i have so much to write about in this newsletter that i’m drafting it in docs first, which i never do lol. usually these introductions are treated like my morning pages - a stream of unfiltered consciousness directly inputted into substack. don’t get me wrong, this will still be that, but i needed to make sure i cover everything.

dekmantel festival

the month started with my return to dekmantel festival, the first time in three years, since i used to work with them as their publicist. this time i was invited back as a journalist. first up was an invite to be a part of their conference series on the thursday where i joined a panel hosted by shawn reynaldo/first floor to talk about the state of music journalism alongside gabriel szatan (resident advisor) and lauren sohikian (modern matters). it was the first time i was asked to join a panel discussion on these topics, speaking on behalf of journalists and publicity since i work on both sides of the coin. not going to lie, it felt very surreal and validating to be invited to speak on a panel alongside leading industry figures. the panel covered everything from the chaotic good / geese discussion, the influence of ai, the role of publicity and the rise of the music influencer. a lot to unpack within an hour discussion and i felt like we did it justice with the amount of time we had but i wish there was more time to discuss solutions and ways that we can push things forward in a positive way, giving the audience actionable steps that they can take home with them. i’m not really on board with the whole, let’s talk about everything that’s wrong with an industry but not give any real solutions to the problems, kinda vibe. perhaps that’s something i can try and unpack from my point of view in a future essay as i have many thoughts. i’m really grateful for shawn & dekmantel for inviting me to participate in this panel and talk about my experiences working within these sectors. thank you to everyone who joined too & who i spoke to after the panel. on this note too, before the talk, i had a massive fear of public speaking so i signed up to do some lessons before this as it was such an important talk for me to be a part of and wanted to make sure i could say how i feel without sounding like i was going to cry lol, and those lessons helped so much that i was actually calm when i was up there (also thank you beta blockers!) but in the same weekend, i got the chance to host the radar stage at the festival, which given my fear, was a crazy thing to sign up for but you know all therapists out there would be saying it’s a great opportunity for exposure therapy. speaking in front of 100s of people is sure going to shock that fear out of you - a sink or swim kinda thing - and i loved it so much! i mean, you just get to hype up artists that you love all day, what is there not to enjoy? and being a little silly with the crowd - who’s energy was unmatched at this stage! also being locked to that stage for 12 hours meant that i saw the most amount of music i’d seen in a very long time. so many highlights including ccl, woody92, polygonia, wata igarashi, sandrien and surgeon & nørbak’s live set. basically the whole day haha. after these experiences, i would love to do more hosting / speaking jobs, so keep me in mind!

a new addition to dekmantel this year was their at dawn series. promoted as a ‘new morning programme at amsterdamse bos that stages world-class artists in a new light - presented in collaboration with resident advisor’, this series included conceptual sets by jeff mills, eris drew, dj sprinkles, sampha, channel one, and james holden & surgeon plus a series of talks, extending the festival experience each day to 12 hour shifts. this series ties in with the rise of downtempo and chill-out spaces and programming that we’ve seen across both clubs and festivals in recent years, including outlook’s the source stage which we covered earlier this year and i had the chance to play at. actually, most of the festivals i’ve attended this year have had an ambient stage including memori and la nature. it’s a welcomed addition to dekmantel which encourages a softer, slower start to the day as you are welcomed with mimosas, hot drinks and a pastry as you enter the site. the energy was different during these morning sessions, obviously, as guests slowly trickled onto the site during the earlier hours of the day but the way they entered the space felt more intentional. your average punter probably isn’t going to get up at the crack of dawn to experience these sets each morning - i could be wrong - but it felt like those who were in attendance really wanted to immerse themselves in these rare moments with their favourite artists that allowed more room to warm up. the art of the warm up feels really lost these days (and has been a topic of conversation for a while) but this series felt like it had brought it back. whilst watching channel one at the greenhouse, a friend and i were chatting about how nice it was to be graced and hugged by the sounds of dub as we were settling into the space, and wished this could be how every festival started. eris drew bringing the motherbeat to selectors was magical, an ecstatic way to start the day with smiles across the dancefloor and people dancing within the bass bins. these moments shouldn’t just be left for the morning though. having not been to the festival for a few years, one of the noticeable differences i gauged was just how busy and overwhelming it felt. once the at dawn series had ended and more people were gathering at the site, the energy shifted to something more hectic with only a few pockets to really chill in. the softer landscape of at dawn would have been welcomed throughout the day with a dedicated space for attendees to wind down and reconnect with both themselves and others. i was quite sick throughout the weekend so didn’t get to enjoy as much of the friday and sunday programme as i would’ve liked but saw some standout sets from ccl (again, of course, this time presenting their invisible cities concept), garçon & sybil, and livwutang. i had the worst fomo missing out the ricardo villalobos into konduku closing programme on the sunday but my cold had gotten to better of me.

i have a deep connection with dekmantel festival. it was the first electronic music festival i attended way back in 2015 as a little baby raver discovering the whole other side of the music industry for the first time. before this, i was exclusively listening to pop/rock music and the first festivals i ever went to were v festival and reading festival. to me, dekmantel is the perfect gateway drug to electronic music. it was for me over 10 years ago and it still feels like that today. a lot of the festival is quite easy and accessible, in terms of the programme and what the site has to offer. but there’s also challenging moments too, it’s definitely a lot more diverse in programming than when i first went, encouraged by the two new stage additions since then. there’s so much to be discovered and it’s amazing that a festival like dekmantel exists in europe that attracts people from all over the world to have some of their first electronic music experiences! i still have fond memories of that first edition that i went to, seeing ricardo villalobos & zip on the main stage, hessle audio trio closing the greenhouse, magical sunset moments from ben klock and dixon. there’s still a bit of that magic at dekmantel but i think there’s some work that needs to be done to bring back more of it, including the introduction of a chill-out space as mentioned above, plus encouraging more intentional partying. not to add to the online discourse, but there is only so much chatting one can take on the dancefloor. please feel free to yap away but only if you’re dancing as much as you’re talking. and maybe lessen the capacity a little bit so there is more room to breathe.

the rest of august :)

the rest of august was spent at home which was so needed. i missed my friends so much so that was my only priority for those weeks off gigs. a lot of time spent catching up and being outside, finally going on my first hike of the year, which is so crazy. i also went back to palais to see livwutang, richard akingbehin and james massiah, which was so sick! palais opened earlier this year in peckham and has quickly become a go to spot in london. it’s a very well built club space which kind of reminds me of both de school and essaim. the only thing that could be fixed is the crowd as it can be a bit hit and miss, sometimes being filled with those who are just there to be seen or be shady. but that being said, i still had a really good night out with a big dance release and being silly with my friends, which sometimes, is all you need. i also spent a lot of the month not listening to club music and instead having albums by role model, olivia rodrigo, fleetwood mac, cocteau twins, and the durutti column on repeat.

last weekend was the return of rally, a festival owned by the same people as gala but exists in a different lane. rally is centered around live performances, bringing together some of the most exciting artists right now. to me, it feels like a very uniquely london festival, both with the programme and crowd. it’s so well curated with the likes of blood orange (who co-curated the programme), james k, thredd, kiss facility, keiya, smerz, mark william lewis, and mackeeper alongside more strictly electronic acts jump source, parris, paquita gordon, dj voices & ciel, and optimo (espacio), all nestled within southwark park. everything is well thought out and organised. the stage design is probably my favourite of any london festival and surprisingly, the sound is amazing. it’s actually loud and you can feel it in your body, especially on the visionaire stage. the crowd is nicest as well - so so lovely. like no notes really. it feels one of its kind and they’ve really nailed it with their audience - one that is built upon a very specific community. it sold out (10k capacity) weeks in advance. i got the chance to open up the visionaire stage, briefed with an ambient / experimental set, since i was playing before voice actor. it was really nice to set the day with this energy, gradually building into more body movement. although, it was weird to play ambient to an audience which couldn’t sit down and were just standing & staring at me like i was their cult leader lol. it was the first time i got to play a festival in a city that i call home and that any family had seen me play too with my mum and step dad travelling to see him, so it was a very sweet moment that left me feeling proud of the journey that i’m on. if you ever get the chance to attend the festival, please do! it’s an absolute gem within london’s music scene. i got to see some live performances for the first time in ages including kiss facility who i’ve been loving recently!

on the friday night before rally, my friend marius and i went to check out the pre-launch event for the new sauna social club space. situated in peckham, sauna social club was launched two years as a way of reimagining the music venue through a wellness-lens. encouraging a healthier, more sustainable way to socialise with alcohol no longer being the centre of the experience, sauna social club brings together the hi-fi listening lounge and saunas and ice baths. creating a more attentive way of experiencing music, the space features three different saunas - two of them ‘chatty saunas’ and one silent sauna where you can immerse yourself in the sounds of the listening lounge as the speakers within the sauna gently soundtrack your sweat experience. i went there feeling quite chaotic and stressed after a particularly intense week and within 20 minutes of being in the space, all of that had melted away. it’s a space that both encourages extrospection and introspection, allowing the guest to choose which mood they would like to follow. the new listening lounge is super cosy too with the best shaggy carpet i’ve ever had the pleasure of laying on and a conversation-pit style seating area that goes around the carpet, encouraging people to make full use of the space to float away with the music. the custom built 4.1 hi-fi sound system by giles makes is beautiful too! i really love this space so much, it ticks so many boxes of what i’m looking for outside of the traditional club space where you can still engage with music and discover new sounds, whilst taking care of your body & mind and not having to push yourself past any limits, including the necessary sleep schedule. sadly living in east london means that it’s a mission to get to so i don’t get to visit the space as much as i would like to but it makes it even more special when i do <3 and so i’m very excited to be hosting an untitled 909 takeover at sauna social club this weekend! i’ve invited the wonderful rishi (Brown Excellence, Outlook and We Out Here) to join me for an evening of ambient music, poetry, spoken word and a little talk between our sets where we will be chatting about our relationship with ambient music and the rise of downtempo spaces. tickets here.

⋆ other bits ⋆

𖦹 reminder that we’re throwing our first party next weekend with expert death at ormside projects with azu tiwaline, ophélie and sarjan - tickets here

𖦹 last month’s spiralling, naturally show was hosted by climaxed and dollstep founder lyzander <3

𖦹 i really love re-recording some special sets as a gift to myself, reminding myself of the wonderful memories that are tied to a particular moment or track. if i had a car or cd player, i would burn these onto a cd. i recently done this for my secret set at memóri which wasn’t recorded but was one of my highlights of the summer - you can listen here

⋆˙⟡♡ Listening Session ⋆˙⟡♡

❀ Releases ❀

♡ epoch - vault

♡ ghost dubs - low times

♡ vpn - vpn

♡ l’rain - fata morgana

♡ command d - the vibesmith 002

♡ lusine - melting days

♡ pessimist - UVB76-029

♡ Seekersinternational & wzrdryAV - orbit flares

♡ eko - theta

♡ slug beat - slug beat

❀ Mixes ❀

⟡ Darwin at POLY - The Crave Festival 2026

⟡ OK Williams 060826

⟡ naffcast022 ⦾ *:..｡o○ Hank Jackson 𓆙 Flip @ Parquette ○o｡..:*

⟡ Live at Moniker ‘26 - Nak

⟡ fallen matter & kk.Shucko @ Osmosis in the Trees 2025 @ mystic woods

⟡ Ben Fester x Cousin x Command D live @ 10 years of Moonshoe

⟡ MNMT 532 : Naomi

⟡ Monument Festival 2026 : Andy Martin

⟡ Priori at Hyperrterra : Midgar x Transmissions 11.07.26

⟡ The Breakfast Show - Richard Akingbehin - 25 Aug 2026

⟡ livwutang @ Kiosk Radio 22.08.2026

⟡ bookmarks ⟡

FR 183: Topdown Dialectic Is Real

So there’s this belly button piercing that healed my inner child

The Art of the Fashion Brand Playlist

Do I have your attention?

Therapuss w/ Max Greenfield (watched on Netflix)

Herb Sundays In Focus... The Durutti Column

I want a legacy

what if i never find out?

Look Up at the Sky. The Perseid Meteor Shower Will Awe You.

Recognise 112: RHR

8 Designs That Inspired i-D Magazine’s Editor in Chief | Source Material

The Creative Inspiration that Shapes Meshtimes aka Marisa Chentakul I Source Material

9/ Why electronic music is stuck. RA vs The Economist

Jasmine Müller on Love and Palestine

~ books read ~

1. Sarah J. Maas - Crown of Midnight

2. Annie Lord - The Project

3. Italo Calvino - Invisible Cities

4. Milan Kundera - Laughable Loves

5. Sarah J. Maas - Heir of Fire

⟡ 909’s august features ⟡

⋆˚࿔ untitled 909 podcast 283: pugilist ⋆˚࿔

⋆˚࿔ untitled 909 podcast 284: jeku (rituals takeover) ⋆˚࿔

⋆˚࿔ untitled 909 podcast 285: dayzero ⋆˚࿔

⋆˚࿔ untitled 909 podcast 286: schierke (rituals takeover) ⋆˚࿔

⋆˚࿔ untitled 909 podcast 287: colell ⋆˚࿔

⋆˚࿔ untitled 909 podcast 288: gillielove ⋆˚࿔

welcoming the amazing paris-based artist gillielove to the 909 series <3

originally hailing from perth/boorloo, gillielove is a soul of the world. i was lucky enough to connect with gillie irl at refractor festival last summer after hearing so much about them via friends, often relating to how alike we are despite growing up islands apart aha. they are a kindred spirit in many ways. a deeply passionate person about all things deep, creative and beautiful, they are a make up artist by day and raver by night. you will often find gillie right at the front of the dancefloor at all of the best parties in paris, soaking up the incredible vibrant scene the city has to offer ✨ this dancefloor experience is etched within their approach to djing and productions, which they reference as diy, drawing from their intuition and the inspiration around them more than anything. there’s a lot of space within their music, allowing for reflecting before moving onto the next thing, exploring the emotional textures that dubwise and low-end pressure can offer. making their production debut in 2022 with a collaborative track with another one of our favourites, command d, gillielove has also released on beatrice m.’s bait, de la... je l’espère, traverse, osmura and 10.60 Hz. earlier this year, gillie made their solo ep debut on traverse with the rituals ep which ‘explores mysticism and consciousness through weightless dub, pressure-shifting bass and downtempo breaks’ plus remixes from ophélie and soreab.

i hope you enjoy this mix as much as i do <3 & get to know more about the wonderful mind behind the gillielove alias below <3

hey gillie! how are you doing? what have you been up to lately?

hey :) i’m currently taking a last minute summer break after finishing up working on my forthcoming ep for zara’s kinesis imprint.

let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?

i’ve always loved music and dancing. my dad played drums in cover bands and i would often be at the pub playground watching the bands from a young age- it was the 80s so pubs had playgrounds back then. during high school, i would often take notes watching rage, australia’s answer to mtv. i recall trying to understand and discover what i liked. during this time, there was a series of jungle and bass raves that were all ages in the late 90s/early 00s in perth/boorloo that i used to attend with friends. i would tell my parents i was staying at a friend’s place and we would go to these parties, not super safe now that i think about it, but it’s where i really discovered bass and breaks. i loved going to these to hear new music but i never really knew what i was listening to. i used to go out a lot, it was really the only way i knew to hear new music. i was pretty slow when it came to the internet so for me discovery often took place irl. while at university i met friends who introduced me to erykah badu, fêla kuti, and mulatu asatatke. that’s when i realised there was an infinite world of sound to discover. during this time i met ben taaffe, who runs move in boorloo, he was often booking theo parrish and artists like martyn, ikonika, flying lotus, and ras g. i think that i have seen theo play more than any other dj. i would often go to see him play at mister sunday in new york when i lived there, and at plastic people in london when he had his residency there.

who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?

as a big rage fan, i remember discovering artists through music videos. i loved salt-n-pepa, swv, aaliyah, and bone thugs n harmony. as a teen, i was listening to dre’s 2001 and massive attack’s protection on repeat while honing in my first car. erykah badu’s mama’s gun was my favourite album at university.

was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible dj set, that led you to this path?

to be honest, i recall being so deeply activated by dubstep when it came about. i loved it and would tell anyone who would listen about it. i found an old email recently from when i was working in retail during new york’s gfc era, and i’m writing to a customer listing off gigs to go to in nyc and explaining to her about this new sound called dubstep haha. i even remember having a conversation with a friend and she was all like, ‘dubstep is a phase, it’s not like jazz, it won’t be around forever’- but i couldn’t help but feel such an intrinsic physical response to this sound that moved me in such a way that i had not experienced before. mala, coki, benga and 2652, i loved these new found frequencies that activated and moved my body. coki burnin’ will be a forever favourite. dubstep felt spiritual in the way my friend was talking about jazz. i loved getting low on the dance floor and moving my body in total release. i recall red bull music academy coming to boorloo, and after the session i asked the moderator - can anyone make electronic music? i don’t recall who was being interviewed. i felt so naive and curious but so far away from the interface or any practical knowledge it was such a beautiful mystery. then a decade or so later i saw an article on dj sumirock who started djing in her 70s and i thought, okay it’s never too late to start, so i bought my first set of decks in 2019. only one deck worked, so i ended up learning to dj on one cdj350 and one turntable at the ripe age of 34. the same age my mother was when she had me. i think after years of being friends with so many djs i just genuinely wanted to contribute and be able to occasionally play a track at an afters. next minute covid was a thing and a friend suggested i record a mix. soon i was booked for my first gig, and the week after my next. things moved quickly.

what is the most meaningful part of being an artist to you?

i still think of myself primarily as someone who loves making and discovering things, rather than having a very fixed idea of what being an artist means. i think i just enjoy the act of creating and finding connection through this.

where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?

i think for me i’m often inspired by meeting new people, newness in any form really, nature, culture. i feel amazed by how re-invention exists in all its forms.

how has australia and paris influenced or informed your sense of self and artistic output?

when i was living in sydney, i felt so inspired by the people around me. i learned to dj with wingnut and ivy, i look up to both of them so much. ben fester and command d were both early supporters of me in my djing and production, i feel so grateful to have been surrounded by encouraging artists. when i started my first radio residency with now defunct nomad radio, i hosted many artists that i admired but also in digging for my hour of the show i was finding predominantly music from france that i was mostly drawn toward. this discovery motivated my move to france. i loved beatrice m., jan loup, simo cell, parasite jazz, low jack, ssabae, krikor, emma dj, toma kami, maoupa mazzochetti, the pilotwings, the list goes on.

what has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?

i stumbled across an album called glitchmania that i’ve been super into. minimal glitchy idm by meat load that released in 2019, it’s been giving me ideas around texture, rhythm and how much information you can remove while still creating movement. i’ve also been playing the new las- love and sound release, i play venom in my recent untitled 909 mix :)

what has your production journey been like so far? what do you enjoy the most about this creative output?

i would say it’s all very diy. i work mostly with samples and think of production as intuition. i tend to work intuitively. i rarely begin with a very fixed idea of what i’m making. i often start by following a sound, texture, groove or feeling and let the piece reveal itself. i allow each sample or instrument to resonate and relate with the next through sound design, until the project organically evolves. in a perfect world, i would have 6-8 uninterrupted weeks in the years dedicated to this in a studio.

you’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?

i really wanted to create a mix inspired by the direction of my forthcoming ep with kinesis. it’s all dub adjacent with more of a focus on minimal groove and dub techno. my first ep is quite emotional, abstract, polyrhythmic, dub and percussive, but not always functional. i wanted to create something for 909 that encompassed where i’d come from but also where i’m heading.

how does your approach to dj sets differ from studio mixes and radio shows? is there a narrative in mind that you’re always trying to tell through your sets?

i like my dj sets to feel fluid and responsive. i don’t really want to impose a fixed narrative on a room, i’d rather listen to what’s happening and then find a way into it.

if i’m playing a more specific club night or a very particular sound, i’ll curate accordingly, but i always like having a wide range of textures and tempos available. i’m interested in tension and anticipation, and in those moments where you can take the room somewhere slightly unexpected without losing the thread.

i also really like working with what the previous dj has created. if someone has left me with a particular energy, i’d rather respond to that than arrive with a completely predetermined set. for me, the best sets feel like a conversation between the music, the room and the people playing before and after you.

when was the last time you were on the dance floor?

i was just at a party run by friends for fluid matter’s birthday. he closed the night, alixx opened with a b2b with kick21 and pandoux played a super fun dub, rock, breaks set, which i really enjoyed.

