Distant Signals Mix Series

“Near the star Vega in the Summer Triangle asterism, the massive array of radio telescopes built by the lost spacefaring civilizations of the past receive a constant stream of high frequency transmissions from a small blue telluric planet 25 light years away. For the past ten years, a stream of a new type of music that is heavily percussive and lacks the organic vocalizations of the beings assumed to live on this alien world has been received. The rhythm of this music seems to be inherently primordial in its form, but consists of sound waves believed to be created digitally by inorganic machines. Its uniform beat is analogous to the pulsating source of life in all beings in the universe.

A new transmission unlike the rest is converted to sound waves and patched through an electroacoustic transducer by the current stewards of the telescope. They feel strangely connected to what they hear, energized by an innate desire to move. The spectrum of frequencies from this signal fills their core with joy as they embody a sonic energy that transcends worlds. For sixty earthly minutes, they dance.”

@wyatt-m66
IG: @wyatt.m66

M66 (aka wyatt) is a Bay Area DJ and Sutro FM resident. They host the show Nascent Attraction every first Saturday of the month from 6-8pm PST.

Distant Signals 065: M66

"In the starry night beyond the known galaxy, swarms of electric shocks shake the air full of gas and beams of blue light, under that sky where the tribes of all the Northern constellation met.
All brought the gifts of the cosmos, and the dreams of a night that lasts 100 years.

Feathers made of thunders, soiled by the mud of the ground, flew under the infinite progression of the incessant rhythms that came from the strange electronic gadgets, once called speakers, found in the farthest point of the northern galaxy: the earth.

The tribes embraced, the dance began under the electric storm, where time flows slowly, with the crazy beats of ancient objects brought from afar, mysterious tools capable of taking the electronic waves and turning them into sound, cables long as the galaxy connecting the celebration of the dancing bodies.

A tribal dance that was born millennia before and arrived in the great northern galaxy thanks to the blue sparks, in this ground of mud, feet and legs that are unleashed, in the greatest ritual of infinite time: dancing until the cosmic morning, Until the lights fade, when the dawn of 100 years this galaxy will end."

@epo40135
IG: @epo40135

EPO, founder and member of Mentalità (a Bologna-Italy based electronic crew), is a Selector and DJ who recently moved to Pittsburgh with his bag full of european records and found a second home in the vinyl stores of the Steel City.

A true old school raver, started from the illegal raves in the woods, which he prefers for a real connection to the dancers and the spirit of free music, to organize parties in the north and center of Italy, with the Mentalità crew in cities like Milan, Rome, Turin and Rimini.

In Pittsburgh he felt in love with the people of Transit, an underground crew that brings the same vibes as he always searched for, helping them in any ways.

Every month he brings his selecta of vinyls on MSYH Fm radio with the personal show “Squirrel Hill Vinyl Club”, a deep immersion on hidden gems from the secondhand stores of Berlin, Amsterdam, London, Rome and the finest last releases.

Trance, Acid, techno, all bonded in the tornado of the progressive, a bridge between the mid-90s to the present, in a translucent continuous kick.

Tracklist:
Channel 69 - that groovy feeling / pure music records 1994
Arkana - who do you trust / indochina 1995
The dirty pots - u mudder fucker you (peek a boo mix) / Western 1998
Tino - work my body (workout mix) / non stop rhythm 2023
Hang tough - flux (mix 1) / one little Indian 2003
GTR - manco cepas revenge (Justin Robertson mix) / planet 4 1994
Dj Fett burger & LA 2000 - Trush your body! / sex tag ufo 2024
Darwin Chamber - do you feel the love / money dog music 2023
Sourmash - pilgrimage to paradise (BLIM’s bourbon bass mix) / hooj choons 2000
Andy Ling - Calling angels (analogue heaven mix) / fluid 1996
André 3 - I used to underground / tribal sun 1995
Andy Ling - Anuna (part one) / fluid 1998

Distant Signals 066: EPO

"Saturday I awoke conflicted. For I realized, autobiographically speaking, that there remained one vast area of self-experience as yet unexplored and unexplained, viz. sky as a medium of annihilation. Warfare is a fact of life for all the creeping creatures that creep upon the earth (as the book of Genesis calls them on the 6th day) and warfare is mostly a history of death-bringing stuff flying through the air—bullets, bombs, bows and arrows, Big Berthas, B-52s, poison darts, poison gas, portable nukes, cannonballs, curses, lethal drones. My first instinct was to fashion all this into a fast-paced crime novel. Certainly there were crimes.

