The Audio Stories

As Printworks prepares to bring its tenure to an end, the beloved London venue is calling upon The Hydra for a last hurrah event series, the Teachers, paying homage to the clubs and spaces that have come before. FWD>> – the seminal club night that needs little to no introduction – is one such space being showcased.

Ahead of time, we are sharing a new mix series featuring contributions from a trio of FWD>> legends: Plastician, Youngsta and Oneman. Listen back to the full series here.

FWD>> x The Hydra

Crack’s flagship mix series celebrates its 500th instalment with a Block9 takeover. Venture in for archive mixes from the Glastonbury fields from GIDEÖN, Neneh Cherry, Masters and Work and more.

Listen to all five mixes here: crackm.ag/Mix500
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Crack Mix 500 (A Block9 Takeover)

As another year draws to a close, we’re taking stock of the year gone by through a collection of mixes crafted by some of our favourite artists, featuring music they’ve discovered or enjoyed in 2023. Hit play.

2023 Mixes

Broadcasts from Lost Music Festival, the Italian celebration of immersive music, art and performance staged at cultural park Labirinto della Masone – conceived by late publisher and editor Franco Maria Ricci, and home to the world’s largest bamboo labyrinth. 

With the dates now set for its 2024 outing in July, we’re casting our minds back to last summer through a series of sets recorded at the festival from its one-of-a-kind home.

Live from Lost Music Festival 2023

For Crack Mix 400, we're celebrating clubs and nightlife culture across the world with a series of archive mixes.

Héctor Oaks steps it up in Bassiani's Horoom with fellow Herrensauna resident SPFDJ.

Listen to all 18 mixes on crackaud.io → crackm.ag/Mix400

Crack Mix 400: Héctor Oaks b2b SPFDJ

From Chynna to Boofy via Eartheater, the elusive producer highlights just some of his musical touchstones on Crack Mix 450. Absolutely essential listening.

Check out the tracklist on crackaud.io: crackm.ag/3wXyhGQ  
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Crack Mix 450: Commodo

An ecstatic offering from the Australian artist. Recorded live at Pitch Music & Arts Festival, this one hurtles through trance, techno and rave with white-knuckle abandon.

Find out more on crackaud.io: crackm.ag/3aNMDkF
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Live from Pitch Music & Arts: STÜM

“I struggled with my religious upbringing for years after I became an adult and right now, right at the tail-end of this record, I’ve realised I’ve made peace with everything.”

As Ethel Cain, Hayden Silas Anhedönia calls upon memories of her strict religious upbringing to create her own Southern epic. We catch up with the 'Preacher's Daughter' artist Issue 132. Written by Emma Garland and narrated by Keziah Wenham-Kenyon.

Read the story: crackm.ag/3xLkWAG
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The Audio Story: Ethel Cain

The Berlin-based DJ, producer and Panorama Bar resident turns in an emotional and era-spanning set saturated in psychedelic hues.

Find out more on crackaud.io: crackm.ag/3DZ7u0E
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Crack Mix 474: Paramida

Last year, Crack Magazine collaborated with BIMM Institute Bristol on a series of live talks featuring some of the most influential and inventive voices in contemporary music.

Here, Eliza Rose – the east London artist and DJ behind 2022 smash hit, 'B.O.T.A. (Baddest of Them All)' – and DJ and broadcaster Vanessa Maria connect for a conversation about the song and its success, Rose’s career thus far, her relationship with social media, performance anxiety and future plans. Stay tuned to the end to hear Eliza answer some questions from the audience.

Our podcasts are also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other audio platforms. This episode was moderated by Vanessa Maria and edited by Keziah Wenham-Kenyon.


How to make a number one hit: A conversation with Eliza Rose

Crack Magazine has been collaborating with&nbsp;BIMM Institute Bristol&nbsp;on a series of live talks featuring some of the most influential and inventive voices in contemporary music.

In this podcast episode, we hear from Pau Cristòful, who works on the booking team at Primavera Sound. For the conversation series, Pau sat down with Crack co-founder and director Thomas Frost at BIMM Institute Bristol to discuss the planning, creativity, and ambition that it takes to program Primavera Sound – one of Europe's largest music festivals – with a focus on its 2022 edition. Listen until the end to hear Pau answer questions from the conversation audience.

