Three-and-a-half years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, its capital Kyiv remains under attack. As people in the city continue to resist Putin’s army and go about their lives under constant threat of bombardment, Kyiv’s club community continues to be a place of solace and defiance; even with curfews in place, residents still find a way to let loose and enjoy the coalescence of the dancefloor. So it was always going to be a special one as our colleagues at Mixmag Ukraine hosted the first-ever Mixmag Lab Kyiv with Ukrainian electronic superstar Miss Monique no less. While it was undeniably an emotional homecoming for the Siona Records boss, Miss Monique didn’t shy away from packing in a punch with a mix of decadent house bangers, fizzling trance, hard-as-nails slam and rowdy club edits — including a massive Massano edit of Chemical Brothers’ ‘Do it Again’. 

As a flagbearer of São Paulo’s LGBTQIA+ scene, Cashu’s sets often exhibit an ecstatic, uninhibited energy that pulls influences from Brazilian club music, queer club euphoria and boundary-pushing DIY. For her go at PURE’s mix series, Cashu settles into an experimental rhythm utilising blistering percussion, minimalist bass and fizzling synths — rounding things off with a playful extended mix-out of Pearson Sound’s ‘Zoomies’. 

Our June Cover Star Introspekt treated the Mixmag Lab crowd to a masterclass in high-energy bass and quivering dub this month for the live recording of her Cover Mix. Ploughing through tracks from BLUMITSU, INVT and DJ.NK, alongside snippets from her new album ‘Moving The Center’, the NYC-based wobble aspecialist transformed our humble office into a halcyon reimagining of Plastic People for a rowdy, unmissable hour. 

Eight decks. Two hands. One Neffa-T: It’s the man who sound technicians fear, showing us exactly how he storms an octo-deck set-up – a mission he’s been working toward for some time since perfecting his lauded six-deck mixes. “I think I’ll always be a perfectionist at heart, but for me, this mix signifies no longer being fuelled by pain and upset,” he explains. This mix showcases some absolute technical wizardry, from his choppy four-track switch-ups, to those smooth movements between jungle, bass, leftfield techno, 140 BPM sounds, and plenty more. A master at work, this one is a pure joy to watch.

In a new “anti-format” mix inspired by the early morning clubbers who make it to see sunrise, and the people who “push their bodies in order to stay up into the middle of the morning”, DJ Haram’s instalment of The Mix is a short but sweet journey through percussive club rhythms, heavy-hitting grime, and rapidfire breaks. “I want it to feel like light tucked away in darkness,” she says.

Animalia & Cirrus label head Kia returned to New York’s The Lot Radio in July, providing a smooth hour-long trip through rolling minimal and dub – complete with floaty, washed-out synths and gorgeous, wistful club tracks that break into garage territory.

Enter the cutesy, electro and hyperpop world of Babymorocco’s Rocco.Radio. A show made for those with “tangled wires, blown out headphones and broken speakers” because - as claimed by Babymorocco himself- it’s “so good you will forget what your music is playing out of.” This mix is built for the chronically online, Gen-Z kids who want a fast-paced throwback session with tunes from Miley Cyrus’ ‘I'm So Drunk’ to M.I.A.’s ‘Come Walk With Me’.

What a month it’s been for George Daniel. The 1975 drummer headlined Glastonbury, married Charli xcx and featured on Mixmag — could life get any better? His mix transports us back to his set at Glastonbury, but not his headline slot on the Pyramid Stage, his rowdy DJ taeover at San Remo with his dh2 peers. Across the hour he jumps around to a vibe of early Duke Dumont, some back-to-back Crackboy and a bunch of unreleased work. “I wanted to do something slower / dusty that felt quite sample-heavy,” he explained. 

The dancefloor hitmaker has drawn together a naughty hour-long session for the nation. From classics such as 808 State's ‘Pacific State’ to some fresh off the press releases, such as Holloway's ‘Off The Dome’, it fires through anthems and propulsive rhythms aplenty. And, of course, we get a spin of the current national anthem, ‘Damager’, along the way.

Mia Koden delivers a third production mix, this time rooted in collaborations and remixes. It’s a deep, immersive half hour of music that will have you wanting to climb inside the tracks like a blanket one moment and gun finger skank the next. A flex from one of the most exciting producers out there right now.

Brian Leeds AKA Heurco S. AKA Loidis serves up a delectable (and on-the-nose) four hours and 20 minutes of smoked-out, groovy dub techno and psychedelic minimal sounds, recorded live in Brooklyn. A perfect soundtrack to see out the late-summer.

A superlative mix from our inimitable July cover star Polygonia, who stitched together nearly three hours of music across the range of brain-rewiring to ear-massaging and beyond. The Munich-based artist has only recently felt able to flex her full creative freedom behind the decks are breaking free from the confines of ‘deep techno’, and sounds totally bewitching with the shackles off.

TraTraTrax has launched a mix series on Apple Music and first up is Colombia-based Venezuelan artist to watch WOST. Starting beautifully with Mauricio, The Invisible’s gently euphoric ‘Life Cycle’, it moves into more complex rhythms and rowdy club sounds from a globe-trotting span of club innovators, traversing tracks from the likes of raptor house icon Dj Babatr to Batida badman DJ N.K. and Aussie alt-house fav 1tbsp to UK techno mutater Metrist.