Extending a warm welcome to our good friend P.Bud! A wicked producer of swirling deep cuts and the solo brains trust behind the NYC based @aroniarecords, Philip's leanings span the intersecting vibe-sphere of groovy, dubby 90s house, early 00s tech house and prog with subtle deep hypnotic trance nods for the early morning inclined.

Get set for two-hours of classy digs and exquisite blends from one of the realest out there!

@p_bud

Q. What inspiration did you draw upon when putting this mix together? Is there a sound, feeling, or time/place in dance music history that connects all the different elements in one way or another?

A. I moved to New York from Berlin a couple years ago and I’ve been so impressed and inspired by the North American scene since coming here. It’s so welcoming, inclusive, and community oriented, and is pushing really interesting music forward. This past festival season in particular was amazing. I attended Sustain Release for the first time and it totally blew my mind. Best Out Of Town, a festival organized by some friends in Canada that I played at, was also just next level. I definitely drew on those musical experiences when putting together this mix.

I also love digging, so a lot of the records in this mix are ones I picked up in NY record shops–shout out to A1, Human Head, Boom Service, and Academy. I’ve been really into 90s / early 00s tech-house and progressive lately so that’s definitely the throughline in this mix.

Q. Are there any records in the mix that are especially close to your heart, or old favourites that you’ve been keeping up your sleeve for the right moment?

A. In terms of records close to my heart, I’ve been obsessed with The Age Of Love Suite (Neverending Voice Mix) by Unity 3 for a while now, such a beautiful vocal trance track. I also just adore Groove Control by Variable Frequency Technician–when the pads come in it gets me every time. Those are both tracks I’ve had on repeat while cruising through the city on my bike and I’m glad I found places for them in this mix.

I love making edits of tracks that are almost perfect but just need little tweaks to get them there. For example, Only When I'm Dancing Do I Feel This Disco by The Mighty Dub Cats is cheesy in the best possible way, but the breakdown is just too much so I took it out. Storyteller by Urban Clockers has an amazing groove but the arrangement was lacking so I worked on that. Groove Society - Push Upon It has been stuck in my head nonstop since I found it, but the pitch was drifting too much so I smoothed that out.

Q. What’s the latest with your label Aronia Records? We’ve been treated to a couple of seriously deep, hypnotic and at times experimental dance records from yourself and the Toronto based producer Emissive in the past couple of years, is this the kind of direction you’ll be looking to explore even further with the label and your own production going forward?

A. Thanks for the kind words! I’ll definitely try to keep things ‘seriously deep’ haha :)

I want to focus on dancefloor material–it’s so rewarding seeing people move to Aronia tracks–but I’d also love for Aronia releases to work in different contexts too. I’ve been very lucky to collaborate with Evan (Emissive) in that regard, whose music ticks both those boxes. Resounding Yes for example is an amazing, hypnotic track that works both on headphones as on the floor.

I’m lining up some releases for 2024, mainly my own productions so far. I’m always keen to put out other people’s music though, so please send stuff my way if you like our sound! I’d also love to get Aronia more involved in the NY scene, so I’m looking for ways to do that.

I’m partial to vinyl as a format, but it’s so costly and time consuming, and I’d really love to put out more music. So on top of vinyl, maybe there will be some digital only Aronia releases too. Maybe some Bandcamp or Nina Protocol exclusives? We’ll see.

@myles-mac's annual MDC Review is in, blending some of his favourite mind massagers from 2023.

Tracklist:

Eivind Vullum & Telephones - Changgu-Satturnu (Telephones' Mind Meld) // Vibrasjon

Radart - Soli Test // Companion

A.S.O. - Falling Under (Cousin's Dive Dub) // Low Lying Records

Anthony Naples - Scars // ANS

Rings Around Saturn - Lansky's Vision // Best Effort

Beta Librae - Bodhicitta // Incienso

Frank & Tony - Agitate // Pacific Rhythm

Pilgrims Of The Mind - My Baby Likes Rum // Heels & Souls

DJ Popup - MLK // NES

Adam Pits - Spreadable // Kalahari Oyster Cult

p1LL - Touch My Soul // Serenity Now Recordings

Fantastic Man - West Coast // Superconscious

Patrick Holland - Fog Wall // Verdicchio Music Publishing

Sean La'Brooy - 140 to the Pin (ft. Greg Carleton) // Analogue Attic

Jex Opolis - Catalytic // Bad Timin'

