The way Eris Drew thinks about and presents music is in its own league and every mix she makes feels like a gift from above. This second instalment of her Mystery of the Motherbeat series, which she launched in 2018, is a blissful ride that soothes your mind, body and soul. “No big hands in the air moments to speak of here, just deep mixing and some of the most beautiful records in my collection,” she announces in a lengthy explanation of thoughts and feelings put into the curation. Mixes don’t get much better than this.

New York’s DJ Voices isn’t one to allow herself to be silenced when it comes to standing up for her beliefs. You can feel a righteous fury and refusal to cower in the face of oppression coursing throughout this three hour mix, recorded live at Nowadays on New Year’s Day and released this month, channeled explicitly and implicitly through samples and selections. It opens with an interlocking of AI voices declaring: “The more people that don’t talk about what’s happening in Gaza, the more dangerous it becomes for those that are speaking out. This is how we are systemically intimidated and silenced. It’s part of the playbook.” Later it morphs into: “I wouldn’t want any kind of success in this industry built upon my silence and I don’t respect anyone who does. It’s ‘Free Palestine’ forever and unequivocally” and other variations. The surrounding music is dynamic and charged, bringing a sense of defiance even during cheerier moments, such as the vocal declaring “never stop living this way” and “everyone agrees with me / six billion humans can’t be wrong” emerging from the forwardly momentous beats. Even the bouncy refrain of a Wamdue Project edit (“Must be the reason why I'm king of my castle / Must be a reason why I'm making examples of you”) feels like it’s taking on a steelier edge than we’ve previously heard in the track. Listening now, after DJ Voices recently revealed she was terminated from her roles working behind the scenes at Nowadays after voicing concerns with the club as an employer, is somewhat bittersweet, but also gives the energising dimension to the mix, and its compulsion to stand firm for what you believe is right, even more thrust.

Ilian Tape has been a buy-on-sight label for more than a hot minute now and this mix is a handy guide to what we’ll be filling our crates with over the next months. Comprising entirely unreleased and upcoming material from the Munich imprint, it delivers the irresistible, wobbly bass and propulsive percussion we’ve come to cherish from the Zenker Brothers and co.

The duo that brought you the Biggest Banger of 2023™ ‘Set The Roof’ deliver more of the same hyperactive energy with this dynamic 90 minute set. Starting slow but playful with André 3000’s amusingly named new age flute track ‘The Slang Word P(*)ssy Rolls Off The Tongue With Far Better Ease Than The Proper Word Vagina . Do You Agree?’, they soon fire into the club wreckers, drawing for classic cuts and contorted remixes of TNGHT, Joey Beltram, The Prodigy and even J .Lo, with Sammy Virji’s monumental Tessela rework ‘Hackney Pigeon’ sending the crowd into chaos. Things go full circle back to 3 Stacks for the lighters-up closer ‘International Players Anthem (I Choose You)’.

“Normally we spend an obscene amount of time preparing mixes but not much thought went into this one,” explain Estonian house duo Abdul Raeva of this mix. And put simply, this is just a very enjoyable hour of upbeat, pumping house music that has an off-the-cuff energy that’s tons of fun.

Transport yourself into the bowels of Mexico City’s underground party scene with this all night long recording at YuYu club from Guadalajara-via-Monterrey renegade Regal86. Taking you on an archetypal ‘journey’, he moves through softer ambient, house and experimental stylings through boisterous rap and breaksbeats towards peaks of techno, jungle and footwork. Straight fire.

Crediting a childhood being “driven around in a yellow Fiat Coupé listening to Essential Mixes” as his musical awakening, it makes sense that when it came to Evian Christ’s turn to step up for Pete Tong’s mix series, something special would be in store. Inspired by seminal mixes from the likes of Judge Jules, SASHA and John Digweed, this two-hour love letter to trance music has all those familiar Evian Christ markers: searing basslines, world-ending drops, a breakneck tempo, and a heavy helping of his own edits. But there’s a noticeable, emotive air that might even seem uncharacteristic from the Trance Party honcho, packed with poignant breakdowns and affecting piano riffs by way of classics like Nalin & Kane’s ‘Beachball’, Vana Imago’s ‘Sintesi’ and even Elementfour’s Big Brother theme tune — Evian Christ’s Essential Mix feels less as if he’s trying to “break” the listener, and more bring them into the fold, and elicit within us the same adoration of trance that he has held since those road trips in the Fiat Coupé.

