most exciting export of the last few years. Her 2017 release on Shanti Celeste’s Peach Disks is a good signpost for the flavour and feel of this set on Bristol’s Noods Radio, despite the change in drum patterns and tempo. That is to say it’s full of tracks with emotive power that do much to champion jungle’s ability to communicate more than mad hype. Percussively too, it’s ambitious and varied – the kind that would make Source Direct proud.

06

Jessy Lanza

Soft + Sweet

Jessy Lanza used a bout of insomnia as the impetus behind this Soft + Sweet mix, a lovely blend of sounds to ease your mind and body. Playing like a forgotten mixtape pulled from a box in the attic, the dulcet tones and smooth grooves almost demand nostalgia. Lanza’s tune selection is typically on-point, with special mention to tracks by One Way and Geoffrey Landers. As one Soundcloud user put it: ‘Stop sleeping.’

07

Dust-E-1

In the Mix at Weekend World 005

More jungle from Canada, this time from relative unknown Dust-E-1. Other than the fact his debut is forthcoming on Collect Call – the Montreal label that helped break Mall Grab a few years ago, there’s not much to go on. This mix though, is a confident trip through ragga-tinged jungle and hardcore breaks, peppered with a few faintly hilarious interjections from ‘bobby on the mic’. By the time Photek’s Toulepleu rolls out at the end of the set, you’ll be suitably zoned.

08

Gatto Fritto

Dekmantel Podcast 164

This one’s a bit of a stunner. Gatto Fritto is one of those DJs who’ve traversed a career over multiple decades without getting anywhere the recognition he deserves. Here, over almost two hours, you will hear why he should. Intergalactic funk and disco shift up through squirming electro to a feverish climax in 140bpm techno, loads of obscure bits and an irresistible dubby finish.

09

DJ Bus Replacement Service

Resident Advisor Podcast 610

Beginning with one of Ivor Cutler’s comedic classics, DJ Bus Replacement Service lays out her self-styled stand-up-routine mixing. Roxanne in an increasingly pitched-up fever, a child’s cover of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and an ode to Donald Trump… really, there are too many hilarious moments to mention. Amazingly, it still bangs. Unabashed fun from one of the weirdest DJs out there.

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