DJ Central - Person // NES

Retza - Division (Too Sexy Mix) // Retza

Angus Mills - Wet // Moonshoe

Lew E - Teardrop // Basic Spirit

Thurlow Joyce - Lemon Citrus // NAFF

Sleep D - Planet Waves // Butter Sessions

Caldera - Dolphin Skii // Nummer Music

ANF - Technique // DustWORLD

Rounding out the year with two and a half hours of perfectly weighted dream grooves, tech savvy-transcendence and heavenly vintage house music from a beacon of the deep dancefloor, Hannah D!

@hld

@thespacebetweenus

Q. Hey Hannah, what inspiration did you draw upon when putting this mix together? Is there a sound, feeling, or time/place in dance music history that connects all the different elements in one way or another?

A. Hey Myles! Thank you so much for having me on, I’m over the moon to be a part of the series. This mix is a bit of an ode to my favourite time and place to DJ — sunset at a festival or doof in the bush. When the day turns to night is such a special time, especially in these settings, and I really wanted to try and emulate that feeling — starting out soft and building into something a bit euphoric.

Q. Are there any records in the mix that are especially close to your heart, or new or old favourites that you’ve been keeping up your sleeve for the right moment?

A. Yes actually! One that comes to mind is Dario - Sweet Love (Evolution Mix). I found it a few years ago and was obsessed with it but the record was so expensive on Discogs (currently $200!) and I couldn’t find it anywhere else so I kinda gave up on it. When you asked me to do this mix I decided to have another look for it and ended up being able to trade someone for a rip of the vinyl. So happy to finally play it!! Another special one is Kalle-M - This Place. My partner David actually found this and sent it to me a while ago and I love it so much, so shout out to Dave for that one :) and a final special mention for Blue Noise - Coldflow which is close to the end. It gives me goosebumps every time, so intensely emotional and I would be crying if I heard this on a dancefloor!

Q. I know you’ve had quite the busy year on the events front, hosting a number of different parties with great local and international DJs as part of the Luna Blessings and Send/Return collectives. What were some of your favourite moments from the year that was, and what projects are you looking forward to working on in 2024?

A. Thank you! It’s been a crazy year looking back and I’m so grateful to be a part of so many special parties. A moment that stands out was the Waxo Paradiso x Hope Street Radio party the other week, the vibes were so perfect all day. This year I’ve actually played quite a lot of b2b sets which has been so fun, and I’ve had the chance to play interstate a couple of times and in Europe which was amazing :) We’ve got a super stacked year ahead with both Luna Blessings and Send/Return which I can’t wait for! We’re hosting one of my favourite artists ever for Luna in January which we’ll announce very soon. I’m looking forward to more of all of the above in 2024!

Safe to say this one has been worth the wait! Relentless Sydney digger @daniel-lupica uncovers some seriously next level 90s kwaito and mid-tempo house from South Africa for a summer time spread full of pure under the radar heat!

Q. Hey Daniel, what inspiration did you draw upon when putting this mix together? Is there a sound, feeling, or time/place in dance music history that connects all the different elements in one way or another?

A. Kind of, but it wasn’t super intentional; obviously I’m into 90’s sounds (in particular South African Kwaito and House) so I wanted to share some of my favourite finds of this year and string them together in a cohesive mix, keeping a steady mid-tempo vibe, where everything sounds both similar and different the whole way through. Nothing groundbreaking, just trying to keep an emphasis on quality and not play too many jams I’ve heard before in other DJ’s mixes.

Q. Are there any records in the mix that are especially close to your heart, or new or old favourites that you’ve been keeping up your sleeve for the right moment?