Our podcasts are also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other audio platforms. This episode was moderated by Thomas Frost and edited by Keziah Wenham-Kenyon.

How to book the perfect line-up: A conversation with Pau Cristòful

Crack Magazine has been collaborating with BIMM Institute Bristol on a series of talks featuring some of the most influential and inventive voices in contemporary music.

In this episode, we welcome DJ, label-boss and general future-thinker Elijah. As the co-founder of Butterz, Elijah has been instrumental in uplifting the rise of artists like Flava D, Royal T and DJ Q. Beyond the label, his work with Youth Music and his iconic yellow squares insights on social media have established him as an important and imaginative voice in British independent music. Here, Elijah chats to Crack’s Audio Manager, Jasmine Kent-Smith, over Zoom about his entry into the music industry, Butterz, and supporting artists in 2023.

This episode was moderated by Jasmine Kent-Smith and edited by Keziah Wenham-Kenyon.

How to support independent artists: A conversation with Elijah

An ecstatic, edits-filled mix for the weekend from the Glasgow artist.

Check out the tracklist on crackaud.io: crackm.ag/3Ezhq0x 
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Crack Mix 489: TAAHLIAH

The hard dance agenda continues on Crack Mix 490. Tune in for 90 unrelenting minutes of hair-raising trance, techno and more from Amsterdam-based DJ, producer and Slash label boss KI/KI.

Check out the tracklist on crackaud.io: crackm.ag/3EOOkKT
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Crack Mix 490: KI/KI

The audio version of our&nbsp;Issue 140 cover story, featuring Caroline Polachek.

“I feel like culture in general is suffering from a need for everything to be literal. It’s almost like we’ve forgotten that’s never why we were interested in art in the first place”

Caroline Polachek is no stranger to drama. Guided by her breathtaking voice, the experimental pop artist has written operas, earned a Grammy nomination and even inspired a TikTok dance craze. For her next chapter, she’s surrendering to chaos.

This cover story was written by Jake Indiana and narrated by Keziah Wenham-Kenyon.

The Cover Story: Caroline Polachek

As Printworks prepares to bring its tenure to an end, the beloved London venue is calling upon The Hydra for a last hurrah event series, the Teachers, paying homage to the clubs and spaces that have come before. FWD>> – the seminal club night that needs little to no introduction – is one such space being showcased.

The bass-centric night is celebrated here, too, in a new mix from Plastician, an early fixture of FWD>>, who steps up for the first instalment in a three-part series that doubles as a vivid trip down memory lane.

Check out the tracklist on crackaud.io: crackm.ag/3nq9NE1 
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FWD>> x The Hydra: Plastician

As Printworks prepares to bring its tenure to an end, the beloved London venue is calling upon The Hydra for a last hurrah event series, the Teachers, paying homage to the clubs and spaces that have come before. FWD>> – the seminal club night that needs little to no introduction – is one such space being showcased.

The final mix in this week's FWD x The Hydra series comes courtesy of DJ Oneman, whose classics-filled set is designed to take you back to the dimly lit basement of Plastic People – and to a period "between 2004-2008ish" if we're being precise – with staple tracks from DMZ, Skream and D1. "FWD>> was the true essence of what a club night should be," says Oneman. "I’m thankful to have been a part of it."

Check out the tracklist on crackaud.io: crackm.ag/3nv6X0z
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FWD>> x The Hydra: Oneman

As Printworks prepares to bring its tenure to an end, the beloved London venue is calling upon The Hydra for a last hurrah event series, the Teachers, paying homage to the clubs and spaces that have come before. FWD>> – the seminal club night that needs little to no introduction – is one such space being showcased.

With all that mind, it makes total sense for the next mix in our three-part series to come from an artist whose name will forever be linked to both the FWD>> parties and the speaker-rattling sounds these nights uplifted: Youngsta.

Check out the tracklist on crackaud.io: crackm.ag/40NEiSR
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FWD>> x The Hydra: Youngsta

Spring 2023 is shaping up to be Tzusing season, with appearances at Manchester's The White Hotel (where he'll make his debut in the city at a party with the PAN crew this evening), Rewire and Lyon festival Nuits Sonores all taking place in the coming weeks. This playful selection of hard drum, hip-hop edits and other dancefloor weapons plucked from his current club set rotation makes it easy to see why.

