VOICES RADIO

BLUSH MIXES

BLUSH is a queer ambient and downtempo radio show and event series hosted by Lavandula, offering an alternative to the more hedonistic queer rave scene. Creating meditative and transcendental spaces for queer people to decompress and focusing on the wellbeing of the LGBTQ+ community.

BLUSH w/ Lavandula - 28/08/23 - Voices Radio

BLUSH001 - @panooc_music

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

“I’ve always been a big listener of Ambient music, from Electronica to Chill-out to Sound Bath to Minimal Classical to Soundtrack, with lots of influence from artists that touch on the genre in some capacity such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Pat Metheny, Steve Reich, Mike Oldfield, Baths, Akira Yamaoka (the list could go on). For this mix, I wanted to go on a journey through a plethora of different ambient styles and emotions that I’ve held close within my own music - as a little peek into another side of me that you won’t always hear in my usual dance floor sets - including all new releases from a range of artists. Hope you enjoy the ride!"

Panooc (They/Them) is a multi-instrumentalist, DJ & writer/producer. Engaged in music for most of their life, Panooc spent their formative years in NYC working in their craft & nightlife scene, and eventually joined the LGBTQ collective XOXA, where they help to spotlight other queer artists and create an extended international community. Touring both domestically in the UK & USA, & internationally (such as Germany, Portugal, Mexico, Spain, Taiwan, Japan), they curate each set they play with intention & exploration for the dance floor, ranging from energising house to fun-loving disco to hard-hitting acid and techno to left field breaks, and hold 2 radio residencies on AAJA Radio & EHFM where they share new, captivating music every month. They have had EP & single releases on labels such as Sorry Records (NYC), .WAVCAVE (NYC), Ultra Music (Sony), Delusional Records (LA), with their most recent releases on Fortune Signal (NYC) and Super Drama Records (London) being played on BBC Radio, NTS, Voices Radio, The Lot Radio, Mixmag Cover Mix and more.

BLUSH001 - Panooc

BLUSH - 25/09/23 - Voices Radio

BLUSH002 - @m_u_s_h

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

notes on the mix:

"This mix was recorded during a particularly challenging time for me - dealing with a number of (at times) debilitating health issues. Ambient music generally is a great tool for slowing down and healing. I've been finding comfort in both solitude and socializing, listening to my body, and practicing intentionality in how I experience nightlife. Through vocal samples, uplifting melodies, and sounds from nature, I created a mix that's a reaction to hard times but also something to fall back on that feels like a warm hug or a night walk to nowhere."

mush is a North Carolina-born DJ now living in Brooklyn who has found a home in the social, creative, and professional circles of electronic music. Inspired by the softer side of club, his sound moves between ambient + electro, bridging the arrhythmic and polyrhythmic to invoke conscious euphoria. Whether playing for listening or to a room, he hopes to create transformative moments on the dancefloor through worldbuilding, narration, and unexpected twists.

BLUSH002 - mush

BLUSH002 - @aidenfrancis

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"For this mix, I wanted to use some of the downtempo and ambient tunes that I love and usually don’t get to play out. Like most people, I use downtempo music to focus; for work, reading or relaxation, so I wanted to put something together that moves through different energies and textures and showcases some of the lighter music that I like. Did I also mix PLO Man into Madonna? Yes, yes I did 💅🏼"

Sourcing influences from 90s Tech, house, trance and breaks Aiden Francis' pure passion for underground electronic music radiates through his music and DJ sets. Effortlessly drifting between different sounds and aesthetics, Aiden has managed to break himself free from the constraints of genre so that his true creative prowess can be flexed in full. 

The lack of constraint overflows into Aiden's DJ sets, providing highly energetic experiences that flows through a unity of sounds, cultures and voices. This varied approach to DJing has found Aiden's name appear on high-quality events across the UK and Europe.

BLUSH003 - Aiden Francis

BLUSH - 30/10/23 - Voices Radio

BLUSH004 - @jesshands

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"This was a pleasure for me to record, balancing ambient and bass to create a healing mix. Some people might find these tracks on the heavy side but I can find some peace within them. It’s an hour long journey which I found very cathartic."

Jess Hands is a London based DJ who grew up on drum and bass and dubstep. A lover of all things bass and fast tempos. She blends uk techno, breaks and leftfield bass to create experimental mixes.

After being selected as an emerging artist for Risen Festival earlier this year, she quickly become an exciting new artist with a busy summer playing at Body Movements, Secret Garden Party and around the UK. Jess also has radio residencies on Voices Radio and Mondo Radio and has made guest appearances on Rinse FM, Foundation FM, Brixton Radio, Netil Radio & more.

