Music
The best DJ mixes of 2021
Each month, we round up the finest studio mixes, radio sets, and extended audio voyages electronic music has to offer. Here are the best mixes of 2021.
If you thought the DJs of the world were going to take it easy in 2021, think again. Every month, a flood of new DJ sets, live stream recording and mix series instalments hit the internet, providing hours and hours of possible escape.
With any number of subcultures finding oxygen on the internet, it’s impossible to pick any one ‘sound of 2021’. The mixes on our radar (from both established names and an inexhaustible new class of DJs) span techno, trance, footwork, UK garage, drum & bass and many other mutations of electronic music -- often in the space of one set.
From endless choices, these are the mixes that lift our spirits each month.
January 2021
Cassius Select - Dekmantel Podcast 316
The Dekmantel mix series is a trove of boundary-pushing music, featuring some of the Dutch festival brand’s favourite selectors like Teki Latex, VTSS and DJ Earl. Canadian DJ/producer Cassius Select recently stepped up with this mix of off-kilter club music that refuses to settle in one groove. Rhythm-hopping but never chaotic, it’s both a serious and fun-loving hour. Cassius Select is now based in Hong Kong but spent almost a decade in Sydney, where he found kinship with a crew of like-minded producers.
J.C. - Ilian Tape Podcast Series 058
Munich-based duo Zenker Brothers have run the label Ilian Tape since 2007, showcasing artists like Surgeon, Stenny and Skee Mask. On the side, Ilian Tape also facilitates a genre-busting online mix series. This January entry from Madrid’s Jose Cabrera, aka J.C., perfectly fits the Ilian Tape trinity of hip-hop, dub and techno. J.C. is a regular at Berlin’s techno institution Tresor, and it’s fun to imagine these sounds enveloping you as a woozy warm-up set.
Russell E.L. Butler - Juanita’s Mix 035
New York-born community arts project Juanita’s is a major champion of the city’s underground talent, which shines through its killer mix series. The series showcases DJs playing outside their usual style, usually with a focus on understated home listening. New Yorkers like Turtle Bugg, Mike Servito and Anthony Naples have all excelled in the format, and this hour from recent New York arrival Russell E.L. Butler is another treat. The mix moves slowly and seductively through deep funk, soul and ambient electronics from the likes of Gang Gang Dance, Herbie Hancock and Sade. A mix for headphones.
Logic1000 - RA.764
Sydney’s own Samantha Poulter, aka Logic1000, is making a real name for herself on the global scene. Based in Berlin, the producer has turned out a string of undeniable club bangers that often hinge around manipulated R&B a capellas. For her turn on Resident Advisor’s mix series, Logic1000 weaves a two-hour journey from SAULT through to heavy-duty club gear. The tracklist also includes some enticing IDs from her studio. A mood-lifter for restless days.
February
DJ Q - RA.766
If UK garage and bassline lifts your spirits, this mix is a gift. Fresh from his 2020 2-step anthem 'All That I Could', UK mainstay DJ Q stepped up for Resident Advisor's long-running series in February. Doing his thing in a neat hour, the Huddersfield-born DJ leans heavily on his own releases alongside tunes from Zed Bias, Wolfie, Joker and garage original Todd Edwards. The mix has all the skittering rhythms, bouncy basslines and cut-up vocals a DJ Q fan could want.
Midland - As the city rests, a mixtape
Midland is one of the most creative minds in the underground house scene, but this isn't a club mix. Designed as a follow-up to the DJ/producer's 2018 mixtape 'As the city sleeps', this new 90-minute chapter meets our current global moment. Midland describes this mixtape as "a collection of songs that have kept me company over this odd year", intercut with field recordings from his past travels. Expertly stitching together songs by the likes of Massive Attack, Janet Jackson, Nina Simone and Miriam Makeba, it's a warm bath of sound.