Check out the tracklist on crackaud.io: crackm.ag/3KF8gTP
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Tzusing plays Nuits Sonores, Lyon, 17-21 May.

Crack Mix 495: Tzusing

Pop star. Innovator. Diligent DJ to the Maceo’s crew bar crowd. Take a joy-ride through Neneh Cherry’s broad web of interests on this archive mix recorded at Block9 at Glastonbury, and showcased as part our Crack Mix 500 celebrations. 

Check out more Crack Mix 500 entries, shared as part of a Block9 takeover: crackm.ag/Mix500
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Crack Mix 500: Neneh Cherry (Block9 takeover)

Fixtures at your favourite parties, Hannah Holland and Josh Caffé step up to the controls across this vibey archive mix from the Block9 treasure chest. Shared here for Crack Mix 500.

Check out more Crack Mix 500 entries, shared as part of a Block9 takeover: crackm.ag/Mix500
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Crack Mix 500: Hannah Holland & Josh Caffé (Block9 takeover)

Masters at Work turned Masters of the Downlow back in 2017, when the vital New York duo touched down for an hour-and-a-half of inexhaustible bangers. Relive it here, as part of Block9's Crack Mix 500 takeover.

Check out more Crack Mix 500 entries, shared as part of a Block9 takeover, here: crackm.ag/Mix500
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Crack Mix 500: Masters at Work (Block9 takeover)

To the NYC Downlow we go with Block9’s own GIDEÖN for a sweat-soaked session recorded at the iconic pop-up club in 2010.

Check out more Crack Mix 500 entries, shared as part of a Block9 takeover: crackm.ag/Mix500
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Crack Mix 500: GIDEÖN (Block9 takeover)

A dynamic excursion through a peak-time, late-night NYC Downlow, led by the most eminent of guides, Midland. Recorded in 2017 and showcased here for Crack Mix 500.

Check out more Crack Mix 500 entries, shared as part of a Block9 takeover, here: crackm.ag/Mix500
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Crack Mix 500: Midland (Block9 takeover)

A mix from Ogazón and Elias Mazian for the 2023 edition of Transmission to Tisno – a B2B mix series, shared ahead of Love International.

Find out more on crackaud.io: crackm.ag/3Jk202F
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Transmission to Tisno: Ogazón b2b Elias Mazian

LSDXOXO is our August cover star, and this is his full-throttle cover mix. Recorded live at the eye-wateringly stacked CSD Berlin edition of Floorgasm in July 2023.

Read the LSDXOXO cover story: https://crackm.ag/lsdxoxo 
Find out more on crackaudio: https://crackm.ag/3rsXecY 
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Issue 146 Cover Mix: LSDXOXO

Today's Crack Mix from Leon Vynehall settles into a deep and atmospheric groove almost immediately. From there, the hour-long set swaggers through recent Bandcamp finds and record shop gems tried-and-tested IRL by the London-based artist and producer.

Check out the tracklist on crackaudio: crackm.ag/3LtGGsB
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Crack Mix 522: Leon Vynehall

The autumn chills might be creeping in but our latest Crack Mix – courtesy of THC – is "an all-vinyl mix providing you a hybrid THC experience" and guaranteed to bring a dose of sunshine to your day.

Check out the tracklist on crackaudio: https://crackm.ag/48ECOPy
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Crack Mix 525: THC

"A collection of songs that have managed to inspire and excite me along my merry way this year. It has been a fine year music again, so whittling it down to a 30-minute mix was difficult task for me. A joyful exercise to reflect on the bliss of it, though," says the Bristol-based DJ, producer and Club Blanco co-founder.

Check out the tracklist on crackaud.io: crackm.ag/477JJOW
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Chez de Milo plays Simple Things, Bristol, on 23-29 January

2023 Mix: Chez de Milo

"I love being blessed with new music, and 2023 has given me an abundance of that. I selected a handful of tunes from this year's new music findings," says the Equiknoxx founder.

