Dekmantel Podcast

@djspit030 is a hybrid master. His eclectic sounds draw from a wide spectrum that takes in drill, ghetto house and drum & bass. In that regard, he is at the forefront of a new rave sound that is high energy and often extreme. His label Rascals Records represents that as does his own music on shows for Rinse FM, the sets he plays at places like Berghain’s Säule and on the Explorers podcast he runs as a means of investigating contemporary club sounds.

In the mix for us this week he invites us deep into a world of elastic rhythm and funky drum patterns. The tunes he reaches for are often stripped back and sleek but always high impact, with plenty of sci-fi motifs and cavernous, otherworldly atmospheres. He calls his sound "twisted future bounce" and we couldn't put it better.

As @sleepd, childhood friends Maryos Syawish and Corey Kikos have greatly helped shape Melbourne's underground scene over the last decade. Between them, they have Iraqi and Maltese heritage and put out music on the likes of Incienso, Play On and Cocktail d'Amore Music as well as their own blog/party/label Butter Sessions. Like their expressive live show, it explores "the rave unconscious" so think everything from dreamy pads to driving rhythms, gritty electro to cosmic techno.

This week's podcast is a superb showcase of their style: a mix that is constantly on the move, building momentum as rhythms go from elastic and bouncy to more driving and sleek. Percussion is perfectly sprinkled in to give extra texture, while nebulous synths add the colour as the pressure builds and builds. This is physical, psychedelic, emotional, trance-inducing electronic music that follows the familiar arc of a well-executed mix but in all new and unfamiliar ways.

We're delighted to arrive at our 400th podcast with CARISTA (@iamcarista) at the helm. Since winning a DJ competition a decade ago, the Utrecht native has not stopped. She is now a firm part of the European underground who has platformed plenty of talent on her own United Identities label, regularly plays our own festivals and hosts on NTS while also emerging as a fine producer in her own right. She has a knack for digging far and wide and playing anything from soul to house, garage to electric sounds, and she proves that here.

Her mix offers fresh and forthcoming music from United Identities artists Conrad Soundsystem and Sansouni, classics from Louie Vega and Kerri Chandler and cutting-edge grooves from Livity Sound. It's a sensuous deep house selection to start with before smoothly moving through the gears with jazzy inflections, body popping bass rhythms and jacked-up percussive cuts. Across one essential hour, it encapsulates precisely what CARISTA is all about. Here's to the next 400!

Jasmín (@jasminhoek) is one of the latest talents to emerge from the ever-fertile Amsterdam scene. Like many of her generation, she is impossible to pin down with genre restrictions. She is bold and adventurous in her selections and has played everywhere from South Africa to New York where she unites club, techno, bass and plenty more with her elastic DJ style and knack for exciting rhythms. During the

lockdown, Jasmín kept busy by getting to grips with Ableton so expect to hear some debut productions soon, but before that comes this week's mix.

It's a muscular workout that threads together warped bass lines and slithering synths. A tribal element to the pounding drums speaks to our primeval urge to dance while psychedelic sounds wave their way in later as things get deeper and more involved. Despite the very different worlds from which these tracks are drawn, there is seamless mixing throughout which makes the trip all the more hypnotic.

Brooklynite @benbondy elevates ambient to a whole new level. He's done so over the course of more than 12 albums in just two years. Each one is like a dairy - a capturing of intimate feelings that translate into sensitive sounds that are subtle yet moving. He occasionally veers into downtempo and IDM, and has worked on collaborative projects like Blessed Kitty and xphresh.

This week's mix is a deep dive into his edgeless world, where half-heard vocals drift in and out, cosmic dust glistens in a shard of light and smeared pads disappear off to infinity. The hazy sounds manage to be both romantic and psychedelic, insular yet hopeful. It is ambient but stuffed with such detail and texture that it plays out with the vivid imagery of a movie in your mind rather than just a soothing sonic wallpaper. Headphones are essential for this one.

Recording of SHERELLE's set at Dekmantel Festical 2022.

Recording of Job Jobse's set at Dekmantel Festival 2022.

Recording of DJ Lag's set at Dekmantel Festival 2022.

Recording of MC Yallah & Debmaster's live performance at Dekmantel Festival 2022.

Recording of Carlos Souffront's set at Dekmantel festival 2022.