If Shygirl’s Mixmag Cover Mix is anything to go by, the Club Shy experience is one of sassy piano house euphoria, naughty ’00s nirvana and full-throttle Eurodance fantasy. By combining modern cuts from the likes of Manuka Honey and Manni Dee, KETTAMA and Overmono with all-out classics à la Basshunter and Mason & Princess Superstar’s ‘Perfect Exceeder’ — Shy’s hour-long mix connects the new-school underground with all-out clubland anthems, peppered with a selection of her own ‘Club Shy’ EP tracks. Boisterous, scandalous and extravagant, Shygirl may have inadvertently created the ultimate getting ready mix.

Enveloping us into the world of MARICAS, ISAbella’s Daisychain mix is a blistering journey through decadent ‘90s house, sweltering low-end percussion and breezy tech rollers. Recorded during her set at NYC’s Nowadays, this mix manages to vacillate between tempos without ever letting up on rhythm, resulting in a congruous-yet-unpredictable hour that will have you constantly guessing what’s to come, with the surefire knowledge that it will continue to have you enraptured regardless.

Surf 2 Glory have been riding the Rinse FM radio waves this month. Jumping into the Club Heart Broken residency this Valentine’s season, the pair provide an uplifting experience we are all looking for. Somehow finding the links between speedy bassline into soulful house, this is one corker of a set.

A hefty set between two titans of the bassline and UKG game. You’ll be screaming ‘fack off’ until the cows go home on this raucous, high-energy and overall naughty mix. Featuring many of their own works, such as Main Phase’s ‘Ring The Alarm’ as well as plenty of unreleased gems, the mix catches you off guard with unpredictable drops and round-the-clock wobblers. Tracklist needed.

This month saw Mixmag unveil its new mix and interview series, The Mix. It’s set to present a spectrum of electronic music from around the globe, exploring sounds and stories from the early days of rave to the future. Who better to launch this series than the Miami maestro himself, Danny Daze? Bringing to the surface the mesmerising sounds of IDM, spanning early influences of the genre up to his own Miami-infused melodies, his debut instalment showcases an accessible - or as Danny describes it “danceable” - side to the genre.

London-based DJ Tash LC delivers an hour of soca and calypso jams in this feel-good set. The radio host and selector is known for her expansive taste, dealing in global club tunes and using her record label, Club Yeke, to platform plenty of music from outside the UK, working with artists from Brazil, Ghana, the US, Jamaica, Portugal and beyond. Often found playing more club-centric tunes, with this set Tash LC flexes her versatility as a DJ in a purely analogue mix.

Taking over the Boiler Room in Marrakesh, Retro Cassetta shares his energy, enthusiasm and cassette tape joy in this electric set. If you’re not sure what you want to listen to but you want to have a good time, look no further. Delving into his box of treats, Retro Cassetta’s set delivers Arab ’80s disco, Raï and Maghreb Pop to an eager audience that absolutely eat it up. Expect pumping retro synths, bouncing bongos, melodic North African instrumentals, and searing ’80s guitar riffs alongside more familiar dance and disco elements. It’s hard to say who’s having the most fun with this one, Retro Cassetta or his crow. Did someone say “I’m a Barbie girl?”

Crystallmess comes in full-throttle on NTS this month with a brand new mix, taking listeners on a power hour through club music and Afrobeat. This one delves into pop rarities, soca, and calypso rhythms, sharing some crate-digging selections from the Paris tastemaker.

Taking the reins on foundation.fm’s Mix Hour this month is femme-forward bass group Collective Hysteria with an hour-long takeover smashing up dubstep, bass, and sounds in the 160 BPM region, calling in tracks from the likes of INVT, Papa Nugs, and anyoneID.

London selector Tailor Jae invites T. Williams on her latest Rinse FM show for a bass-heavy special. The pair chat on his latest album, ‘Raves Of Future Past’, and run through a pacey selection of jungle, garage, and grime, picking out their current earworms and inspirations.