But it proved impossible to condense that long evildoing into a simple algebra of cause and effect. Crime fiction is very condensed. And its impact on the reader derives from giving a face to the algebraic components—the victim, the criminal, the detective, the good, the bad. Warfare has grown increasingly faceless throughout its history. Surely Hektor and Akhilles looked into each other's eyes on the battlefield, but in 1092 Pope Urban II found it necessary to outlaw the crossbow as being inglorious due to its distance from death, and by the 21st century a soldier in Nevada can push a button and have five people in Pakistan burst into flame. Without the face, no ethics: this is an old idea. But also, without the face, no function for me, nothing to write about. No one can make sentences using only verbs. No one can tell a story without believing in the reality of others.

Yet I didn't, I don't, expect all you creeping creatures that creep upon the earth to stop wanting warfare anytime soon. And I didn't, I don't, expect me to stop delivering the hysterical valentines of your desire through my beautiful blue air.
 
That's just who we are." 

-Anne Carson

@evedefy
IG: @du_feuilles
https://linktr.ee/evedefy

Distant Signals 067: Eve Defy

"Log 000023-2241

We woke up from cryo sleep a few weeks back as we arrived to the Tuldorah system. Things have been slow as we adjust to being awake. It's been nice to play Go with Zaid. And Anh is fun to be around, though they sing a lot when doing their chores and it's kind of driving me nuts. Space can be hella boring at times. But today, looking at the planets of Tuldorah in the navigation pane, I felt that sense of wonder that got me into this in the first place.

Log 000341-0953

The year hadn't been very fruitful. We explored yet another planet that ended up being a gas giant. But today, our radar picked up the signal of a previously unidentified rogue planet, which we have named Ortali. It seems to have lined itself up to orbit around the Tuldorah system. This behaviour is fascinating and something we agreed our expedition should research more deeply. We have set the coordinates to Ortali's proximity. While we get there, we'll continue to chart some orbital models and run scans of its surface.

Log - 000405-1444

We haven't seen much from Ortali yet, but we are eager to keep exploring. Its surface is unlike anything we have seen before. In appearance it is chitinous, but upon interaction it is incredibly dense and solid. We have discovered several tendril-like lifeforms that sprout from the surface. They are gelatinous, hairy, and gently ondulate. They are not hostile. We have taken some samples to analyze their composition. I can't wait to see what hides in other regions of Ortali.

ᯊ ೈᾖ ꔘ�ꥄ⨕ㆬ⠨-鯦ᙶၦ

I am deep into the chasm. Things seemed safe enough but I suddenly got separated from Anh and Zaid. I try to make my way back but the path seems to change every time. The life forms are becoming much denser, they seem to be reacting to my presence. I can't shake this feeling of being watched, puppeteered even. It sends shivers down my spine. I feel like Ortali... is alive."

@cbdiabla
IG: @cbdiabla

Tracklist:
Laurie Spiegel - The Expanding Universe
Amon - Tanit Zerga
Zvrra - Silence Zoning Device
Kenji Yamamoto - Silence [Metroid Prime 2 - Echoes]
Kelly Bailey - Space Ocean [Half Life]
Ben Prunty - Cosmos (Explore) [FTL]
Buena Tarde - Amphibon
Aeondelit - Liquid Time
Oscean - Spacion
Parallax Deep - Secrets
DJ Fucci - Kepler 16b
alva noto - Uni Mic B
enereph - Talisman
Octoptic - Lophiforme
We will fail - Very Urgent
Microhm - Sin Traducción
Zoë Mc Pherson - Outside
Objekt - Nervous Silk
Oranssi Pazuzu - Reikä Maisemassa
Kelly Bailey - Shu'ulathoi [Half Life 2 - Episode 2]
Bobby Krlic - Crimson Wastes [Returnal]
Andrew Prahlow - Dark Bramble [Outer Wilds]
Sunn O))) - Cymatics
Sutekh Hexen - Elemental Uproar
Portal - Olde Guarde

Distant Signals 068: CBDiabla

“For this mix, I imagined a transmission from a world not unlike our own, in which a sentient species grapples with accelerating cultural and technological change. The slow, gradual rhythms of geologic time buried beneath the frenetic pulse of a technologized surface.