A. There are a few! As a lot of the SA stuff is not easy to come by, it feels like it’s by chance (right place, right time) that I ended up with a couple, so pretty grateful to have some of my grails in hand, such as the “Shima - S'Phete Vibe” LP, the song “Dlayani” is in the mix but it’s packed full of heat. Another is the “Andile - Want Me (Viagra Mix)” (recently added to my YT) that is red hot fave at the moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laSet9roaPA

Q. With so many great under-the-radar South African records in the mix, can we expect to hear a few of these popping up on your youtube channel in the months ahead? And what other rabbit holes have you been exploring for the channel of late?

A. Yes for sure! There’s 3 or 4 in there that I plan to throw onto my channel. But hopefully I don’t sit on them too long and miss the boat.

The other rabbit holes that I’m always exploring include 90’s Latin/Spanish/Brazillian Hip Hop and Hip-House, as well as Reggae and Dancehall covers of 90s RnB and pop songs. Always nice to throw something familiar yet different into the mix when playing in a bar or club.

A masterclass in aerial hypno grooves from Vancouver's @thurlowjoyce, fresh off the back of a mind melting split EP for NAFF alongside Priori and Regularfantasy packed with euphoric peak time delights.

Q. Hey Cole, what inspiration did you draw upon when putting this mix together? Is there a sound, feeling, or time/place in dance music history that connects all the different elements in one way or another?

A. Hey Myles. Thanks for having me. I've been Deepcasting since day one. It's a blessing to be able to contribute.

I'm in between a few worlds here. I'm originally from Vancouver, Canada, and have been lucky to soak up Canadian sounds since my early days at the Mood Hut parties of free sparkling water. Mood Hut, NAFF, Plush, ISLA, Planet Euphorique, 1080p, they’re cozy CanCon scenes and there's a strong connection between Vancouver & Montreal.

In parallel I've been stuck on the free form ambiance of 3 X L, Motion Ward, West Mineral Ltd., Kwia adjacent sounds. I'm currently spending a few months in Berlin and just played my first show at Kwia thanks to Nat Marcus (she’s the best), and it's an incredibly unique space, the effect of the experience has been lasting.

This mix feels like a connection between these experiences. I often feel like my taste is a bit too heavy, emotional, euphoric, or dark, and decided to lean into that. There's some softer sounds I've been lingering on mixed with a lot of functional high energy strict business. I hope there's something the listeners can enjoy as well.

Q. Are there any records in the mix that are especially close to your heart, or new or old favourites that you’ve been keeping up your sleeve for the right moment?

A. Naturally there's a healthy amount of CanCon in here. There's so much amazing stuff coming out of NAFF right now. I've been hung up on releases from URA, Purelink and Cousin, as well as one from Cousin's (lovely) label, Moonshoe. Some real bliss from Special Guest DJ as well as with Pontiac Streator as crimeboys. A few favourites from friends (Sverre!), and I've contextualized some of my own.

Q. I really enjoyed your recent split EP alongside Priori and Regularfantasy for the wonderful NAFF label. Tell us a bit more about those songs you recorded and how it all came together for the label as your debut EP?

A. Thank you! That means a lot.

Lemon Citrus and Varial are 100% pandemic tracks. I've always struggled to push my own stuff and haven't released much of it or done a good job of putting myself out there. I was writing a lot in isolation during this period and remember trying to be more comfortable with the idea of sharing music, and doing so with my friend Jamie (Big Zen).

The NAFF connect came about pretty organically. Francis and Adam have been amazing to work with. Jamie’s a G. It was, and still is a trip. NAFF has always been a favourite label of mine. It was a dream realized to be able to contribute.

Thanks again for having me.

Chief of the undercover cross over jam, the humble downtempo don and Rhapsodise head honcho @daniel_pisano adds his own slice of paradise to the series, with a dance focussed blend of beachside 90s breezers dusted off and smuggled from their mysterious cyber caves. Cruise control >> on!

Q. Hey Daniel, what inspiration did you draw upon when putting this mix together? Is there a sound, feeling, or time/place in dance music history that connects all the different elements in one way or another?

A. The mix is inspired by my love of 90s dance music. As with most of my mixes, the records used are exclusively from this era, or at least draw inspirations from it. The sounds I like from this era tend to have a similar feel to them - breakbeaty, progressive and always with a touch of balearic energy. I haven’t recorded a dance-floor mix for a couple of years so it was fun putting this together with some of my favourite records and CDs I’ve collected since then.