what are you most excited about right now?

i’m excited for soma festival in nsw this november. it’s run by friends who used to run a doof called echo flats. i’ve not been to their soma series yet so i’m looking forward to celebrating with them. they have such a great mix of internationals and locals on the lineup - vladimir ivkovic, kiernan laveaux, deep creep, simo cell, cousin, htrk, marley swain, galiba and the list goes on 😍

what’s on your vision board at the moment?

i need to get into this practice! i would just say approaching any and every creative pathway with depth and meaning, being true to myself and staying curious. i’d love to keep making space for music, collaboration, travel, nature and new experiences, and to keep finding ways for those things to intersect. i’m not really interested in having a very fixed idea of where it all needs to go. i think the best things i’ve experienced have come from following curiosity and seeing what happens naturally.

tracklist:

Mudpool Opal - kr3

Love And Sound - Venom

Idol Ko Si - Heads In Stereo

Magnus Donners - Comfortnoise 11

Talker - Harmonium

Chlorine - Walk With Me (unreleased)

Etapp Kyle - Unseen

2562 - Basin Dub

DJ Plead - Traffic

Mana Dealer - Dream Tool Roller

Patrick Conway - Silencio

Epihelion - Comfortnoise 09

Mammo - Knuckles

Batu & Donato Dozzy - Drift

Malka Tuti - Hedesch (feat. Decha) (Black Merlin Remix)

the narrative of this mix consists of a slow & gentle build, creating different flows & sections within, almost putting it together as a landscape in its complete integrity.”

welcoming manchester-based artist colell to the 909 mix series with a gorgeous meditative odyssey. across the four hours, the mix simmers and swirls, emulating the natural landscapes that colell loves to surround himself with. whether that’s on hikes, at festivals or gathering with friends, colell’s creative output is deeply rooted in rituals and ceremonial practices that invite togetherness and honour the lands around us.

originally from madrid, colell moved to manchester for university 8 years ago and has called the industrial city his home ever since. the madrid upbringing set colell’s roots in techno but it was manchester that opened his eyes to a more diverse scene, one that comes from diy backgrounds and aims to push experimentation.

in 2022, colell launched the label aurora, a platform that he describes as a ‘creative sanctuary where the scope of sound can represent expression and introspection for the artists that participate and curate together with me’. in those years, aurora has housed releases from the likes of egregore, eyerate, archypness, as well as a mammoth 25-track compilation featuring innersha, caldera, simone bauer, solma, homelander, rbi, aa sudd and more - with the profits being split across Palestine Child Relief Fund & Medical Aid for Palestines, Save The Children Sudan, Alzheimer research UK and Ovarian cancer research UK.

hey miguel! how are you doing? what have you been up to lately?

hey hey, hope you’re well thank you so much for having me here, it’s such an honour to share this space with you dear chanel <3 i’m feeling good, trying to balance, keeping life simple and slow these days travelling in between outdoor festivals in nature, feeling really grateful, inspired and blessed from all the experiences, sharing so many good moments with you and other beloved friends, really trying to pour that inspiration on some projects and life now, working on a couple albums with some artists on aurora & organising some upcoming events in manchester which i’m really looking forward to share out there.

other than that i’ve also been really enjoying getting back to watching movies these days whilst also getting extra time to read something relaxing & reflective, and do some journaling which helps to ground & process between travels. even played some tennis with my family & hiked some amazing spots while being back in spain which i always really enjoy <3

let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music? who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?

ever since i was a kid my parents used to play cds while roadtripping, i vividly remember listening to stevie wonder, cyndi lauper, tina turner, the bangles, frank sinatra, phil collins, r.e.m., abba... quite nostalgic stuff that i like to listen every now & then. then as an early teenager my aunt gave me her classic ipod, couldn’t stop listening to music all day & was carrying it everywhere with me, almost feeling an extension of my body haha.

my first touchpoint with electronic music in the early days was skrillex haha, i used to love it & listen on repeat on the ipod being a teenager, big time!

was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible dj set, that led you to this path?

going out in the early days with my close friends being underaged teenagers to techno nights in madrid back in the day were quite important moments, made me fall in love with clubbing & started forging friendships through music.

ever since moving to manchester 8 years ago (not so teenager anymore haha, was 18 when i moved here), going to white hotel regularly has surely been the most pivotal turnpoint. exposing my ears to all sorts of sounds and music styles in this place is almost indescribable, exploring the sense of freedom and embodiment on sound, even sometimes will show up by myself there, this place feels like a sanctuary for me, so much comfort found in here, it has taught me a lot in music, ethics & values, truly enhanced my passion. some particular sets that had an impact on me in this venue through the years have been jasss, dj storm b2b tasha, malibu & forest drive west amongst others. i am really looking forward to seeing ana roxanne on november 4th at twh. i feel like it is going to be a very memorable gig, quite an emotional one undoubtedly ahead of the closure of this sacred place.

so yeah all in all i have also been very influenced by spaces too & the culture around it which have led me to follow this path.

what is the most meaningful part of being an artist to you?

to communicate the way sound & music feels to the outer world, to dive deep inwards and share in intimacy, bringing togetherness, connecting people, honouring the land, sharing a feeling, sharing a sensation, sharing a story, sharing a journey or sharing a movement together. i believe music should bring unity, freedom, connection & exploration, while supporting us to stay rooted in the earth. i almost see a ceremonial aspect of it i try to convey together.

where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?

books: currently reading braiding sweetgrass which is being quite grounding and transformative, other formative books i have read recently have been tao te ching which i finally got an english translated copy with amazing imagery. i really enjoyed reading other books from krishnamurti & james baldwin. music books have also been very inspiring & educative like ears to the ground & ocean of sound by david toop among others.

cinema: just over a year ago i watched faya dayi (jessica beshir) which was life changing. recently getting into abbas kirostami, taste of cherry was very special. i have always been into animations like fantastic planet, which is a classic, recently watched serial experiments lain, which has fueled my inspiration on soundscaping and human existentialism.

nature: going on hikes to the peak district or around the world when i can, spending time in water parks or chill walks around the mersey river in south manchester. observing slowly the flowers, rocks, trees, water, branches, landscapes & patterns laying around, my most recent obsession is the ferns. also listening to water, birds, wind, sounds…

symbolism & visual imagery research: adinkra symbols, ernst heackel, celtic symbols, alchemy, sacred geometry, petroglyphs…

how has spain & manchester influenced or informed your sense of self and artistic output?

being from madrid has set my roots into techno as its where i come from, where my passion for electronic music started blossoming and my first music core friendships started - living in manchester for the past 8 years has enhanced my commitment to music & broadened the scope within many ways which i feel incredibly grateful for, exposing to many different genres & backgrounds from all around the world, learning and endlessly expanding, the scene here is fueled with diversity and open minded souls which has really made me feel a sense of warmth and belonging. manchester´s diy scene truly aims towards sound exploration, experimentation and thinking outside of the box, always pushing the boundaries together and collectively, i owe a big part of my heart to this place & its community.

what has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?

hard to only pinpoint one since i spent a lot of time digging but a personal standout since last year that deeply resonates is okgwa - her creative expression really touches me, the self releases and album on pollen especially is a masterpiece on crafting a universe of soundscaping which makes me feel grounded to the soil every time i listen (featured one of the tracks in the mix too). i feel really appreciative to come across her sound and unique vision, it makes me travel & set my mind in places i haven´t been before.

another recent one i would like to add is joy guidry, her album five prayers gifted me with some deep moments of healing & calmness, definitely one of the albums i most listened to since last year in many situations. catched her play on her recent uk tour at cafe oto & low four studio with friends, shared some really good memories & tears. thankful to have discovered this artist through kfeelz radio show ´swimming´ at the lot, big tip as well.

honourable mention to Đ.K. as well, one of the best rhythm masters out there these days, fascinated by all his broad style of productions which really resonate, never ceases to amaze me (featured one of their tracks in the mix).

what inspired you to start your label aurora records and what is the ethos behind your curation process?

i spend a lot of the time of the day digging, connecting with music from different backgrounds, places & styles without any limitations while staying truthful to what connects us all together to the earth. i want aurora to mirror that, to be a creative sanctuary where the scope of sound can represent expression and introspection for the artists that participate & curate together with me, where they can explore without limitations, offering a whole sense of completion and integrity in their craft, diving deep in their roots inside this planet, thinking outside of the box, building stories through sound based on intuition, meaning, symbolism & cohesion.

you’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?

i have missed curating a long format mixtape. this 4 hour mix comes fuelled from sharing outdoor festival experiences in nature with beloved friends, translating that feeling of connection & grounding to the dancefloor, nature & ecosystem where sound is executed as a ritual with full intention, almost entering a flow state.

the narrative of this mix consists of a slow & gentle build, creating different flows & sections within, almost putting it together as a landscape in its complete integrity.

how does your approach to dj sets differ from studio mixes and radio shows? is there a narrative in mind that you’re always trying to tell through your sets?

studio mixes really feel deeper, denser and expansive, it seems like there are no limitations somewhat with length and expression, leaving more room for introspection when recording in intimacy from your studio, it feels very personal, this is the first studio mix i record in a while hence i have put some extra thought on it, i really missed it. radio shows feel more compact, offering a more direct expression in that setting which is an approach i really enjoy too which works with a different craft & mindset.

when was the last time you were on the dance floor?

bosque sonoro in norway, feeling deeply grateful to have spent a weekend in the oslo woodland, sharing epic experiences seeing some beloved friends playing some very inspiring sets. the soundsystem, the place, everything was magical there, holding tight all these memories there to my heart, thanks to all the crew, friends and organisers who were part of it <3

what are you most excited about right now?

i just turned 26 a couple days ago, all i’m really looking forward to is to learn, collaborate, grow, heal & spread some love in this world. i also look forward to hopefully bringing more stillness and grounding individually and collectively through music, shared with friends, community, loved ones and family.

what’s on your vision board at the moment?

i’m visioning collective brightness & healing, creating spaces where people are kindly invited to this state, where we can reflect on many important matters & let go with kindness. i also look forward to connecting with people, developing the scene and community further, showcasing new and upcoming artists, working back to back with the fellow members of the vivid local scenes.

we’re continuing our rituals takeover today - a series where we have been spotlighting some of the artists who have contributed to the latest air texture compilation, rituals, curated by dina. released earlier this summer, the compilation showcases the global trance community with contributions from artists based in india, finland, poland, australia, sweden, iraq/canada, switzerland, france, denmark, japan, norway, austria and spain. nodding both to old-school and contemporary sounds with a focus on the new generation of artists that bridge together the psychedelic tropes that the genre has to offer, it’s a brilliant release that perfectly encapsulates a moment in time where the global trance community feels so intertwined and are pushing the sound forward in an exciting new direction whilst the music on there is timeless.

for the final mix in the series we have a magnetic live set from madrid-based artist schierke.

drawing from old school trance, psy and breakbeat influences, schierke also produces under the aeryeen and intuition aliases - the latter being a collaborative project with immateriae. a creative process that is deeply informed by emotions, rituals and meditations, schierke nods to a ute.recs showcase and a polar intertia live set as two formative musical experiences that have helped lead her onto the path she is on today. previously releasing on labels such as techlab.bp, sextosentido, musa and human club among others, schierke now lands on the rituals compilation with a deeply personal contribution that sees her step away from the classic-sounding trance that she’s used to making and instead using this track as a lesson, one that “teaches me how to incorporate a whole new world of ritualistic hypnosis, alien-ish psychedelia, all enveloped by the beauty of what it means to feel and to be human”, schierke explains in our interview.

we’re really excited to be sharing this incredible live set with you <3 get to know more about schierke below! xo

hey ariadna! how are you doing? what have you been up to lately?

hellooo! i’m okay! honestly quite a lot, i’ve just moved across the country, i’m adapting to a new job, a new routine, a new everything, which is obviously reflected in the music i listen to and the music i make. i’ve learned a lot about myself in the past year and i’m slowly getting to make peace again. musically speaking, i am working on four remixes and three eps, plus some intuition in the middle, all of which should (hopefully) come out before the year ends, but who knows. at this point i don’t want to make promises, haha.

let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?

i can’t say that i come from a musical family. but one of my very first memories as a child is hearing played-a-live (the bongo song) by safri duo and i remember feeling mesmerized by it all summer. i also used to listen to a lot of classic-era pop/edm in the early 2010s (black eyed peas, avicii, alesso, swedish house mafia...), which made me want to start dj-ing, and by accident i downloaded a music production program instead. i had no damn clue there was a difference. but it was very fun and i started spending all my free time (and seriously disregarding school) on it and, well, 15 years later i haven’t really stopped. eventually i landed on 90s trance and that’s when i really found myself.

who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?

this one is difficult to respond because i used to mostly listen to single / random songs and i didn’t really properly get into specific artists until i was a teenager, but i can tell you some albums which shaped my vision and that i still listen to today: chvrches’ the bones of what you believe (2013), turnover’s peripheral vision (2015), grimes’ art angels (2015), brockhampton’s saturation i/ii/iii (2017).

was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible dj set, that led you to this path?

not really growing up, but already as an adult there are two cannon events. first is ute.rec label night at den anden side in march 2023. i still get goosebumps and a little tear-eyed remembering ida engelhardt closing her set with clear blue water (ferry corsten remix) by above & beyond. second is polar inertia live at razzmatazz in may 2025. that experience really was life changing. i was in a very sad period of my life, emotionally speaking, and i felt extremely overwhelmed by the storm. there was no way i could ever fight it. i could only let myself be washed away and cleansed and reborn. if you know, you know.

what is the most meaningful part of being an artist to you?

i probably wouldn’t call myself an artist. i am a regular person with a ton of struggles and a master procrastinator, and that’s probably when art becomes meaningful. it keeps continuously challenging me, day after day, year after year. it doesn’t allow me to ever get comfortable, it has me forever searching for the light and the dark and the source. it helps me learn as a human being and grow as a soul. it gives a meaning to the world, it makes everything make sense.

where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?

feelings. the reflections come from myself, from other people, from stories and books and videogames and the world out there. sometimes it’s pure imagination. it is difficult to get me out of my own mind sometimes, which i consider detrimental for a lot of stuff, but it also gives me gifts every now and then. so... yeah, i mostly look inward, which if i do successfully, ends looping back out to the outside world.

how has madrid influenced or informed your sense of self and artistic output?

it’s influenced me with stress... just kidding. but i’m used to living in smaller, rural towns and i tend to find cities rather overwhelming, but i’m really taking a liking to it. in the end it’s all phases, i don’t know where i will end up or if i will ever move at all, and i’m fine with that uncertainty. that’s what it has taught me.

you’ve contributed a track to the new rituals compilation curated by dina, what’s the story behind this track?

the story is that it hurt a lot to make. it is a farewell track, really, and by being a farewell track it is also a welcome one. it’s one of these that i iterated over and over and over to get just right, and its mission has been to help me shape my future, and as always, to heal myself. i was making more classic-sounding trance before, and i wanted this one to teach me how to incorporate a whole new world of ritualistic hypnosis, alien-ish psychedelia, all enveloped by the beauty of what it means to feel and to be human.

what has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?

i am really not as good at digging as i used to be, probably because i don’t play as many dj sets nowadays, so i rarely discover much new music. speaking of trance, i’m really connecting with what komet99, awhm and sioc are pushing right now. in terms of psytrance, i really enjoy and respect krapul’s unique atmospheric take and also sequoya, who makes this sort of very clubby, kinda loopy nightpsy. and besides dance music, eden’s ddaarrkk has been on repeat.

you’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?

it’s an iteration of my 2026 livesets until now. somebody said it’d be very meaningful for them if i published it as-it-was one night, and it took some serious convincing work for me to actually publish it, because i am and will likely always be very critical of my work. if it were just up to me i’d have done a plain old dj set because it’s less intimidating... so releasing it as-is is a good challenge for me. anyway, it’s a display of schierke and intuition demos, some of which have already been released, some of which will never be finished, some of which will take on a completely new shape the day they come out, and that’s fine.

how does your approach to dj sets differ from studio mixes and radio shows? is there a narrative in mind that you’re always trying to tell through your sets?

honestly there’s not much of a difference. i used to really prepare all my playlists, but not anymore. in fact, last time i played a dj set i went in with no actual clue of what was on my pen drive, or even if my pen drive really worked on cdjs... lol. i simply trusted past-me, and it was the best time ever. the stories tend to come naturally and structure on their own as i will always try to display whatever it is that i’m feeling in that moment.

when was the last time you were on the dance floor?

it was in may, for a small intimate gathering in rural france. it was really beautiful, but i miss dancefloors. i have issues wanting to go out because i don’t connect with much of the programming almost anywhere in spain... if i wasn’t such a homebody, i’d make the parties myself, and that will eventually end up happening... one day.

what are you most excited about right now?

i tend to get obsessed with synthesizers, and when i do i try making every single thing that i can with a single one. right now that obsession is zebra 3. the interface is... something, for 2026, but the engine itself is out of this world. it’s so damn versatile, it can do realistic, cinematic instruments, it can sound like any classic moog or roland or like the most obscure eurorack module you can find, and the filters are marvelous.

what’s on your vision board at the moment?

well... i’ve got a lot of work to finish, but i am confident in myself and the shape that it’s taking, even if it’s slow. i am working on getting back my attention span and working on music more consistently. i think the hardest thing is minimizing influences, not letting social media and pressure and trends stress myself as much. getting my own trust back. it’s a work in progress, and it might forever be a work in progress because apparently that’s the challenge of the century, but i’ve got hope. so really long story short, i’m working on bringing trance back, both in terms of state and sound.

very very excited to bring you into the world of japanese artist dayzero for the next edition of the 909 mix series :)

one of my favourite producers right now, and i feel like i say that a lot but dayzero is definitely up there for me. his nerve collect release ‘step inna’ that came out last summer has been in heavy rotation recently. following that discovery, i went on a deep dive through his productions, and was instantly sucked in by the warm yet futuristic approach to 140 rhythms. driving yet hypnotic, deep in percussion and full of ritualistic energy. it’s no surprise that dayzero referenced bristol’s vibrant music scene and soundsystem culture as two major influences in his life. having been a prolific presence in the japanese bass music scene for more than 10 years, with appearances on the likes of livity sound, duploc, kwaibass, nostro hood system, and vomitspit among others. earlier this summer, dayzero also released on the berlin-via-london label menace, helmed by dubrunner, with 'cv mirror’, drawing from dub modernism and techno mutations.

hey tsuyoshi! how are you doing? what have you been up to lately?

hello! thanks for inviting me.

recently, i’ve been spending a lot of time working on the mixdown for my new ep. i’m also experimenting with different setups, like vsts and hardware, for some projects further down the line.

outside of production, i’ve also started a local event recently. i’ve been working on that with some friends.

let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?

in japan, there’s a pop music scene called j-pop, and that’s naturally where i started listening to music from. when i was a kid, more and more j-pop started incorporating rap elements. that’s what first got me interested in rap, and from there i discovered hip-hop.

after that, i became more interested in the tracks themselves rather than the rapping in hip-hop. as i started listening with a focus on the tracks, i found myself getting deeply interested in genres outside of hip-hop too. that was the start of my journey into electronic music.

who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?

the first artist who made me aware of hip-hop was eminem. around that time, the movie 8 mile and hip-hop compilation albums were popular among the people around me. then i started exploring hip-hop from all over the world.

was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible dj set, that led you to this path?

i think the two biggest turning points were discovering what is known as the bristol music scene and experiencing music through a sound system.

once i started listening to hip-hop instrumentals, i began listening to a wide range of dub like on-u, and abstract hip-hop like dj krush. discovering portishead through that was what first made me aware of bristol music. as i dug deeper into the scene, i eventually discovered dubstep.

another major factor was experiencing dubstep through a sound system. that’s when i started to understand, in my own way, the power of bass music, and i became obsessed with wanting to make that kind of music myself.

what is the most meaningful part of being an artist to you?

for me, it’s seeing music i made in my own room become known in different ways, and watching my musical world expand from there. it makes me really happy when people enjoy something i made simply because i thought it was good. i feel like my music connects me to a lot of people and experiences.

where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?

i try to stay open to inspiration from all kinds of things. sometimes i even set a theme for myself before starting a production.

for example, i draw inspiration for my music from the mood and progression of visual works like films, from my own experiences, from interviews with manga artists, and from many other things.

how has japan influenced or informed your sense of self and artistic output?

i like japan, but honestly i don’t really know how it’s influenced me. i’ve only ever lived in japan, so i’d like to try living somewhere else someday.

what has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?

i don’t really have one particular song that i keep listening to on repeat, but i’m constantly obsessed with discovering new music. recently, the new releases from yushh and how du have been really exciting.

i also make a point of listening to radio mixes.

what has your production journey been like? do you feel like you’ve found your artistic voice now?

i feel like my current work is very much me. i can feel myself getting better day by day, and i’m enjoying figuring out how to make work that feels even more like myself from here.

i’ve always loved music, so in the same way that some kids might pick up a guitar when they’re young, i found it fun to explore different ways of making music. that’s how i came across dtm. at first, i wasn’t particularly obsessed with it, but a few years later i started making music seriously.

in the beginning, i was quite rigid about genre and worked mainly as a dubstep producer. over the following years, as i played in different places and released more music, i increasingly wanted to focus on dayzero’s originality rather than on genre itself.

from there, i started making music within dubstep that reflected that feeling, and over the past few years, i’ve gradually started incorporating a much broader range of approaches.

you’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?

for this mix, i built it around the world of the ep i released on menace. the idea was to explore different sides of the dayzero sound, with abstract dub at the core.

how does your approach to dj sets differ from studio mixes and radio shows? is there a narrative in mind that you’re always trying to tell through your sets?

for me, dj sets like the ones i play at club events are closer to a live performance, while dj mixes like this one are closer to a piece of work. it’s not always the case, but rather than focusing on one particular genre, i try to build a story that reflects my musical roots, including both the music i’ve listened to and the music i’ve expressed as dayzero.

with dj sets, i think about how to respond to the mood of the moment within the range of my own music. for example, i might think, “something more percussive would work better here,” or “i want to shift the beat approach from this point.” i’m thinking about the next track and where the flow is headed.

with studio mixes like this one, there is a theme first, and it feels more like making a piece of work through the medium of djing. unlike the dancefloor, i feel a dj mix involves facing myself more directly. i also think about including new work from myself or friends, and trying out transitions i wouldn’t normally use.

when was the last time you were on the dance floor?

i’m basically at a club almost every weekend. sometimes i go specifically to see artists i like, and sometimes i have a good time with friends.

in tokyo where i live, there are plenty of events running until morning even on weekdays.

what are you most excited about right now?

honestly, there are so many things i’m looking forward to right now, like releases, events, and more.

if i had to pick one thing, i’ve recently become more interested in collaborative forms of expression. as part of that, i formed a unit called aurora green with an artist named itti. it’s focused on a wide range of forms of expression, not just music, but also things like audiovisual work and developing new technologies.

i’m currently experimenting with new approaches through the project. we have live performances and releases planned for the future, so i’m really looking forward to that.

i also have some projects planned with other artists, so i’m excited about those too.

what’s on your vision board at the moment?

i want to keep pursuing work that is original and free, while still clearly expressing my own background through it.

i want to release a lot more music and perform in all kinds of places.