Byrell The Great - Fact Mix 793
Byrell The Great is a star selector within New York's ballroom scene, playing music designed to make bodies really move. In his mix for Fact Mag's genre-bending series, Byrell The Great works in his own ballroom essentials like 'Humpz' and 'Pocket' alongside pop snippets and bumping gear from UNiiQU3, LSDXOXO and Paco Pack. “I wanted listeners to feel like we were back in the clubs cutting up on the dancefloor,” the DJ told Fact Mag. Mission accomplished.
MARCH
Sicaria Sound - Dekmantel Podcast 323
As Sicaria Sound, Sancha Ndeko and Lou Nour make and play music that harkens back to the glory days of underground dubstep. The DJ/production duo dart all around the bass spectrum, from 140-BPM steamrollers to dark and murky atmospherics. Their March entry to Dekmantel’s mix series is a celebration of mood-drenched low-end. If you can’t hear it through powerful speaker stacks, headphones are a good second best.
Maelstrom - Bleep Mix 170
Mael Péneau, aka Maelstrom, inhabits the space between techno and electro that French producers excel in. Maelstrom is best known as co-founder of the label RAAR with compatriot Louisahhh, and he can also throw down a bracing DJ set. This entry to the Bleep Mix series features a selection of tracks from Maelstrom’s new album, Rhizome, alongside heaters by Objekt, Shed and Minor Science. Expect IDM, techno, electro, breakbeats and several moments of soaring drama.
Octo Octa - RA.769
Even in the current global era, Octo Octa stays busy. In addition to running the T4T LUV NRG label with her partner Eris Drew and releasing the killer EP She’s Calling, Octo Octa isn’t letting her record collection gather dust. This vinyl mix for the Resident Advisor podcast series is an uplifting hour of warm melodies, exultant vocals and ravey stretches. As the DJ put it to RA, the mix is “a story of queerness, love, hope and revelry.” Go ahead and let the light shine in.
APRIL
Channel Tres - RA.774
Compton-bred star Channel Tres is one of the most productive producers in the game, working with the likes of Disclosure, Emotional Oranges and Flight Facilities. His DJ sets bounce between bass-heavy house, hip-hop and electro, which is exactly what you get on this hour-long mix for Resident Advisor. This one’s as bright as the blazing California sun.
KUČKA - Bleep Mix #176
If you’re mostly familiar with Australia’s own KUČKA as the guest voice on Flume’s ‘Smoke & Retribution’ and ‘Hyperreal’, this rare mix for Bleep shows a different side to her personality. From start to finish, the producer and vocalist lays down a soft bed of electronics from genre-benders like Actress, upsammy and Ana Roxanne. With barely a kick-drum to trouble your Zen, this one is more for mornings than late nights.
May
Jossy Mitsu - RA.782
Jossy Mitsu is part of a new generation of UK DJs weaving together styles, eras and tempos with a deftness that resembles the likes of Four Tet and Ben UFO. Already tapped for a big summer on the UK’s resurgent circuit, Jossy Mitsu recorded this all-vinyl mix from her home in Birmingham. With tracks from the likes of Djrum, CRISPR and Warlock, this one never drags.
Bambounou - Dekmantel Podcast 334
If you need a straight shot of techno to clear the cobwebs, look no further than this white-knuckle session from Parisian talent Bambounou, who excelled on the 50Weapons stable throughout the 2010s and has gone on to launch his own label Bambe. Recorded for Dekmantel’s value-stacked mix series, this sounds thrillingly like peak-time at the eponymous Amsterdam festival.
June
Phonica Mix Series 84: Young Marco
Young Marco is known as one of Amsterdam’s finest selectors - no small thing in a city bursting at the seams with crate-diggers. In this mix for London record store Phonica, Young Marco’s famed eclecticism takes a new turn. In just under an hour, he weaves a distinctly trancey vibe, including a cast of head-spinners from back in the day alongside forthcoming releases from his Safe Trip label.