Check out the tracklist on crackaud.io: crackm.ag/3NxRVBs
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2023 Mix: Gavsborg

"I spent a lot of time this year in the air. Airplanes are a time of self-confession for me, I cry there. The solitude persists despite an overfull passenger cabin, welcoming an internal quiet," Arushi Jain begins. 

"The undulations in air pressure, bass drone of the engine, and dizzying distance from earth encourages external waves of emotion. In between now and when I’m back on land, I have an opportunity to release, and ready myself to be replenished. These moments are delicate, not unlike the music I chose for this mix."

Check out the tracklist on crackaud.io: crackm.ag/3ROfZST 
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2023 Mix: Arushi Jain

For their live performance at Lost Music Festival, artist duo Alto Fuero tapped into a transportative ritualism – ranging from otherworldly incantations to frenetic club-rooted rhythms. A hypnotic and transcendent experience weaving together reverberant flutes, spellbinding vocal chants and warped industrial bass, press play and let the pair take you on a trip. 

Find out more on crackaudio: crackm.ag/4aPL7sN
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Live from Lost Music Festival: Alto Fuero

For his two-hour set at Lost Music Festival 2023, DJ Python kept the mood steamy and the energy high throughout. 

Showcasing the Brooklyn-based artist’s playful approach, the mix journeys through slinking R&B and dub into more frenetic, percussive club cuts along with a particular standout – and warranted wheel-up of – an Andrea Bocelli baile funk blend and a Blu Cantrell edit. Exactly the kind of heat we need right now. 

Find out more on crackaudio: crackm.ag/48qVS32
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Live from Lost Music Festival: DJ Python

Dinamarca’s outing for Lost Music Festival 2023 fully delivered the hypnotic and dreamy atmosphere we know and love him for; blending his own melodic, trance-infused productions with cumbia, dembow and reggaeton. Pure dancefloor bliss to get lost in.

Find out more on crackaudio: crackm.ag/48MnWO8
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Live from Lost Music Festival: Dinamarca

Akin to his releases – such as last year’s 'Cunti' – Reptilian Expo channels a playful vibrancy here that takes a distinctly narrative approach. The Italian artist’s set crafts a richly textured sound collage filled with wiggy electronics, hypnotic instrumentals and an undercurrent of off-kilter, aqueous basslines, making for a listen that very much feels like stepping into a enticingly surreal dreamworld.

Find out more on crackaudio: crackm.ag/3RXQ8XI
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Live from Lost Music Festival: Reptilian Expo

A brain massage in performance (now mix) form from Spiritual Sauna’s Virginia WWW, recorded at Lost Music Festival 2023.

Find out more on crackaudio: crackm.ag/47uyLDC
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Live from Lost Music Festival: Virginia WWW

“With Healers I want to take people away from their four walls and into nature with me,” Duskus says, which is exactly what he does with today's transcendent and vibrant mix.

Check out the tracklist on crackaudio: https://crackm.ag/3VjnDHe
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Healers: Mixed by Duskus

Munich’s Blitz Club resident BASHKKA delivers an 80-minute party starter, blending slick, subtle house & tech grooves, gradually building to a raucous peak time finish.

Check out the tracklist on crackaud.io: crackm.ag/44mFShm
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Support Crack

Crack Mix 574: BASHKKA

Taking us on a voyage for this week’s Crack mix is none other than Georgian-born artist, DJ and producer Salome. Hailing from Tsibli but now finding home in Berlin, over the past few years she has cemented herself as a major player in the world of electro music. 

As a resident of esteemed queer collective Herrensauna, Salome likes to play fast and hard. Her sets are known to take you on a trance with her own distinctive blend of electro, acid and techno.

Crack Mix 576: Salome

New York trio Purelink give us an exclusive peek of what they have planned for the upcoming summer live music season in this weekend’s Sunday Mix. As the creators of Signs, one of the best ambient and dub techno albums of last year, their 80-minute mix shows off their advanced ears for soundscapes and texture, while adding on head-nodding grooves and dubby four-to-the-floor beats.

It’s as dancefloor suitable as it is Sunday sofa ready. “This new year has mostly been spent in our studio prepping new music and live set ideas,” they say. “A lot of these songs reflect the dancier side we’ve been inspired by lately. Hope to see you on a dancefloor soon.”

