Last Updated: September 4th
While you can certainly get to know an artist by their albums and singles, one of the best ways to get into an artist’s head and understand their sensibilities is to hear them make a mix; how they select is just as important and telling as the music they write themselves. In the world of electronic music, whether the end result is meant for a dancefloor or to be heard on headphones, mixes are an integral part of an artist’s arsenal: acting as promotional tools, lab for trying out new ideas, added context for their own musical tastes and impulses, and a creative outlet that’s entirely distinct from their studio output.
Here we’ve waded through the vast amount of DJ mixes released so far this year to find the best, both live performances and pre-recorded, highlighting which artists you should be keeping your eye on and whose work you should dig right into if you aren’t already familiar.
rRoxymore — Solid Steel Radio Show
Back in May rRoxymore appeared on the legendary Solid Steel Radio show to promote her killer EP Thoughts Of A Introvert Pt2. Though she described the mix as “nothing special,” taking a listen tells a different story. From the warm hypnotic and sample-based music of the Brooklyn/Tehran based Saint Abdullah, to the influential techno of Dan Curtin, rRoxymore’s mix is a lesson in the power of contrasting elements.
Lorenzo Senni — Boiler Room x Genelec Helsinki
A completely enthralling set from this Italian pointillist trance master. This 48-minute-long mix perfectly distills Senni’s approach to trance music, subtracting all percussive elements to focus solely on the development and embellishment of melody. For nearly ten minutes, the mix opens like an invitation, before giving way to a purely liquid, floating melodies.
Yu Su — Resident Advisor, RA Live
The best mixes will take you on a journey, and Vancouver DJ Yu Su’s live set recorded at the London based nightclub Brilliant Corners by Resident Advisor is no exception. With cuts culled from records she’d picked up during her travels in Europe, it’s a surprisingly consistent, thoughtful mix, bordering on familiarity with its fun funk, and distant electronic. Consider this the perfect road trip mix.
RP Boo — Noisey Mix
If footwork is what you crave, RP Boo’s mix for Noisey is the best way to get it 100% pure and unadulterated. The Chicago native uses the mix as a platform for his own work (both released and unreleased), as well as the work of fellow TEKLIFE members DJ Rashad (RIP), DJ Spinn, DJ Earl and a host of others. Here the signature distorted sounds, stuttering samples and cantering drums of the genre are showcased in all their glory, acting as a sign of things to come from Boo’s upcoming LP, I’ll Tell You What!
Anastasia Kristensen — Fabric Promo Mix
This mix done exclusively for London’s fabric club ahead of her performance there back in February finds Danish DJ Anastasia Kristensen holding nothing back with an hour of raw, tireless techno. Beginning with a riffy track from Russian experimentalist Paul Hares, the mix sustains that grimey filter throughout, as well as the driving tempo. This one will have you reaching for your Shazam, as Kristensen told fabric the mix includes “plenty of unreleased stuff from fellow Copenhagen talents along with some long-lost classics.”
Will DiMaggio — Solid Steel Radio Show
Washington DC’s Will DiMaggio also made a memorable appearance on the Solid Steel Radio show, taking his hip-hop and funk approach to house music and deconstructing it over the course of an hour, working the boom bap of Big Boy and East Side Hoods into the savvy sounds of Funky Technicians. The vibe is steady throughout as DiMaggio navigates his tastes and selects from sources both old and new.
Honey Dijon — Boiler Room x Sugar Mountain
Uproxx fave Honey Dijon had an absolute killer set this past January at Sugar Mountain in Melbourne, Australia and Boiler Room were there to record the whole thing. Beginning with the reverent vocals of Stevie Wonder from his track “I Wish,” the mood Dijon set was all about pure exuberance and good feelings. If it wasn’t clear from the way Dijon left Wonder’s soulful words hang in the air, then it was certainly made explicit once she cut the tension by introducing the twisting bassline of Harry Romero & Erick Morillo’s “Bang In Your Face Mix” of their own track “Bang” into the mix. Revel in this masterclass of pure dancefloor bliss.