BLUSH004 - Jess Hands

BLUSH 005 - @jayeward

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"'Finding space to be totally horizontal can be difficult, this mix is a sort of gateway to that way of feeling. Ambient but with rhythm, with peaks and troughs to keep you focussed and in the game. Lots of deep listening, lo fi textures, slow arpy funks & dense devotional synths. Log on and tune out!!'"

Back before acid house changed the world, Jaye Ward was already ploughing a unique path playing weird and wonky musics of all flavours at squat parties and industrial based do’s, she flung herself whole heartedly and without concern for her safety into the oncoming tsunami of what we would end up tagging as house, techno or the multitude of varying descriptive titles it has been given and has stayed true to ‘our thing’ ever since.

Dancing wildly at dirt box, the mutoid waste parties, the hacienda, ministry of sound, tonka, moist, sabresonic set her up for the ‘90s where, while Jaye was behind the counters of a number of soho record shops during the day and doing the ambient ‘creamy meat’ show as bish on the legendary chillin’ FM pirate radio, she was often found behind the decks at the legendary WANG parties, the back room at Golden in Stoke on Trent, her residency at London’s sadly defunct END with the ‘for your pleasure’ crew and numerous long gone all nighters and late into the night dark room parties. Getting her second wind at the start of the 00’s via the ‘softmachine’ parties she ran alongside George ‘black merlin’ and Kyle & Johnny from ‘land of light’ she’s been playing regularly across the country for numerous nights such as LOVE MUSCLE & COSMIC SLOP in Leeds, HOMO BLOC & KISS ME AGAIN in Manchester and further a field as a resident at the KALA festival as well as Field Maneuvers, Love International and dimensions in Croatia. She is also the resident at long running & fiercely loyally supported Bristol party PLU, alongside Ranks which has carved out a name for interesting left of centre guests and a distinctly gnarly music policy.

As well as a bi-monthly ambient tinged ‘starmaps’ show of MUTANT RADIO Jaye also runs the long running weekly sunday night ‘Magical Real’ show on Netil Radio, from which she broadcasts a monthly dose of all things dub, disco, psychedelic, Balearic, and more.

Jaye has just released the 2nd release from DJ BSH on her own FIBS record label here >> https://fibs.bandcamp.com/

BLUSH005 - Jaye Ward

BLUSH006 - @ginabreeze

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"What a treat to move out of the club realm & record this mix. This is definitely a different side to me as an artist. You can expect a plethora of dreamy arp melodies, emotive chords, ambient textures, abstract sounds & down tempo grooves. I’m just back from a trip to Amsterdam actually & I was in a super cool, chill, crystal, mushroom type shop with a smoking area looking over the water. I definitely channeled that trippy spirit into this mix, I hope you feel it & enjoy"

Gina started making a name for herself as a DJ in 2009, kicking off as a SpeedQueen Resident in Leeds and quickly growing to international debuts around the world, from NYC, Berlin, and Ibiza all the way to Paris, Lyon, Croatia, and Helsinki. She has supported some of the most well-respected artists in the industry: Erol Alkan, Nightmares on Wax, Denis Sulta, Prosumer & Eats Everything to name a few. More recently, she is a Resident DJ at HomoElectric & Manchesters biggest queer festival, HomoBloc, plus a firm favourite at the The Warehouse Project. 

Every element of her productions are deliberate, an ode to all the influences that have shaped and continue to shape her. Gina has racked up releases on well respected labels over the years, Classic Music Company, System Records, Defected & Edible Records to name a few. 

When you walk into her events, you’ll be captivated by the energy, music, and soul that is woven in between every percussive element, raw rhythm, and unapologetic groove. You’ll lose yourself to a marriage of house, disco, techno, acid and everything in between.

BLUSH006 - Gina Breeze

BLUSH007 - Sam PV @pumpingvelvet

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"While at its best the queer clubbing experience provides a space to transcend beyond the struggle of our daily lives, that feeling is as much about the community and motion of the rave as it is the music itself. These are rare and beautiful moments that we cherish, but can often feel empty as they pass. In order to sustain these feelings we must seek the opportunity to feel healed and nourished by music beyond the confines of the dancefloor, and i've attempted to provide a meditative soundtrack for just such a purpose in the form of the my BLUSH mix. Opening with the Pharaohs Sanders' Spiritual Blessing, the mix spans my diverse collection with music from 1973 to tracks released just a few weeks ago, piecing together tunes that relax my psyche, whether through the mediative power of bass, swirling drones or sparkling melodies. All at a pace that offers the opportunity to truly decompress."

Sam is the founder and a resident at Pumping Velvet, a London-based Queer dance party that takes place bi-monthly at LGBTQ+ venue Dalston Superstore.