Tracklist:

Dayzero - Calibration

Beton Brut - Digital Fatigue (SSSLIP Remix) [rut]

Stones Taro - Out Of Cycle [Rhythm Section International]

How Du - Stemah [Pressure Dome]

aphtc - Moving Through [Arcane Patterns]

Delian Sound - Ensnare [self released]

Dayzero - In Parallel [Menace]

Dayzero - Canopy [self released]

Delikwe - 6am Ice (Pugilist Remix) [Mole Audio]

DAYZERO & YAS REVEN - ID

Dayzero - Density Control [Menace]

Element - ID

Dayzero - Multi Peak [Menace]

Identified Patient - The Thin Line [Nerve Collect]

Hemnis - Kavrinah [Hekdb]

R. Mohr - Where U Gotta Be [3024]

Joe Milli - Mantra [Livity Sound]

Dayzero - CV Mirror [Menace]

Teqmun - A Man and His Toad [Nerve Collect]

Aawadh - Pressure Makes Forms [Staring At The Wall]

Dayzero - Lost Contact

Dayzero - Mirrored In The Water

Yushh - Mos Def [Timedance]

ID (LEVOS Edit)

BLOCKLAB - Street Chronicles [System 108]

Ourman - Namárië [White Peach]

Argo - Bedroom Product

Dayzero - Blur

Dayzero - Midnight Train

like with any busy travel period, i lose all sense of routine and now i’m back at home for a little while longer, i’m reconnecting with the things that make me feel grounded. one of the most important things for me is journalling so i can try to make sense of this crazy world & purge my always spiralling thoughts. this is kind of what this newsletter will be this month as i try to process what a whirlwind july was 🌪️ i wish i had journaled consistently throughout the month to make sense of it all, but alas. here we are.

going back to the generational run: it’s been a pretty tough summer for various reasons, globally & personally, exacerbated by the ongoing heatwaves (the uk is currently on its fifth heatwave and the looming rain forecast keeps moving further away). amongst the wildfires, droughts, and everything else that comes with these critical heatwaves, it has meant that festival seasons have been more difficult navigate. this landscape combined with 24-hour music schedules, camping, inaccessibility to basic amenities, and over consumption, have meant that some of these festivals this summer have felt like an episode of survivor. a lot of recent conversations are surrounding the future of festivals and how these events adapt to the climate crisis: more local bookings, sustainability put the forefront, the approach to programming with 24-hour timetables (enforcing more downtempo & ambient sets during the programme to give people space & time to fully chill), more areas for chill out, where the festival’s are situated, and potentially the festival season moving - the latter has already been happening with the likes of waking life, for example, already moving their festival from august to june due to the rising temperatures. there’s been a lot to learn from this season already and i really do hope that promoters, djs and punters alike leave this summer reflecting on the ways that we can both individually and communally combat some of these climate issues we’re facing and the effect it’s having on the industry. i hope to write about this a bit deeper once we have had the time to process.

<3 july festival diary <3

to kick off july, low end psychedelia christmas arrived <3 it was the debut edition of memóri and as with any first edition of a festival, this came with its teething issues. i didn’t spend as much time as i would like to on the main site for various reasons, one of them being the heat & feeling quite overwhelmed by the amount of people there - in both capacity & how many aquatinces were there, where it almost felt like ‘ade for heads’ (the term we once used for dekmantel, now the baton has been passed on). it was very different to their previous festival, pe:rsona, which was 1000 capacity and two stages that alternated shifts (a layout i personally prefer as i get older and feeling more sensitive to stimulation as the years go by). this one was 5 stages and double the capacity and it felt like you could really feel that shift. the beauty of that meant there was a lot more room for programming of course and i got to see some of my favourite artists play such as trickpony, souzo & a strange wedding debuting a new live set, andy martin live, kia, joannah, c. coiffure and zara & command d. one of the most important things memóri did is put this emerging scene in the wider map. i’ve seen a lot more coverage on low end psychedelia and the artists booked at this festival, a lot more people talking about in general and people travelling all over the world to experience it in real life - because what is a scene without feeling like you are a part of something? i’m really proud of the team for making this impact. the influence knows no bounds and it brings me soooo much joy to see this scene getting written about and excited by because it’s truly one of the best out there right now!!! <3

as i mentioned in my report of refractor festival, i love any festival that gives you the space to lie by the dancefloor/soundsystem and enjoy the music in a more low stakes kinda way. that was the sunday of memóri for me - a day that was about reconnection with myself, friends and the surrounding setting. i really enjoyed playing two sets across the weekend: at the secret stage after the useless seconds crew and closing out the ambient stage (my favourite stage, it was so cosy & beautifully decorated!) the secret stage set was crazy, i think i fully dissociated during the two hours and came back to at the ending for the sexy & fun r&b singalong moment. a lot of ‘what the fuck is going on, this is nuts’ to my best friend. all of these early morning set times are teaching me the art of patience and pace - the teaching being that i need to be sober for these experiences (and sober for life in general) and i’m starting that journey now. excited for what’s ahead.

next up was polifonic in puglia where i finally got to tour like dua lipa (my biggest goal in life is to make every trip feel like a holiday even when it’s not). my friend & i spent four days before the festival exploring bari’s old town and various beaches along puglia’s coast, which is so gorgeous btw! i got food poisoning on the plane on the way there though, from a pret tuna sandwich, which meant i was always trigged eating out as the district is renowned for its seafood (the thing i was most excited about, sad). we didn’t get to spend that much time at the festival site as i played on the friday from 11pm-1am, sandwiched between local residents joaiah and z.i.p.p.o but the new rinse france stage was really cool! a little pocket of deeper, experimental soundscapes inviting the audience to sit with the unknown. it was really fun to hang with the rinse france crew, see their programme come to life and explore the vast beautiful festival site with towering cliff edges taking centre stage.

the next day i flew straight to outlook festival, marking my first multi-country gig weekend! i haven’t been to croatia in almost 10 years. the last time i was there was for the second edition of dekmantel selectors, many moons and lives ago. it felt very strange to be going back now, as a dj, and reflecting on how much everything has changed since the first time i was at the garden (and how little that festival site has changed in the meantime). obviously over the years i have heard so many stories about outlook festival, it almost felt like a right of passage for any british person interested in bass music to attend the festival but i never had the calling to go there, until the last one or two years i would say. only really since the legened that is rishi has taken over the programming have i been interested in attending. he’s really shaped the festival into something that both honours the foundations of what has made outlook what it is for the past 18 years and where it’s heading, making space for the old and the new in such a refreshing way. i’m really inspired by rishi’s approach. i will say that i had my own idea in my head of what this festival was going to look and feel like, much to my own detriment, and to my surprise, it was nothing like i had imagined. the crowd is so cute, so nerdy and wholesome, really just there for the love of the music, which is what music festivals are all about right? it feels like we have lost our way a little but outlook showed me that not all is lost. so many different communities and scenes existing in one location and getting gassed over their favourite artists, collectives and tracks playing. it was a really nourishing 48 hours, despite playing three sets and doing one talk during that time. i love playing b2b with beatrice m. and alicia <3 i loved chatting about the state of the music industry with rishi, arnii, jayahadadream and denham audio (although i felt like i was a lot more negative than usual…) <3 i loved playing on the angel audio soundsystem with a trip hop set late monday evening <3 i loved seeing the source come to life, a little bit of respite within the outlook ecosystem <3 i loved seeing my friends smash it <3 i loved laying by the beach listening to richard akingbehin & azu tiwaline play <3 i loved seeing yungfya & ema play on the awkwardly social boat party <3 i loved finally overcoming my fear of boats <3

the thing i hate the most is not having the energy or time to stick around to see a lot of music… another thing i’m learning from this summer is how to preserve my energy levels & not take on too much (which is a never ending lesson in my life tbf)

i only had 24 hours at home after outlook festival before i needed to leave again for dekmantel festival, which i’m actually going to leave for the august edition :)

i’m really so so grateful to all of the promoters booking me for this whirlwind summer adventure, it has been a dream come true <3

⋆ other bits ⋆

𖦹 released a mix for the legendary monument series <3

𖦹 caroune’s latest spiralling, naturally radio show

𖦹 we’re throwing our first party!! going to do an in-depth post about this in the coming weeks but i’m really excited to be teaming up with expert death for our first-ever soiree. we’ve got a dreamy lineup with azu tiwaline, ophélie and sarjan playing :) hope to see a lot of you there! tickets here :)

⋆˙⟡♡ Listening Session ⋆˙⟡♡

❀ Releases ❀

♡ malesa - Ciudad sin Paredes

♡ the bug / dis fig - vanishing

♡ o.m. theorem - lemma1-b1 (170 vip)

♡ dayzero - cv mirror

♡ hibziak - half send

♡ chris guillotine - rise n shine

♡ kami-o - tape / golden dub

♡ tenshu - aerials ep

♡ sub basics & pugilist - control

♡ kelela - new avatar

❀ Mixes ❀

⟡ EMA at Dark Skies, Horst Festival 2026

⟡ NAP @ Partytime 1

⟡ Simisea’s Minimalicious Villalobos Focus Set

⟡ MNMT 528 - Human Space Machine

⟡ Patterns of Perception 131 - ophélie

⟡ CARRÉ & INTROSPEKT 21.7.26 (TEMPA X KINDRED)

⟡ 3XL W/ Ben Bondy 200726

⟡ Pacing the Platform 34 w/ upsammy on NTS (09.07.26)

⟡ james K - Trip Lick - NTS July 2026

⟡ ITPS129 ERIKA

⟡ bookmarks ⟡

Furniture Without Memories: The Blog?

Good and Bad Men

Why the smartest person you know is watching Love Island

the thing with consistency

the country of the mind

the best conversations help you hear yourself

ricardo villalobos slipping through time

~ books read ~

Dave Randall - Soundsystem The Political Power of Music

Lauren Martin - Aftershock

⟡ 909’s july features ⟡

⋆˚࿔ untitled 909 podcast 278: martyn ⋆˚࿔

⋆˚࿔ untitled 909 podcast 279: joanna oj ⋆˚࿔

⋆˚࿔ untitled 909 podcast 280: annebel ⋆˚࿔

⋆˚࿔ untitled 909 podcast 281: kohra (rituals takeover) ⋆˚࿔

⋆˚࿔ untitled 909 podcast 282: peachlyfe (rituals takeover) ⋆˚࿔

we’re continuing our rituals takeover today - a series where we have been spotlighting some of the artists who have contributed to the latest air texture compilation, rituals, curated by dina. released earlier this summer, the compilation showcases the global trance community with contributions from artists based in india, finland, poland, australia, sweden, iraq/canada, switzerland, france, denmark, japan, norway, austria and spain. nodding both to old-school and contemporary sounds with a focus on the new generation of artists that bridge together the psychedelic tropes that the genre has to offer, it’s a brilliant release that perfectly encapsulates a moment in time where the global trance community feels so intertwined and are pushing the sound forward in an exciting new direction whilst the music on there is timeless.

this week’s contribution to takeover is from the amazing finnish artist jeku :) who delivers a vibrant sugary sweet mix inspired by his recent trip to solstice festival. the never-ending light that exists during the festival is prevalent throughout the mix as he moves through psy-infused rhythms and effervescent energy.

known for his acclaimed productions on craigie knowes, harmony rec, and non-temporal, jeku’s sound draws from the mycelial broth, heavily inspired by the nature he grew up around in helsinki: a beautiful city surrounded by some of the most awe-inspiring lake and forest landscapes. the city is also known for its diy spirit, something that was bigger before covid, and taught jeku a lot about doing your own parties and releases, creating a more accessible approach to dance music. alongside his dj sets, where he graces the dancefloors of kaiku, post bar, blur brussels, paper seoul, sonneraum, solace melbourne, macadam nantes and jolene copenhagen amongst others, jeku also plays live on a 50/50 analogue tip where unreleased tracks are only heard within the context of that dancefloor - capturing a moment in time.

hey jesse! how are you doing? what have you been up to lately?

hi chanel! i’m good, enjoying the summer and finishing up new music :-) after getting back home from very inspiring (and busy) asia and australia tour i have been spending most of my days at the studio working on my next ep. also been out rock climbing a good bit this spring!


let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?

earliest things i remember is getting a small radio with a cassette player along with a couple of cassettes from my mom when i was maybe around five years old. i really liked listening to radio already at young age and also loved mtv and seeing and hearing the music videos there. the first electronic music i remember really well was seeing the iconic music video of freestyler by bomfunk mc’s on mtv around the age of seven and getting a pirate copy of their cd my dad bought me from tallinn. i thought the video looked so cool, i tried scratching on some finnish pop and rock records on my parents record player after seen the music video hahaha. they didn’t appreciate me doing that too much back then!

after various phases i got into the club scene after moving from my home town to helsinki around 2014-2015. i soon joined a collective and we started throwing diy parties here.


who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?

oh man i could do an endless list here, i have been a fanboy of various bands all through my life ever since childhood. i was emo / metal / punk kid as a teenager and was playing guitar in some band projects with friends. i can’t name just one in particular but i would say bands like him, children of bodom, atreyu and norther were really influential to me back then. i still have plenty of cds from that era in storage hahah


was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible dj set, that led you to this path?

electronic music started to make it’s way more into my life again around the age of 17-18 when i could start going out to clubs, but i was still very much going out to see punk gigs at the same time. i can’t name any one set or gig, but definitely a formative year was 2017 when i moved from helsinki to berlin for a uni exchange year. can’t say i studied very hard but it really thought me a lot about club music and culture! i also met some amazing people i’m glad are still part of my life.


what is the most meaningful part of being an artist to you?

artistry for me is a channel for my creative output. the most meaningful for me is the independence on the output can have, and the fact that i can keep it as personal to me as i want. the feeling of always being able to learn, experiment and dive deeper means a lot to me.

on the djing side of things - the most meaningful parts are the communities formed around parties and in dance floors. working together for the shared passion to create rememberable experiences is so so valuable!


where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?

everywhere in life! in nature, in people and personas, in history and folklore, design, books, movies. i feel a certain writing style or an author or a directing style of a movie director can be deeply inspirational and translatable to other styles of art.

how has finland influenced or informed your sense of self and artistic output?

in here, i feel like the quality of music being played by djs when i was starting out really pushed me to dig deeper and encouraged self-expression. helsinki has a reputation for pretty eclectic way of djing, and also had a strong diy spirit. there was a lot of diy parties and labels especially before covid, which showed that it’s possible for example to start doing your own parties or release music on records without big official businesses. and if you wanted to do such things, there was always people around willing to help out which i appreciate so much!

outside of the music scene, i feel like the nature obviously has had an impact on my output as an artist. we are lucky to be surrounded by amazing forests and lakes here

you’ve contributed a track to the new rituals compilation curated by dina, what’s the story behind this track?

i first met with dina in kaiku, i was playing before her and stayed during her closing set as well. i was also playing later in an after hours venue downstairs, she joined me there and we became friends on that night! when dina contacted me, i had a couple of demos in mind fitting to the nature of the comp. the demo of ”rite” was initially much more peak-timey, but i felt like a comp like this is a nice opportunity to try something different and had an idea to flip in into more of an experimental, more minimalistic tribal-esque thing.


what has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?

signals ep by korean procurer oho on albeit records and stealth disorder by alessio barletta on overnight. also prog trance album from 2002 called inverter by loopiter. oh and latest ep from georgian artist razhden! good stuff! also been a big fan of sets of a portuguese dj luisa


you’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?

i recorded this mix two days after getting back home from solstice festival, so it definitely was inspired by the music and experience i had there. i also wanted to showcase some of the music i have recently got my hands on. i think the mix is kind of like a trip from more dance-y and straight forward stuff turning into something more weird and trippy and then coming to a bit of a resolution towards the end :)


how does your approach to dj sets differ from studio mixes and radio shows? is there a narrative in mind that you’re always trying to tell through your sets?

i’m actually not the biggest fan of doing studio mixes, i always seem to have a hard time with them haha. i enjoy radio shows though! i do have very different approaches on these. radio shows are more about showcasing music, dj sets i feel i tend to like more dance floor focused - more steady building and releasing tension, patient choices and keeping the energy. studio mixes for me kind of fall in between these two


when was the last time you were on the dance floor?

i was just at solstice festival again, and first time not working there at any role, so i had a chance to spend a lot more time actually on the dance floor! for the most of the festival, i was glued to the front left of valley stage hahah.

what are you most excited about right now?

finishing my next record, spending time with friends, saunas and lake/ocean dips, running and rock climbing! also upcoming small na tour in october! oh and also excited to visit yaga in lithuania for the first time, we’re doing a little road trip there.

what’s on your vision board at the moment?

frogs, feedback loops, summer nights, 126 bpm, goa trance, john waters movies, 2005-2007 era and snappy snare drums (not sure if these count as vision board things haha)

this week we have an artist gracing the 909 mix series who’s tracks i literally cannot get enough of - it’s the naarm/melbourne-based producer pugilist! <3

the definition of pugilist is a fighter or brawler, not something that you would instantly go to associate with the wide reaching output of this artist. pugilist’s productions range from the deep introspective dub continuum drawing influence from uk bass, dub techno and dubstep to the high energy, sometimes maximalist, but still often on the softer side, of drum & bass, jungle and halftime experimentations, as seen on his most recent release ‘triads’ on samurai music. the ep marks his first solo output on the berlin-based label following a collaborative release with fellow australian artist tamen last year.

