Dekmantel Podcast Series
About
Available on
Community
452 episodes
Priori (@priori-ties) has always explored a wide range of techno from dense and introspective to more joyous, often against the backdrop of technological possibilities. He hails from Canada and has been prolific since first emerging with two full-lengths to his name on his own NAFF label. They pair dubby undercurrents with crystalline melodies and contain the sort of unresolved tensions that keep you locked in for the ride. This weekend he plays Dekmantel Naarm 2024 but first has served up this new mi for us. Priori says this is the first dance mix he's done in a long time, adding "It's an hour and a half of fresh rhythms and rave sounds that I recorded while on tour in Australia. It features a few tracks I have been playing a lot lately and some forthcoming bits by myself and some friends." In just over 90 minutes he works through a rollercoaster of deep techno rhythms that are firmly focused on the future and flow as fluidly as water.
Mia Koden (@miakoden) first emerged as half of Sicaria Sound but since breaking out alone has established her own musical identity. It draws on her South Sudanese heritage and music from across the African continent and beyond, not least her current surroundings in South London and the city's rich sound system culture. Often operating around the 140BPM mark, she dropped two head-turning tracks ‘Hot Take' and 'I Did’ early last year then debuted on Ilian Tape with a dark and irresistible EP that traverses multiple bass-heavy genres. Mia does the same with her mix for us this week with, in her words, "bass, percussive, 2step, 140BPM, dubstep, dub, dub techno and breaks" all coming thick and fast at up to 150 beats per minute. It's a breathless 90-minute selection of global body music packed with lively percussion, big on low ends and not afraid to get rhythmically inventive while also dropping in the odd playful vocal from the worlds of grime and r&b. Both technically sound and tastefully assembled, it's a thrilling statement from the vital Koden.
British-Nigerian-born, Berlin-based Richard Akingbehin (@richard-akingbehin) is behind many crucial projects in electronic music, and most of them revolve around his exploration of deep and dubby sounds. Not only is he a co-founder of the excellent Refuge Worldwide radio station, but he also runs the experimental label Kynant Record and has some key residencies when not headlining other cult clubs around the world. His label recently released the first new album from dub techno don Tikiman in almost 20 years and this summer the pair will be playing together again as part of a mini tour. Ahead of joining us at Dekmantel Selectors later this year, Richard recorded this week's mix for us in the Refuge Worldwide studio with the aim of showcasing what he is playing in the clubs at the moment. It takes in his signature blend of dub techno styles with music from the likes of Parallel 9, Tikiman, Dialog and Delano Smith. It's spacious and unhurried but slowly ramps up the pressure to get you on your toes and vibing to his ever-warm, supple and minimal rhythms.
AGY3NA (@agy3na) draws on many different things when it comes to the music he plays and the messages he shares. There is an intersectionality to his identity as a gay black man growing up in Germany that informs everything he does from DJing to promoting parties. He has a background playing baritone and percussion, has a degree in psychology and a master's in cognitive science, and continues with academic research alongside his music pursuits which blend house, electro and Afrofuturism in all new ways. What underpins it all is his focus on feelings of freedom and playful rhythms from across many different genres and decades. All that bares out across this week's mix which unravels over the course of 90 subtly uplifting minutes. It's a peaceful selection to start with where gentle rhythms and organic pads awaken the soul before vibe-fuelled house ups the energy levels. AGY3NA unobtrusive, efficient mixing style then works through Afro-centric grooves, broken beats, and worldly percussion which all bring vigour and vitality and leave you feeling high on life.
Dutch-born but Brussels-based Zeta Lys aka Lucia (@zetalys) has a club-ready sound that draws on a world of broken rhythms and heavy percussion. Her influential radio show at The Word Radio finds her head into all new genre pockets around the globe and she has previously stood out at our Dekmantel Selectors festival. Lucia also composes for film and video and techniques from both disciplines inform and inspire her work with the result being music that is rich in dynamic narrative and ever-evolving mood. Her selection for us is prickly and fizzing with fresh rhythmic patterns. Static electricity, warped basslines and distorted synths bring great movement from the off as mutated and broken techno, dystopian jungle and deconstructed club rhythms all collide at great speed. It's an involving selection that combines many different worlds with great control, ramping up and then smoothing out the grooves at whim.
