Dekmantel Podcast

Recording of AMORAL's set at the UFO I stage during Dekmantel Festival 2025.

Recording of ROD & Sterac's set at the UFO I stage during Dekmantel Festival 2025.

Proud champions of community and inclusivity, Lakuti and Tama Sumo are long-time Dekmantel favourites and true underground bastions. Deep diggers and lifelong collectors, the iconic Panorama Bar dup built a reputation for sets where pretty much anything goes, as long as it has soul. And the way they mix it, with a rare instinct that pull their crowds in deep is what makes them one of the most revered back-to-back duos in the scene.

This week’s mix is yet more evidence of that: over 80 minutes, they blend old and new. Rooted in house but shaped by global travels, it moves through soul-soaked broken beat, classic US depths and Afro rhythms – always carried by an emotional rawness that resonates. A masterclass in both selection and flow from two of the best.

Recording of HUNEE's set at the Selectors stage during Dekmantel Festival 2025.

Recording of DJ Koolt's set at the Selectors stage during Dekmantel Festival 2025.

Recording of Loidis' set at the Selectors stage during Dekmantel Festival 2025.

Recording of Sugar Free's set at the Selectors stage during Dekmantel Festival 2025.

Recording of Satoshii Tomie's live set at the Selectors stage during Dekmantel Festival 2025.

South Africa's DJ Lag is to gqom what Frankie Knuckles is to house. An early pioneer of the raw, minimal and bass-heavy electronic style since the 2010s, he has gone on to popularise it around the world with a wealth of solo EPs and high-profile collabs. Last year, he dropped his second album, The Rebellion, which ushered in a new era that embraced Afro tech, amapiano, drill and hip-hop, all having previously worked with the likes of Beyoncé and Tyla.

He played Dekmantel Festival back in 2022 and now makes an overdue entry into our mix series with a widescreen showcase of his musical world, including some unreleased tracks from himself. It's Afro-centric but roams from silky smooth and deep jams to crisp metallic steppers via warped dub, always with an empowering energy that makes you puff your chest and put your best foot forward.

Michelle emerged from the Uruguayan underground back in 2018. Since then, she's explored the sort of sounds that have made her homeland such a creative hotbed: stripped-back techno, electro and early tech house all collide in her tracks on the likes of My Own Jupiter, CABARET Recordings and, most recently, Element Of Impact. Though designed purely for dancing, they're rich with intriguing textural contrasts between steely metal surfaces, wonky acid lines and sultry synths.

Michelle only plays live, so this week’s mix is a raw, unfiltered one-hour transmission pulled straight from her machines. It’s a rugged ride that grinds through industrial tech, shadowy broken beats and deeper techno. The energy is relentless and the tension is palpable, as if intergalactic warfare lurks just out of sight. The pounding rhythms, strobe-lit grit and sweat-soaked intensity make this a masterclass in pressure and release that's alive, dangerous and keeps you right on the edge.