the versatility of pugilist’s output is so inspiring. another artist who i feel captures the full breadth of the low end psychedelia soundscape we are starting to hear more of in recent years. his sound can feel right at home on labels such as rupture, modern hypnosis, shall not fade, banoffee pies records, c.e.e., of paradise, temple records and temple of sound. he also launched his own imprint, ruff kutz, last year as a home for his own records after 15 years in the game with over 60 vinyl pressed. his collaborators include sub basics, forest drive west, mystic state, big hands, and mystik to name a few.

in the midst of a productive season where pugilist has made over 200 tracks, he has kindly pulled together a mix for us that taps into his love for higher tempos, featuring a lot of his own productions.

hey alex! how are you doing? what have you been up to lately?

hey chanel, i have been busy working on lots of musical projects since returning to aus from a little eu trip just over a month ago, and settling back into the groove of things! i have started work on an album for samurai music, a few collaborations with some friends which i am excited for, as well as keeping my label (ruff kutz) bubbling away. it has been a busy year music wise, having released a debut album, a few eps and remixes also. i recently released my first solo ep ‘triads’ on samurai music, following on from my ‘onyx’ ep with tamen last year, with more to come down the line. i also released the 4th record on my label called ‘control’, a collaborative ep with sub basics.

let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?

i didn’t grow up in a musical household, but always wanted to learn musical instruments. i tried to learn guitar and piano but it never stuck with me. it wasn’t until the teenage angst set in that i started to listen to music that was darker and more left field and trying my hand at making it.

i got into electronic music through mainly school friends. dubstep and drum & bass were all the rage at the time in the mid-late 00s and i would often exchange tunes with people, discovering artists like boxcutter, vex’d, kryptic minds, calibre, commix etc. it gradually turned into an obsession. then i started going out to dubstep and drum & bass nights and loving the community. i was also interested by its relative accessibility (financial cost and access to technology/information), which made me start thinking about production. i bought the most basic version of fl studio and got stuck into making some of the worst music imaginable for a good 2 years before gaining any traction with it. i had my first record under a now defunct alias in 2012 and from there on it became a habit, consistently putting out a few records each year. i started the pugilist alias in 2016.

who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?

as a real youngin i loved pavarotti, and then became a fan of jamiroquai and robbie williams when i was in the later years of primary school. i wish i could say that my taste was out there and that i was cool, but i was not. in my later teenage years i became a big hip hop head and that led to the discovery of sampling and breaks for me, i also loved the anti authoritarian culture of the music. the first concert i went to may have been around the age of 18 to either radiohead or at big day out festival where i saw tool, iggy pop, deftones etc. in terms of electronic music, i was obsessed with burial when i first discovered him as a youth (along with millions of others lol), it was a sound i had never heard before, more so the south london boroughs album which has a darker sound that i really gravitated towards. it was a gateway that led me to discovering labels like hyperdub and gradually expanding to finding artists on the likes of planet mu, tempa and deep medi etc, as well as lots of naff d&b which i used to hear out a lot and love at the time. the first music i ever tried to make was really bad & aggressive d&b before trying my hand at making more minimal style dubstep influenced by a lot of artists mentioned.

was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible dj set, that led you to this path?

i always connected more with music that wasn’t necessarily dancefloor friendly, in moments of solitude whilst listening alone. i love the collective community vibe of the club, and saw many great djs. but the first sets that i remember really changing things for me would have been seeing either mala or om unit many moons ago, the depth of the music was there but it was still danceable. i connected a lot with the soulfulness of it all. especially when more aggressive music started to take hold around that time - this music felt more substantive to me. seeing kiwi bands like fat freddys drop & katchafire definitely influenced my love of dub.

what is the most meaningful part of being an artist to you?

the community around music has always been a huge driver for me. it is the one of the few areas of life that still feels real and purposeful to me. there is a resistance element which underpins music and other art forms, i feel like it is a way of rejecting the status quo and building community outside of normal social structures. most of the people i know through music are quite aligned in terms of values and a bit more open minded.

i would also say it is partly escapism from work, life responsibilities and the general state of the world at the moment - i love getting lost in my own world for a few hours where the focus of creating just for the sake of creating offers a refuge from the stress of everyday life.

where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?

i feel like i am often in autopilot when making music, because it’s such a big part of how i process the world around me - it is very mood dependent but i do also gain inspiration from other art, nature, film and lots of different styles of music. the hellscape of this current timeline is a good motivator to create for me. i also make music with friends when feeling stuck, the accountability and buzz of working with someone else can often get me out of a rut. i seem to be on a good run for the last 2 years with music, i am waiting for it to slow down as i have never been this productive before, making more than 200 tracks over that period.

how has naarm/melbourne influenced or informed your sense of self and artistic output?

it’s been influenced by naarm significantly. i have been here for nearly ten years now and my perspective and worldview on everything has changed, from becoming more politically and socially engaged, to broadening my horizons with listening to other music. there is just a lot more going on here than there was when i was growing up in auckland. and most importantly i have also connected with people that are pretty key to my development as an artist, who i still work with to this day - shout to stormn norm (modern hypnosis) / tamen / della (upstairs downstairs) / pod (kinetic vision) and lots more legends.

in moving to melbourne i started the pugilist alias and was intentional about not getting pigeon holed into one style or genre of music. i wanted to have the flexibility to do whatever i wanted as i found making the music within a very strict set of parameters to be quite boring and limiting, particularly when making as much music as i do. i feel lucky that people are open minded with my music and there are no expectations for me to make x style of music.

what has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?

my partner has been taking me to see various south asian classical artists. i recently saw arooj aftab and i have been obsessed ever since. in terms of electronic music i really love what peak oil, short span, felt and samurai music are doing, but there is just so much exciting stuff coming out atm which is hard to put a label on. i have been buying a lot of ambient music lately, loving the astral industries label and a lot of the amazing dub leaning music coming out on the likes of echo ltd, rohs!, alt dub, kino disc etc. in terms of the dancefloor, i really like deeper chuggy music in the 90-110 bpm range, there is so much interesting music coming out in that tempo range and there is a lot of space to play with as well as the doubletime/halftime potential which can create some really interesting grooves, and i often find myself drawing for it when i am feeling stuck with what to play in a longer set. i mostly buy reggae and jazz records these days as well as experimental electronic music lps from artists like muslimgauze, jan jelinek, carrier, barker, in transit to name a few. i buy lots of music on bandcamp also, always digging!

you’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?

i wanted to showcase some of the sounds which i am loving in the higher tempo ranges with this one and to challenge myself to play as much of my own original and forthcoming music as possible in between, a lot of which has been made recently. i guess you could call it drum & bass mutations with some weird slowmo bass and dub curveballs. it’s rough and ready and i did it in 1 take which is my favourite way to record especially when playing a lot of my own music as i can over think it and not enjoy it otherwise.

how does your approach to dj sets differ from studio mixes and radio shows? is there a narrative in mind that you’re always trying to tell through your sets?

i like to wing it when playing a set in a club or for radio usually, but if i am recording a guest mix for a platform i always try to be a bit more intentional and have some sort of theme or showcase going on, and will be more nitpicky with the final outcome.

when was the last time you were on the dance floor?

i am quite selective these days, last weekend i danced so much that my knees hurt for a few days after, that could just be me aging also :(

what are you most excited about right now?

musically i am up to a lot and am keen to get it out there! i feel pretty lucky to be working with some really solid artists and labels, it’s a pleasure to work with people that are serious about music and do things properly. i am working on another lp currently and have started working with an artist from nz called faulsk, who i will be putting out a debut record from on my label later this year. other than that, i’m pretty excited to put out some records with friends on modern hypnosis, upstairs downstairs and samurai music. i have a tonne of plans for ruff kutz next year also, trying some different things. a few more eps to come this year which have been a long time in the making which i am pretty excited to showcase a different sound with.

what’s on your vision board at the moment?

i don’t have one, i am a pretty live in the moment and take things as they come kind of dude.


’triads’ by pugilist is out now via samurai music - buy here.

tracklist:

In Transit - 33 - FELT
Pugilist - Machiavellian - Samurai Music
Decoder Dub - Unreleased
Vardae - Jamaican Mule - Annulled Music
Sub Basics - Untitled 305 - Unreleased
Brendon Moeller - Repercussions - Samurai Music
Pugilist & Tamen - Contract - Unreleased
Pugilist - Unreleased
Pugilist - Unreleased
Pugilist - Unreleased
Pugilist - Unreleased
Pugilist - Unreleased
Pugilist - Unreleased
Pugilist - Unreleased
Sciama - Overload Into Silence - Unreleased
Pugilist - Unreleased
Pugilist - Unreleased
Pugilist & Tamen - Assimilation - Unreleased
Pugilist - Unreleased
Pugilist & Pod - Additive - Unreleased
Pugilist - Rhaum - Forthcoming Vargmal
Pugilist & Tamen - Inverted Reality - Unreleased
Pugilist & Tamen - Compare - Unreleased
Pugilist - Unreleased
Pugilist & Tamen - 5 4 - Unreleased
Forest Drive West - Node - Mantis
Sciama - Celetal Emergence - Unreleaseed

Djrum - Dam (Felix K Reinterpretation) - 2nd Drop

ASC - Raijin - Saibai
Zemög - Beaxayo - Vargmal
Tristan Arp - Shapeshifting Dub - Kapsela
Reeko - Smile At Reptile - Samurai Music
Sciama - Charon - OODA
Pianeti Sintetici - Living Plasma - Samurai Music
Forest Drive West - Tensor - Mantis
Strategy - Shaking The Dub - Khaliphonic
Babe Roots feat Baba Ras - State of mind - newdubhall
Stigma - Madureira - Pessimist Productions

over the next four weeks we will be spotlighting some of the artists who have contributed to the latest air texture compilation, rituals, curated by dina. released earlier this summer, the compilation showcases the global trance community with contributions from artists based in india, finland, poland, australia, sweden, iraq/canada, switzerland, france, denmark, japan, norway, austria and spain. nodding both to old-school and contemporary sounds with a focus on the new generation of artists that bridge together the psychedelic tropes that the genre has to offer, it’s a brilliant release that perfectly encapsulates a moment in time where the global trance community feels so intertwined and are pushing the sound forward in an exciting new direction whilst the music on there is timeless.

for the second edition of the takeover we head to copenhagen with peachlyfe with a power-hour session. a resident of endurance and founder of peacch records, peachlyfe came through the tunnelling fast techno scene that denmark’s capital city has become renowned for. with releases on fast forward productions, amniote editions, plot records, tilt, and kluster records to name a few, peachlyfe’s dj sets have seen them play across europe and the usa for esteemed promoters and institutions such as mala junta, spielraum, herrensauna, æther, størm, kune festival, mama told ya, basement, bassiani and more.

hey! how are you doing? what have you been up to lately?

hi hi :) that’s a big opening question! i’m good, i’m bad, i’m ok. i’m on the verge of an existential crisis one day day and praising the universe for being so lucky the next. lately i’ve been healing from an accident, so i’ve been resting a lot.

let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?

i used to do horseback riding and some of my earliest memories of really listening to music was on the drive to and from the competitions, but other than that music was not a defining factor in my life until much later in ninth grade, when i started a punk band with some friends. electronic music came gradually as i started playing instruments, writing my own songs and later started producing them myself as well. from there the songs became more and more electronic around the same time as i discovered clubbing.

who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?

spice girls and micheal jackson were some of my absolute faves! i loved those movies they made; spice world and the horror short film michael jackson released. i had them both on vhs.

was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible dj set, that led you to this path?

around high school i moved with my mom and my brother to a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. i managed to find a beautiful community of other kids who also wanted to play and make music. we had a rehearsal space/hang out spot called boxen - a shut down factory that we were just allowed to use as we pleased - it was so dirty and chaotic, and so were we.

what is the most meaningful part of being an artist to you?

often times i struggle to find meaning, actually. my creativity ebbs and flows. during ebb it’s difficult to see the meaning, but i’ve come to realize that this is of course a natural part of being a human. so i guess what i’m trying to say, is that the most meaningful part of being an artist, is to be a human and to learn about my own humanity through my art.

where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?

so many places! i like to find inspiration in nature and in the surreal and supernatural - i love to hike in nature and imagine what unknown forces live/lived in those hills or underneath the water or whatever. what it must have felt like to be a cave dweller whose world was only as big as the valley they lived in. i made an audio piece some years back about two people sitting on a hill discussing being liquid.

how has denmark influenced or informed your sense of self and artistic output?

i believe i owe the denmark and the rest of scandinavia my connection to trance. there’s a really cool and quite long tradition of making psychedelic music up here.

you’ve contributed a track to the new rituals compilation curated by dina, what’s the story behind this track?

the hoover! so many amazing tracks are centered around that sound, so i wanted to try and make my own take on that. it’s as shallow as that!


what has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?

amongst many - three things: 1. a the lot radio show from pure immanence and rachel noon from 2020, 2. sugar free at dekmantel selectors 2025 and 3. hypnus records.

you’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?

the intersection between techno and trance inspires and confuses me. at the bottom of my heart i’m probably a bit more of a trance-girly, but i also like the monotony of techno. how do i best combine them? it is kind of one of my main purposes that i sometimes feel i (somewhat) succeed with and sometimes feel is a sisyphean task.

how does your approach to dj sets differ from studio mixes and radio shows? is there a narrative in mind that you’re always trying to tell through your sets?

sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t really differ. i feel that dj sets are more about improvisation and reading the room. mix and radio are more planned out but also curated to the platform and timeslot if it’s a live radio. i don’t really follow a specific narrative but i always try to have a narrative.

when was the last time you were on the dance floor?

recently i went to a diy trance festival on a danish island. daytime raving is my favorite!

what are you most excited about right now?

at the moment i’m really enjoying dancing in the daytime and sleeping in the nighttime! the night is obviously also a very special time/place and i still love to play music both day and night, but my body and soul is craving more sleep these days.

what’s on your vision board at the moment?

finishing stuff! i have a bunch of releases that is almost done but i need to *finish*! i wanna start having visions again but i can’t get sidetracked right now.

over the next four weeks we will be spotlighting some of the artists who have contributed to the latest air texture compilation, rituals, curated by dina. released earlier this summer, the compilation showcases the global trance community with contributions from artists based in india, finland, poland, australia, sweden, iraq/canada, switzerland, france, denmark, japan, norway, austria and spain. nodding both to old-school and contemporary sounds with a focus on the new generation of artists that bridge together the psychedelic tropes that the genre has to offer, it’s a brilliant release that perfectly encapsulates a moment in time where the global trance community feels so intertwined and are pushing the sound forward in an exciting new direction whilst the music on there is timeless.

to kick off this takeover, we have goa-based producer and dj kohra (ک()رہ — Urdu for fog/mist) who contributes a mix that sums up why i love this sound so much. it’s deep and groovy as it simmers and swirls through ambient, deep techno, progressive trance and psy-influenced moods. kohra is the founder of one of my favourite labels, qilla records (قلعه Urdu – fort or castle). founded in 2011 and with other 100 releases on there now, it’s housed records from the likes of kontinum, midnight traffic, olt voct, re:axis, biocym, monophonik, shft and more <3 a master of storytelling and shapeshifting within his dj sets, he has played across asia, europe and the uk for promoters and institutions such as third eye festival, harmony records, yaga gathering, transendence, rural, wonderfruit and transmissions. his releases are featured on global imprints such as crescent london, liquid drop groove, spacelab, harmony records, inner tensions and further sessions.

hey madhav! how are you doing? what have you been up to lately?

hey! i’m good, thank you! i am currently on a little eu tour so just got to berlin a few days ago and played at saule last night which was pretty amazing.

let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?

i’ve been through a bunch of musical phases that have shaped me today. i was a drummer for progressive metal bands while still in school before i got into electronic music. initially it was popular stuff like the prodigy, chemical brothers, apollo 440 before i went into stuff like jungle and progressive house. i was also a raver around the same time going to psychedelic trance raves in india, so i guess it’s a wide spectrum of sounds that got me into this world.

who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?

a.r rehman, a renowned music producer and composer from india.

was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible dj set, that led you to this path?

honestly, the moment i got into it was when my band mates would not show up for rehearsals and finally i gave up on the idea of a band and decided to follow my passion as an independent music producer and dj. there was no looking back after that.

what is the most meaningful part of being an artist to you?

i think it’s the fact that i have a way to process and share my emotions and understanding of life creativly.

where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?

nature and my travels all over the world.

how has goa influenced or informed your sense of self and artistic output?

goa is a very special place for me. it was there that i accidentally walked into my first rave as a teenager, a very liberating experience. it’s shaped who i am now as a person as much as an artist, specially over the last five years that i’ve been living there. it’s helped me appreciate and acknowledge the timeless nature of rave culture and music , as much as the new wave of psychedelic trance and deep techno that i’m a part of today.

what inspired you to start qilla records? what is the ethos behind the label?

it was my time in australia when i stumbled upon some really cool labels between 2005 and 2010 that were pushing really forward thinking sound that bridged psychedelic sounds with open minded dance music. some of them i was inspired by were iboga, tribal vision, zenon and open records. i noticed how these collectives and labels did their own thing, championing their own sound. this lead me to start qilla and over time, we now stand for our own sound, with our own collective.

you’ve contributed a track to the new rituals compilation curated by dina, what’s the story behind this track?

the name isro is inspired and dedicated to the indian space research organisation, a subject that i’m particularly intrigued with myself. musically, i just wanted to write a track that was a good fit for the outdoors and my sets so went in for a jam like that.

what has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?

i’ve really beed enjoying the last album ’ii” by voices from the lake.

you’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?

i have a wide range that spans across deep techno to progressive trance so i guess this leans a bit more towards the later, including a bunch of tracks i’ve been playing over the last few months.

how does your approach to dj sets differ from studio mixes and radio shows?

i think the context of an actual location is a game changer for me in terms of my approach but for radio show - it becomes more about curation and sharing a palette i feel and represent in the moment.

is there a narrative in mind that you’re always trying to tell through your sets?

yes, i try to paint a picture that reflects my creative spirit and mirrors the environment i am playing in, at the time.

when was the last time you were on the dance floor?

the last time i was locked in on the dance floor was after my set at at transcendence in japan , dancing to upsammy’s set.

what are you most excited about right now?

i just finished writing my second album after a long time so i’m pretty excited about its release later this year.

what’s on your vision board at the moment?

i’m currently traveling and not in my studio or home so i’m just digging for a lot of music and working on my sets which span across various clubs , radio shows and festivals in the region. i guess my vision board is bit blank at the moment but sometimes we all need a break until new ideas emerge from within.

today we welcome tilburg-based producer, dj, radio host and live-artist annebel to the 909 series <3

recently contributing to the woozy compilation, willow_pitch, annebel’s productions flitter between the worlds of ambient and experimental bass music with heavy influences from leftfield techno, uk-inspired breaks, dubstep, jungle and high-energy rave. drawn to the psychedelic sides of these sounds that merge the synthetic and the organic, annebel uses this to play with the juxtaposing worlds of introspection and extroversion. this shines brightly on her latest 100% production mix for woozy’s rinse fm residency. a resident on rotterdam’s much-loved radio station, operator radio, annebel has quickly become a staple within the country’s nightlife scene with sets at draaimolen x sustain-release, poing, kabul à gogo, kanaal40, de school (sound sessions) and radion. annebel will be making her debut at the mothership edition of draaimolen festival this year, going back-to-back with carré. she’s also a memeber of the rooibosch collective in brabant who hosts raves in the south of the netherlands.

hey annebel! how are you doing? what have you been up to lately?

hey there :) i’m good, a little overworked, but my vacation is almost starting, so i’m looking forward to that. right now i’m working three days a week at a labor union, and the rest of the time i can spend on music and loved ones, so i’m very blessed with that. music-wise, i’m doing a lot of different things right now: djing, live performances, and i’m trying to finish an album (which will be more ambient and shoegazy). i also would love to make another club release, but i would have to make some space for that. other than that, i have been (re)connecting a lot with my friends and loved ones, which has been the best! hope to have more time for them in the coming months because they are the loves of my life.

let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?

i think my family got me into music when i was young. when i was 14 i bought my first guitar, and i would get so heartbroken as a teenager that i started to write my own songs hahaha. it wasn’t very good, but it was a great way for me to blow off some steam. when i was a teenager, i got into more “alternative” bands and acts and started to go to more festivals and concerts. my love for electronic music started more with acts from other genres that incorporated electronic elements, like for example with vince staples’ big fish theory and acts like lcd soundsystem. then, when i was 19 my friends took me to de school when i was in a very transitional period, and it feels silly to say, but that experience kind of changed my life if i look back on it. the sense of belonging and freedom i experienced there was something i had never felt as strongly before, and i immediately knew i needed to get closer to it.