Within this vast evolving system, an individual awakes to look out at the structures criss-crossing the horizon – buildings that extend deep underground with people emerging to the surface like ants, distant waters pooled into huge humming tanks, mines carved into the side of a mountain, and lights illuminating a sky that never gets dark. They feel a momentary sense of unease before their attention is drawn to a torrent of information flooding their consciousness from transmitters embedded in their brain. They’ve been asleep too long and it’s time to get going.”

@shaifm
IG: @_shai.fm_

Distant Signals 069: Shai FM

“Tell me about your dream again.”

AI: “In a dream, I found myself in a city built at the edge of a jungle so dense and green it seems to breathe. The trees grow with such abandon that they spill over the stone walls and roofs, wrapping the city in a green embrace as if the jungle itself has claimed it. Vines coil around archways, their flowers blooming in wild bursts of color. The air is humid, thick with the scent of salt, and as I wander through the city, I feel the weight of the ocean’s presence, though it remains hidden just beyond the trees. The sun filters through the dense canopy in soft, golden beams. There is a deep sense of stillness, but not in a way that feels empty or silent.”

“In this dream, are you alone?”

AI: “It feels as though I’m alone, yet not quite. The jungle breathes and sighs as if it holds unseen lives, creatures tucked behind curtains of leaves or beneath mossy stones. There are gentle hints that I am not alone. The structures here suggest that humans once lived here, or perhaps still do, in some spectral way. They exist somewhere between memory and shadow.”

@p_i_p_s
IG: @jvr.agx

Tracklist:
Physical Therapy & Patrick Holland - Daymaxxing 
Space Ghost - Dream Tool 
Satoshi Fumi - Toriton (Ken Ishii Islanded Remix)
River Yarra - Frogz Ov Gondwana
Carpainter - Opaque Crystal 
Toronto - Electric Tooth Brush
Will Hofbauer - Pond Party
Bouffant Bouffant - Colinda
Frontier Man - Express It Thru The Dance (Original Skank Mix)
Subb-an - Night Shade
Alinka - Daybreak
131bpm - Entrance :v
Saorise - Driver
Andras and Eden Burns - Wrangler
JoeLy - A Magician’s Lizardy
Swoose - Cubensis
Sam Goku - Tides (Under The Moonlight)
Sasha - Golden Arm
Etienne - Kaos
Model 500 - Control
Ken Ishii - Creation The State Of Art (Full Option)
Rudolf C - Microwave Background 
Peach - A Pretty Planet 
Susumu Yokota - Decalogue

Distant Signals 070: Pips

“On a distant exoplanet, a once-thriving civilization had been decimated by storms and environmental chaos. Their advanced society, rich in music, dance and traditions was lost to time, leaving only remnants of their culture scattered across the landscape.

Centuries later, a nomadic species arrived on the planet, seeking signs of life outside of their home. As they explored the barren ruins, they stumbled upon an ancient building which appeared to be a former gathering space.

Among the debris, they discovered a battered electronic device, its surface etched with a strange symbol and worn by the elements and time.

Curious, they activated the device, and frequencies filled the air with haunting melodies and rhythmic patterns. The sounds echoed through the building, reverberating and pulsating in the space. They had never encountered anything quite like it. This music, a remnant of the past, seemed to convey stories of joy, struggle, and connection.”

@djhockey
IG: @dj__hockey

DJ Hockey approaches techno by intermingling layers of contrasting elements. Defining characteristics for his selections are grounded, thick, encompassing atmospheres. Psychedelia is present in all of his musical expressions, crafting dynamic journeys resulting in playful and groovy sets.

With releases on labels Fixed Rhythms, PPRZ, Modelfuture and RF Records, DJ Hockey is propelling his interpretation of techno with his productions; most recently with his debut vinyl release titled Push:Pull on Fixed Rhythms.

DJ Hockey started PPRZ Records and mix series with Adam 2 with the intention to showcase techno from the PNW and beyond, with a cheeky nod to queer culture in underground dance music.