Q. Are there any records in the mix that are especially close to your heart, or new or old favourites that you’ve been keeping up your sleeve for the right moment?

A. The first track I used in the mix is from a remix CD by Australian electronic music project ‘Kiva’. I went blind on their self-titled album last year and soon realised how good all of their other CDs were. I think I had naturally been drawn to look for music from the UK, Europe and the US and around this time I started researching a lot more into local artists. My appreciation for home grown electronic music definitely started to shift, which you could see in mixes and uploads to my YT channel.

Q. We’re big fans of your Rhapsodise YT channel over here, with some extraordinary finds being uploaded frequently over there by your good self! Tell us a bit more about that project and how you go about curating it, and what characteristics might you be looking for when deciding what tunes to share?

A. Thanks so much for the kind words :) The project was inspired by the other channels in the community that upload amazing finds. Internationally I was always blown away by No Frills, Customs, oddSample, Modern Art and local friends such as Mike Who, Daniel Lupica and Mirren. In terms of curation, I really just upload things that I enjoy that haven’t yet hit YouTube. Most of these uploads form part of mixes that I put together so the uploads I find are generally similar in style to the mix I’m preparing at the time. I’ve recently moved to London, so hopefully there’s some new uploads in the coming months!

Oslo house boss and mad selector @fredfades turns up the volume for the latest edition with a mix of serious summer heat! Big tempos and big nineties prog energies mixed with deep burners from the golden years of Euro house.

Q. What inspiration did you draw upon when putting this mix together? Is there a sound, feeling, or time in dance music history that you channelled when putting this one together?

A. I kind of wanted to make a bit "summery" mix that contains a lot of the stuff I am playing these days. Loads of European house records from the mid nineties. Then also some US stuff of course, but definitely a lot of British, Italian and German things.

Q. Are there any records in the mix that are especially close to your heart, or old favourites that you’ve been keeping up your sleeve for the right moment?

A. I mean there's one of my own songs in there, which I never did in a mix before, which makes it a bit special for me. It's the 'Summer of Love' cut from my new album 'Caviar'!

Otherwise there's a few other things here that was discovered through other Norwegian deejays which always makes it a bit more precious to me than just finding it in a store or on the internet. Boomerang, PHD, Digitalis & Poligonheads was all bought out of the collection of a norwegian DJ named Alex Jangle.

Q. What’s the latest with your own music and your Mutual Intentions label? The Caviar LP looked like it would have been a fun project to work on with so many great guests collaborating on that!

A. Caviar has been going surprisingly well on physical format, which is great to see! It's been a super fun process with a lot of good friends (and new friends!) joining in. I'm really happy how it all turned out. There's a bunch of new stuff coming soon as well! Both from me and a bunch of other artists!

Dishing up an extended all-spice-mix from local hot saucier @lava-brain. Prepare for some genuine mind realignment with 3.5 hours of mesmerisingly deep heat!

Q. Hey Eric, what inspiration did you draw upon when putting this mix together? Is there a sound, feeling, or time in dance music history that connects all the different elements in one way or another?

A. Thanks for having me! I don’t know if there was a conscious thought so much, but lots of music to either get you in a meditative mood or moving depending on how you’re feeling. I guess there are definitely a lot of elements from the 90s Bristol scene threaded through the mix in one way or another. That trip hop/down tempo sound was really a big gateway into a lot of electronic music for me and it’s what I was listening to a lot of when I first started DJing. ‘Bass is Maternal’ by Smith & Mighty was a really big record for me; bringing together a lot of trip hop, dub, bass, breakbeat and jungle sounds, which feature in a lot of tracks in the mix.

Q. Are there any records in the mix that are especially close to your heart?

Definitely! There’s a mix of some older favs like 'Transient' by Mr G, 'Tokyo Dawn' by Doc Scott & a Smith & Mighty tune. 'The Edgelands' by Rings Around Saturn has definitely had its fair share of listens over the years for me too. There's also a bunch of newer tracks, lots of local favourites & just music that inspires me.