who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?

oh god, that must have been ramses shaffy when i was four years old hahahaha, he is a dutch singer. but the first bands i was a fan of that i’m still a fan of must have been my bloody valentine and the microphones. perfect albums to yearn to in your teenage years.

was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible dj set, that led you to this path?

oh so many! i think that seeing all these femme djs like ki/ki and afra at spielraum when i was 19 gave me the final push to start djing. then i became a massive helena hauff fan, which got me into more breaky styles. after that, early inspirations were people like objekt and sherelle; every time i would discover someone who would completely change my view on what music could be. recently i’ve been super inspired by the whole druid step movement.

what is the most meaningful part of being an artist to you?

probably how it enables me to connect with myself and others. how i’m functioning in my artistic practice always tells a lot about how i’m functioning in the rest of my life: it feels like the struggles and joys i experience in my artistic practice are applicable to my whole being. and what i love is that it brings me in contact with other people who are on their own artistic path, and that we can connect over our art, happiness, struggles, fears, etc. having this artistic practice is such a crazy thing if you think about it: you devote yourself and your time to this process that is often amazing but also often a struggle and a learning curve, often just for the sake of it. a lot of the time you can’t expect anything in return. but still, this weird life force remains that is bringing me back to it. in that way it’s a very spiritual thing to me.

where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?

i think just life itself as it is. the human experience is just such a bizarre thing, maybe i experience it very intensely hahahah, but it never fails to inspire me! also, i’ve been trying to get into reading and watching movies again instead of doomscrolling (harder than one might think hahahaha) so i hope that that will bring something as well.

how has the netherlands influenced or informed your sense of self and artistic output?

i think that living in the south of the netherlands specifically has shaped my sound a lot. when i was 19 living in eindhoven i had basically two options if i wanted to go out: either i would go to whatever party there was in eindhoven (and those were definitely not occurring every weekend as there were no clubs in eindhoven when i was living there), or i would go to de school or spielraum in amsterdam, but i would have to commit to a long night as there were no night trains and it took quite a while to get there. this meant that i would really have to surrender myself to the party and the music being played there, which meant that i came in contact with a lot of different genres and styles in a very short time.

what i specifically love about the scene in eindhoven and tilburg (where i live now) is that it’s very bass oriented (i (re-)discovered a big part of bass music through local legends like french ii, jeroen erosie and martyn) and very community driven: the scene is very small and it won’t survive if we don’t support new people and each other on their way in. when i started, i was so amazed by how supportive people from the scene were, and i don’t know if i would have continued in the same way if they hadn’t given that support. experiencing that taught me to give that support to others as well, especially for people more marginalized in the electronic music scene.

also, the lack of options for going out in the south of the netherlands gave the pull to start rooibosch, a collective i’m part of where we organize mainly illegal parties in the area. this has brought me so much joy, community, and inspiration, music-wise. i can’t wait for the next edition in august.

what has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?

i haven’t gotten as obsessed with something as i got with aya’s hexed! last year, i saw her perform at roadburn this year and it was mind-blowing. dj-wise i have been really obsessed with a producer called isolated material, supercool stuff, very textured and bassy. also love the ep spikes by damna, some really weird dubstep. i also love producers like chewlie, herbalistek soa420 and jmoy, people who make this super textured, trippy bass music. also, i’m obsessed with everything gyrofield puts out.

what has your production journey been like? do you feel like you’ve found your artistic voice now?

i have been making music since i was 14, but somehow i always thought that working with programs like ableton would be too difficult (probably through some internalized misogyny), so i stuck to playing guitar and singing, which i was also not schooled in. but when i was 22-23, i had the privilege of doing a course at the willem twee studios that gave me the stepping stones for ableton and music production. as someone who is not male living in noord-brabant, it was quite hard for me to find a community to do so in (i didn’t know any flinta+ producers, and to be honest i still don’t know anyone in alternative electronic music who is still living in noord-brabant at the moment); it was quite a lonely process at first. but lately i’ve found that more and more thankfully, through my studio in tilburg where a lot of other talented producers make amazing stuff, through my friends in other cities and through the 3024 mentoring program.

as for my artistic voice, i feel like my tracks do have a distinct style, but i’m still discovering a lot about my direction with it. i try to really free what’s inside instead of putting boundaries and boxes on myself, which is cool but does mean that it usually turns out a lot weirder and “undancable” than i wished for hahaha. lately, i have been making a lot of shoegazy, noisy ambient where i also sing and play guitar, incorporating my 14-year-old self with my current knowledge in ableton. i have no idea what it’s going to lead to, but it had to get out so i’m trying to just follow it without too much judgement :) which is very scary but a very good process to put yourself through as a human being.

you’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?

i wanted to make a mix that went from 170 to 100 bpm because i had never done that buildup before. recently, i have started appreciating build-ups of sets a lot more, especially with bass and dub. sets from people like beatrice m. and my friend rosa have made me realize how trippy bass music actually can be, and i have tried to incorporate that trippiness more in my sets. the set builds towards some weird and glitchy stuff, which is my favorite feeling: where you can completely surrender yourself to all the weird sounds and go with that flow; it’s a different kind of trippiness in that way.

how does your approach to dj sets differ from studio mixes and radio shows? is there a narrative in mind that you’re always trying to tell through your sets?

i would say so! i think in the club you’re usually more in conversation with the audience, and usually you also have better gear available, so you’re able to mix on 3-4 cdjs, for example. at home, i’m limited to 2, but i do have the freedom to make a narrative in my set that’s not focused on a crowd. usually, the narrative of a set flows out by experimenting for me: it’s all about the process and the feeling!

when was the last time you were on the dance floor?

this week, at het lesbisch lentefeest (the lesbian springfest) in tilburg. it was a-ma-zing to share the dance floor with so many (local) queers! my last club dance was two weeks before that at raum, which was also fantastic, had the pleasure of opening the night and stayed for the sets of darwin and peder mannerfelt with a lot of friends around me, which was a delight. oh, and in between that was slagroom x future intel, which was more of an experimental live day, which was also amazing! was done early performing again, so i could immerse myself in the rest of the performances. feeling very grateful for all these amazing experiences. <3

what are you most excited about right now?

some days off!! hahahaha, but i probably won’t know what to do with myself. i have some really nice summer gigs coming up (some live stuff, a palestine fundraiser and draaimolen festival), and i am looking forward to hanging out with my friends and going to the club as well!

what’s on your vision board at the moment?

i would love to make an album with live drums one day. i have some amazing drummers in my friends circle, and i would love to collaborate with them. i also would love to incorporate some “harshness” in my music as well one day: people like aya and death grips inspire me a lot, and i would love to see how i can incorporate my style in a more gritty setting, especially live! on the other hand, i am very chaotic, and i love starting a lot of new projects, so maybe the challenge will be to first finish what i’m working on before starting anything new. we will see where it goes to :)

welcoming paris-based dj joanna oj to the 909 mix series with a deep mystical session that centres around the ritualistic power of the drums.

joanna oj’s approach to curation and taste is one that makes your brain tickle; from frenetic bass, syncopated breaks, minimal & dub techno, emo vocals, weirdo idm to experimental, industrial, futuristic and endless unspeakable sounds. she is the host of caninal radio show on retreat radio and radio sofa. some of her recent gigs have included illegal tapes in paris with evita manji & exzald s and reshape at essaim with emma dj and salome as well as previously hosting a caninal party in collaboration with one of our favourite labels, virtual forest records.

hey joanna! how are you doing? what have you been up to lately?

i’m feeling enthusiastic because i’m having some holidays from tomorrow until mid-june. not sure about my plans but i wanna hike for sure -probably to canaria-. also, may has been the month of the stunning festival we organized, so it was filled with some very beautiful and inspiring moments of arts and music in caen -where i’m based now.

let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?

oh wow it’s a question i still ask myself. i don’t have a very precise memory but i remember i was listening to some pop rock music as a teenager. i have some feelings of getting curious, for example by going to the records library and taking some cd from artists i was listening to but also to pick some because i’ve been attracted by the cover or the title tracks. it was kind of my first way to dig.

i don’t really remember what i was listening to at home during my first years studying, it’s too vague, or probably had no musical interest, before i moved to paris in 2012. i should take more time to try to remember. it’s that moment in between where i didn’t have a hi-fi system -which means you can remember the cd you listened- and i wasn’t making youtube playlists. i was probably listening to random music on my ipod classic.

all i know is that i discovered clubbing culture when i moved to paris, and this is how i got more and more into electronic music, first at social club being introduced to some artists like birdy bam bam, yuksek, bambounou, dj shadow, mcde…and then at concrete and weather festival with their sick artistic curation, and from clubs to clubs i ended being a big fan of minimal techno and micro house, i mean, that was the villalobos era. in 2015, my first time experiencing atonal was transcendental. it struck me into more and more experimental and ambient music. i was also a huge listener of techno -stroboscopic artefact forever- and those endless nights dancing in big warehouses.

who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?

i would say jennifer lopez (leo fellow), if we consider the most cd i got from an artist and the lyrics i knew the most. haha. i still love that track called play, maybe i can play it in a set when the time is right.

was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible dj set, that led you to this path?

it’s not a specific moment, but it’s all things that follow one another and accumulate to lead, and especially in 2017 when i was living in brussels and i travelled to many incredible festivals such as rewire, meakusma, lunchmeat, fiber, ctm, or positive education. all that curiosity and open mindedness and meetings with some people has shaped my path a lot. i was also experiencing some concerts in alternative venues and it made perspectives evolving, to not only listen to music at a party but also appreciate live performances. i get more and more into acoustic and adventurous music, listening to lyl radio a lot and then some other online radios. huge highlight for me is what radios have brought to my musical education & taste. and i started doing my first collage/podcast around 2019, then during the covid time, the small festivals happening in france left a trace on my vision.

what is the most meaningful part of being an artist to you?

just a way to express myself, building a story, not having to talk or to think too much. it’s a powerful moment of connection between people, and being able to make people dance with their body or travel in their mind is so rewarding. i also love being in a constant research approach and trying to make things unpredictable and most of all bring people to new and weird places.

where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?

the internet vortex, weird things, weird cinema, i’m also sensitive to textures.

how has paris influenced or informed your sense of self and artistic output?

the cultural offer in paris is crazy amazing -and super affordable-. seeing performances, or very multi genre concerts. as i said, it’s swarming and make me feel i’m constantly digging and discovering unexpected emotions or opening new portals.

what has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?

this one ! sounds so fresh and so familiar at the same time.

you’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?

i always want to create a different narrative when it comes to craft a mix but i don’t think about the purpose too much, it’s more about feelings or keeping the flow sensual all the way. this intro track between experimental dub is setting up something witchy i guess. there are mystical voices and catchy rhythms unfolding tension.

how does your approach to dj sets differ from studio mixes and radio shows? is there a narrative in mind that you’re always trying to tell through your sets?

i feel that radio and studio mixes are a more free space where i enjoy playing unclassified tracks, sometimes deeply personal. it’s also a space to showcase new artists and labels, not in the usual radar of the people. when i play a dj set, i keep my dancer’s perspective. i love the exercise to adapt to the crowd and time and also to the crew inviting me, to the artist who plays before or after.. and it’s ok to play “bangers”.

when was the last time you were on the dance floor?

last weekend, an exciting party in the woods around paris was organized by mur de frappe collective. keki played an insane set and all the forest leprechauns were there despite the cheeky raindrops.

what are you most excited about right now?

i’m playing a gig in my hometown (laval) this weekend, it feels unreal.. i had my first festival experience in 2009 here at this festival called les 3 éléphants -i remember etienne de crecy’s cubes-. s/o to the young oj, full circle moment!

what’s on your vision board at the moment?

frolicking outside 24/7

tracklist:

albacore - wired and dubbed uniform [e s p e r p e n t ]
soreab - CU10 [polaar]
joachim spieth - residual [affin]
xin - opening [appendix.files]
paperclip minimiser - II A2 [peak oil]
trois-quart taxi system - straw and bodies [maloca]
zohar & nympho - trust [dkmtl]
seli - elc bassi [onmaya]
hod - surrender ritual [sequencias temporales]
yogg - don’t you [polarized future]
dubplanet x - data process1ng [obriy]
xlbb - loosejaw [onmaya]
koi - ser de viento [ineffable]
stupr - obliterated realms [art bei ton]
natsumi hirota - monologue [second born]
jomania - dormin [moshtrq]
weith - near miss [bodywarmer]
angelicaa - think pink [cherche encore]
saša delimar, mirror lake - NaN [frgmnts]
luca bevacqua - recurs ↻ albedo [evel]
streikthrough - 1st train back home [de la…je l’espère]
will hofbauer & sangre voss- if the rugs could talk [whirm]
null wave - smash hand [something happening somewhere]
xterea - playtime
stenny - psychogeohraphy [ilian tape]
amit - man made hell [amar]
maara - gloves off [naff]
emænuel - sudden splits (kelman duran rework) [redstone press]
aitch - chrono [hundebiss]
madteo - big stack attack [honest jon’s records]
julien mier - steen [lapsus]

i’m enjoying some much-needed time at home to recoup, reset and recharge after a pretty busy but incredible june. so much to catch up on to be honest! so many thoughts! but for the last week, my last remaining brain cells post-memori have been taken by love island uk which i finally caught up on and deep in the trenches with now. i’m really happy more people are watching love island these days so i have more people to do character and relationship analysis with. i’m not sure who my favourite couple is to win right now but simba & finley need to leave. lorenzo is my favourite <3 i’m here for jasmine’s chaos 🌪️

my highlight of june was la nature. i get very emotional every time i think about that weekend as it felt so magical and a moment where djing clicked for me. i hadn’t played a festival since 2024 which was the beautifully intimate gathering, floorless festival, which i think had around 300 people attending that year. so going from that to belgium’s la nature after a year of not playing festivals was pretty daunting, to say the least. the week of the gig was riddled with anxiety and very little sleep - every night a different dj nightmare lol. it was a lot. the pressure was on since i was playing the only sunrise moment of the entire festival which also happened to fall on the morning of solstice - gah! la nature is nestled within the forest of a ski resort too and the la chapelle stage is a gorgeous wooden chapel surrounded by these towering trees with the sun rising behind it. so you know, the dream dj slot to play in the dreamiest setting to play it in, no big deal right? i was also playing for one of my favourite labels and friend who i’ve known & worked with for the last five or six years now - maloca records - a big big honour. the maloca records takeover at la chapelle from saturday to sunday afternoon was one of my favourite stage programmes this summer so far, filled with so many precious dancefloor moments & mind-melting sets from the likes of trois-quarts taxi system, piezo & aa sudd, arsenal mikebe (the highlight of the entire weekend, insane energy, a must see if you ever get the chance to!!), andy martin & gavsborg, andy martin solo, yaleesa hall (who played a 100% production mix of tracks that they had made in the last two months, crazy!), darwin, le motel, chewlie, a.brehme, and gazpacho de la mancha - and myself sandwiched between all of that! 🥺

i don’t think i’ve prepped for a set so much in my life. from constantly checking the weather and to see what time the sun came up so i could perfectly time a very specific sunrise track i had in mind. i also wanted to try and bridge between the mystical swamp of darwin and the deep minimal energy of a.brehme whilst making it light, fun and cheeky - channeling the energy of pixies as the forest reminded me of a pixie summer camp plus solstice is all about release & celebration and i wanted to make sure that was shown through the journey as i took the dancers from dark to light.

~ visual moodboard ~

from the response i’ve received it feels like the narrative landed well. i had so much fun playing (after the first four shaky tracks) and seeing the crowd stick with me through the early hours was so beautiful & i’m so grateful for everyone who was there and my support crew who really held me down when i thought i was going to throw up or cry or whilst i screamed in the middle of the dancefloor lol. you can find videos from the set here - i hope to have a recording for you soon. in the meantime, here is my sunrise track <3

some other tracks i loved playing:

the overall festival experience was really nourishing. it felt safe and comfortable enough to wander around on your own, never feeling too busy (the capacity is 3000 but the site is sprawling), and with so many spaces to chill, you could really take the festival at your own pace. the crowd was one of my favourite festival crowd’s yet - so warm & welcoming. made so many friends over the course of the weekend, my cup felt so full. i love partying in belgium for this very reason! each stage was beautifully designed with top tier soundsystems that they each felt like their own little ecosystems - i mostly spent my weekend at la chapelle though hehe. it was by far my favourite. a lot of must-see sets i missed whilst i figure out how to enjoy festivals as a dj when i know that i need to rest well for the looming set but we’re getting there! being able to see katatonic silentio several times over the weekend was a real treat, ghost dubs live was insane, andy martin & gavsborg was perfect for the mid-afternoon heat, and seiva and grove got us very loose on the first night. andy martin’s morning set was so sexy and groovy, i don’t know how that man does it, every single time i am floored! he is my fave right now! i hope i can return to la nature again soon <3 shout out fabien (le motel) and julien for the trust and opportunity to play such a special moment within the festival. eternally grateful 🥹

also went back to paris last month for three days which were as chaotic and messy as they needed to be. shout out mike parker and souzo for the insane live sets at essaim - what a thursday night treat!!! <3

⋆ other bits ⋆

𖦹 we took over a stage at multi multi last month too which was very cute, super grateful for this opportunity and so much love to all of the artists who came & played: ben sleia, c. coiffure and dj wiggles <3

𖦹 osmura co-founder caroune is now hosting the spiralling, naturally show with me and last month was her first show!

𖦹 new mixes for further inward, seed and crescent london

𖦹 upcoming dates:

24th jul - polifonic, italy

26th + 27th jul - outlook festival, tisno - b2b with alicia on the beach stage, b2b beatrice m. on the techspec boat, solo trip hop set on the source and a panel talk ~ shout out rishi : )

30th jul - panel talk at dekmantel festival with shawn reynaldo, gabriel szatan and lauren sohikian

29th aug - rally festival, london

11th september - expert death x untitled 909, ormside projects

12th september - superflat x pwcc, italy

⋆˙⟡♡ Listening Session ⋆˙⟡♡

❀ Releases ❀

♡ sepehr - fool’s ovation

♡ aawadh - tomorrow comes early

♡ fm arlo - change shape

♡ John Beltran - Sunrise and the Life We Live

♡ traumprinz - life

♡ katatonic silentio - dance of the sun

♡ halfway rituals 001 - Solma & urlcst

♡ aedis - Body / Mind

♡ pugilist - triads

♡ j:kenzo - traverse / deuce

❀ Mixes ❀

⟡ Animix One Hundred & Ninety Two: DJ PGZ

⟡ Đ.K. @Freifeld, Abyss at Open Ground - 09.05.26

⟡ Maloca Records w/ Vers & Le Motel @ Kiosk Radio 03.06.2026

⟡ Carré at Ring, Horst Festival 2026

⟡ Opheliaxz presents Companion

⟡ Le Motel presents Merry-Go-Round w/ Stush, Magugu, Clara! & Zwangere Guy

⟡ Outsiders: Cozi w/ softi @ Kiosk Radio 20.06.2026

⟡ N°150 - Carrier

⟡ ⚓BAITMIX003⚓ Soa420 at Bait & Traverse

⟡ PACIFIC MODE mix008 - MARIPOSA

⟡ The Mix 112: Jump Source

⟡ bookmarks ⟡

Colman Domingo | Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Bowen Yang & Rachel Sennott | Actors on Actors

Gracie Abram’s Brave New World

Lena Dunham on creative ambition, chronic illness, and messy bedside tables

Club Chalamet Got into a Fight At Paris Fashion Week

~ books read ~

Sarah J Maas - Throne Of Glass

Pauline Oliveros - Quantum Listening

Belle Burden - Strangers

Sarah Perry - Death of an Ordinary man

⟡ 909’s june features ⟡

⋆˚࿔ untitled 909 podcast 274: isa w ⋆˚࿔

⋆˚࿔ untitled 909 podcast 275: oma totem ⋆˚࿔

I’m thinking of you by Russell E.L. Butler

⋆˚࿔ untitled 909 podcast 276: woody boase (live at scoundrel) ⋆˚࿔

Femme Bass Mafia’s Angel Audio delivers The Source at Outlook Festival

⋆˚࿔ untitled 909 podcast 277: tangela (live from refractor festival 2025) ⋆˚࿔

welcoming back a familiar face to the 909 world, martyn <3

for this week’s edition of the 909 mix series, martyn delivers a collage of influences and soundbites that helped build the sonic world of his new album, music for existing, which is out now via 3024. this session gives a deeper insight into the process behind martyn’s prolific production journey - one that started over 20 years ago.

in that time, martyn has become one of the most important voices within electronic music. growing up in the netherlands, martyn initially came through the uk-originated hybrid of bass music before becoming one of the key bridges between the dubstep and techno worlds, going onto releasing on the likes of ostgut ton, brainfeeder and intercept records. now based in washington dc, martyn is steadfast in his role as a connector. through various projects, martyn utilises his platform to champion and educate others. through his mentoring programme, which has been ongoing now since 2020, martyn hosts workshops, talks and interviews with industry figures and notable artists through the deeper dives series to genre-specific talks, production walkthroughs and group release sessions that help new and emerging artists learn everything there is to know about putting out records, different scenes and sounds, and how their favourite artists forged their own paths. the community that he has managed to build within the programme is beautiful and incredibly refreshing in a system that is driven towards division. there’s so much support for one and another within the discord walls which goes above & beyond into the real world with new labels, parties and more coming into play from these conversations. this kind of nurturing environment is vital for bringing to life new scenes, sounds and voices.

now seven years on from the release of his last album, martyn steps forward once again with another sonic evolution in his longstanding career. noted in the press release, music for existing ‘is more than a collection of tracks; it is a profound exploration of what it means to remain devoted to a craft in an era of relentless noise’. the noise of algorithms, trends, and content farming, martyn sticks to what he does best and that is following his heart, making music that is uniquely his and a pure expression of where he is at in life. it is an album that sees him collaborate deeply for the first time in his career, a community album of sorts with contributions from duval timothy, dan only, lucinda chua, mark cisneros, mischa porte and cees bruinsma, alongside the evocative words of writer and poet musa okwonga. a pretty special body of work that shows an artist still at the top of his game <3

to accompany the release of martyn’s mix, we speak about the roles of education and mentorship, how the environment martyn works in influences his output, his relationship with jazz and what he learned from collaboration.

