Benedikt Frey (@freybenedikt) has been on a journey of musical adventure and exploration over the last 15 years. He has made everything from deepest house to bottomless dub, UK jungle to irresistible edits of Notorious BIG. Those early forays came on labels like Nous'klaer Audio and Hivern Discs but in the years since the German has looked more to industrial and post-punk for inspiration. His Fastlane album on ESP Institute this summer blended those vibes with his own take on techno and resulted in his most accomplished and singular work yet.

Now, the Lopasura label head steps up with an extra special two-hour mix that peers into the farthest corners of his sound. It is the sort of all-consuming trip that plays out like a mind movie as it works through serval different chapters - some heady and deep, some direct and unsettling, always with great control. Whether laying down electro, wave, techno or serious bass weight, Benedikt Frey is always taking you somewhere new.

African Head Charge is a legendary psychedelic dub outfit who have recently returned to their home label On-U Sound with A Trip To Bolgatanga, their first new album in 12 years. As always it finds the peerless Adrian Sherwood at the controls and joins the dots between what the collective has done before and what they are doing now, all with a distinctly Ghanian twist. The signature drums and chants remain at the core of the album of course, as well as plenty of other thrilling new sonic concoctions on keys, guitar, percussion, strings, vocals, kologo and more. It's the latest chapter in a fascinating story that has already seen them release some 16 albums since its inception in 1981.

This week's mix is a deep dive into the uniquely melon-twisting sounds of African Head Charge. Sherwood's mastery at the controls means sound is twisted and contorted, dubbed out and reverb-rich from start to finish. Traditional dub sounds melt away into ghoulish vocal passages, unhinged instrumentals come and go and the collective's signature sense of dark soul and mystic ritual holds the whole thing together in a spellbinding fashion.

@surusinghe is one of many exciting Naarm/Melbourne artists to have broken through in the last couple of years. She has been working behind the scenes in the industry for a decade but only started to release her own music in 2022. Now based in London where she has co-founded the Phenomena label, she has an international mix of influences that make her club-ready sounds utterly thrilling. They all draw on the fact that she is a clubber first and foremost, and one proud of her Sri Lankan heritage.

She goes big over the course of an hour for us this week and threads together plenty of body-popping rhythms from dembow to techno to wobbly London dubstep. She drops in several of her own tunes, one of which is unreleased, as are two others from Doctor Jeep and Tom Kami. It's a fresh and futuristic workout of high-octane sound from an adventurous DJ who always brings the party in fresh new ways.

After a busy few weeks having plenty of festival fun, our podcast is back and rolling with self-certified 'rave mom' Partok next up. He's played standout sets at Glastonbury and Panorama Bar this summer and still regularly returns home to Israel to play all-night-long sets. It is there, as a resident at the Tel Aviv club The Block that he first made an impression many years ago. Since then his endless explorations of all forms of techno have earned him an international following.

Partok brings his own distinctive party sound to our series this week with an electrifying mix of peak-time fun. He packs plenty in, too, dextrously switching up the mood as he weaves through evocative and emotional sounds that aren't afraid of a tender melody or soulful vocal, but are always powered by crisp drums. From banging grooves and brain-frying synth textures to psychedelic loops and hands-in-the-air piano chords, it's a high-definition, big-hearted selection that leaves you feeling good.

Back from another festival dream, we’re kicking off September with a razor-sharp mix by @mariemontexier. Fully based on the artist’s exceptional vinyl collection, this Dekmantel Podcast is a must-hear introduction to a future star.

Australian Kia very quickly rose up through the grimy after-hours rave scene of Melbourne to make her mark on the international stage. Now Berlin-based, her unique grasp of rhythm is rooted in a love of bass, IDM and deeper techno though she is adept at exploring a wide range of moods within those worlds. She has done so at places like ADE and our own festival and extends her good taste to the curation of her Animalia imprint and its ambient sub-label Cirrus as well as her own original tracks on Nous'klaer Audio.