One tune which I hold especially close would have to be Delano Smith’s ‘The Rock’. I remember hearing it for the first time and I still find it hard not to get hypnotised by it. The vocal sample about universal unity is also pretty groovy :)

Q. Tell us what’s the latest with the visual aspect of your Lava Brain project? How would you describe your approach?

A. It’s been really great to get more opportunities to work on the live visuals & projection mapping part of my practice recently and to focus on it 100% at a party.

In terms of my approach to integrating the two, with every event there are so many different elements that need to work together to make it a success. I think it's really about creating an awesome experience, working together with the music and space to compliment each other and help curate a mood. Working with different collectives or venues is always interesting, as all the elements change including the physical space and I enjoy the design process; usually starting with the logical side of the ‘how’ will this technically work and then the ‘what’ in terms of creative content.

I guess I try to tap into my own feelings when designing an install or content and ask myself something like ‘How would this make me feel in the context of the party, music and space and what’s the intention we as a collective are trying to curate?’ I’m also starting to expand my setup, experimenting with mapping a small wireless midi controller to be able to still be able to control the visuals while being away from the laptop and part of the party, letting me further tap into those intuitive feelings.

Currently I’m working on a visual instalment for Ferdydurke’s 11th birthday on August 12th and have been working with some new projection materials, experimenting with sheer fabrics to project a succession of images above the dancefloor to give a sort of floating holographic tunnel effect. For the event I’m also working on building a motorised lighting sculpture for the entrance to the venue, which is something new for me.

In parallel, I’m working on some grant applications and starting to look for sponsorships for a multi-day projection art and music series I’m working on, in collaboration with the Section 8 crew. With all going to plan, that should be happening mid-next year.

Other than that, continuing to learn, play and experiment, currently I’m starting to teach myself Touch Designer to expand that side of my creative practice and just always staying open to new projects and collaborations :)

The lovely legends behind @onorecordsperth join forces under their Ernest & Young alter egos to shower us in killer house grooves.

Q. Hey mates, tell us what’s the latest with your label / mix series / party service ONO Records?

A. Sup! We’ve been working away for the last couple of months on putting out some records after the summer party period here out west. We should have at least two records coming out this year, one is finished, it's just going through the production process currently. Pretty proud of that one and keen to see it come out, we think it's quite different to what people may expect from the label considering our previous output. Other than putting out records, planning a couple larger scale parties towards the later stages of the year which we’re also quite excited about. Some solo parties and some collaborations with some great homies!

Q. What inspiration did you draw upon when putting the mix together? Is there a sound, feeling, or time in dance music history that connects all the different elements in one way or another?

A. We wanted to create a mix that has the ‘live’ feeling, a representation of what we might play in a party setting. We don’t spend much collaborative time planning sets or mixes meticulously, we prefer to show each other a couple of records we think would be good for the setting and bounce off each other after that. We did that with this mix, pulled out some new records and some old favourites and had fun with it. That might speak to our influences though, we always seem to gravitate towards sets or DJs that have a more rough and raw approach or feeling. Musically we seem to enjoy that sweet spot with dance music where records are not specifically one thing, it's not quite house and it's not quite techno and maybe there’s some dubby elements to it. So maybe there’s a musical feeling there that connects it all but we’ve never really been able to describe what that is.

Q. Are there any records in the mix that are especially close to your hearts, or old favourites that you’ve been keeping up your sleeve for the right moment?

A. (Warwick): Quite a few favourites in there for me, one that sticks out is probably the Mood II Swing record. When we launched the label a couple of years ago we did a warehouse party collaborating with some great friends of ours, the System: crew. It was a really special night for us, being the launch party of the label, but also to be able to do it with them. They’ve always been such big supporters of us, have taught us a lot and are irreplaceable assets to the community here, big love 2 u Kyle, Cheye, Ben and Alex! But at that party another good friend who we have drawn a lot of inspiration from over the years played the tune, which was one of those spesh party moments for me. It has now become one of those records that reminds me of great times and great friends.

