Music
The best DJ mixes of 2020
A month-by-month selection of the finest studio mixes, radio sets, and extended audio voyages around.
These days, the internet is awash with a glut of mixes from DJs both established and aspiring. Of this situation, at least two things are true: not all of these mixes will be as worthy of your ears (and your time) as others; and it would take you a considerable amount of energy and dedication to get through all that's on offer and separate the cream from the crop.
Related
So we're doing the hard part for you.
Each month, we'll be scouring the vast expanses of the web to handpick the most stirring and stimulating mixes on offer. And we'll be adding to the list every month too, so don't forget to check back in...
JANUARY
Kamilla Rose -- Normal Not Novelty 2020 Special, for Red Bull Radio
Kamilla Rose kicked off the year by pinning her colours to the mast with a mix of all the sounds she's predicting we'll be hearing a lot more of over the course of the year. A savvy gambler, Kamilla spreads her bets -- taking in a wide array of sounds from the likes of Loraine James, HAAi, Anz, and Lady Donli.
The first of 10 studio mixes that the Butterz co-founders plan to release over the course of 2020, this one serves as a follow-up to the duo's 01012010 mix that landed a decade ago. Once again, Elijah & Skilliam go back-to-back in delivering up their vision of where grime is at right now -- and where it might be headed.
Against All Logic - A.A.L MIX
Nicolas Jaar's precision-crafted Essential Mix from 2012 remains something of a landmark in the recent history of studio mixes. This latest offering under Jaar's Against All Logic alias continues the legacy. Featuring all new material from the native New Yorker, and skirting between tinny trance, blanket ambience, abrasive industrial breakdowns, and silky trap, this is one to hold your attention.
FEBRUARY
Shannen SP -- Recognise Mix, for DJ Mag
This full-frontal 64-minute audio assault from Hyperdub affiliate Shannen SP stretches from fringe to fringe of the modern dance music palate. Taking in broken kuduro, FDM, footwork, gqom, and more, it serves as an overlapping illustration of diasporic global club music.
DJ Plead -- Dekmantel Podcast 271
"Drumroll, please!" For Dekmantel, DJ Plead delivers up a percussive one-ten punch of fully syncopated head-nod material. Neptunes beats rub shoulders with upfront releases from Nervous Horizon, and there's reams of unreleased material from DJ Plead himself and regular sparring partner Cop Envy.
Lurka -- ESO 019
Like pretty much anything Lurka puts out in the world, this is worth your time: and hour of rolling dub-techno, funky, breaks, and crunchy, industrial dancehall sounds from the Timedance and Hotline Recordings regular.
Beatrice Dillon -- Crack Mix 337
The ideal accompaniment to her stunning debut album for PAN, Beatrice Dillon's Crack mix incorporates all the playful, rhythmic excursions that have made her one of club music's most exciting prospects.
MARCH
TSVI & Wallwork -- Nervous Horizon Label Of The Month mix, for Resident Advisor
Nervous Horizon has, over the past year or so, steadily emerged as a bag-on-site label within the UK underground. In this showcase mix for Resident Advisor, the label's co-captains introduce the uninitiated to their infectious take on the sounds driving the dancefloor.
Swing Ting -- Mixmag: In Session
Before it was a label, Swing Ting was a clubnight. And before it was a clubnight, it was the name adopted by UK DJs Samrai & Platt. The pair's sets -- traversing dancehall, soca, garage, reggae, and UK funky -- have always been a vital part of the operation, and this studio mix for Mixmag is as good a showcase of their imprint's influences and attendees as any.
APRIL
Soraya -- Dummy Mix 582
Co-founder of one of the UK underground's most beloved music sites, Truants, Soraya plucks a selection of bouncy techno, warped acid, and jacked house from her record bag for this pacy mix for Dummy.
rRoxymore -- Dekmantel Podcast 277
French, Berlin-based rRoxymore provides this month's dose of drums, with her mix for techno mecca Dekmantel. Swooping from meditative hand drumming, to swung garage, and driving techno, this is music precision-engineered to get you moving.
Anz -- DISCWOMAN 91
MAY
Beta Librae -- Incienso #5
Beta Librae offers up a masterclass in the art of the slow build: from cavernous dub echoes all the way through to a climax of frenetic bleep techno and dance music thrown into hyperspeed.