In this week's mix, Kia showcases a colourful and kaleidoscopic take on techno which she says was awakened by an early trip to Japan's famously head Labyrinth festival. It's a hi-fidelity feast of supple rhythms, icy synths and deep space ambiance that unfolds in late-night fashion. The melodies are as delicate as silk, the drums rubbery yet punchy. It's high-paced future music that manages to be as delicate and beautiful as it is dynamic.

Tbilisi's impact on the techno underground cannot be overstated thanks to the work of artists like Salome. Though now based in Berlin, her sound is very much a product of the Georgian scene - heavy, breakbeat-rich techno with big trance-infused melodies and dramatic atmospheres alongside plenty of electro. It has come on the likes of Lobster Theremin and Standard Deviation while she also recently remixed Jensen Interceptor.

On this week's mix, Salome Gvetadze folds in all her influences from hard house to industrial to cook up an eye-watering soundtrack that is pure dystopia. It's a mix of brutally distorted low ends and earth-shattering warehouse sounds brought to life by bright synths, shards of glassy melody and twisted metal textures. Though physical and unrelenting, it's all richly layered so there is always a freaky voice to follow or a melodic thread to pull at as you're ever more consumed by the sheer force of it all.

Martyn is the finest example of an artist who exists outside traditional genre boundaries. Ever since the mid-90s, the Dutchman has operated in his own adjacent worlds while drawing on UK bass hybrids, techno and electro to cook up singular rhythms and unique moods. The 3024 label head has always used his platform to bring through new talent, and now also mentors young artists with his own Patreon program. This sits next to his ever spell-binding performances in the club and eye-opening monthly Darkest Light show on NTS, which is a deep dive into his love of jazz.

This week's mix is a 70-plus minute snapshot of Martyn's sound, which is as timeless as ever. From the crispness of Detroit electro to the off-beat thump of bass via his deep techno lit up with glistening electronics, it is a perfect blend of body and head and one full of brazen moves. There's a switch to jazz-laced broken beat and low, then the slow wobble of dubstep before a rebuild towards old school jungle that proves this is the sound of a true master at work.

Argentina-born but Barcelona-based, Tunik's real home is at the forefront of the underground. As a DJ, he has a knack for unearthing overlooked records and turning them into hot ID requests. His fledgling production career has already yielded high-class results since 2020, with EPs on My Own Jupiter alongside its founder Nicolas Lutz, and more on Furthur Electronix. Each one is a blend of industrial cosmic sounds, with paranoid atmospheres and low-slung yet mechanical grooves that are both spooky yet seductive and next up is his A New Dawn EP on our own label. It further deepens Tunik's journey into dark wave synths and machine-made rhythms packed with emotion.

He goes long on this week's podcast with a two-hour deep dive into his signature blend of house, techno and electro. There is plenty of room for everything from spaced-out rhythms to more corrugated machine funk. It's a forward-thinking selection that always feels like it comes back from the future whether deep and pensive or more jacked up and physical. A superb, floor-facing selection for non-stop dancing.

Quest is one of those new school selectors who have taken the art of crate digging to an all-new level. Italian-born, Berlin-based but having spent time in London working at the legendary Vinyl Pimp, he has long been mining the depths of everything from UKG to outré techno, Italian hip hop to long-lost house. Importantly, he uses those sounds to tell his own stories, often with an air of mystery and intrigue that plays out like an adventure into the unknown.

Many mixes follow a traditional arc of increasing energy levels but in this week's podcast, Quest plays with those expectations to build up and then pull back, threading together minimal rhythms then raw and crunchy wave sounds. Twisted electronics lead into celestial acid and the smooth and seductive sits next to the dark and edgy. It's a low-key, low-lit selection that draws from mutant strains of house, techno and electro that are both futurist and dystopian. Quest might be his moniker, but it is also a perfect description of his mission.