A. (James): The mix is basically a big collection of my favourites, both at the moment and all time! But if I had to choose one it would probably be The Kings of Tomorrow record played around 30 minutes into the mix (Fade II Black the Roger S Blackout Mix being the track in question). I picked it up at a great Record Fair that happens here at Bowls Clubs around the city every month or two and it’s a favourite to play out ever since. It's dubby, soulful, tense, psychedelic and it's got a killer groove. The track has this great tension that creates a really special dancefloor moment every time I play it out and about, so it felt fitting to include it in our mix here and try to capture that feeling!

We’re super grateful to be able to contribute to one of our favourite mix series, the institution that is MDC! And I just wanted to add a shout out to everyone in the community here in Boorloo, we’re so proud and privileged to be a part of this community whose love and support is an endless source of inspiration and motivation.

NYC’s Andrew Devlin takes a break from his usual dance floor facilitation to offer us a poolside soundtrack inspired by a recent stay at The Standard hotel in Miami Beach.

Q. Where do things currently sit on @thelevelparty front, and what other projects have you been busily chipping away at?

A. What’s that line? “We’ve been coming to the same party for 12 years now, and in no way is that depressing.” I think we’re nearing 10 now. In any case, the party feels like it’s in a really good place. After doing it more or less solo for a minute, I brought 5 residents on board who I love dearly–Alien D, KFeelz, Nigelthreetimes, No Sir, and Yibing. Everyone has so much range and energy, it’s been special getting the group together.

I’m really excited for our Glen Falls House weekender upstate in July (14-16). We get to take over this little hotel in the woods for a weekend and stretch out. It’s a dream. Big shoutout Josh Houtkin at Good Room for all his work making that a reality.

Past that, we’ve got some shows at our usual spots, Le Bain and Good Room, as well as a couple of day parties at Public Records’ new Nursery and a July 4 BBQ at Mansions. Would really like to bring the group of us to some other cities soon. I dream about heading back to New Orleans, doing Level Miami, Level Mexico City, Ibiza, etc…Anyone reading this wants to get in touch, let’s build ;)

Personally, I run a small sound company here in NYC, so I’m trying to grow that business and maintain my sanity. I’d like to get back into making music soon, even just a few cheeky edits. Start a podcast (I know, I know). And eventually open up a venue. A pub of sorts with good food and music.

Q. What inspiration did you draw upon when putting the mix together?

There is, in fact, a pretty specific one. This mix is dedicated to the pool at the Standard in Miami. I went in January for the first time and recorded this when I got home. The vibe there is so strong. You’re sitting outside, eating the best caprese salad of your life, there’s a 2’ iguana crawling on a palm tree, you’ve got a green juice or a margarita in one hand. Everyone is having a good time and partying in this really respectful way. They’re just sipping on a cocktail or walking to the hot tub or making out in the pool.

I thought a lot of that had to do with the soundsystem and the music programming–there are speakers everywhere (including underwater) playing at like 6/10 volume. The music is on a sort of soulful r&b/ balearic tip. I was on Shazam all weekend. So this mix is a dedication to that–if someone gave me 80 minutes to DJ the Standard Miami pool, this is what I would play.

Q. Are there any records in the mix that are particularly close to your heart, or old favourites that you’ve been keeping up your sleeve for the right moment?

A. Definitely. To run through a couple… ”Wall Street” I discovered reading Dub by Michael Veal. Great book for anyone interested in DJ’ing, soundsystems, production, etc. I got really into Jackie Mittoo reading that, and have been playing that track since.

The Lauryn Hill track, “Sweetest Thing” I heard in a coffee shop in Amsterdam in 2009, forgot about completely, then recently re-discovered.

“Don’t Break my Heart” is a big song for my wife and me. We both stumbled on it when we started dating at the beginning of 2020. We almost chose it as our first dance at the wedding, but thought the lyrics were a little dark. Anyway, big tune at the house.

And the last track, the Mike Huckaby remix, is close to my heart. I was lucky enough to meet Mike a few years ago and gave him a ride to his hotel after a gig. He had just played for 3 hours and all he wanted to talk about was my Volkswagen Jetta. He was really such a sweet, warm guy, and this track always makes me think of him. R.I.P.

Thanks so much for having me on this! Been a huge fan of MDC for a long time, and the radio shows and mix specials got me through lockdown over here. Means a lot to be a part of it. Much love.