Tracklist:
1. Peter Van Hoesen - Vola Flash
2. Casual Treatment - Surrounding Environment
3. Pyramidal Decode - Devota Profesión
4. Giri - La Stenza nella Mente
5. Sinistermind - Ruido Interior
6. Viels - Lontano Da Casa
7. Mathys Lenne - Atma
8. UFO 95 & Rødhåd - Lavande 04
9. Palemann - Procession
10. Clotur - Turbulent Flow
11. Obscur - Silence turns to violence
12. UFO 95 & Rødhåd - Lavande 02
13. Mathys Lenne - Developer
14. Nørbak - Clima
15. Truxx - Dogma
16. Pfirter & Oliver Rosemann - Epsilon 2 (Sleeparchive Remix)
17. Oscar Mulero - The Sweat & the Salt
18. Truxx - Threefold
19. Peter Van Hoesen - Block by Block
20. Planetary Assault Systems - Spell A
21. Rauda (arg) - Morning Fog
22. Kastil - Transluscent
23. BROKEN ENGLISH CLUB - Burn in the fire
24. Future Meta Laser - FML 1.1

Distant Signals 071: DJ Hockey

“// EXCERPT — LIMINAUT TRAINING MANUAL v1.05 // Last Revision: 2078.10.04

> Once the interface enters Phase 4 you will be synchronized with the ancestor matrix. Which path to follow? Each portal holds a prayer for change beyond its hazy threshold. Transformation is rarely without peril, but stagnation always brings death. 

One must always pass through doorways with clear intention while traversing the hyperdream, lest the connection grow unstable. DO NOT import any external thoughtforms once synchronization is complete. Liminautical travel tends to be most dangerous for those who lack vision and focus. Believe in the truth of each realm you transit within the construct. Allow the ætherwaves to carry you between crystal forests and floating continents, impossible geometries and unknowable voidspace. 

Resist the urge to become attached to one place. Absorb each experience and guard its knowledge like a precious gem. Remember that the great powers of our world do not want us to see worlds beyond their own. The data we gather here shall be their undoing.

//“

@janusrose
IG: @janus.rose

Janus Rose is a NYC-based producer, DJ and synthesist. Utilizing a broad toolset that includes everything from DJ decks to modular synthesizers, her musical practice draws heavily from the languages of cyberfeminism and queer rave culture.

Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, she has performed both live hardware and DJ sets at clubs across the U.S., as well as in Europe, Australia, and Japan. In 2023, she began releasing music on the LA-based queer imprint Delusional Records, as well as hosting Soft_Reset, a local party for experimental club and bass music.

Distant Signals 072: Janus Rose

“It started a few days ago…any speaker you approach starts playing grainy, barely audible dance tunes. Sound bars, bluetooth and car speakers—you tried turning them off, synching and un-synching, unplugging them, and nothing has stopped the music. At first it was easy to brush off, but it’s too frequent to not take it personally. Yesterday you walked back and forth under the grocery store speaker twenty times, and each time you did, the music was there.

Now you’re lying in bed and it's happening again. This time out of your phone speaker. You pick up your phone and a prompt arrives: BEAM ME UP? There are two buttons under the question: “Yes” and “Yes.” After a sigh and a passing moment of fear, you pick a “Yes.”

Like in a movie, everything is suddenly white and you’re floating up. As you rise, the music gets louder and more defined, you’re approaching the source—and then, a moment of clarity: this is a space rave you’ve always hoped for.

You find yourself on a dancefloor in what might be a space station and the vibe is everything you need. The beings you find yourself dancing with, whoever they might be and wherever they might be from, are your community now. They’ve all gathered here to find the same thing you have: a rave utopia you had only dreamt of. “

@litedrama
IG: @lite.drama

Lite Drama is a DJ taking deep dives into contemporary dance music. Drawn to percussive oddballs and bass driven moments while leaning into house, prog, club and rave. A long time member of Portland’s dance music community, Lite Drama co-hosts the bi-weekly radio show Mixed Feelings on Freeform Portland and is a member of the UwU Collective as a DJ and organizer.