Hey Martyn! How are you doing today? What has the past month looked like for you?

Hey doing well thanks! Hope you are doing good!.. I’ve been pretty busy, I made a new album called Music for Existing, which came out late May on my label 3024 - it’s been a while since I released a full length album so I’m pretty excited about it. To be honest this album is a very personal one so having it out there for people to listen to and engage with is really nice and also a little scary. It’s interesting to see what the music does with people.

Congratulations on the release of your beautiful new album, ‘Music For Existing’, can you tell us a little bit about the story behind the album and what the process looked like whilst making it? How did the collaborations and contributions on the album come about and what was one of your biggest takeaways from making an album within a communal environment like this one?

The last couple of years I’ve spent most of my time teaching and mentoring, as well as running the label, writing and touring. There was time for music making, but not a lot and to be honest I’m not the type of person who spends countless hours in the studio trying to make tracks anyway - it’s either I have something to say or I don’t. Teaching about music makes you think a lot more about the creative process, how to be able to generate ideas and how to focus on realizing them. A lot of the initial sketches for this album were made over the course of several years and just sat on my desktop waiting for another element to be added to it.

During the pandemic I made some music with Jim (Om Unit) and I really enjoyed the process of bouncing ideas back and forth and blending styles. Being accustomed to making music on your own all the time, collaborating with someone takes the pressure off a little bit too - you’re more of a contributor than the sole responsible person for the music. It’s like being part of a band rather than a solo artist.

The sketches that I made were all really loose, raw ideas recorded in 5min takes, things like that, and I really liked the idea of turning them into a release. I started to play them to some of my friends like Duval (Timothy), Cees (Bruinsma) and Dan Only - the latter two are also alumni from my Mentoring Program. They recorded a few takes, just freestyling on top of my ideas. Cees also linked me with Mischa Porte who is an amazing drummer and once I heard his stuff we started working on the sketches. This back and forth eventually became the core tracks of the record.
Working with other musicians was never “the concept”, it’s also not one of those “electronic producer gets the label to hire some session guys so it sounds more serious” kinda record, and it’s definitely not a Martyn does Jazz record ahah but just a real organic development where me and my friends were enjoying making some good stuff together. Half the time people aren’t really able to tell what’s played live and what’s sequenced in the DAW and I think that means there’s a perfect blend of sounds and ideas. Personally, working with all these amazing people made me so much better too as a musician. I wrote some things for this album that I didn’t think I was capable of even when I started the project. It’s a great feeling to unlock that and I’m grateful to all the contributors for believing in my idea.

You mentioned in a recent interview that you prefer to make a lot of your music outside of the studio and that you like to listen to music whilst walking or moving your body. Have you noticed any patterns or shifts in the sounds and styles that you’re drawn to because of this? How much does the environment that you work in influence the output?

I don’t think it’s necessarily the music (sound, style) that’s influenced by the environment, but more so the process of creating things. By purposefully listening to sketches and ideas outside of the studio, it forces you to consider eventual changes and adjustments much more carefully than when you are in the studio where you can do it instantly. You cultivate a much lighter touch to the original ideas and so they keep that loose, human feel rather than trying to overproduce them or “correct” things that are “wrong”.

Waaaay back when I started making music, someone told me to listen to my tracks with the computer monitor switched off (I don’t even think computer screens have off buttons anymore), so you wouldn’t be able to see in the DAW what’s coming next in the track - it’s that same concept - you’re making music for listening, so it should work without being able to see it or touch it.

Do you think that having the NTS show, The Darkest Light, helped give you the confidence to move in this direction with the album where you draw from jazz influences and practices?

Yes and no. Making radio is a whole different thing than making music, even immersing yourself in a style of music doesn’t necessarily bring you anywhere closer to being able to make that music, apart from maybe knowing what you like to hear? Like I explained earlier I didn’t set out to make a “Martyn does Jazz” type of record but the music has definitely been in my DNA long enough to reflect into my own music, even long before “Music for Existing”. I came across a super old track of mine the other day, called “JW On a Good Night”. I had completely forgotten about it but it’s funny how close it is to the music I do now. (Apart from the fact that back then I only used samples) Anyway, once the record started to take shape a little more and sonically it veered more and more into the jazz realm, a good friend of mine said it sounded like he was listening on headphones to my old stuff in one ear and The Darkest Light in the other - and I thought that was a great compliment!

You mentioned that you have imposter syndrome when it comes to this show, what helps you overcome this and continue to host the residency? Why do you think the jazz scene feels this daunting and do you think it’s become more accessible since you first started listening to jazz radio shows as you were growing up?

Maybe a little less now that the music is more easily available than back when I got into it, but jazz and classical music have always felt like genres that are on some sort of pedestal. Like, you need to know what’s going on musically, know music theory, know the players or history of the piece, experience it live otherwise you wouldn’t ‘get it’ etc. Even jazz on the radio was always on some tucked away public channel and felt very serious, a bit classist even, which is hugely triggering for me but that’s maybe a story for another day.

I’ve been listening and collecting for a very long time now but I never enjoyed that gatekeep-y aspect of it. Really, the only thing you need to be able to do to enjoy jazz is to close your eyes and listen. So when I started the show on NTS I wanted to just play the music I had discovered myself and talk about that discovery - and I think that makes it a more level kind of experience for the listener, because everyone can relate to the excitement of discovering something. Some of the stuff I play is niche and some of it is really basic and that sometimes gives me imposter, because who the hell plays Miles Davis on a dedicated jazz show on NTS? But what’s basic to me can be mind-altering to someone out there and that’s the whole point of doing radio in the first place.

As far as imposter syndrome, when it comes up I always tell myself it’s just about genuinely loving the music you play on the show. There’s always gonna be someone out there that’s more of an expert than you, but YOU are the one putting on the show every month and not them. Also I don’t think the owners and the team at NTS get enough credit for the mountain of work they put into programming the station. They’re always supportive and that also gives me confidence to try out new things for the show.

What have been some notable records that have helped shape Music For Existing? Can you tell us about one or two stand-out jazz records you’ve collected on your travels and what makes them so special?

I’ve thought about this for a long time but it’s just too hard to pick out one or two specific records - what’s so nice about collecting physical items (like records) is that each backstory is as unique as the record itself. It can be a record you bought at a specific place, something that’s been recommended to you by a specific person (or a random person), a record that hit you at exactly the time you needed to hear it, or a record that provided you with a very specific idea that inspired you to make something yourself.

A while back I was in Bristol and got in an Uber to the hotel. The Uber driver said he couldn’t get exactly to the front door of the hotel so he dropped me off on another street for me to walk there. That dropoff happened to be right in front of a record shop (called Wanted Records) so I went in and found three records by Joe Harriott (a Jamaican/UK sax player) that were on my list for a long time! Another discovery came from a conversation I had with Nat Birchall, who records a lot of music that sits somewhere between dub and spiritual jazz. He tipped me to go and listen to Booker Ervin’s “Freedom Book” - and it’s been one of my favorite records ever since. I love recommending music to people and am always keen to check out what other people are into. It’s a much more satisfying way to expand your personal tastes away from the recommendations of the algo too.

When I was writing Music for Existing I made a small playlist of songs that didn’t necessarily sound like anything I was making but that contained some ideas I wanted to try out. There’s a Miles Davis piece from In a Silent Way called “Shhh / Peaceful” and it’s this sort of long drawn out jam. If you listen closely you can hear that within its 18 min runtime different takes are spliced together (on tape) so I used that idea with some of the stems I used on my record. I love picking up ideas like that - for a while I put a slapback echo on a lot of my riffs and stab sounds cos I really like how it sounds on 80s new wave vocalists- this sort of claustrophobic, close sound you know that makes it very direct without being too dry. Outside of music there are also so many interesting techniques and approaches applied in other forms of art that you can translate to your own practice. The way a book is structured, or how a scene in a movie is filmed - all those techniques can be used in music too if you just use your imagination.

You’ve been running your mentoring programme since the pandemic, which has gone on to birth so many incredible artists, releases and projects, what has your experience been like stepping into the role of a teacher? What was going on in your life at the time, aside from the pandemic, that made it feel like the right time to explore this avenue?

I never pursued it as a full time job but have some teaching experience, interning while at uni as a Dutch teacher for refugee kids and also subbing as a geography teacher (! talk about imposter syndrome I had no idea what I was doing lol). I had been thinking about some sort of teaching / coaching / mentoring type of project for a while, mainly because I felt the space was so littered with ‘career advice’ / secret sauce type schemes and an overload of music tech information. But what I want to do is support artists and provide what they’re looking for, mainly disentangling their workflow and giving them control over their process so that they can further explore their own creative ideas. Part of being a musician is to pass on your expertise and knowledge to the next musician, and the mentoring program feels like a way where I can do it in a sustainable and productive way.

It’s crazy to look back and see how many releases, collaborations, labels and other projects have sprung from the program. Not just the eight (!) compilations on 3024 featuring artists on the program, but so many great side projects. Half the time when I see a flyer for an event there’s at least one person on it that passed through the program or has some sort of relation. Also there are these monthly artist interviews called Deeper Dives, quite similar to the old RBMA lectures but on Zoom, and last week I recorded the 60th one (with re:ni and BiggaBush). The Deeper Dive archive is just so valuable - all these amazing inspiring artists sharing their thoughts and ideas about music making.

I’ve said this before, but the energy you get from teaching is similar to the energy you get from DJ’ing - you put your ideas out there and people respond to it, each in their own way, and the results can be really inspiring and uplifting. I love that about the program - it’s a lot of work but also super invigorating and never the same.

What do you think makes a good teacher?

Maybe it’s better to ask someone else whether they think I’m good or not, but I think being perceptive is really important. As a teacher you are there to make your mentees better artists, not to force your own views on everyone, or make them into carbon copies of yourself. So it’s important to listen for cues and find out what someone needs from you and then try and provide that. It can be technical knowledge, it can be a little support for their ideas, a widening perspective, a confidence boost, acting as a sounding board for new ideas, or guidance in taking major steps in a career.

Do you think all artists need a mentor in their life to help them succeed? Did you have a mentor in the early days of your artistic journey?

No, I didn’t have one particular person I would say was “my mentor”, but I did learn important lessons from various people along the way that shaped my personal artistic journey. Some of the most important advice people have given me is to always be hungry for new music and ideas, to be very conscious of people trying to interfere with your art, and to always retain playfulness and joy in your music making while also making a serious commitment in time and priorities. I am super grateful for people who made a little bit of extra time for me to help out, and I try to do the same for others.

I’ve now been involved in music for three decades, making records for two, and I’m still learning so many things on an almost daily basis.

Are there any issues or solutions that have come up in the mentoring programme so far that you were surprised by? Is there one teaching that you would like to share here that you wish for more artists and music participants to take on board?

I think a big difference between how I started out as a musician and most young artists today is the immense pressure of time. I only started actually making music after I DJ’d and promoted events for almost 10 years, there was a lot of time and space to try out things, and also to make mistakes and learn from them. Artists nowadays often feel they only have one shot at ‘doing it right’, and put an unnecessary amount of pressure on themselves. But the fact of the matter is that nothing has to be perfect - pick a weird alias, do your own artwork even if you’re bad at art, make the record you wanted to make just cos you felt like it, not because it’s the right move. It’s all part of being a creative person and getting better.

Lastly, can you tell us about the mix you’ve contributed to the 909 series?

When I make music I often visualize several songs I really like blending together into one and then try and make that imaginary track. In my notebook I have written down lots of little ideas like that, usually something along the lines of “the beats of [X] but the vibe of [Y], and a melody like [Z]”. And once I find some sounds that match that rough idea I start putting it together in my mind. The more disparate the songs are the more excited I usually get, but also the less likely the end result is going to sound anything like that initial idea.

When I was writing this new album I quickly started to realize that musically it was going to be quite different from what I had been doing before, and when I finished “Heavy Sound” (the opening track) I recorded this “vibe mix” for myself and a few friends I usually send stuff to, to get a sense of what the rest of the album could sound like, and to build a little sonic world for myself that I could visit while making the album. It serves the same purpose as the note taking but in a sonic form. I listened to this mix a lot and I guess it gives a little insight to my process as well so I thought I’d give it to you!

‘Music For Existing’ by Martyn is out now - buy here.

“909 is hosting my refractor set from 2025. it feels really nice to pass this one over to you as it was where we first met! i was sandwiched between two live sets from some of my absolute all time faves on the saturday night, trois-quarts taxi system before me and speck-webu & feral after me. i can’t express how much of an inspiration each of these artists have been for me, it felt surreal playing in spain for the first time in this slot. i expected they would each play in the half-time / 160-170 bpm range so wanted to start nice and slow, the sun had just set and wanted people to lock in for deep foresty vibes and then bring the energy right up. i felt really connected to the dancers with this one and tried to bring some bright energy into the swampiness.”

this week we have the wonderful gadigal land/sydney-based artist tangela on the 909 series with a live recording from last year’s edition of refractor festival <3

if you have been paying attention then you know how much refractor festival means to me, quickly becoming an integral part of my summer schedule. last year was the first time i attended the festival and was lucky enough to catch this tangela set in real time. it was one of my favourite sets from that weekend! the saturday night of the festival was full of heavy hitters with tangela nestled between trois-quart taxi system and spekki webu & feral live sets and she absolutely nailed it! it was perfect for that time and setting as, across the two hours, tangela took us on a journey through deep, organic, textural soundscapes, spiritually channeling the energy of the vast rural landscape we were surrounded by. it’s playful with a hint of mystical, swampy energy as she flows through tracks by amuwa, claudio prc, souzo, erik luebs and space drum meditation.

a staple within australia’s underground scene, tangela is a resident on sydney’s iconic fbi radio 94.5fm which has been running weekly for over five years now. her style has translated from the airwaves to dancefloors across many of the country’s esteemed haunts, diy warehouses and bush raves, including her own as founder of both dstreet and minutiae festival. plugged into all corners of the music scene, she’s also the co-founder of oomycota record label, alongside amuwa, which platforms emerging artists from australia and beyond within the experimental realms of techno. so far the releases have included bluhol, kick21, and monosym.

hey talia! how are you doing? what have you been up to lately?

hey chanel! i’ve been really good :) i’m currently travelling through kyushu on my first japan tour. it’s so special and i’ve just arrived back to the city after being lost in clouds, up in the mountains for the past couple of days on a solo hike! feel very lucky to get some magical nature grounding time in between gigs. it’s a nice change up to be back on the road, i’ve been at home in eora / sydney for the last half of the year really diving into production and music making which has been a whole new journey for me and very satisfying to get lost in. it’s nice after that time to step out into the world for new inspiration, perspective and reflection which travelling always brings for me.

let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?

i have a very early memory of being a kid in the car with mum, we had an agreement that we’d alternate turns of the wiggles cd and björk. ‘it’s oh so quiet’ really sticks in my memory as having a pretty profound impact on my 6 year old brain. the push and pull of gentle and intense moments and sense of storytelling. this still holds true for the sort of music i gravitate towards today. my dad also had a wicked collection of cds, i was a 90s kid so the car collection included groove armada, chemical brothers, apex twin. electronic music has always been there for me as long as i can remember.

who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?

that’s really hard, my taste was always changing and i was obsessed with finding new music as a kid, i would sit in the car with the radio on (big ups fbi) and a pen and paper and write down the artists i liked so i could go look them up later. but the first cd i bought for my diskman, about age 10 was avril lavigne. i was such a little tomboy with my punk knee length shorts and trucker caps, this was a big moment for me.

was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible dj set, that led you to this path?

there’s not really a specific life changing moment, it’s the culmination of many formative experiences and a lifelong obsession with music that has guided me in this direction. that being said, i’d never thought that i would be making or playing music myself so that’s been a surprise to me!

i would go see a lot of bands as a teenager, metal and heavier stuff. there were free music magazines that would get delivered to the record stores in newtown and i’d check them out for underage gigs around town and would discover a lot of music this way. (the metal to techno pipeline must be studied!). in terms of djing, it was not until much later, already a seasoned inner-west warehouse girlie, i saw jayda g at the river stage at subsonic 2018 and it was the first time for me seeing a poc woman up on stage playing records, absolutely slaying, her energy was so infectious. it was the first time that i thought wow, maybe i could do that too and started djing and working at a record store in the next year.

where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?

i have a background in fashion design so colour and aesthetic are really important to me, visual language guides my practice greatly. especially with myself and amuwa’s label, oomycota. the world we create is just as much driven by visual storytelling as it is with sound. we collaborate both with visual and sound artists to explore the organic microcosm, connecting through networks of energy. in this we look to the natural world for inspiration, communicated through digital expression. writing is also very important to my practice, catching these fleeting moments of inspiration and emotion, guiding the storytelling in my work.

how has being based in gadigal land/sydney influenced or informed your sense of self and artistic output?

i was based on gadigal land for most of my twenties and it shaped my musical identity. this was the time of lock-out laws and the party scene went underground. i was going to proper raves every weekend at undisclosed inner west warehouses and bunkers cut into the side of the coastline. there was a wild and unhinged energy to the music and the vibe. only getting directions hours before the party, sometimes trekking it through the sand dunes for half an hour or scurrying into tunnels under bridges. it was a real adventure every weekend and you never knew what to expect. this energy fed into the music, gone were the restraints of commercial club promoters and pressure to stick to a brief or genre, artists took more risks and were received with open minds. lots of bass music influences and people weren’t scared to step outside a four to the floor beat. there was also lots of minimal in the after-hours, proper weird, scat, brain-melty minimal that really tickled my brain. i think these experiences gave me permission to follow my own path, flow through many genres and never be afraid of a curveball.

you’re involved in many projects from the record label oomycota to events & collectives via dstreet and club less and finally the minutiae festival which was launched in 2023. what draws you to these projects? what is it that appeals to you about curation and what do you aim to achieve via these various projects?

sooooo many projects haha! community is what draws me to all of these different projects, they are each with a different group of people throwing local, community run parties and because collaboration is so important in this space. with diy events you are only ever hoping to break even so the more hands on deck the better and different perspectives are so important to continually challenge the format and push us each out of our comfort zone. i’ve pulled back from running so many events to focus on the label and making my own music but club less will be back this summer. this is our open air day party series which are my favourite type of parties to run because the energy is always so high.

what has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?

i’ve been really loving numa gama from brazil, so much cool music coming out of that part of the world. really sick left-field, dubby, rhythmic latin dance music. yum!

you’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?