Kilopatrah Jones - Daisychain 177
New York’s unmistakably named Kilopatrah Jones brings the sounds of a sweltering Brooklyn summer in this mix for Chicago’s Daisychain series. Kicking off with a club-ready edit of Tweet’s ‘Oops (Oh My)’, it’s a joyous trip through big, bold house flavours. Referencing everything from early ‘90s video game soundtracks to NYC club royalty like Deee-Lite and Danny Tenaglia, this mix isn’t interested in treading lightly. The Daisychain series is well worth a follow, showcasing trans and gender nonconforming people and women from a range of backgrounds and locations.
July
Todd Edwards - The Ransom Note Mix
DJs don’t come much more distinguished than Todd Edwards, the New Jersey trailblazer who inspired UK garage and won a Grammy for his work with Daft Punk. This mix for Ransom Note is Todd Edwards in his element, stepping deftly through hip-hop, garage, house and vocal edits. The DJ’s session followed a comprehensive and essential re-release of his catalogue through Defected Records in June.
Jaden Thompson - fabric resident mix
As London returns to clubbing life, the city’s iconic fabric nightclub is going strong. While recent lineups have featured the likes of Surgeon, Skream and Seth Troxler, fabric has made sure to include some fresher faces on its roster of residents. Young gun Jaden Thompson is already settled into the club’s Room 1 booth, and his recent fabric resident mix shows his readiness for the job. Expect bumping, body-moving house music that’s perfect for dark dancefloors.
August
Anz - Spring/Summer Dubs 2021
Manchester producer and DJ Anz has been one of dance music’s most distinctive talents in recent years, covering UK garage, bass music and classic house on her new label Otras Mitades (OTMI for short) and standout 2021 EP, All Hours.
In August, right at the tail-end of a not-quite-normal UK summer, Anz dropped this mix of “tracks and sketches” from her own studio. Now a yearly tradition with six editions, this mix is wall-to-wall Anz goodness. While the DJ apologised for “any rough edges on the tracks or blends”, any imperfections are all part of the charm.
September
Mark Seven - Dekmantel Podcast 352
For finger-on-the-pulse mixes that span the house and techno spectrum, it’s hard to go past the Dekmantel podcast series. In September, the Dutch brand recruited the house and disco guru Mark Seven to spend a joyous hour in the mix. The set was recorded to mark the 10th anniversary of the DJ’s Parkway Records label, which DJs turn to for top-shelf house, garage and Italo disco. Described by Dekmantel as “a life-affirming selection that will uplift and enrich your soul”, this is Mark Seven right in the zone.
October
Shanti Celeste - Daisychain 196
Born in Chicago, the Daisychain mix series puts the spotlight on trans, gender nonconforming people and women from all backgrounds. Now over 200 editions in, the series has featured a few Australian artists, such as Andy Garvey and Hannah D, alongside the likes of DJ Heather, Eris Drew and Ciel. On this entry from October, Chilean-born, Bristol-raised DJ Shanti Celeste puts together a four-four masterclass that had SoundCloud trainspotters scrambling for IDs.
November
Fort Romeau - RA.807
A lot of DJs take their time putting together a head-turning mix for Resident Advisor’s podcast series, but Fort Romeau really went all out. The UK producer and DJ split his mix into three parts that build across nearly three hours from lockdown darkness to exultant house music. “This mix really is a reflection of my life and psyche the past 18 or so months,” Fort Romeau told RA. Dive in now and get rewarded.
December
Morten B. - ITPS073
You’d be a fool to sleep on this series of killer mixes from Munich-based imprint Ilian Tape, with past entries from the likes of DJ Mell G, Doc Scott and label bosses the Zenker Brothers. To round out the year, Ilian Tape uploaded a brilliant 100-minute journey through dub techno by shadowy producer Morten B., whose releases on the Wandlung label are the real deal. If you get down to the timeless sound of Basic Channel, this one's for you.