Zenker Brothers -- FOLD X ILIAN TAPE
A full three-hour session from the ILIAN TAPE label founders at the imprint's last 24-hour takeover of FOLD in east London. This is the Zenker Brothers in their element, as they traverse effortlessly from wonky IDM to old-school grime via bouncy garage and pummelling techno.
Sammy Virji -- Choice Mix
Pure sun-drenched steppers from the eternally-grinning Sammy Virji. A showcase of his own versatility, this one consists of 100% Virji productions and brings dancefloor energy from all corners of the room.
Kemistry & Storm -- DJ-Kicks
A mixtape that should need little introduction, from two of the most formidable forces in drum & bass. Reissued as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations for the influential DJ-Kicks mix series, Kemistry & Storm's contribution retains its cult status to this day -- and deservedly so.
Purchase the mix for unlimited streaming here.
Carlton Doom -- LT Podcast 218
For his contribution to Lobster Theremin's mix series, Carlton Doom digs deep into Bandcamp's rich catalogue. Consisting of tracks purchased during May's edition of 'Bandcamp Friday' (when the site waives its fees, passing on the earnings directly to the independent artists who use the service to sell their music), you'll find dark garage obscurities rubbing up alongside cheeky bootlegs and tear-up-the-rulebook grime.
JUNE
Sherelle -- Dekmantel Podcast 285
In perhaps the most unrelenting mix of the year to date, irrepressible percussive wunderkid Sherelle channels rage and frustration into 80 tightly-whipped minutes of caterwauling breaks and basslines. Strap in.
UNIIQU3 -- POWER TO THE PEOPLE: A CLUB THERAPY MIX
Originally streamed via Instagram Live The queen of Jersey club shared a message to accompany this upfront mix of techno, Bmore, and breaks, saying: "It's 2020 and our vision couldn't be clearer. The world is wild right [now] and music is therapy so I made this mix for you to express yourself. Let go of the sadness, confusion and rage while dancing [to] empowering club music!"
DARWIN -- ITPS051
From acid-washed techno through to pounding half-time drum'n'bass, Darwin's contribution to the always-reliable ILIAN TAPE series is firmly focused towards the dancefloor -- and an ideal salve as we await their return.
Kush Jones -- RA.732
Frenzied footworking abounds as Kush Jones blasts through tracks from RP Boo, DJ Earl, DJ Manny, Surly, DJ Rashad and a host of other innovators in this explosive mix for Resident Advisor.
JULY
Juliana Huxtable - Dekmantel Podcast 288
Sometimes you need an online mix like you need a shot of coffee. For those occasions, we recommend New York-based DJ Juliana Huxtable’s ferocious entry to the Dekmantel mix series.
The Amsterdam-based festival brand is no stranger to pulsing techno, but Huxtable comes in hotter than most on episode 288. It’s relentless, certainly, but there’s enough texture and feeling in the selections to keep you locked in. As one SoundCloud commenter succinctly put it, “Fabulous meat grinder experience.”
CZ Wang - Incienso #6
Thankfully for the home listeners, not every mix available online wants to pummel you with bangers. Take this exquisite hour from CZ Wang, a member of cult Canadian collective Mood Hut, who finds a natural home on this mix series curated by Incienso label founders Anthony Naples and Jenny Slattery.
While CZ Wang is an accomplished producer (check out his Just Off Wave / Open Mic Beat 12” with Neo Image), he’s also a deft selector, stitching together floating IDM, blunted trip-hop and the kind of leftfield gems only found by truly committed crate-diggers
AUGUST
Jayda G - RA.739
With Both Of Us / Are U Down, disco and house authority Jayda G delivered one of the best and brightest EPs of a very strange year.
The mood-enhancing throwback vibe of those tracks also runs through the DJ’s podcast for Resident Advisor. Put together between London and British Columbia from her vast record collection, this sun-soaked mix is the balm we need in 2020.
Mike Servito - Juanita’s Mix 025
A member of The Bunker collective in New York, Mike Servito is best known for his raw, tactile DJ sets that combine acid house, techno and electro. Bangers, in other words, are his bread and butter.
In this mix for the New York-born community arts project Juanita’s, Servito dramatically switches up the tone. As he explains in the SoundCloud description, “elements of atmosphere, mood, and spirit come into play for this mix.” His “nostalgic and sentimental” selections include such titans of the ‘90s as Massive Attack, DJ Shadow, Nas, Aphex Twin and Mary J. Blige.