@animisticbeliefs bring energy and innovation in equal measure whenever they serve up one of their electrifying sets or thrilling tunes. They are most at home when on stage cooking up captivating mixes of IDM, club music and drum & bass with smart infusions of influences from South East Asia and a sense of spiritualism that sees all things as equal. Their productions have come on labels like Cultivated Electronics and Pinkman and always push technical and emotional boundaries. The pair will be joining us at Dekmantel Festival 2024 in August and here offer up a teaser of what you might get: darkly involving moods, industrial textures and otherworldly timbres that are paired to a wide range of rhythms and tempos. There is a looseness to the set that keeps your body in constant motion while the details woven in between the beats keep your mind just as busy. From unusual instrumentation to foreign language vocals, this is an action-packed selection for peak-time dance floor fun.
Vlada (@playvlada) has been playing all over the globe since just 18 years of age. Russia-born but Berlin-based for many years now, her sound is defined by a long, winding mixing style and is built on hypnotic basslines that slowly but surely zone you out. That very much comes out in this week's mix which initially locks you into a signature meditative pace but then builds with smart gear shifts and technical mixes. There are acid flashes to liven things up, bright synths spiraling around electrifying techno, broken beats to keep things moving then more stark industrial and metallic textures that place you at the heart of a strobe-lit and floor. It is another masterful mix full of must-find tunes from this ever more essential selector.
@sedefadasi's style is impossible to pin down. Embarking on her sonic journey, she fearlessly navigates her craft through a multifaceted universe of rhythms and genres, captivating dance floors with her everlasting groove and electrifying embrace. The best place to experience this rollercoaster is her own monthly HAMAM party at City club in Augsburg where she has invited plenty of international guests to join her. The Turkey-born, Germany-based artist is also a resident at Blitz Music Club and is set to join us at Dekmantel Selectors later in the summer, but first comes this week's podcast. It launches in seductive fashion with the moonlit deep house of Chicagoan Ben 'Cosmo' D then cruises through smooth but punchy grooves that stay low and bring hints of old-school cool in the basslines, stabs and drum breaks. Adasi's shift through the gears is almost imperceptible here as the pace quickens and the drums grow more physical. That is a testament to not only her smart selections but also to her ability to thread together these sounds quite so seamlessly.
Not only is @theokottis joining our podcast series this week, but early next month he will join the label family too. His new Lighthouse EP is a perfect encapsulation of the Scotsman's style - house, techno and electro fusions with a knowing nod to the 90s and plenty of both physical and emotional impact. It's his first work since a "self-imposed creative reset" and comes after previous outings on the likes of Permanent Vacation and DGTL that have established the Space Dust label and party founder as someone who is as effective as he is unpretentious whether making or playing records. His mix for us is inspired by recent gigs and is made up of tracks that were particularly well-received by the crowds. It's two hours of slick selections cross the house, techno and electro spectrum so, says Theo, "there's something for everyone to dance their way into 2024." And he's not wrong: this is exactly the sort of impossibly groovy soundtrack you want to warm you up and get you going with just the right balance between head and heel.
@poly-chain very much takes electronic much into the future. The Kyiv artist born Sasha Zakrevska uses IDM, electro, and techno as building blocks to construct her own eerie, intense, and atmospheric sound worlds that are as cinematic as they are physical. Her edgy melodies are inventive, and her machine rhythms are hugely distinctive. She has not only written solo albums but has composed for theatre and museums, collaborated with Nene H, and released charity albums for Ukraine as part of her ongoing musical resistance. For this week's podcast, Poly Chain has sent us the recording of the very special live show she played at Dekmantel Festival this summer. It is an absorbing hour of beatless sound that will move you as much as any drum track. There are storytelling chapters to the set that takes you from darkened underworlds to starry cosmic expanses as the moods go from reflective and calming to more intense and unsettling. It is very much the sound of tomorrow, today.