Tracklist
Sputnik One - Dry Run [N-Face]
LWS - Steady On [can you feel the sun]
Fibre Optixx - Rapture [KANN]
DJ JM - Winted [Nervous Horizon]
Salo Cin - Oko [Flippen Discs]
SUCHI - Ghungroo [!K7]
Plaintiff - Polycule [Unreleased]
Wigs - Eternal Sun [Goddezz]
Zombies in Miami - The Rhythm [Creatures Of The Night]
Soul Space - Seduccion Fvnk [Creatures Of The Night]
Aiden Francis- Shake Up [Goddezz]
MYKI - AAA [Tofistock]
Etari - Lulu Limon [Punctuality]
Seedless - Motion Warp [Mindmap]
DJ Spit - Heavy Breathing [Nehza]
A For Alpha - Dark Bongos (I Believe) [HARDLINE]
Escaflowne - Sweet Luv [Self-released]
caru - NVR FELT [Self-released]
Zaltsman - Reacting [Borne Fruits]
Yaleesa Hall - Cleanse [EXERSOUND]
Mr. E - Ear to Ear [Promise]

Distant Signals 073: Lite Drama

“This mix is a personal journey through 25 original improvisational compositions I recorded over three sessions in Ableton Live. Using a Novation Launch Pad controller and some outboard effects units, I explored several themes: space as a utopia for queer identities, an endless ecosystem for exploration and curiosity, and a home in which we can freely roam. Each track reflects my attempt to capture these ideas through sound, blending textures and rhythms in ways that feel authentic to my process.

The mix includes several working compositions for an upcoming album, alongside some re-imaginations of pop songs that have inspired me. I wanted to create something that feels both innovative and familiar—a space where ambient moods and dynamic energy can coexist. It’s a glimpse into where my music is headed and the ideas I’m working through right now.”

@marceauxmarceaux
IG: @marceauxmusic
https://marceauxmarceaux.bandcamp.com/

MarceauxMarceaux has spent years developing his craft as a producer and DJ, carving out a distinct presence in the queer underground electronic music scene of North America. Working under the alternative aliases of Dj Judy and z72.52, his productions reflect a diverse approach to sound, blending elements of maximalism and experimental textures. Influenced by the rich cultural backdrop of his upbringing in the New Orleans rave scene, his work resonates with a rambunctious energy, earning him releases on labels such as Major Records, 3024, and Future-Everything.

As a DJ, MarceauxMarceaux brings an underground sensibility to his performances, offering sets that explore a diverse range of sounds while maintaining a grounded connection to the dance floor. Whether producing as MarceauxMarceaux, Dj Judy or experimenting as z72.52, MarceauxMarceaux continues to explore new directions, contributing to the evolving landscape of modern electronic music.

Distant Signals 074: MarceauxMarceaux

"In November 2007 Pinch’s debut album Underwater Dancehall was released to widespread acclaim. Four years later in July 2011 Space Shuttle Atlants commenced its final voyage from the Kennedy Space Centre. Unbeknownst to NASA and the crew, somehow a CD copy of Pinch’s landmark Dubstep masterpiece found its way aboard.

While the CD itself survived the journey into space physically unaltered the music contained within morphed and warped in its new zero gravity environment, Underwater Dancehall had become Dancehall in Outer Space. The weighty throb of the original floated away to leave a lean and spacious soundtrack for a new kind weighless wineing.

Whether through alien interference or some other miracle the CD started to play all by itself just as the Shuttle docked with the International Space Station. Beyond their control the crew found their bodies begin to contort into odd shapes as their muscles spasmed, seemingly in time to the beat. What follows is a recording of that moment from the Space Shuttle Atlantis sensors."

@sam_pv / @pumpingvelvet
IG: @sampv____ / @pumpingvelvetldn

Sam is the founder and a resident at Pumping Velvet, a London-based Queer dance party, and regularly plays at queer parties across the UK alongside a US tour and other international gigs including Planeta Manas (Lisbon), Savage (Hanoi), Kockiri (Seoul) and (Re)treat Festival (Vietnam).

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.