Sam grew up in London, his tastes moulded by the city’s diverse dance music scenes: from childhood trips to Notting Hill Carnival, to formative dancefloor experiences at nights like FWD, Trash and Süd Electronic. He brings these influences to his DJing in sets that span a broad gamut of genres, tied together by a love for big drums, pop melodies and sleaze.

Frustrated by the lack of queer spaces where you could hear both a Svek record and Kylie in the same night, Sam founded Pumping Velvet in 2018, driven by the firm belief that any barriers erected between pop and ‘serious’ dance music are entirely artificial and that there’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure. It’s this same ethos and disregard for boundaries that makes his DJ so thrilling.

Unspeakable Joy (20358)

BLUSH007 - Sam PV

BLUSH is a queer radio show hosted by Lavandula, offering an alternative to the queer rave scene. The aim of BLUSH is to create meditative and transcendental spaces for queer people to decompress and focus on the wellbeing of the LGBTQ+ community.

BLUSH - 27/11/23 - Voices Radio

BLUSH008 - @ysanneysanne

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"I recorded this mix at home on a hazy autumn Monday after a gig weekend. I wanted it to be something soothing, somewhere in between a mix and a playlist, that journeyed through different sounds, influences and time with no sense of urgency. I've combined ambient tracks I've been listening to recently with the downtempo music I grew up with; 90s chillout, Trip Hop, Balearic etc. The result is a laidback hour of music dedicated to my queer party people. Thanks for listening and I hope you can find a use for it :)"

YSANNE is a DJ / producer, who can also be found behind the counter most weekends at one of London’s best record shops, Phonica.

She holds a residency with one of London’s leading independent club promoters; Percolate and 2023 has seen her sharing lineups with Roi Perez, Nathan Micay, Job Jobse, Kessler, Partok, Dan Shake and Fafi Abdel Nour, playing the likes of Junction 2, Body Movements, Transmissions Hackney, Drumsheds, Night Tales, E1 and The Cause.

She curates a monthly Friday radio show on SE London’s independent AAJA radio, showcasing an eclectic mix of left field electronic flavours, from proto-house, early 2000s prog and 90s tech to big beat, balearic, new wave, electro and beyond. You can also catch her guesting on the likes of Rinse, Balamii, Foundation FM and Bristol’s swu.fm.

2023 also saw debut production releases and remixes on Hammer’s Remmah imprint, Eluize's Night Tide and Demi Requisimo’s A Lifetime on the Hips.

BLUSH008 - Ysanne

BLUSH009 - @marcelfriedhoff

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"Recorded on a snowy winters day in Berlin, this mix serves as an antithesis for those cold and gloomy days, with warm and deeper tracks from artists like @saizsuso @carmenvillain @stevehauschildtofficial @dylanhenner-music @vynehall @benbondy @nthngnthng etc. It’s really nice to have an opportunity to put something together that strays from my usual house/club-oriented music for the first time, including some tracks that are very close to home for me. Hope you enjoy!"

Marcel aka MVHY is a Berlin-based selector and queer nightlife maker. Originally from Witten in West Germany, he was first introduced to raving as a teenager at the beloved Goethebunker in Essen. In 2016 Marcel swam east to catch bigger fish in the Berlin Spree. With a smile that could kill, he charmed his way into positions all across Berlin’s nightlife industry. Serving drinks (and sometimes ice cream) he spent weekend after weekend soaking in hundreds of hours of live sets, buying the music he loved along the way. Eventually, Marcel’s picnic basket was full to the brim with Garage, Detroit and Chicago-tinged house music begging to be shared. It seemed time to lay out a big blanket and serve. During the lockdown, while the clubs were closed Marcel became MVHY, the 4/4 swing, vocal chop, swish swish bish on the decks. MVHY brings to his DJ sets the same fun-loving and carefree attitude he does toward hosting the rave. His biggest achievement so far? Heading back to where it all started to play for the Goethebunker in December 2022.

BLUSH009 - MVHY

BLUSH010 - @submarine-fm

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"When I'm in a difficult place mentally, I tend to listen to non-club music such as ambient, emo songs, xp hyperpop, synths music. It usually leads me whereas to cry, which can be really releasing or to be euphoric. So I guess those are the two moods of this mix."

Sourcing influences from the local underground scene of Lyon, France - Submarine FM's music is somewhere between Bass Music, Techno and Ambient with a noticeable modular synth flavour. She has released several EP's and two albums on the label Slab Note and also releases on the label she co-runs with her queer family @mega-boomemo. Beside a few dj sets, you will probably see Submarine FM performing immersive and euphoric live sets with her modular synths, alongside her visual collaborator @ocean_flounk.