Sunday Mix: Purelink

New York hailing underground staple, Mutual Dreaming label head and founder of Sustain-Release Aurora Halal, takes to the tools on the latest Crack Mix with a warm, groove-laden 55 minutes

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Crack Mix 581: Aurora Halal

This week's Sunday Mix, courtesy of Francis Latreille, the Québécois producer known as Priori, is an introspective deep dive into the acoustic and electronic music that set the tone for his new album, 'This But More'.

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Sunday Mix: Priori

Berlin-based, British-born underground hero Christian AB takes the reigns for Crack Mix 584, with a nostalgic, groove-laden journey back to London’s notorious afterparty spot, The Boat, taken from a 2019 Sunday afternoon.

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Crack Mix 584: Christian AB

Combining two of the most forward thinking artists within the UK’s bass-loving continuum, BLUMITSU (Bluetoof & Jossy Mitsu), provide a 90 minute, future-facing look at dance music, featuring mutant acid, electro and breaks blended together with a subtle ferocity.

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Crack Mix 586: BLUMITSU

Inspired by the deeper, extended sounds of summer parties and festivals, Softi’s Crack Mix is an introspective, intoxicating blend of psy-flecked techno, deep afterhour sounds and hypnotic trance.

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Crack Mix 587: Softi

Blending booming techno kicks with lashings of hyperpop and ravey trance, Juliana Huxtable's Crack Mix is built to shake walls and floors.

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Crack Mix 588: Juliana Huxtable

Gqom new wave pioneers Omagoqa provide a marathon-length, 46 track mix stacked full of pounding off beats, woofer-melting basslines and Durban underground frequencies.

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Crack Mix 590: Omagoqa

MARICAS co-founder ISAbella takes the controls for the 592nd Crack Mix, with an hour-long journey blending dusty techno, shuffling house and trance-flecked grooves that closes a chapter on the summer festival season.

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Crack Mix 592: ISAbella

London-based rave purveyor Angel D’lite provides a snippet of what it’s like to see her in all systems go, peak time form, as she blends hedonistic, high-octane 90s deep digs with keyed up, euphoric rave tracks.

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Crack Mix 593: Angel D’lite

The Bristol city stalwart shows us how he does it with an extended session that moves through galaxial techno grooves, retro trance cuts and Villalobos-esque, scatty minimal, before building gradually to peak time floor shakers.

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Crack Mix 594: Chez de Milo

Bikôkô showcases her smooth-style influences and penchant for oddball sounds and themes, layering snippets of her most-formative influences talking over soul, guitar-led blues and a weekend dose of Dean Blunt.

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Sunday Mix: Bikôkô

Whomp co-head and Slush Records founder @loramipsum’s two-hour long mix provides a peek into her deep record well, with psy grooves, breaks and trancey shakers.

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Crack Mix 595: Lora Mipsum

Berlin based sound artist and experimental composer NEXCYIA provides the weekend soundtrack with a Sunday Mix of serene pad-filled ambient, dystopian, metallic downtempo and confounding IDM.

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Sunday Mix: NEXCYIA

Japanese techno originator Ken Ishii takes over the 596th Crack Mix, where he provides an all-systems-go, peak time club mix of techno heft and wonky bangers.

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Crack

Crack Mix 596: Ken Ishii

For Crack Mix 597, Jokkoo Collective’s MOOKI6 provides a twisting 70-minute journey through menacing trap instrumentals, off-beat industrial techno, dubstep and experimental club music.

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Crack Mix 597: MOOKI6

Lister's Sunday mix leans into the variety of music he works on as a writer and producer, calling on a range of trusted collaborators and tying the threads together with his own distinctive flair: hyper-detailed percussion, futuristic soundscapes and unexpected turns.

Sunday Mix: Will Lister

Known for sets that move through techno, hardgroove, dubstep, footwork and more, DJ and producer Neffa-T takes us on a high-energy ride through the sounds he knows best.

Crack Mix 598: Neffa-T

German producer Christian Löffler builds his Sunday session around meditative 4/4 kick drums and glistening sound design. Get the tracklist → https://crackm.ag/2Rac2sc

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Sunday Mix: Christian Löffler

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