@le-motel is a film composer, graphic designer and producer who draws on his worldly travels to make richly immersive music. It comes detailed with field recordings from remote locations, visual cues from his design work and a mix of the organic and the synthetic and has mixed up everything from jazz to juke, techno to hip hop. As well as running Maloca Records he has picked up props from Gilles Peterson for an album for New Zealand’s Cosmic Composition, has collaborated with Fuzati on Ombrage Éditions went solo into a breaks, bass and grime fusion on YUKU in summer. Now the Kiosk Radio resident arrives in our podcast series with 60 minutes of earth-quaking global rhythms. The tempos are slow to start with but the impact is heavy from off. Lithe minimal drums fizz with dystopian energy and evolve from deep and dubby to broken and intense as Le Motel ramps up the pressure and keeps your body moving in ways only he can.
@loekfrey is a name that now sits up there with some of the most exciting talents to have emerged from the Dutch scene in recent times. It's his unique blend of IDM, techno, breakbeat and drum & bass that has turned so many heads, not least with his Decipher album on home label Omen Wapta which was a widescreen soundscape of varying intensities and tempos. His ability to veer from the intricate and experimental to the hallucinatory and vibrant is second to none as he proves with his mix for us this week. It is a special one that is fully live and made up entirely of his own productions so makes for a perfect window into his world. Inside you will find 60 atmospheric minutes that soon immerse you in cinematic cosmic ambiance and hurried minimal rhythms embellished with ghoulish voices and dark undertones that unite both body and mind. It's a sleek and linear journey defined by the constant presence of a supple and pulsing bassline that transports you to distant future worlds in style.
As the updated old saying might go, life is like a Lydo set - you never know what you're gunna get. This New York City-based interdisciplinary artist has plenty of tricks up their sleeve and a real love of mixing up genres in ways you wouldn't think possible. They have done so across Europe and North America and have a hardcore following at home where they run the legendary X-TRA.SERVICES. It makes regular seasonal appearances at BASEMENT, where LYDO (@lydole) is also a resident, and is a safe place to party for queer, trans, and non-binary people of colour. LYDO's selections for us this week blow open the usual boundaries of techno. It's a mix of contrasts, where barrages of noise and malfunctioning machines are lit up by the most gorgeous melodies. Thumping and heavy rhythms are offset by wispy and light-emitting synth leads as energy levels are masterfully controlled. They build to moments of real intensity before being boiled down to pent-up promise and heads-down grooves. Somehow these sounds are both retro yet future, animalistic yet human, and they are proof that LYDO is a standout contemporary talent.
Benedikt Frey (@freybenedikt) has been on a journey of musical adventure and exploration over the last 15 years. He has made everything from deepest house to bottomless dub, UK jungle to irresistible edits of Notorious BIG. Those early forays came on labels like Nous'klaer Audio and Hivern Discs but in the years since the German has looked more to industrial and post-punk for inspiration. His Fastlane album on ESP Institute this summer blended those vibes with his own take on techno and resulted in his most accomplished and singular work yet. Now, the Lopasura label head steps up with an extra special two-hour mix that peers into the farthest corners of his sound. It is the sort of all-consuming trip that plays out like a mind movie as it works through serval different chapters - some heady and deep, some direct and unsettling, always with great control. Whether laying down electro, wave, techno or serious bass weight, Benedikt Frey is always taking you somewhere new.
African Head Charge is a legendary psychedelic dub outfit who have recently returned to their home label On-U Sound with A Trip To Bolgatanga, their first new album in 12 years. As always it finds the peerless Adrian Sherwood at the controls and joins the dots between what the collective has done before and what they are doing now, all with a distinctly Ghanian twist. The signature drums and chants remain at the core of the album of course, as well as plenty of other thrilling new sonic concoctions on keys, guitar, percussion, strings, vocals, kologo and more. It's the latest chapter in a fascinating story that has already seen them release some 16 albums since its inception in 1981. This week's mix is a deep dive into the uniquely melon-twisting sounds of African Head Charge. Sherwood's mastery at the controls means sound is twisted and contorted, dubbed out and reverb-rich from start to finish. Traditional dub sounds melt away into ghoulish vocal passages, unhinged instrumentals come and go and the collective's signature sense of dark soul and mystic ritual holds the whole thing together in a spellbinding fashion.