BLUSH010 - Submarine FM

BLUSH - 25/12/23 - Voices Radio

BLUSH012 - @xivro

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"This mix has been informed by a few things relating to queerness, in the club and away from the club. Feeling like I've been experiencing the same kind of self actualisation as I felt as a teen; existing between the physical, public dancefloor and a fuzzy, hazy, internal world - coming to truths through chaos and/or chemicals. I wanted to respond to a short film I saw in October - Jamie Crewe's false wife 'a poppers training manual'. Thinking about the shedding of skin and brushing against other bodies as a way to better understand your own and how time can stretch out in unexpected ways. This mix is full of wide tempo, long blends, echo and has an overall cloudiness that I hope mirrors the headache, nausea + dizziness of liquid gold."

Xivro is a radio maker and sometimes DJ based across Scotland’s central belt. They run a party called Club Sylkie @clubsylkie, which focuses on making spaces for the girls, gays and theys within leftfield and bass forward club music.

BLUSH012 - Xivro

BLUSH013 - @j_aria

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"I love the elasticity within strecthed beats. There are so many hidden nuances where the warped, bugged-out soul reveals itself. I've always been the slow and deep type. I'm obsessed with that chopped-and-screwed sound, and what the texture and warp does to me. That ambience, the play between intimacy and isolation, alien and tangible, can really trip you out. It's emotional. It's a groove you have to sink into."

J. Aria is a multi-instrumentalist producer and selector - a resident at both Adonis and Dalston Superstore. Their acid-camp, fierce-groove dramatics have seen them make waves across the queer underground, with appearances at worldwide institutions Carry Nation, Block9 and Body Movements. They have put out acclaimed tracks on Super Drama Records and Queer House Party, with Adonis Records + Nervous Records releases scheduled for 2024. Their genre-defying sound is drenched in soul pulling fierceness and romance from all corners of dance into a singular and commanding voice.

BLUSH013 - J. Aria

BLUSH014 - @thara-bergen

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"I reach out my gentle hand so you can let me take you on a journey of funky, spacey sounds. A selection of b-sides from my vinyl collection which do not make it to the dance floor. Drift away. Feel free to express and explore your inner self. Honoured to have been able to put together this mix for BLUSH, thank you for the invite, lots of love from Amsterdam."

Thara brings you a crisp, calculated and down-right uplifting house & techno experience. Growing up in Ibiza in the nineties and influenced by the house mix tapes of the era, her sound is a perfect mix of warm island vibes and the innovative city rhythms of Amsterdam - the place she now calls home. What does this meeting of worlds create? A clean compound of bassy sounds, snappy vocals and groovy beats. Co-owner of the infamous concept - Project Sugar @ The Sugar Factory, Amsterdam. Thara was one of the resident DJs at this unique venue where the creativity of her and her fellow residents was projected for 5 Years. In equal parts a digital and vinyl talent, with an eclectic vinyl collection and over 5 years of parties under her belt - this is one DJ to watch.

TASCAM DR-40

BLUSH014 - Thara Bergen

BLUSH015 - @cabalemusic

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"This mix is quite special to me. As I took this opportunity to get out of my comfort zone while creating a mix, I chose to dig into music that had a strong impact on my life. Whether it was when I was daydreaming, going through a tough breakup, lost someone or tried to escape from reality. I picked tracks from all my major sources of inspiration as an artist but also as the queer adult that I became today; all these are discoveries from my teenage years going through young adulthood, they incorporate superstars I never got tired of, movie or video games OSTs. But at some point, they all had the same purpose: they helped my healing. I closed this coming of age story with a composition made purposefully for the show. Thank you."

CABALE (DJ, Producer) is a 90’s kid always in-between worlds, exploring the breakbeat energies around ghetto tech, techno and jungle. He made his debut in Shanghai, where he was a resident DJ for 2 years. From mall basements to pagodas, roaming the underground Chinese coast provided him with enough creativity to blossom in a peculiar way. Back in France, he has joined the Pinata Radio in Montpellier as a resident and published his first EP, Running Out (Les Disques du Lobby, 2023). This was followed by a live debut. Since then, he wanders places eager of his acid infused breaks, from Rinse France to Macadam (Nantes).

BLUSH015 - CABALE

BLUSH016 - @marso10c

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"I often go through times when darkness slowly creeps into every corner of my life. Times when negativity becomes a lens that follows me every day, instilling doubt, sadness and anxiety into my movements, my perceptions and my relationships. The autumn of 2023 was one of those troubled times. When introspection becomes constant self-examination. When self-esteem falls like autumn leaves. The world is in a state of turmoil, and so am I. When this happens, I try to seek softness and comfort wherever I can find it. Music and nature are my remedies, as their sounds help me redirect my mind towards something other than my grief. The song of a bird or the ethereal hum of a synthesizer have a magical power. This is the feeling I wanted to capture with this mix, composed of the melody of surrounding sounds that mingle with my thoughts, and deep sounds that envelop my heart with absorbent cotton to heal it."