909 is hosting my refractor set from 2025. it feels really nice to pass this one over to you as it was where we first met! i was sandwiched between two live sets from some of my absolute all time faves on the saturday night, trois-quarts taxi system before me and speck-webu & feral after me. i can’t express how much of an inspiration each of these artists have been for me, it felt surreal playing in spain for the first time in this slot. i expected they would each play in the half-time / 160-170 bpm range so wanted to start nice and slow, the sun had just set and wanted people to lock in for deep foresty vibes and then bring the energy right up. i felt really connected to the dancers with this one and tried to bring some bright energy into the swampiness.

how does your approach to dj sets differ from studio mixes and radio shows? is there a narrative in mind that you’re always trying to tell through your sets?

i like to approach these all in a different way, my club sets are really fluid, i often don’t have a specific playlist but rely on my tagging system to navigate through moods and respond to the ebb and flow of energy in the room. of course there’s still prep involved but more cataloguing in a way that helps my brain improvise smoothly and lock in to a groove. festival sets are a whole other ball game, i will often write a manifestation or poem that helps guide my storyline. this helps me take a bendy road and traverse many genres with a succinct intention. studio and radio mixes i always try showcase parts of my collection that often don’t see the stage, i use these as platforms to showcase new music from friends and gems from obscure parts of the internet i’ve found myself in.

when was the last time you were on the dance floor?

mark ernestus’ ndagga rhythm force for vivid live at the sydney opera house. it was the last gig i went to before heading on tour and sometimes i forget to go see live music!!! was insane watching this 6 piece senegalese drummer ensemble craft complex polyrhythms. produced by mark ernestus of basic channel, it was a meeting of dub techno and traditional percussion improvisation. really mind-blowing. i have a whole tag on my record box dedicated to “drummy” rhythms because they just move me so much and make me want to dance, like proper whole body dancing.

what are you most excited about right now?

i think there’s something wrong with me because people are always asking me if i’m excited, and i do have many things to be excited about but never tend to be in the anticipating way that people expect. i’m excited once i’m in the place doing the thing, so right now i’m stoked to be in japan exploring, everything is a great wonder to me here and am excited each day that is new and full of adventure. maybe this is because for me, excitement comes from the unexpected, there is real magic in things you cannot predict.

what’s on your vision board at the moment?

most recent mood board for this current tour, lots of iridescent cicadas, isopods and chrome beetles.

we have a special friends & family ticket link here - if you are low on funds and would like to join for our takeover only, please message us <3

our lineup : )

c. coiffure (live) ૮₍ ´ ꒳ `₎ა

with only five hours of music to programme i knew from the get go that i wanted to have a live act as part of the bill and after seeing c. coiffure live at pe:rsona last year, booking lucas was a no brainer! a set that i feel truly defines low end psychedelia in that it showcases the full spectrum of the sound, from murky dubbed-out rhythms to sleazy minimal cuts. the rennes-based producer is also the creator of one of 2026’s summer anthems, ‘decoy’ released earlier this year on beatrice m.’s bait imprint. i highly recommending spending some time going through his impressive discography with releases on comic sans records, useless seconds, and worst records. i’m so so excited to see him play live again!!

dj wiggles b2b softi (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) ‹𝟹

now onto the london focus of the lineup! two of my favourite djs! dj wiggles is the founder of the brilliant event series and music platform kinetic focused on mooody, swampy, adventurous, psychedelic sounds. she hosts a residency on kiosk radio and has played at acclaimed haunts such as horst club, corsica studios, ormside projects, unfold, open ground and tresor. there’s a whole archive of mixes for you to get stuck into but two of my favourites are the truancy session which is so tender and beautiful and of course her 909 mix which is how we first connected.

softi is the founder of cozi, a record label, mix series and kiosk radio residency which is wonderfully curated around “An eclectic w0rld 0f Deep Sounds fOr yoUr Brain.” in the last few years, she’s really stepped into her own as a producer with an insane output of self release records that span downtempo, trip hop, deep techno and wiggly minimal records. every single release is a knockout and there’s a sense of nostalgia with everything she does. i’m listening to her latest kiosk radio show as i write this which is pretty incredible - flowing through a concise selection of swirling hypnotic tracks.

basic chanel b2b ben sleia ₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ ₊˚⊹♡

i’m very excited to be able to have my bestie as part of the lineup and play together for the first time! hailing from a small countryside village in france and now based in berlin, ben sleia is a dj and founder of bruits - an event series that has hosted parties at ohm, kwia and fitzroy, booking the likes of low end activist, dj strawberry, prieste5s, katiusha, otto diva and ophélie to name a few. her sound usually draws from the fringes from electronic music with a raw, gritty and industrial palette with a fun and fiery edge. i’ve had the pleasure of seeing her absolutely slay at unfold, ohm and sameheads - a very dynamic dj. she is one of my go to encyclopaedia’s for all things music-related with a knowledge that spans so far and one of my favourite people to share the dancefloor with hehe. get aquatinted with ben sleia via her very sick jazz influenced footwork show on kiosk radio and studio weißensee session.

hope to see some of you there!

chanel xo

Elevating the experience one step further, Outlook has teamed up with Femme Bass Mafia’s newly-built Angel Audio soundsystem to power the stage. Launched in 2020, Femme Bass Mafia is a Berlin-based collective centred around empowering female, trans and non-binary artists whilst creating accessible workshops to enter various practices within the music scene alongside throwing parties across Europe. In the second half of last year, Femme Bass Mafia launched a soundsystem mentoring programme where over the course of eight weeks, where the mentees would learn the "understanding, assembling and running" of soundsystem events alongside a series of hands-on workshops where they eventually built Angel Audio. They will be driving the system from Berlin to Croatia for the special occasion - a partnership that has been a year in the making.

Ahead of the festival, which takes place from the 23rd - 27th July, we spoke to Rishi (Outlook’s lead music programmer) and Lilia (founder of Femme Bass Mafia and DJ, Dangermami) about the collaboration, the approach to curation, the history of Femme Bass Mafia and the soundsystem programme, plus some insider tips of what you can expect from The Source stage.

Can you tell us a little bit about how Femme Bass Mafia was formed and what the journey has been like so far running the collective?

Lilia: FBM was basically the fruit of a lot of free time, frustration, and a strong urge to learn how to DJ without really knowing where to start.

I had already been evolving within the music industry for a while and realised how few non-male figures I had around me to even ask for help. When the first lockdown hit, I impulse-bought a pair of second-hand CDJ-850s without knowing how to use them. Even though I had a flatmate who could DJ, I was really craving a space to learn alongside a small group of femmes who also loved the same music as me.

A huge push from my dear friend Natacha, a thousand post-it notes and a bit of structure later, FBM was born after about six months of preparation. My friend Neale designed a logo and (a really sick) visual identity. The very first project was a naive attempt at it:, a 12-week DJ mentoring programme in small groups, but a team of amazing mentors, including Luz1e, Marie Midori, DJ Fuckoff, Monibi, MSJY, and jpeg.love. The energy of the first mentoring group defined the whole project if you ask me.

Luzie and Marie joined the core team with me after about a year, and together we expanded the programme into a six-month format. Later, Jenny came on board and our first Ableton music production programme was born. Around the same time, we also started playing as a crew at clubs and festivals, which slowly grew into workshops, talks, panels, and showcases across Europe - from Outlook Festival, Melt!, De School, Open Ground, RSO Berlin to Amsterdam Dance Event and beyond.

A lot of FBM has been pure learning-by-doing and optimising things as we go, but the goal has always stayed the same: creating safer and more accessible spaces for FLINTA people within bass music. The intention of FBM was always driven by a pure heart. So many friendships came out of the project. Today, the core team is made up of Jenny, Eliott, and myself, but we are lucky to be surrounded by the day one’s, and around 50 alumni who took part in the past programmes and are what we would call our bass angels.

The workshops are an integral part of FBM’s offerings, what inspired the decision to host a soundsystem focused programme?

Lilia: The past six years have been heavily centred around mentoring programmes, mostly teaching small groups how to DJ or how to produce with Ableton over periods of three to six months. I believe these formats are also what created such strong bonds within the groups.

By the end of 2024, we sat down and realised FBM helped form a whole new wave of FLINTA DJs, but we also wanted to offer something for the next stage, for people who already had their hands on the decks. We initially launched a new iteration of the project, which was also a huge step for us to present something more ‘mature’, with a programme around ‘Sustainability & Progress’, with mentors such as Mia Koden, Octo Octa, Yuko Asanuma, ZE:NA, Louisahhh and Kikelomo, but we still had some funding left to use for the rest of the year.

One day we sat down to brainstorm our next programme and quickly realised none of the original ideas for other formats were really sparking excitement. It felt a bit purposeless in a way? So we did a complete 180 and started sketching out the idea of repurposing the funding into a programme focused on building your own soundsystem. Jenny already mentioned the idea a couple years back, but it felt so aligned this time around. Interest in club speakers and sound keeps on growing, (Floating Point’s Sunflower Soundsystem making every news bit for example, Tweak Soundsystem, Sinai Sound at all of our fave bass parties, etc.). and we thought it would be cool to bring more FLINTA’s in that field too.

As J has a connection to the world of speakers and audio engineering through her partner Tizian, it felt like the right path to choose as a next step for FBM. Without these two Angel Audio would have never seen the day.

Everything moved incredibly fast after that, and somehow the program and the build came together thanks to that impulse fire that now that I think about it, seems to be essential in our team haha, also thanks to Musicboard, and the generous support of B&C Speakers, who provided us with some state-of-the-art transducers. It’s safe to say it was our biggest project to date.

What did the process look like when you were choosing industry figures to host the sessions? Can you talk us through some of the people you worked with?

Lilia: We split the programme into two parts: one theoretical, one hands-on with the actual soundsystem build.

Before anything technical, it was really important for us to ground everything in the cultural and political context of soundsystem culture, community, collective responsibility, the role of sound in a space, and what it really means to hold that together. We were also learning along the way to be fair, always are…

We reached out to people from our wider community, with some happy coincidences & recommendations we managed to put together a lineup, mixing grassroots organisers, sound techs, promoters, and more established figures, all representing different angles of soundsystem culture.

Aarti from Dub & Dal and Rishi repping Outlook Festival opened up a conversation around community and soundsystem culture as a space for cultural expression, care, and collective building. Steph (musik matter / Deep Medi), Darwin (REEF / Abyss), and Eugenia Seriakov spoke about designing events that truly centre sound, from system choices and space to how you build and sustain listening-focused scenes over time.

We also had Linett Kamala, Huw from Sinai Soundsystem, and Jan Loup sharing the realities of building and maintaining a soundsystem, not just technically, but also socially and as a collective practice. Linett recently also joined us on another sound system build as a speaker and shared more insights with her background of running sound systems the past 40 years and being the first woman to ever play Notting Hill Carnival. Thinking about all these people coming in to share their love & expertise, it’s something super special.

The build itself was led by Carlo from Horner Audio and Tizian from Teile, with Laurin Schafshausen on tuning and tone, and Joshua (Studio Wassertor) and Noel holding it down on the physical side - workshop, tools, assembly, all the very essential hands-on work that actually makes a system come alive.

When you are working with mentees, do you often find there common concerns relating to the industry that keep coming up within your sessions?

Lilia: Definitely. Within our DJ programmes especially, the same concerns came up again and again: how to present yourself online as a FLINTA artist, how to get started with bookings and not get fucked over, and biggest of them all, no matter where you’re at: how not to burn out.

It’s honestly quite worrying how early these questions already become central and that the rite of passage is a very similar experience for many of us. But I think it reflects a broader reality for FLINTA DJs, who have had to go the extra mile, constantly building confidence, proving themselves, and fighting to be seen, accepted, and celebrated for their work.

Within our direct and fairly niche environment, it does feel like many crews are genuinely working toward the same goals, which is so beautiful to witness. Every weekend in Berlin there is a cute bass party going on and those are very often FLINTA led. But globally, it remains a much bigger issue that FLINTA artists still have to deal with it on a daily basis, in the booth, behind the scenes, on the dancefloor, online…

What were some of the biggest lessons you learned whilst building the Angel Audio system?

Lilia: Many lessons both on the tech side & all the context around the sound system:

• Finding FLINTA sound techs and audio professionals is a mission but they are out there. Reach out!

• You might have to make compromises on the design of the speakers depending what use you want for it - perfection and ticking all the boxes is a stretch (unless you have lots of cash)

• Asking for external help is quite necessary and having people who know their craft & can guide you through your first steps also is! Safe woodworking, lasering, assembling, the electronics bit, references for drivers, amps & dsp’s, tuning, etc, etc, etc,…

• We did it in such a short amount of time as per funding timeline, one big learning though: if you can, take your time and do not rush through the process.

• The knowledge has to be passed on & requires shit ton of passion and endless nerdiness. Once you get the gist of it, share it <3

• Everyone can do it!

I’ve been reading a lot about community and its connection to the soundsystem, how people would use the system as a centrepoint for gathering, how would you describe the connection between the two?

Lilia: One thing Linett Kamala, one of our mentors, said really stayed with me: “The soundsystem will always be bigger than you.”

I think that fully captures the relationship between community and soundsystem culture, putting the ego aside and remembering what you do it for.. Running sound is deeply collective by nature, it relies on teamwork, trust, care, and shared responsibility. A soundsystem creates a space where people gather, connect, dance, exchange, and feel held together through sound.

We are super proud of the Angel Audio crew that was formed after the program took place, and gave the option to the mentees to sign up for a year of running the sound system collectively. They very quickly became a super passionate and professional crew, organising everything themselves and functioning independently from FBM. If anything, they are the ones who embody the whole idea of community work. Working late hours, driving, carrying, some doing the admin, replying to emails, figuring out dynamics and that… yet still showing up for one another :-)

How did the collaboration come about with Outlook Festival?

Lilia: The relationship between Outlook and Femme Bass Mafia has been an evolving partnership since 2024!!

It actually started very casually, Rishi and I met at a party in Bristol via Formella (yet another of our FBM alumni and angel). That day we pinky-promised we’d find ways to collaborate in the future. For things to move and bring fresh air & ideas in, we need to recognise that the landscape in our precious scene still has a long way to go in terms of 50/50 opportunities and general representation of marginalised groups.

Summer 2024 was our first time taking over the beach stage at the Tisno garden, we came in a crew and played and had fun and found a parallel universe where all the stages were playing sick music at all times. In 2025 we hosted the Femme Boat Mafia which to this day is still one of the best FBM memories ever, with sets from MC Yallah, MSJY b2b Formella, Beatrice M. b2b AliA, Ehua b2b myself… massive musical treat spanning all vibes, bass wobbles for days but also smoothest flow and big smiles.

Can you tell us about the process of getting Angel Audio to Outlook Festival?

Lilia: Honestly, even a year ago this wasn’t really on the table. We started plotting it just before Outlook in July 2025, and at that point we weren’t sure at all if - or how - the soundsystem would actually be able to physically exist.

Once we got the green lights from all the parties involved, things moved pretty quickly. Rishi was one of the first people we told and he joined the programme as a mentor straight away.

From there, the idea started to crystallise on both ends. What was initially just a loose idea of a listening space turned into something much more defined when Rishi offered the opportunity to power a whole stage with a more chilled concept.

One of the Angel Audio’s members, Olivia, her dad, will drive the system to Croatia (our hearts!!) and a few of the crew will join, set up, operate, and play on AA as well.

Rishi: From our POV, we’ve always been inclined towards involving soundsystems and expanding our offering. So when we were told about the project, I gave my word that we’d make something happen. That being said, it was not an easy process, but I’m grateful to the Production team for breaking convention and exploring this set up.

What is the curatorial approach for The Source stage?

Rishi: Drawing inspiration from spaces like Club Cosmos, kwia, The Haze (Dimensions), Shai Space and many others, both sonically and structurally. The aim is to embody Outlook’s sound through a ‘chill’ lens essentially. Giving a space for artists to present sounds away from their club persona, dig deeper into their inspirations or shed some light into their home listening. Crucially also holding plenty of space for members of the Angel Audio and Outlook communities to present interesting concepts as part of the programme, through spoken word to field recordings and more.

It was the one thing I felt was missing from last year’s programme, particularly when the sun went down the energy turned up. I yearned for a space to reset and integrate these incredible sets in a less stimulating environment, so that I could be ready for the next.

Any specific sets you would like to shout out here that you’re excited about?

Rishi: I’m looking forward to the whole programme! But yes there are a few specific ones too hehe…

I’ve listened to Beatrice M.’s ‘Everything reminds me of ???” series several times now, with the Dubstep ones being my favourite. It’s helped a lot of soft landings after some gorgeous nights out, so hearing them present that Live at Outlook will be beautiful.

Very excited for Tekhole’s Soulscape concept, she’ll be collecting field recordings from around the festival to overlay across some ambient/dubby soundscapes. This level of intention and creativity definitely inspired some ideas within me

Finally, I’d love to shoutout Darwin & SGT Pokes. Another example of a ‘silly’ idea. Darwin and I bonded over how soulful Pokes’ voice can be and joked how comforting it could sound to our community if framed within a meditative context. Like imagine Sgt Pokes telling you to believe in yourself while you chill and assimilate his words, I might cry.

So many more I could name but there’s a few!

The Chill Out space is slowly returning to club and festival spaces, why do you think there’s more of a demand for these spaces now?

Rishi: Something I’ve noticed recently within club culture is this dichotomy between trying to recapture that pre-covid feeling vs the desire to reimagine a new way of inhabiting these spaces in meaningful ways.

The world has changed. The way we live has changed. The way we love and lose has changed. So, yes the way we party has absolutely changed. It’s just a case of how swiftly and smoothly we can adapt to these changes, for our own benefit.

The return of the chillout space is a welcome and important facet of this, allowing people a space to decompress and integrate the wondrous experiences a proper dance can provide.

The horrors persist but so must we.

Are there any particular experiences that you’ve had on the dance floor that have helped inform the approach for The Source?

Rishi: In a broad sense, you could view The Source as an ode to the opening set. The delicate art of setting a tone for the experiences forthcoming, gently teasing genres like wistful memories of a sound fallen victim to the shackles of nostalgia. Unearthing the character of the music one element at a time, as if you were finding scattered jigsaw pieces but were unsure what the final image should be. Fkn love an opening set me.

In a similar way, The Source is akin to a macro-version of the long, luscious and soulful breakdown slapped in the middle of a banging set. The best DJs understand this concept well and I’ve no doubt anyone reading this knows what I mean. The ‘coming up for air’ moments during a set that loosen the hold a little bit, allowing you to plunge even deeper into the story being told.

You get the idea.

In a specific sense, Kode9’s ‘Burial Tribute’ opening set at Hyperdub Corsica was a masterclass in tone-setting for the adventures ahead. Alicia’s DJ sets always seem to harness a gentle-building energy beautifully, emblematic of their Terra Obscura parties.

The Source seeks to tap into these unique aspects of the dancefloor and extrapolate those emotions, for as long as you need it.

Is there anything we can expect visually about the space and the kind of environment The Source will foster?

Rishi: We are working with a small sceneography team who understand the brief perfectly. Time shall tell what we end up with! But do expect soft furnishings and soft lighting. Sit-down decks. Incense sticks. Fruit. Hold hands with your neighbour and you’ve got all the senses covered.

If you had to sum up The Source in three tracks, which three would you pick?

Rishi: Daddy Ous - Hard Like A Rock (Guidance Recordings)

SIMON SCOTT - Children Of The Bong, Andy Guthrie - Underwater Dub (Analogical Roots Mix)

Lilia: Shaka Lion & Singularis - Sade Adub (Soulection Records)

Anything else to add about the collaboration?

Rishi: Never underestimate the power of silly ideas when fused with passionate people.

