The best DJ mixes of the year 2022 - February - Features - Mixmag

Turkana ‘FACT Mix 845’

As a co-founder of the radical queer collective ANTI-MASS, Turkana has built a reputation for dealing in unpredictable, hard-hitting sounds that disrupt the conception of genre. The Kampala-based DJ’s FACT Mix is a mind-melting showcase of that style: blending palpitating beats, deranged scuzz, potent rap vocals and more into a sensory overload of hard dance music.

Kush Arora 'Boiler Room SYSTEM Mix 068'

Only Kush Arora could flip between dancehall and drill this effortlessly. The latest edition of the Boiler Room SYSTEM mix series highlights the San Francisco-based DJ and producer's varied taste and style — blending in his own releases, rare gems, acapellas and more. The tracklist has everything from a Front 242 rework to a Tion Wayne track... high-tempo and high satisfaction.

Horse Meat Disco on Rinse FM

Horse Meat Disco cooked up two hours of pure disco fun on this mix for their Rinse FM residency. And they don’t disappoint; it features tracks from Kid Creole and The Coconuts and The Salsoul Orchestra, maintaing a groovy ongoing beat throughout.

Sean Johnston 'Andrew Weatherall tribute mix'

This mix is packed with remixes by the late, great Andrew Weatherall himself. From his version of a ‘Play The Game’ edit to The Guv'nor's take on ‘Find Love’, this mix is full of gems. It is a heart-warming tribute to the late DJ and a must-listen for any fan of electronic music.

DJ Lyster 'Fact Mix 847'

This eerie, spacy mix by DJ Lyster will leave listeners feeling like they’re on another planet. The 45 minute mix is full of downbeat techno and delicate electronics. The Manchester-based DJ has included tracks that are from his label YOUTH, and some tracks that “never leave the USB”.

Lobster Theremin with T-N and Olesia on Rinse FM

Record label Lobster Theremin had its very own T-N and olesia produce an outrageous techno mix this month. The set starts with T-N firing out some steady techno tracks that effortlessly flow into one another. Tinny hi-hat crashes throughout make this a classic techno mix. olesia takes over half-way-through with more bassy tracks that compliment T-N’s build-up.

Louise Chen on NTS

Louise Chen never disappoints with her mixes and this one is a cracker. Throwing an infusion of deep house and disco, you can’t keep still listening to this. Using lots of synth-heavy sounds ringing throughout along with other classic house motifs such as clapping make each track glide into the next.

3XL with Exael And Special Guest DJ on The Lot Radio

Brought to us from deep in New York City, The Lot Radio have an Exael team-up with the ambient sounds of Special Guest DJ. Starting with some atmosphereic avant-garde music, this mix makes you assume it will be the perfect background noise for a WFH day when all of a sudden, it’s a hardcore electronic booming selection. The description to this mix says that Exael and Special Guest DJ both explore the “relationship between emerging sensualities, and recycling culture through fresh wavs and the decontextualized bargain bin”.

Danny Rankin 'Mixmag In Session'

The Kurupt FM star himself, Danny Rankin - aka Decoy - blew us away with this fiery mix. Merging dancehall, drum ‘n’ bass, jungle and, of course, UKG, this mix ticks all the right boxes. Sneaking in the track ‘Kuruptfminnit’, Danny has selected the perfect balance of songs for this In Session that draw upon his passion for soundsystem culture and Jamaican sound clashes.

Guido Sartoris 'Cooking House Music for Detroit Classic Gallery'

Ever wanted to watch someone cook a high-grade meal whilst mixing vinyl? This month, house specialist label Detroit Classic Gallery paid homage to those classic Detroit sounds when Guido Sartoris stepped up to the turntables - and chopping board - after picking out a selection of fresh veg from the garden. Over the course of two hours, Sartoris floats between cooking, mixing, and digging for the perfect soul, funk, and house tracks to spin through this captivating cooking experience.

Jennifer Cardini ‘BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix’

Paris-born, Berlin-based Jennifer Cardini was tapped by Pete Tong this month to take on the latest BBC Radio 1 Dance Essential Mix after a decade of club appearances and impressive bill-topping success. The Correspondant Records boss supplies everything from French-inspired electro to deeper house and disco cuts from the likes of Armand van Helden, Soulwax, and Interstellar Funk in this two-hour mix.

ШЩЦ ‘Support Ukraine!’

One of the many ways you can support Ukraine right now is through music, so if you have a little time to spare, get stuck into Ukrainian label ШЩЦ’s latest mix compiled entirely by Ukrainian artists. This mix is also made up of 100% Ukrainian musicians with all proceeds going toward the cause. With a mission to spread the word on the current crisis, ШЩЦ’s mix also gives “true information” with links to ways you can support Ukraine. Find other ways you can help here.

Nia Archives in The Lab LDN

Sticking exclusively to the amen breaks in her Lab LDN debut, Nia Archives came full-force this month with a high-energy jungle and drum ’n’ bass set. Infectiously fun, the Leeds-born DJ even weaved in a couple of dub classics and a handful of her self-produced tracks performed live with her own hypnotic vocals.

RP Boo & SHERELLE 'Unsound Podcast'

Taken from their highly anticipated B2B at the 2021 edition of Unsound Festival, this one-hour snippet - filled with slick blends, outrageous edits and complex spins - is as nostalgic as it is cutting-edge. Two footwork masters in their own right — the combination of SHERELLE's brand of high-tempo rave and RP Boo's cross-disciplinary references will take your breath away. Moving from stripped-back bleeps and bloops, to disco reworks and even RP Boo's Phil Collins 'I Don't Care' edit 'All Over'. A true testament to the sheer ludicrousness of this mix is the transition from Traxman's 'Infectious Ghetto' into the haunting Mozart-esque piano bars of... the 'Bowsers Castle theme' from Super Mario World. We don't know about you lot, but we're suffering from a pretty brutal case of FOMO right now.

A Guy Called Gerald '15 years of Rupture mix'

A true originator of UK dance music dropping an hour of unrelenting, impactful drum 'n' bass? a difficult notion to resist. Ahead of his live set at fabric's 15 years of Rupture show, A Guy Called Gerald takes us on a journey to sonic mayhem effortlessly pulsating between squelching basslines, rolling breaks and incandescent drops. A must listen.

Frankie Knuckles 'Recorded Live @ COD Valentine's Day 1986'

Having previously dwelled only within the archive of friend and fellow DJ Braxton Holmes, this live recording of The Godfather of House Music's set at Club COD in Chicago on Valentine's Day 1986 was a welcomed reveal during the most romantic day of the year and a prime opportunity to hear a master at his best. Beautifully restored, the "Valentines Session" as labelled in Frankie's elegant script on a Maxell paper — the mix consists of 80s R&B classics, seductive disco — with even cursory drops of 'Baby I'm Scared of You' by Womack & Womack and the John Morales remix of Logg's 'Dancing Into The Stars'. Certified make out material.

Club Fitness 'Mixtape Club 007: Good Morning Angels'

Kicking off a brand new season of Finn McCorry/2 B Real's Mixtape Club, London-based selector extraordinaire Club Fitness brought a sexy, glassy mix of thundering rave, pristine acid and out-of-this-world percussion. From the piercing synth stabs in DJ Life's 'Steel', the naughty basslines of Heuzfa's 'Summer Nights' to the sleuthing techno drums and angelic percussion of 'Glass Gardens' by Sonorous — this mix really has it all. Pick up your dumbells and get ready to sweat.

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