Like their namesake celestial body, Mars is a dreamer floating in orbit. A stellar object often mysterious, barely perceptible to the naked eye, from a galaxy of innocence and melancholy. Sometimes love-red, sometimes anger-red, they find life hard enough but try to tint it with softness through music and activism, to heal the pain they encounter on Earth. 

Mars cultivates a sharp taste for progressive house, trance and broken rhythms that make you sway and sometimes ambient gems that make you shiver. Get ready for focused expressions, shared moments of sensitivity, the shy smiles of an introverted Alien thrown into the spotlight. To move you while making you move, that's Mars' mission.

BLUSH016 - mars O10c

BLUSH017 - @jordan-hearns

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"Immersive, emotive, reflective - these are things I seek in music, regardless of genre. Lately I've been finding solace in sonic serenity, blissful in this transcendent audible-space, or occasionally lack thereof. I've gone quite 'New Age', preferring beat-less sounds and experiments when I'm listening at home, and much of that is exemplified here. Eno, Blunt, Masin, Berkeley, Yokota, Doyle, Buch, Roberston, Hinata.. to name a few. One for a Sunday evening at home, by yourself or with someone special."

Jordan Hearns is an Irish artist, DJ and publisher. His work is an exploration into the significance of communal and domestic spaces as vessels for individualism, explored through the contexts of time, memory and ephemerality. Hearns' work is concerned with underground clubbing communities, fleeting romantic chronicles and urban transient floral-scapes. Co-founder of SMUT Press, Hearns' most recent works are presented in a mixed-media manner, incorporating still and moving image, audio production and curation, and artist-editioned publications.

BLUSH017 - Jordan Hearns

BLUSH018 - @david-ramsay-681621612

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"I really enjoyed the opportunity to dig around different areas of my music collection. Initially I had many ideas as to the direction the mix would be, as I draw inspiration from a range of musical styles and artists. I’ve ended up going on a bit of a journey, taking inspiration from the productions of some close friends alongside artists whose music has soundtracked certain periods of my life, it weaves between ambient drones and melodic tones, interspersed with syncopated rhythms and the occasional up-tempo beat. It was a pleasure to be able to step away from the usual structures of club focused sounds and explore."

David is a London based DJ with a love of multiple styles of dance music, his sets often weave between progressive & deep house, techno, and classic disco. Since emerging during lockdown in 2020 he has played at various queer parties throughout East London. In 2023 he founded @yesbabeldn, inspired by moments of euphoria on the dancefloor shared with his queer family, the desire to create a space that recreates these moments, and to provide opportunities for emerging DJs.

BLUSH018 - David Ramsay

BLUSH019 - @rooodj

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"A glitch in ROOO’s matrix - Enveloped in an experimental tangle, unsettling beats weave a mesmerising tale of hi-fi lucid dreams populated by screeching bleeps and velvety pads. Through a portal to a sensory-overloaded synthetic planet, tempted by wobbly creatures and jittery routes, ROOO finds her way out jumping off the edge of her sonically crafted world and into the safety net of her all time favourite album."

ROOO is the augmented projection of a London-based artist experimenting with dark electronic and pop archetypes: through intimate vocals, non-conventional songwriting and meticulous sound-design, ROOO channels social anxiety, sexuality, and over-dramatised obsessions.

BLUSH019 - ROOO

BLUSH020 - @second_contact

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"The mix was inspired by love, addiction, and loss and features minimal atmospheric soundscapes, cinematic dark ambient melodies, and elusive dub and trip-hop tracks. The mix weaves together ghostly soundscapes inviting listeners into a realm of contemplation while cinematic dark ambient music is weaving throughout the set to create a haunting tone of mystery. As the mix unfolds, subtle dub and trip-hop elements emerge for a rhythmic intrigue with the intention of tying it all together for a soothing meditative journey."

Second Contact, NYC-based emerging DJ, is motivated by blending a diverse set of sounds including acid, techno, extraterrestrial dark soundscapes, psychedelic trance, and more. 

Before emerging as a DJ, he is a designer and self-taught metalsmith at Studio Forty Seven where he combines traditional metalworking techniques and sculpture to fabricate jewelry inspired by the study of the human body and driven by commitment to quality and timelessness.

Second Contact is inspired by those who know the rules well enough to break them. He currently holds a residency at XPIZZA, an interdisciplinary parlor and music platform in downtown NYC.