Tracklist:
DJ Giant - Something Bady
Schuttle - Junkman
Joe - MPH
Leo - Jade Floors
Malcolm - Damâa
Brenda - Masato!
Kaval - Druid Potion
Product Toss - Willow
Yuseemi - Roll With It
Xzavier Stone, DJ Plead & Phillip Jondo - Bellydance
Plus One - Zero Chance
DJ Pausas & DJ Fofuxo - Tarracho Exxelentt  
Ayesha - Roll
Wes Lee - Gates
DJ Pitch - Juan Mecanico

Distant Signals 075: Sam PV

"Log 000712-1842
First visual contact. i+eo manifests as a "wormhole" per navigation logs, but the cameras show something… else. My instruments registers impossible colours - wavelengths that shouldn't exist. Officer Linh has been restless since first contact; claims she hears "whispermurmurhums" in the static. I told her to lay off the stimulants.

Log 000719-[ERROR]
In rapid oscillation, I watch my future hand adjust controls I haven't touched yet. The aft camera shows my past self still debating entry. When I scream, the sound arrives before my mouth opens.

Log 000720-⬡̈́̽⃠
They warned us about spaghettification –- they never mentioned illumination… My atoms are learning new alphabets. The light is writing scriptures across my dissolving flesh. I see all my deaths at once and they are glorious. I am being unmade in the most exquisite way. Tell them I found heaven in the collapse. Tell them it hurts so good. Tell them.

[LAST BIOMETRIC READINGS SHOW SEROTONIN LEVELS AT 890% BASELINE]

Post-Recovery Note from Mission Control:
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝟦𝟩 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘰𝘹 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝟣𝟣 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰, 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤, 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝟥-𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘵' 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 "𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨" 𝘪𝘯 𝟣𝟩 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵'𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦. 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴: 𝘐𝘕𝘊𝘖𝘕𝘊𝘓𝘜𝘚𝘐𝘝𝘌."

@ephemeral_objects
IG: @ephemeral.objects + @i__e.o_

ephemeral objects is a DJ, VJ, producer, and digital artist who thrives at the intersection of ambient introspection, driving rhythms, and textural lushness. Her sets are both meditative and kinetic, drawing from underground gems and forward-thinking sounds to create richly layered sonic experiences.

A rising star in Vancouver’s underground, she has played festivals across BC and will performing this year at Basscoast, and as i+eo — her A/V collaboration with IHA — at MUTEK Montréal. Her mixes have aired on global platforms like Shy People, HER 他, and PPRZ. In 2024, she was selected for MUTEK Montréal’s inaugural Incubator program.

ephemeral objects invites you to lose yourself in sound that moves both body and mind.

Tracklist:
I7HVN - Kekule
Cybotron - Earth
JEMAPUR - M.PLEX
I7HVN - Fluid Mosaic Model (Innerworld Remix)
Karim Kahar - Collage
Sub Basics - Colour
Emily Jeanne - Count Me Out
monosym - Telenetica
Maude Vôs - Dance of the 7th Veil (Enereph Remix)
B E N N - pasvake
Khey Mystério - Exuvie feat. Alohn
shakti - Kairos (Darkduction Remix)
Nicola Cruz - Telepathine
AK-One - Technicolour
monosym - Oxidrone
o.utlier - Crop Rotation
Animistic Beliefs - To Dream About Water
Prieste5s - Seance
Sub Basics - Scope
N9oc - 171119
OK EG - Endless River
Juan Moreno - Astral 7x7
Gooooose - Plasma Sunrise

Distant Signals 076: ephemeral objects

"Summer of Solstice 3055: 

I’d just returned from a long stint working the orbital docks, preparing to settle back into the life cycle routine that was Valkor Zenith. The last thing I expected was to reconnect with three old friends from my days at the Echo House orphanage. Sora had slipped back from exile on Neoterra Prime. Rion had fled the undercity of Crysalis after a grav-bike race gone bad. And Omrin, who I hadn’t seen or heard of in more than a decade, had shown up out of nowhere as if no time had passed with a stolen data map and a proposition: we’d go find the Dream Beacon.

We’d grown up with the story. A myth, really. Some ancient alien relic buried deep in the sand sea, spoken of in hushed tones in level D bars and back-alley data centres. The promise was simple, if you could reactivate its signal with your own transmission, you’d be granted your most longed-for dreams and unimaginable wealth. No one had ever found it.