@surusinghe is one of many exciting Naarm/Melbourne artists to have broken through in the last couple of years. She has been working behind the scenes in the industry for a decade but only started to release her own music in 2022. Now based in London where she has co-founded the Phenomena label, she has an international mix of influences that make her club-ready sounds utterly thrilling. They all draw on the fact that she is a clubber first and foremost, and one proud of her Sri Lankan heritage. She goes big over the course of an hour for us this week and threads together plenty of body-popping rhythms from dembow to techno to wobbly London dubstep. She drops in several of her own tunes, one of which is unreleased, as are two others from Doctor Jeep and Tom Kami. It's a fresh and futuristic workout of high-octane sound from an adventurous DJ who always brings the party in fresh new ways.
After a busy few weeks having plenty of festival fun, our podcast is back and rolling with self-certified 'rave mom' Partok next up. He's played standout sets at Glastonbury and Panorama Bar this summer and still regularly returns home to Israel to play all-night-long sets. It is there, as a resident at the Tel Aviv club The Block that he first made an impression many years ago. Since then his endless explorations of all forms of techno have earned him an international following. Partok brings his own distinctive party sound to our series this week with an electrifying mix of peak-time fun. He packs plenty in, too, dextrously switching up the mood as he weaves through evocative and emotional sounds that aren't afraid of a tender melody or soulful vocal, but are always powered by crisp drums. From banging grooves and brain-frying synth textures to psychedelic loops and hands-in-the-air piano chords, it's a high-definition, big-hearted selection that leaves you feeling good.
Back from another festival dream, we’re kicking off September with a razor-sharp mix by @mariemontexier. Fully based on the artist’s exceptional vinyl collection, this Dekmantel Podcast is a must-hear introduction to a future star.
Australian Kia very quickly rose up through the grimy after-hours rave scene of Melbourne to make her mark on the international stage. Now Berlin-based, her unique grasp of rhythm is rooted in a love of bass, IDM and deeper techno though she is adept at exploring a wide range of moods within those worlds. She has done so at places like ADE and our own festival and extends her good taste to the curation of her Animalia imprint and its ambient sub-label Cirrus as well as her own original tracks on Nous'klaer Audio. In this week's mix, Kia showcases a colourful and kaleidoscopic take on techno which she says was awakened by an early trip to Japan's famously head Labyrinth festival. It's a hi-fidelity feast of supple rhythms, icy synths and deep space ambiance that unfolds in late-night fashion. The melodies are as delicate as silk, the drums rubbery yet punchy. It's high-paced future music that manages to be as delicate and beautiful as it is dynamic.
Tbilisi's impact on the techno underground cannot be overstated thanks to the work of artists like Salome. Though now based in Berlin, her sound is very much a product of the Georgian scene - heavy, breakbeat-rich techno with big trance-infused melodies and dramatic atmospheres alongside plenty of electro. It has come on the likes of Lobster Theremin and Standard Deviation while she also recently remixed Jensen Interceptor. On this week's mix, Salome Gvetadze folds in all her influences from hard house to industrial to cook up an eye-watering soundtrack that is pure dystopia. It's a mix of brutally distorted low ends and earth-shattering warehouse sounds brought to life by bright synths, shards of glassy melody and twisted metal textures. Though physical and unrelenting, it's all richly layered so there is always a freaky voice to follow or a melodic thread to pull at as you're ever more consumed by the sheer force of it all.
Martyn is the finest example of an artist who exists outside traditional genre boundaries. Ever since the mid-90s, the Dutchman has operated in his own adjacent worlds while drawing on UK bass hybrids, techno and electro to cook up singular rhythms and unique moods. The 3024 label head has always used his platform to bring through new talent, and now also mentors young artists with his own Patreon program. This sits next to his ever spell-binding performances in the club and eye-opening monthly Darkest Light show on NTS, which is a deep dive into his love of jazz. This week's mix is a 70-plus minute snapshot of Martyn's sound, which is as timeless as ever. From the crispness of Detroit electro to the off-beat thump of bass via his deep techno lit up with glistening electronics, it is a perfect blend of body and head and one full of brazen moves. There's a switch to jazz-laced broken beat and low, then the slow wobble of dubstep before a rebuild towards old school jungle that proves this is the sound of a true master at work.