You can buy tickets for Outlook Festival here.

welcoming london-via-manchester dj woody boase to the 909 series today with a mix that perfectly encapsulates the art of the warm up. a live recording from his recent scoundrel party where woody opened the night for livwutang, the set creates a warm inviting atmosphere for the journey ahead. starting with a heads down ambient moment to get you settled into the room, woody flows through the warm, dreamy delights of dub techno and broken dub house to create an energetic, extroverted environment as the evening builds. there’s a rawness and grittiness to the mix to with tracks like instra:mental’s ‘forbidden’ and emeka ogboh’s ‘wole’ reflecting the moody industrial surrounding of a grey march day in manchester.

get to know woody boase below :)

hey woody! how are you doing? what have you been up to lately?

hey chanel! i’m doing good thanks. it’s been a busy few months and life’s felt a bit of a blur lately - not sure how it’s june already! i’ve been neck deep in music as usual, with a couple of things in the pipeline that i’m working on at the moment. other than that, i’ve been trying to keep cool in our sauna of a flat.

let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?

my first introduction to music was actually electronic music. from what i’m told, my mum was blasting dance music around me from day dot - both my parents are really into it, and i grew up on mostly house and disco. my own tastes developed more as i got into my teenage years.

who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?

i had a real mj phase as a young kid haha but apart from that, i just checked back in my itunes library and the earliest song is from 2014 when i was 10 years old which was south street player - who keeps changing your mind, i guess somewhat indicative of the kind of house i liked then.

was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible dj set, that led you to this path?

after messing around making mixes on a phone when i was 11, my mum and step-dad (who both dj) taught me properly when i was 12, so that was probably the start of it. i used to put out a weekly mix back then. i listened back to one recently - the transitions were shocking, decent tunes though.

a big one for me was my first visit to the white hotel in manchester in my first week of uni there, where i dragged three of my flatmates to this club i “heard was good.” that club changed my life - seeing the likes of batu, jon k & elle andrews, tom boogizm, mad miran and plenty others in that space really affirmed the music i was into and opened my eyes to how creative djing can actually be.

there’s been a few other moments too. seeing roni size and leftfield at a festival when i was 15 was a big one - afrofuturism was soundtracking that whole summer, which coincidentally was also one of the first dance tracks my grandad played my mum. going to the final party at the old cause underage was another.

what is the most meaningful part of being an artist to you?

when someone comes up after a set and says they hadn’t heard certain sounds or styles before, or felt something they couldn’t quite place - those moments mean a lot. there’s endless possibility in dance music and getting to show people a new corner of it is the whole point for me.

i’d also say trying to bring a different approach to what’s been done before. there’s no point coming in and replicating what’s already there. that’s what i find so creative about djing, how the same record can be played in endlessly different ways, in completely different contexts, by completely different djs, and it still makes sense.

i also particularly like djing because it’s not an ego-driven thing. other musical artists are often performers, whereas a dj shouldn’t be - it should be the music doing the speaking rather than the person playing it. my favourite clubs are those that you can barely see who’s playing, whether that’s through the smoke or a barrier of sorts. that’s perfect to me.

where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?

definitely places. i like soundtracking wherever i am, so i’m always paying attention to how a place feels and how i think it ‘sounds’. i’m really into cycling as well, which is probably part of it. being able to cover a lot of ground lets you pick up on different sides of a city very quickly. i find inspiration in those small shifts between neighbourhoods or moods, and the way they gradually build a picture of a place. you start noticing recurring threads in the architecture, the fashion, even the language and attitudes, and they all become part of that picture.

how has manchester influenced or informed your sense of self and artistic output?

manchester has a really tight-knit scene. so many spaces and artists there inspired me to do things in a certain way - often more lowkey, which i really admire. places like the white hotel teach you not to be so uptight, which i’m still not perfect at. it was also a city that allowed me to make something of a name for myself, partly due to the size, but also because it has a different energy to london - less about who you know and more about what you’re doing.

what has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?

it’s not a recent discovery but i’ve been getting more obsessed with gqom and amapiano lately. i love the unconventional approach and how fresh it sounds, which has been feeding into my own production. other notable mentions are xj, sepehr’s latest ep (i’d been chasing it down since hearing objekt it), union dub liberation, bookworms and others i’m probably missing.

you’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?

this is a live recording from a party i co-run in manchester. the lineup was livwutang and myself - this was the 2 hours i played before liv’s 3. liv is without a doubt one of my favourite djs ever, so i made sure to put a lot of thought into it. i’d say it’s my usual bag, just focused on slowing things down and building moments.

how does your approach to dj sets differ from studio mixes and radio shows? is there a narrative in mind that you’re always trying to tell through your sets?

studio mixes involve a lot more preparation - they’re more about world building, with complete freedom over length and structure. radio i treat differently; it’s more spontaneous and a chance to experiment and just play music i’m into at that moment. i don’t often get to practice on three cdjs outside of club sets so radio is perfect for that, or for trying out a track that might not fit in a club context. sometimes i listen back and it didn’t quite work, but that’s part of the fun. it’s taken me a very long time to have that attitude but it’s helped me enjoy it more.

this recording sits somewhere in between - it’s a live recording so it’s raw and spontaneous with a crowd to play with and build moments with, but the approach to playlisting and world building was closer to how i’d approach a studio mix.

when was the last time you were on the dance floor?

last weekend at the white hotel. going to miss that place a lot.

what are you most excited about right now?

there’s a couple of projects i’m working on. i don’t want to say anymore on that right now but apart from that, i’m mainly excited about putting this recording out!

what’s on your vision board at the moment?

playing out more, especially in london. i’m working on a lot of music right now and hoping that ends up somewhere in the near future too.

On June 27th 2021, in collaboration with my dear friend Miah Benton (adab), we presented Boyz II Them for the first time. That day would be our first time DJing together and our first in-person performance coming out of the COVID lockdown in New York. On our way to the venue I had, what I would later find out was, a panic attack. My chest tightened, my thoughts raced, my muscles tensed. Playing music, setting my mind to concentrating on one task, playing 3 records, letting Miah play 3 records, until we hit 2, and then 1, was the only thing that assuaged this anxiety.

The energy that day was incredible, it was so hot that Miah’s first 2 records melted as they spun on the turntables. But the energy was also quite dark. That day we had 5 different interactions with strangers. These party-goers tried to tell us what to do, what to play, and how to play it. Though each patron was safely escorted to the exit, the damage was done. At one point, I pulled the music out completely and yelled at a person that asked for techno. The only words that echo in my brain are “Don’t you know what we all just went through? I thought we’d never be able to do this again!” This statement united the crowd and we played uninterrupted for another few hours. My knee still aches from that day. My conscience still quivers when I think about those requests. The year that followed was defined by an absolute stranger approaching me while I was DJing and attempting to tell me what to do. This occurred at every single gig, for a year. I’ve told this tale many times. I am no longer shaken by the entitled disrespect that I have been met with. As a means of processing these experiences, I began to ask why? That question allowed the compassion in my heart to grow. I am now armed with an empathy that is fully loaded with curiosity.

One week later, after the Boyz II Them debut, I would have the honor of documenting a portion of Frankie Knuckles’ record collection as part of the Theaster Gates piece A Song for Frankie. Though I thought that I knew and understood the history of American dance music, the conversations that I would have with patrons during the run of this installation proved to be a crash course in New York’s contributions to dance music and its attendant cultures. The work that I undertook was that of a funeral director, guiding mourners through their grieving processes. I would surround them with the materials that made up their lost relative’s life. This was not just a wake for Frankie, but a wake for a culture that felt so distant from the funeral goers, as they laid down their stories as flowers on the gravestone of their hero, their lover, their friend, their neighbor, their father figure. However, I was also there to assure them that what Frankie represented lived on, not just in the night clubs that dot the city in its current era, but in the hearts, minds, living rooms, record stores, galleries, and industrial sweatboxes that cover the world.

New threads began to weave together to form a taught tendril reaching from my present experience to their recollections of the past. For that 8 week period, I was granted a gift often sought, but rarely experienced. A connection between generations. An unexpected mutual exchange that renewed an interest in an elder and validated the wanderings of a younger. This piece is meant to build on this intergenerational exchange, lengthening the rope so that you might grab it, so that maybe we can all start to build something more substantial. Perhaps a ladder or an escalator.

Finding my way

Do it because you cannot not do it. Being an artist is a combination of talent and obsession.

John Baldessari from Letters to a Young Artist

I have lost myself many times. It is quite easy to do. What is harder, perhaps, is trusting the instinct that you had something to lose in the first place.

I turned 40 this year. And for a long time I didn’t think that I would grow old. I spent a lot of time feeling alone. From the outside it seemed that I was never alone. I’ve always had friends, I had a very tight knit, active family life. But from an early age, I stood out. In my youth, my interests always lived outside of the hegemonic culture that I grew up in in Bermuda. I wanted for nothing. I grew up quite privileged. It may have been the financial access that I was granted at an early age that helped me understand that there was something else in here, something else making up the tissue of my life that I had yet to uncover. Something that would connect me to other people when I felt so disconnected from everything around me.

There would be brief moments. Acquaintances, friendships made at music and writing camps abroad, CDs bought 10 at a time, posters ripped from the middle pages of magazines. I knew that somehow through listening, writing, making up songs on my guitar, and saying the right combination of words to a stranger, I could feel as one, with them. For some time I lost myself in thinking that the validation of others could bring me to that most ancient and esoteric senses of self. But this form of relating was transactional, fleeting, rattling like a penny stuck in a soda can.

Please.

Fish me out of the dark.

I have spent the last year revisiting old selves. My past is represented by hours of recorded material. Live sets, unfinished ideas, jams with loose structure, tracks used as tools to understand new pieces of gear. When I made these, I had such low self-esteem because I was married to the idea that there was a fixed, objective, correct way of composing, presenting and distributing my work. These strictures were applied to my work because that was how I thought that my life had to be made up. This is how men sound, how they act, how they treat others, how they treat themselves. This is how adults act with performed maturity, structure, and accomplishment. These live and studio experiments were ugly, malformed, only worthy of rejection and quiet, hidden, personal consumption because they couldn’t possibly be accepted by the outside world. Because that is all that mattered. The towering structure of invisible hegemony.

I listen back to this work and I can understand now that this structure, the conservative holy individual masculine genius that I thought that I had to be, held me back. I had imposed a model onto my lived experience that did not amount to a life that I lived in. Unencumbered, now, by the shaky aspirations of youth, I could start anew. Again.

Know that you are loved

Never say you are unloved

I love you

In all the simplicity of the word

Never say you have no friend

How dare you feel that way!

I am your un known friend

Sun Ra from Message to Black Youth

My only concern in sharing these experiences is that they are useful to you. If you are a young artist or if you are young in your creative pursuits, I would like to re-present some of my words, so that a lesson in them can arise. Hopefully more questions can arise with the resolution of these lessons.

“On our way to the venue, I had what I would later find out was a panic attack.”

Taking care of my physical and mental states has been a great challenge. The anxiety that I have experienced caused me to dissociate. The depression that I experience has compounded this anxiety. I have spent a great deal of my life not caring for myself. To be honest, I didn’t think that I was worthy of breathing for a long time. When I began to pay more attention to the pressures of life and alleviating them in healthy, sustainable ways, I began to have a more grounded experience of my body. I began to feel here. Truly here. There may come a time in your life when you ask yourself a series of questions. Listen to this curious spirit. She is there to guide you into living.

Transition by Underground Resistance, closing track for that set

“For that 8 week period, I was granted a gift often sought, but rarely experienced. A connection between generations. An unexpected mutual exchange that renewed an interest in an elder and validated the wanderings of a younger.”

Seek out, establish, and care for intergenerational connections. When I was a young artist, I thought that I was thirsty for mentorship. What I really wanted was an elder artist to meet me where I was. I wanted an elder to listen to me, listen to what my concerns and challenges were, listen to what my dreams were and to offer something, anything, to me. The times that this occurred were some of the most grounding experiences that connected me further to my work, my interests, and my life. Mentorship outside of an institutional structure is stumbled upon, but I invite us all to be more proactive about making these connections. These connections are diffuse and fleeting, like magic carried by the wind. Mentorship is also not one sided. Those of us elders have much to learn from our youngers. Us reaching out to you to establish an exchange is as important as you reaching out to us. I hope that we can find each other wandering through the dark and come together to create the light that shines to guide others to us.

“Unencumbered, now, by the shaky aspirations of youth, I could start anew. Again.”

Take your time. Your process is your own. These words won’t sit well with the anxious. They won’t sit well with the ambitious. However, once again, allow your curiosity to arise. Ask, why do I want to do this? What is the rush? What pressure do I feel? Allow the answer to come to you. Take the opportunity to be brave and ask a friend these questions. Finding your own pace, finding out how creativity is situated in your life and then acting upon that information is part of the process. Being quiet, not making things, listening, opening up, making mistakes, tripping, and falling are all part of the process. You can stand to be easier on yourself. It is ok to put things down and walk away. It is ok to search, not knowing what you are looking for. This is one of the processes that make up a beautiful life.

“That day would be our first time DJing together and our first in-person performance coming out of the COVID lockdown in New York.”

Find collaborators, do things with them, and try not to be married to a particular result. Boyz II Them materialized out of a combination of shared lived experience and the desire to experiment. I came up with the name before ever meeting Miah. We had mutual friends and a mutual appreciation for each others’ work. Then, one day, I got a bit too caffeinated and dm’d them saying something like “Hey, we’re both black and nonbinary. If we ever DJ together, the project should be called Boyz II Them.” They quietly agreed. Months later, we would meet and they would speak as though this idea was already rock solid, here, concrete, and inevitable. Their confidence in my offhand musing made this idea real. Their confidence fueled mine. This formed an extremely strong bond. We wouldn’t play together for almost 2 years. This has become one of the most significant relationships of care, love, and consideration that I have experienced. A friend took a chance on me and we’re still discovering what it means to create this thing together.

“Don’t you know what we all just went through? I thought we’d never be able to do this again!”

Make connections and contributions to your local scene before considering going elsewhere. No large city, big club or festival will ever feel as good as the things that you do with the friends that you’ve made in the place that you are. I am not trying to gatekeep the big gigs and better fees or dissuade you from exploring the professionalized aspects of art making. I have definitely fucked around and found out. We are at a critical point of the industrial development of dance music. Oil and gas prices are skyrocketing, profit margins of institutions are shrinking, and the alcohol industry that supports the dance music industry is in progressive decline. All creative work is downstream from our economic conditions. Feeding the churn of the European DJ industrial complex is becoming less sustainable as a result of these conditions. A culture that is enabled by profit is not one that can provide stable, sustainable conditions for its participants. These conditions should enable participants to lead fulfilling lives of dignity. The economic conditions that govern the culture industry have an effect on curatorial decisions. Experimentation and unpredictability do not increase the odds of a financial enterprise being able to turn a profit. These conditions stymie creativity and limit opportunities for emerging artists to work consistently enough to make a living.

If you started your artistic practice in a local scene, whether designing experiences, promoting parties, DJing, producing, or performing, the answers to surviving an economy in decline will be found with your friends, your neighbors, your local institutions, and your local political representatives. This is not a statement in support of cultural nationalism or hegemony or even a statement in support of trade protectionism. Creative work requires context in order to form meaning. Meaning creates opportunities for communication and interpretation. These processes create the roles that can support an ecosystem that is in constant dialogue. This dialogue forges the connections that can create communities. The creative work that arises as the result of shared and specific lived experiences resists commodification because the process of making meaning is always changing shape as it is engaged with. Commodities cannot be produced from such fluid interactions. This instability allows for the construction of a more reliable foundation on which a community can form.

Community is not only built on shared interest, however. Community is also built by the difficult work of reconciling difference and disagreement. Finding ways to work through issues with your peers has the potential to result in stronger bonds that can resist these cultures being washed away by the economic conditions to which they are subject. In order for a statement like “Don’t you know what we all just went through?” to be effective in its rhetoric, the language of mutual understanding of the context that you inhabit must already exist. There is still no well established way to enable this process in a way that produces a consistent result. I think we should all keep trying though.

welcoming barcelona-based artist oma totem to the 909 series <3 we’ve been a huge fan of oma totem’s productions for a while now so we’re very excited to welcome him to 909 : )

oma totem made his production debut in 2023 on john talabot’s brilliant hivern discs imprint. stepping out into the world with a pure statement of intent, ‘exercicis rítmics’ showcased oma totem’s knack for creating intricate rhythms and driving percussion - something that he has quickly become known for. his productions also draw from the stylistic sensibilities of dub, uk bass and deep techno, all with a psychedelic tinge. you can understand why he is one of my favourite producers just by listening to this track alone, from his most recent release on hivern discs. it’s so loopy, dubby, and playful, creating a tension that leaves you no choice but to be caught up in its web, patiently waiting for its release… or not.

hot off the heels of an asia tour, oma totem delivers a dreamy, optimistic mix that is bursting with colour <3

hey ignasi! how are you doing? what have you been up to lately?

hey there :-) i’m good, actually i’m writing from chengdu on my last day of my first tour in asia, it still feels strange to think that music took me to these places. gigs in japan, seoul and chengdu have been nice and i’ve been lucky to travel with two dear friends so everything felt super smooth. tomorrow i’m back in barcelona and rehearsing for primavera sound gig with res_, another project i share with juns.

let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?

it all started seeing live bands in my hometown, vic, there was a festival named festival hoteler and a record label - famèlic, which was the core of a small scene but with very special musical taste that i still value today. some of the bands were performing at primavera in barcelona and went to see them as a teenager, there i discovered international bands such as slowdive, postal service and also dj’s. then i moved to barcelona for university and that’s when clubbing took a huge role in my life.

who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?

furguson, l’hereu escampa and mates mates, were bands from my hometown and i remember we were travelling around catalunya to see them in small venues or festivals.

was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible dj set, that led you to this path?

turning point for me was when i lived in amsterdam for a year for a university exchange program, hardly ever made it to uni but spend countless of hours with my friend rey colino learning to dj together. plus it was the year de school opened so i was going a lot alone as well which is something i still cherish.

what is the most meaningful part of being an artist to you?

i think it is to be able to collaborate with other people, somehow the connection with music it’s always stronger if it’s shared with someone else. i’ve been lucky to have a few collaborative projects but even shared studio time with friends it’s something i love to do, even though we don’t release the music after or even if its not good.

where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?

i can’t say a specific thing or source i like to get inspired from as it is constantly changing, i must say though that most of the times i get inspired by other people music to make mine, mostly from other genres and music not similar to what i do though. but recently i started to make soundtracks to existing scenes from films and i loved it and probably will do a project around it at some point. i love the idea to take existing material and give it a new context.

how has barcelona influenced or informed your sense of self and artistic output?

hivern discs has been my main influence in terms of having a wide range of sonic influences, both making music for dancing and listening, it’s been the label i released most of my music and also doing label manager has been my job for many years until i stopped last year. i still feel very connected to the team and we collaborate in many ways. also i really value that most of the music that hivern releases is from people based in barcelona, i think it serves as an output for local artist to get their music known outside of spain. even though loads of people come to the city we still feel there’s a huge gap between the rest of europe and us which makes it difficult to make a living out of it.

what has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?

i was at dub store records in shinjuku (tokyo) and it was one of those days that records find you and not the other way around. i discovered a lot of different 7 inches with 4x4 kicks and dub instrumentation that felt worth recording a mix for. i’ll do that as soon as i’m back in barcelona. i loved this idea of something very similar to basic channel records but music being less electronic, older and all of them are dub versions. also many of these were from japan which made it even more special. i always loved dub music but this batch of records felt refreshing and different from what i usually dig.

you’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?

i’ve been working on this mix for a few months, it is built around a few unreleased tracks of mine plus some forthcoming music from friends, - some are released already. it is a dance mix with a twist, something i’d like to do in a club but with the intention of presenting few different type of records i’m into. also i feel that i wouldn’t have thought that some of these songs fit together but i’m happy it ended up making sense to me.

how does your approach to dj sets differ from studio mixes and radio shows? is there a narrative in mind that you’re always trying to tell through your sets?

dj sets at clubs for me are all about improvisation and taking unexpected routes that i had not plan. of course i prepare a playlist for each gig but i understand djing in a club as a service to something bigger than what you are as an artist, i like to keep the vibe of the previous dj (if it’s working) and take it somewhere it also represents my taste and what i would like to hear as a dancer. studio mixes are completely different to me as i record them at home, with lower volume and without audience so everything feels less spontaneous but still it’s a nice way to portrait what i’ve been digging.

when was the last time you were on the dance floor?

yesterday night at nu lab in chengdu, they have a great soundsystem and proper room. it was my first time playing live and djing right after, and i must say i loved it. maybe i’ll do more of this in the future, even some sort of hybrid set would be interesting.

what are you most excited about right now?

to learn how to play instruments, i started with the piano a while ago and i love the balance between learning something physical with your hands and understand/memorize it in your mind.

also i want to improve my cooking which is something i love to do, i want to include some japanese recipes to my repertoire.

what’s on your vision board at the moment?

i would love to do more sound art residencies in inspiring places, it’s something i did a few times and i love the idea to conceptualize this musical pieces instead of just going for aesthetic decisions when making music. also with res_ we want to do some audiovisual work and even some exhibitions at art spaces in the future.