Fjaak - Ilian Tape 054
Like Mike Servito’s change-up for Juanita’s, this entry in the Ilian Tape podcast series showcases a different side to a rave-ready act.
In this case, the surprise comes from Berlin-based duo Fjaak, whose maximal techno and breakbeats make perfect sense on Modeselektor’s Monkeytown Records. Their Ilian Tape session swaps the raucous four-four for a deep dive into rap and bass history, featuring dusty gems from the likes of The Pharcyde, Zion I and DJ Rashad.
SEPTEMBER
Sleep D - RA.745
It’s always a thrill to see Australian talent represented in Resident Advisor’s tastemaking podcast series.
For episode 745, Melbourne-based house and techno duo Sleep D present 50 hypnotic minutes of their own productions, plus a remix of fellow Melbournians Big Yawn. As ever with these two studio whizzes, the vibes are on-point.
OCTOBER
Tomu DJ - Discwoman 99
New York-based DJ and label collective Discwoman has kept the heat coming all year via its boundary-pushing SoundCloud mix series.
This entry from San Francisco’s own Tomu DJ boils over with pent-up energy, mixing scuffed rave sounds with stretches of atmospheric melancholy. To show Tomu DJ some love, check out her recent EP, Four Dance Tracks, on Bandcamp.
Salome - LT Podcast 150
Warning: if you’re craving the dark, sweaty confines of a club, this mix will only make the pangs worse. Salome - a native of Tbilisi, Georgia now settled in Berlin - hits the ground running in her entry to the Lobster Theremin podcast series.
Salome describes her tightly-wound hour as packed with “forthcoming material of mine and some unreleased [and] freshly released electro, techno and breakbeat tracks from friends and other brilliant producers.” This one is a real barn-burner.
NOVEMBER
Roza Terenzi - RA.756
This year saw Melbourne native Roza Terenzi release her debut album, Modern Bliss, and launch a new label, Step Ball Chain. From her adopted home of Berlin, the DJ also recorded this inspired set for the RA podcast series. Stretching over nearly two hours, the mix includes several of Terenzi’s own productions alongside label recruit Tapestry Of Sound and a smattering of classics. It’s propulsive all the way, taking in techno, progressive house and back-in-fashion trance. With over 20K plays on SoundCloud, this mix is finding its people too.
Honey Dijon - AIAIAI Mix 024
This year, DJ-trusted headphone company AIAIAI launched a series of mixes curated by Benji B. So far, the weekly instalments have come from underground heroes like DJ Spinna, Oneman, Wajeed and Kai Alce. For the 24th entry in the series, AIAIAI secured none other than mixing powerhouse (and favourite of Australian dancefloors) Honey Dijon. Described by Dijon herself as “a tribute to my roots in Chicago house music”, the mix bumps and grooves with her usual finesse. Who better to keep the Chicago flame burning?
DECEMBER
Nastia - Scary Beautiful #2: ‘Duga’ Radar
In a year where every live stream started to look the same, Ukrainian techno DJ Nastia took it up a level. In her Scary Beautiful series, the NECHTO label boss broadcasts fast and furious sets from eye-popping locations around Ukraine. To kick off December, Nastia travelled out to the otherworldly Duga Radar station near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. What pairs better with Soviet landmarks than some stark and steely techno?
DJ EZ - 21 Years Of Relentless Mix
If you’d like to bounce out of this hell year with a wide grin, try this session from London selector DJ EZ. To celebrate 21 years of releases from UK garage label Relentless Records, DJ EZ gladly took a nostalgic trip through their back catalogue. His hour in the mix flies by, with classics by So Solid Crew, Mark “Ruff” Ryder and K2 Family alongside newer gems like the Floating Points remix of Headie One and Skepta’s ‘Back To Basics’.
musclecars - NTS Takeover
New York house duo musclecars didn’t quite have the year of gigs they’d hoped, but the DJs made the best of a bad situation. In August, Brandon Weems and Craig Handfield released their debut EP as producers, Street Dreams. Its deep and soulful tracks build on the feel of a musclecars DJ set, with the likes of ‘Sol’ and ‘Sun Track I’ conjuring a summery weekend in Brooklyn. In December, fellow New Yorker Bergsonist invited musclecars onto her NTS Radio show for a guest mix, and their hour of deep house is a cruisy balm.
Like Red Bull Music on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at @RedBullMusicAU