BLUSH020 - Second Contact

BLUSH021 - @planet_byzarra

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"Being an artist who struggles with chronic anxiety, a lot of the physical symptoms affect my everyday life. My body being comfortable is something I experience very little of regularly. I wanted this mix to reflect a lot of that same restless energy. I also wanted to focus on the nostalgic and introspective moments too. I was looking for the perfect balance between feeling like an obscure, fever dream of a radio station that only broadcasted at 3 am, but also feeling like the coming-of-age soundtrack for a young insomniac as well. I went into this mix with the idea of it being a body of work I could turn on in the middle of my graveyard shift to help me unwind and let my body calm down. When I was digging around for inspiration on what sounds and textures I wanted to invoke for this mix. I knew I wanted it to be lush, spacey, and experimental. It took on a life of its own after a while. I found myself coming back to a lot of themes surrounding escapism, vulnerability, and just being able to let go. I wanted the whole mix to reflect the array of emotions I have been experiencing in my life lately, as much as I wanted to highlight the more euphoric-sounding elements within 90 minutes, I wanted the melancholic ones to be able to have breathing room also. I’m happy to say how cathartic it was putting this together, I hope it’s able to resonate with listeners, especially folks in dire need of some comfort right now."

BYZARRA is a MPLS-based artist & selector. 
Navigating and curating queer underground spaces for the better half of the late 2010s. BYZARRA has made her mark & has become an important pillar and influential underground fixture in the Midwest & beyond. As a selector, BYZARRA excels when showcasing her wide and eclectic taste range often pairing together sounds and textures that are ambitious on paper yet pay off and add to the cohesive sound map BYZARRA is constructing beyond the decks. The end goal will always be to tell a self-reflective story through the music aiming for truly authentic nostalgic/cathartic dance floor exploration with moments of honest vulnerability.

BLUSH021 - BYZARRA

BLUSH022 - @rosy-ross

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"I loved putting this together! After-the-afters music for rolling one and floating a little longer, before drifting back down to mother earth. Every song holds a thought or a spell. I was guided by Eris Drew's writing on rave integration, a recent-ish 'Cosmic Anarchy' newsletter from Ayesha Khan, and Ursula K Le Guin's ‘carrier bag theory' of being in the world.

'Music is not meant as an escape, false utopia or expression of happiness. It is meant to conjure feelings of connection to the earth and each other, which I think we need to internalize to be motivated to heal ourselves and to feel a direct responsibility to try to address the world’s problems.' - Eris Drew

'The key is creating containers in community for us to oscillate [...] between feeling/processing emotions & mobilizing/organizing.' - Ayesha Khan

'Still there are seeds to be gathered, and room in the bag of stars.' - Ursula K Le Guin"

A dedicated crate and internet digger, Rosy plays for dreamers and dancers at venues like Dalston Superstore, Margate Arts Club and The Cause, where she's also a resident. Her radio show 'En Vacances' on Threads celebrates the genre-traversing freedom of the original balearic DJs.

BLUSH022 - Rosy Ross

BLUSH023 - @lolade92

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"I really wanted to translate my shifts in mood over the last few months into the mix and it took some time to nail it down. For me and I assume many others, Winter is the season where I disappear from everything and everyone for a while. It can be quite moody and lonely but also comforting and freeing in a way. When hints of Spring appear - a bit of sunshine, blossoming trees, I instantly feel a shift in my mood. I feel lifted but there’s a slight reluctance to come out of that winter shell and fully embrace that change. This mix represents that mental journey for me. The mix opens with one of my favourite ambient pieces by Mica Levi and Oliver Coates and closes with Moroccan gnawa from one of my favourite local bands Electric Jalaba and holds various textures and sounds in between including tracks by friends AnnLov and Stacie-Ann Churchman"

Born and based in London, lola:de has played at various events in the city such as Riposte, HOWL, Risen Festival and recently Lagos, Nigeria. Known for experimenting with different styles and genres, she infuses all facets of her personality into her sets. Outside of nightlife, she enjoys yoga, cycling, walks and home decoration.

BLUSH023 - lola:de

BLUSH024 - Dj Picnic @halfcutldn

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"So whenever I need to decompress, I usually go to the genres that are closest to my heart. From synth-laden funk from the Paul Institute, to chilled Neo-soul and glitchy hip-hop from the LowEnd Theory era. This mix is filled with music that has touched my soul and lifted me when I’ve felt at my lowest. There wasn’t too much pre-planning involved, I just let the mix flow in one take."