Argentina-born but Barcelona-based, Tunik's real home is at the forefront of the underground. As a DJ, he has a knack for unearthing overlooked records and turning them into hot ID requests. His fledgling production career has already yielded high-class results since 2020, with EPs on My Own Jupiter alongside its founder Nicolas Lutz, and more on Furthur Electronix. Each one is a blend of industrial cosmic sounds, with paranoid atmospheres and low-slung yet mechanical grooves that are both spooky yet seductive and next up is his A New Dawn EP on our own label. It further deepens Tunik's journey into dark wave synths and machine-made rhythms packed with emotion. He goes long on this week's podcast with a two-hour deep dive into his signature blend of house, techno and electro. There is plenty of room for everything from spaced-out rhythms to more corrugated machine funk. It's a forward-thinking selection that always feels like it comes back from the future whether deep and pensive or more jacked up and physical. A superb, floor-facing selection for non-stop dancing.
Quest is one of those new school selectors who have taken the art of crate digging to an all-new level. Italian-born, Berlin-based but having spent time in London working at the legendary Vinyl Pimp, he has long been mining the depths of everything from UKG to outré techno, Italian hip hop to long-lost house. Importantly, he uses those sounds to tell his own stories, often with an air of mystery and intrigue that plays out like an adventure into the unknown. Many mixes follow a traditional arc of increasing energy levels but in this week's podcast, Quest plays with those expectations to build up and then pull back, threading together minimal rhythms then raw and crunchy wave sounds. Twisted electronics lead into celestial acid and the smooth and seductive sits next to the dark and edgy. It's a low-key, low-lit selection that draws from mutant strains of house, techno and electro that are both futurist and dystopian. Quest might be his moniker, but it is also a perfect description of his mission.
@djdanifox is at the heart of Lisbon's underground and a driving force in batida, the sound of the city's Afro-diasporic underground. It's a heavy sound with rhythms influenced by kuduro, tarraxo and Lisbon ghetto, the melodies of techno and percussive layers from Africa. Most recently Danifox has offered up Ansiedade, a second album on Príncipe Discos that explores space, hypnotic loops and rich instrumentation while never straying far from the dance floor. His own talk-singing adds a newly introspective layer to the sound that makes it all the more potent. This week's mix is both a superb batida primer for the newly initiated, but also a compelling overview of where the sound is at right now for long-time fans. In the space of 60 minutes, Danifox explores all avenues from the languid and loose to the pounding and physical. It's a mix that is always on the move as mystic flutes lead into tin-plated percussion, whirring synths melt into balmy late-night chords and broken rhythms become more seductive. As the days are heating up and summer hits full swing, there are few better soundtracks to an afternoon in the sun than this.
LA-based Canadian artist Jessy Lanza has brought dance and pop music together and elevated both art forms in the process. At the heart of her work are her own sensual vocals. They bring human warmth and emotion to vibrant and uptempo grooves and result in music that is both energetic and accessible yet personal and honest. Next to critically acclaimed studio albums for Hyperdub, she has made a fine entry into the DJ-kicks mix series and toured solo from Asia to Australia. Europe to North America. Her latest album is her broadcast and boldest yet - Love Hallucination features work from producers such as Pearson Sound, Jacques Greene, Tensnake, Paul White, and Jeremy Greenspan and conforms Lanza to be out in a class of her own. Lanza brings her feel-good vibes to the podcast series this week, not least with a couple of her own exclusive new cuts as well as one mysterious known gem early on. They add up to a perfect representation of her sound - the first half is a feel-good mix of retro-future boogie, glossy 80s r&b, party-starting funk bombs and many more irresistible moments of pure heat from Brenda and The Big Dudes, Debbe and The Code and Gino Soccio. Things then turn more towards the dance floor with deep house from Frankie Knuckles, bass-heavy rhythms from Addison Groove and a piano banger from Mall Grab. It's just the sort of happy, sunny mix you will be coming back to all summer long.
