The best DJ mixes of the year 2023 so far - December - Music - Mixmag

Sister Zo ‘Nowadays Closing Set - October 13’

Sister Zo has released the recording of her closing set at Nowadays where she was joined by both Yumi and Call Super. The Kansas City-born selector has described the set as probably the best that she has played while fully representing the direction that she’s headed as an artist and boy is it a treat. Starting off full pelt and rarely letting off in the first two hours, the 3024 producer weaves through bass bangers like Pariah’s ‘Nettle Dweller’ remix and Jurango’s hot-off-the-press re:lax number ‘PSI’ before pushing up the tempo and delving into some heavyweight d’n’b. The All Centre affiliate subsequently returns to 140 BPM territory with cuts like Andy Martin and Gavsborg’s ‘Plato & Caves’ but the standout moment of the three hour set is when, two thirds in, Zo strips everything back and plays Oneohtrix Point Never’s ‘Chrome Country’ in what must have been a beautiful, hands-in-the-air moment which should be penned down in Nowadays folklore. Following on, the New York-based DJ gets straight back to club-ready business with the help of a couple of cuts from Pangaea’s ‘Changing Channels’ album and continues on that front for the majority of the final hour, before she eases proceedings to a close with a cinematic ambient number. In very impressive fashion, Sister Zo has created an odyssey of dance music that glides through genres with consummate ease and is a true love letter to the rave.

THC on Rinse FM December 07

THC kicks off her hotly anticipated Rinse FM residency with an hour of lush liquid and cozy drum ‘n’ bass. The Bogotá-born, Berlin-based DJ says that the mix is best consumed with a grinder at the ready and… she might not be wrong. The mix, sitting at just over 55 minutes, sifts through dreamy soundscapes and soft vocals is perfect listening for when you want to sit back and let go. While Tania Humeres Correa is known for her high-energy, groovy sets, this is an exhibition in serenity, and amidst the end of year and Christmas rush it is duly needed.

Kamma & Masalo in The Lab LDN

Kamma and Masalo travelled from Amsterdam for one night only for a special b2b in Mixmag’s Lab LDN. As the curators of the Dutch party Brighter Days, they both brought the colour from one of their iconic events to the Big Smoke, playing out a blend of vibrant house, disco and a sprinkling of techno. Watch on as two minds become one crate-digging genius.

VTSS at Dekmantel Festival 2023

We may be in the midst of winter but let's throw it back to Dekmantel this summer. The festival has released this ferocious set from the daring techno DJ VTSS. Keeping up her already strong reputation of producing a wild and blood-pumping set, VTSS has done it again. With sharp punches and liquid textures, she gives the crowd, and now us, exactly what we’d hoped for.

Two Shell on The Lot Radio

Two Shell hate normalcy, and that’s why their Lot Radio takeover in December wasn’t just your standard DJ-to-camera stream. The enigmatic pair have, as per, gone a bit west with this one, using AI tracking to mask their identity and obscure their every move. With high-energy bangers from the get-go, including a few ravey pop edits, this 30-minute mix is packed full of peak-time club cuts, as expected from this dynamo duo.

Anz 'Piano Tunes Vol. 4 on NTS'

The fourth edition of Anz’s Piano Tunes has finally landed on NTS, an eagerly-awaited mix shedding a little light on the best piano music, from house to amapiano, jazz to acid house. Including some all-time classics including CeCe Peniston’s ‘Finally’ and Black Box’s ‘Ride On Time’, Anz selects a wide array of feel-good piano-led tunes with a little added festivity.

Evian Christ ‘Mixmag Cover Mix’

It’s always a treat to be transported to your favourite party while catching the bus home, and it’s also a treat to have an hour-and-a-half of material from dance music’s strobiest DJ. So it was a particular pleasure to have Evian Christ share a live recording from his set at Trance Party in May 2023 as his Mixmag Cover Mix earlier this month. Going full throttle from the Champions League theme tune opener, right down until the rattling ‘Beat Goes On’ at its finale — this mix is Evian Christ at his finest, spanning all out trance euphoria, spine-tingling basslines and even a rowdy Hotel Room Service edit for good measure.

Toumba ‘Fact Mix 938’

Known for his love of turbo-charged percussion and walloping kicks, it’s safe to say we’re used to Jordanian DJ/producer Toumba being on the 140 end of things musically. But for his deeply personal FACT Mix, Toumba instead opted to avoid the club, delivering a heartfelt two-hour mix that explores “love, lament and desire”. The mix fluctuates between serene and peaceful, to dark and uncomfortable — but retains a reflective ambience throughout, demonstrating Toumba’s own warring emotions; settling into the beautiful ‘New Love’ from Burial, before hitting Verraco’s ‘I thought you should know’ around the mid point — before the deliciously poppy ending with Arlo Parks ‘Devotion’, that brings you back down from the cerebral plane to earth again. A mix you’ll feel privileged to listen to.

Tropical Waste w/ DJ Earl & Big Dope P on NTS

Ahead of showcasing one of the best 160 line-ups ever seen at his Tropical Waste club night, Seb took to the NTS airwaves with DJ Earl and Big Dope P to unleash a ready 2 sweat masterclass of juke and footwork. One for the books.

SAMO ‘Boiler Room Osaka: FULLHOUSE’

This set from SAMO is an exhibition as to why we tipped her in our Artists To Watch in 2024 list. The FULLHOUSE resident brings unbridled energy to the decks, sparking pure mania on the dancefloor, dropping some of the year’s biggest bangers from the likes WOST, Pariah and bastiengoat, mixing between earth-shaking bassweight and piano house euphoria with real flair.

CCL ‘Campout Mix Series’

CCL mixes always deliver, and this recording from their closing set at The Grove at Honcho Campout is up there among the best. It shows their peerless ability to craft a trippy journey that hits notes of psychedelia, ecstatsy, bliss and more. Choice cuts range from BT’s transcendent trance to the breakbeat mania of The Crystal Method’s ‘Busy Child’ to the deft trip hop of Smith & Mighty and soul-soothing Suga Bullit remix of ‘Lovelife’ by Lush. Oh to have been on the dancefloor for these three hours — though the crowd noise in the mix gives a pretty good impression of the exultant atmosphere.

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