Picnic (he/him) is a queer Dj and designer based in london. Inspired by london, LA and Glasgows base culture - blending garage with trap, and funk with future beats & anything in-between. A regular in the london scene, holding past residencies at the Haggerston, two tribes and playing at festivals such as BM, QYSP and SXSW

BLUSH024 - DJ Picnic

BLUSH025 - @bullhorris

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"Slowing down like this was more of a challenge than I had thought & more enjoyable than expected. It took a while to really sit on what sounds felt therapeutic to me, ones that weren't quite geared towards a high energy dancefloor. I knew I was into some ambient dreamy-esque soundscapes, those which had developed alongside the harder trance sound, but putting together this mix I realised just how much comfort I find in the grungier, more downtempo electro and psychedelic sounds. While putting together tracks I heard of Liana Padilha’s unfortunate passing, the lead singer & poet of Noporn. An amazing Brazilian electro/spoken word duo I had been lucky enough to see perform at Whole Festival last year, I have a couple of tracks from them in here as a minor ode to their work, one of my favourite sounds I had come across in the past few years."

Dublin based DJ and visual artist Bull Horris has been a consistent presence in the local and international scene over the past few years. Tender co-founder and resident for Strawberries, their love of the dancefloor and the cathartic moments it can bring translates into the music that can be heard throughout each set. Charging rhythms laced with sometimes political, oftentimes camp vocals, chord progressions that reminisce on that distinctly Euro sound, and a consistent heavy kick are the driving forces behind the sounds that Bull Horris loves to hear and play out.

BLUSH025 - Bull Horris

BLUSH026 - @bouffant-bouffant

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

“I listen to alot of ambient, jazz, shoegaze, non-dance music to soundtrack my daily life, turning my design work, long walks, bike rides, chores and meditation into a sort of cinematic beauty. These songs and albums become very personal to me for this reason. Whenever I'm asked to share this music, whether as a DJ set or as a recorded mix it becomes a loaded exchange for me. I worked on compiling this music and recording the mix the week leading up to the total eclipse in my home in Mid City New Orleans. This process proved to be very psychedelic and introspective and the result feels like an important timeline marker in this stage of my life that I will be transported back to anytime I revisit the mix. I hope that in sharing this sonic tapestry, the listener  is able to close their eyes and take a psychedelic carpet ride, a journey inward, riding the sound waves, and allowing them to evoke emotion, thought, and introspection.”

Bouffant Bouffant is a DJ, Producer, and party starter from New Orleans, Louisiana. He cut his teeth in local sex clubs, warehouses, and dive bars but has become a major player on the bubbling American Queer Underground nightlife circuit as well as International jaunts to play for the likes of Cocktail d’Amore, Buttons Berlin, Mustang Paris, and Savage Hanoi. His monthly party Gimme A Reason has been fostering space for queer nightlife in New Orleans for over 9 years and has become known for it's wild and rawkus, no rules policy. In recent years he has delved into the arena of ambient music creating mixes and DJing listening bars like Kwia Berlin.

BLUSH026 - Bouffant Bouffant

BLUSH027 - @ontologico

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

“Whether or not it’s because I’m currently fading away into the tail end of my 20s, I’ve found myself delivering a lot more softer selections in my mixes. I’ve pulled out a few CDs to hone into some nostalgia of mine growing up in the early 00s. Some floaty downtempo and pitched down prog has been thrown in there too. The mix breaks away from the hypnotic and darker rollers of my usual repertoire but keeps all the usual introspective moments - I hope you all enjoy the journey. This mix was recorded on the stolen land of Whadjuk Noonga Boodja. I wish to acknowledge their peoples as the Traditional Custodians of this land I have been privileged to spend the majority of my life upon. Sovereignty has never been ceded.”

Ontologic has played in a number of collectives and community radios throughout Boorloo, Naarm and London such as GRIT (PER) and Komrad (LDN). Since living along the coast of Walyalup the past few years, his hypnotic sound has shifted towards the open-air psychedelic currents propagating the scene Down Under. What remains unchanged, however, are the ethereal thematics throughout his selections - cinematic textures for disassociative thresholds.

BLUSH027 - Ontologic

BLUSH028 - @mouthfeel

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"The past two years have been about change for me.  After living in Texas for many years I moved to San Francisco.  While driving out west I was reflecting on the move I made twelve years ago. I was going the opposite direction- from Los Angeles to Austin.  I remember the feeling of excitement and nervousness as I was shifting my life in such a big way. Also as a queer person it felt counter-intuitive to move from what was supposedly a liberal place (California) to a more conservative one (Texas). When I passed the border into Texas it was dusk, but it felt like the sun took hours to actually set.  A distinct memory was listening to Oneohtrix Point Never's "Returnal '' and the album enhanced the slow motion feeling of being in a foreign landscape of rolling hills and heaving clouds.  It's a feeling that stuck with me and with this mix I am exploring what it felt like to make the drive in reverse, heading back to California for different opportunities.  This is mix is very much about the experience of anticipation I projected onto the landscape."