French-Canadian @mariedavidson_official never sits still for long. She is a Montreal native who has also lived in Berlin, and is one of the scene's most revered live acts but also transitioned into DJing with spectacular results. She makes it all from minimal wave to techno to electroclash whether working solo, as part of the Essaie pas duo, or alongside L'Œil Nu on Ninja Tune. Her own vocals often feature heavily in her work and as well as direct club material she has excelled in the long-player format with several standouts over the last decade. All of that creative genre abandonment is embodied in this week's mix, which is as punchy as they come. Lashings of squealing synths and hyper-speed electro-tech kick things off with real intent and the intensity never drops: there are dark punk bangers and synth-heavy kraut cuts next to pummelling deep techno punishers, more lithe disco and wave sounds and lashings of trance euphoria. What a ride.
@dj-koolt has been pivotal to the rise of his native Uruguayan scene ever since he started spinning in the 90s. While peers such as Z@P and Nicholas Lutz left for Europe to further establish themselves, he remained rooted in Montevideo and helped make it one of the most exciting places to hear minimalist dance music. Its spiritual home is Phonotheque, the club he co-founded a decade ago and where he lays down his forward-thinking sounds to a devoted and hardcore fan base. The scene Godfather goes big for us this week with a two-hour deep dive into his sound. It perfectly showcases his silky transitions and ability to tell stories on the dance floor. Acid, breaks and techno are the foundational sounds but they are embellished in signature style with plenty of spaced-out designs, a sense of gritty industrial futurism and plenty of avant-garde electronics.
For @fafi-abdel-nour, music is a means of building community. The Syrian-born, Amsterdam-based artist looks to make a better future through human connections. He does so with his own LHBTQIA+ club night concept BUTTS at OOST in Groningen where he plays a free-spirited mix of records with real soul. They come from across the genre spectrum and mix up the old and the new, always with love as the messages and ecstatic sensations in high supply. Fafi has a way of effortlessly winning you over with his smooth grooves, and that is evident right from the start here: balmy house sweeps you up and douses you in positive cosmic vibrations and that sense of warmth never dissipates through faster, jazzier house, thumping euphoria and nonstop neon grooves. Every slick transition turns up the temperature a notch and takes you ever closer to real dance floor nirvana.
"Genre: Not Applicable" says one of Bogatá-born DJ and producer @bitterbabe's online bios, and she's not wrong. She mixes up and blends global club styles from Colombian guaracha to Venezuelan raptor house with high energy and rich percussion on labels like TraTraTrax and is a member of the ECO and Latitudes collectives. She is focussed on amplifying electronic artists and labels across Latin America while herself being on a near-constant tour of Europe's finest clubs. After a long time entrenched deep in the Miami scene, she recently made the move to Berlin. On this week's mix, Bitter Babe takes you on a wild ride through her unique rhythmic world. Everything she plays is defined by big drums, but how they fall and where they take you is always a thrill. You'll recognise hints of jungle, there are nods to techno and flashes of rave intensity but mostly these are contorted in between sounds that captivate mind and body with equal intensity.
Born and raised in New York but now transplanted to Berlin, @gabriellekwarteng has quickly become a Panorama Bar regular known for her eclectic radio shows. The move to Europe widened the scope of her DJ sets which tend to be high energy and punchy with plenty of techno, while on the airwaves she is likely to serve up a mix of boogie, Afro-disco, and neo-soul. That broad approach no doubt stems from growing up in the musical melting pot that is the Bronx, but also from childhood summers - and later a year studying abroad - in London. Add in a desire to champion the classic Black American genres and you have the foundations of the Kwarteng sound. All this is reflected in this week's mix which traverses global genres with effortless enthusiasm. Hefty bass cuts and weighty rhythms build into acid-tinged workouts, sounds of the diaspora spread across the course of 70 minutes and energy levels drop even when the mood changes. It's a great snapshot of a DJ at ease with worldly sounds and the ability to thread them all together into a communal dance floor experience.