Mouthfeel is a DJ, film maker, and HIV activist living in San Francisco.  With his partner, he puts together the party and publication Service. Before his recent move to California he was a defining voice in Austin, Texas's underground queer nightlife scene.  He is a co-founder of the Contrast Film Festival which celebrates film, multimedia art, and performance from women and queer artists.  He also helped produce Double Scorpio's series of raves and created Y'All Or Nothing, a one day festival of queer counter-programing mounted for ten years during South by Southwest. In 2022 he premiered his first feature film, Erica's First Holy Shit.

BLUSH028 - Mouthfeel

BLUSH029 - @aquamarine_mp3

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"I really took BLUSH's intention of "soothing the queer spectrum" to heart. Opening with one of my gay awakenings in musical form from back in my uni days, this mix is meant as a sapphic balm for body and mind. The overall mood is bathed in 90s nostalgia, inspired by that era of Pure Moods dreaminess and New Age utopian tranquility. Full of silky smooth femme vocals to soothe the soul like an evening caress, and blissed-out downtempo and ambient to have you feeling like you’re floating through the clouds…"

Aquamarine (she/her) is a US-born, London-based DJ whose sound is rooted in an exploration of flow states, the psychedelic experience, and dance floor hypnosis.

Her levitation-inducing sets blend 90s and early 00s trance, blissed-out progressive house, swirling psychedelia, deep organic percussion, and beyond. With her ethereal beats she seeks to unite listeners of all stripes in communal movement and eyes-closed rapture.

With recent debuts including Body Movements, Corsica Studios for Joyride, The Cause, and Dalston Superstore, she is making waves throughout London and beyond. She is the founder of Wet Dreamz at Hackney’s The Glove That Fits, a trance and euphoria rave dedicated to FLINTA* artists and audiences.

BLUSH029 - Aquamarine

BLUSH030 - @jeonq

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"As someone who understands the the importance of nurturing your mental health, I wanted to convey a sense of understanding, care, and love to those who are struggling with their mental health. I hope this intention can resonate with people when they listen to this mix and find solace within the music."

Korean born and raised, London based Jeon Q is a resident of Happy Endings party at Dalston Superstore in London. In the club, his style consists of a mix genres from Deep House, Trance, House and Techno.

BLUSH030 - Jeon Q

BLUSH031 - @tsunimanmusic

Blush aims to help soothe the queer spectrum and focus on the well-being of the community. Queer DJs are invited to submit a mix to showcase an alternative side to their music library outside of a rave and take us on a meditative journey. ✨

Notes on the mix:

"This 1-hour recording takes your relaxing time to different dimensions. I've sewn together some of my favourite deep ambient tracks and psychedelic electronica. Listen with headphones and lie down... close your eyes and breathe."

Artist, radio host and promoter, Swiss-born London-based TSUNIMAN has gracefully imprinted the scene with their spellbinding trance, spacey techno, and progressive psy delights.

Bound by layers of the quirky and ethereal, TSUNIMAN is known for a sound that blends dark hypnotic elements and bright vibrations to create otherworldly soundscapes that captivate the senses.

From their residency at alternative play party Klub Verboten to their monthly Плазма (PLASMA) show on Neil Radio, TSUNIMAN has steadily honed their craft and taste over the years, casting an eclectic array of selections often spanning 90s psychedelic trance and throbbing hypnotic techno 🌀
Through their intimate, club-centred event Saturday Club*, co-hosted with Miro SundayMusiq, TSUNIMAN distills their taste as an artist and gives it back to the scene. Providing a space to explore sound with an ethos of community and support for grassroots venues.

BLUSH031 - TSUNIMAN

Amidst the flashing lights and chaos of the queer rave scene, there is a deep desire that unites us all, the longing to connect and be part of a community. Beyond the electrifying energy of the dance floor, it is important to nourish these connections and dissolve barriers. Blush offers a sanctuary for relaxation and celebration providing spaces to dive into, where  we can embrace the beauty of diversity, celebrate our individuality, cultivate connections and bask in the warmth of a community while nurturing our wellbeing.

Live:
28.08.24 - Voices Radio Residency
31.12.23 - NTS Radio
28.01.24 - All My Friends w/ Lavandula, Someone Sunny, Thempress, Ysanne
23.02.24 - Om Being, Om Radio
25.02.24 - All My Friends w/ Jaye Ward, Fancy Shews!, Lavandula
17.03.24 - Niche, Hackney Baths
28.04.24 - All My Friends w/ J. Aria, Bethan, Lavandula b2b Sarahtonin
10.05.24 - Melt Session, Om Being
01.06.24 - BLUSH x Om Being
22.06.24 - Sumor Festival, Wales

@voicesradio_ldn - every 4th Monday 7-8am - hosted by @l_avandul_a

BLUSH

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