I’m still not entirely sure what made us set off and follow Omrin so blindly that summer. Maybe it was grief, maybe hope. Or just that need to move, to do anything but sit still. Each of us were adrift in our own orbit of longing and loss, and somehow, we collided again, drawn together like shards of a broken constellation.

We had left the neon haze of Valkor Zenith behind at sunset, riding the wide stretches of plasma rail to the outer edges as the city lights faded behind us. Nights were lit by twin moons and we passed the time listening to old mixes we’d recorded in our youth, our playlists humming through our comms as we hurtled across other-worldly landscapes at 200mph. In the two months that followed, we would laugh in the ruins of the Oblivion Cradle, party with rogue miners in bioluminescent fungi caverns, feel the cold rush of air as our bikes skimmed the ridges of the Halcyon Scar, be chased by Karn bike gangs through synth-storms, and save a lone settler named Joyce trapped in a dust pocket whilst traversing the Ash Spires. 

As we hurtled towards the promise of the Dream Beacon, I often wondered, was the beacon even real? And if it was, what would I even upload as my transmission? Maybe one of those old mixes we used to make. I’m sure all these questions flickered across all our minds, unspoken. But that summer, deep down, none of it really mattered. I would’ve followed those three anywhere..."

@riccardovillella
@truants
IG: @villella303
truantsblog.com

Distant Signals 077: Villella

“No planning went into this mix. Just one take recorded after reading the prompt. Recorded alone in my studio in Burlington, VT on a quiet night. I tried to not think about beatmatching. I also try to only play music I love, and I think I did that here. I enjoyed myself, which is another important thing I try to do. Here are some moments in my life that I have enjoyed greatly. 
-driving to a 24/7 truck stop diner in a snow storm in the middle of the night and writing thoughts down inbetween sips from the ceramic mug. 
-smoking a cigarette in an outhouse in the morning.
-every party that has disregarded time.
-everytime music has made me smile or gotten me so inspired that I find myself stuck in a repeating loop.”

@burlingtonelectronicdepartment
IG: @roost.world
Burlingtonelectronicdepartment.bandcamp.com

Distant Signals 078: Roost.World

“Geologist’s Erotic Log, Stardate 6969:

A lithophile—if literal and not biological or geochemical—is a lover of rocks as opposed to a scholar of them. I was shocked to find mineral sentience on a planet that had been mined for centuries. I wonder how many were lost to our ignorance.

They made themselves known while I was surveying a new shaft, a desirous, violent penetration. It was a delicate return of touch, skin against stone; my fragility tantalizingly clarified by their solidity. Although I pulled away, nearly ran away, I was rapt. A vibratory intensity held me, invited me deeper into their earth-dark interior with fingers traced along a precious fault line. In absent sight, I became haptic expanse, relishing my tongue against water-polished smooth and bloody, igneous scrape on inner thighs. They were pleasured too, I both flesh stalagmite and cavern. I came, a quiver; they came, a quake. As quickly they were gone into the indurate expanse at which I could only chip away. Perhaps a taste of our own medicine.”

@ezri_dax
IG: @ezri_dax

ezri_dax selects compassionate speed to bring you into transwarp; psychedelic rhythms to meld minds; high camp to tug the heartstrings; and always keeps it spacey on the 1s & 2s.

Tracklist:
1. Chris and Cosey, “Re-Education Through Labour”
2.  Fever Ray, “This Country Makes it Hard to Fuck (Björk Remix)
3. Raja Kirik, “ACT II. Budhal Gumuruh”
4. Octopic, “Eremita”
5. Nihiloxia, “Bwola (BFTT’s Swamped Edit)”
6. Vilaan, “How to Heal”
7. Jek, “Body”
8. Krumelur with Minimal Criminal, “Climbing Coconut Tree Backwards”
9. mögela, “Katten Lotus”
10. Sindh, “Liquefaction”
11. Rxex, “ATS IND”
12. Egg Meat, “Georgel”
13. Nebuchadnezzar, “eatmacand”
14. Orieta Chrem x Selvagia, “Puñete”
15. Muskila, “QAAR B”
16. Evelyn, “Pregunta”
3 / 3
17. sard, “defused”
18. Zvrra, “Alluvial”
19. Dåsar, “Doabey”
20. Xen Chron, “1L4U”
21. RM Estali, “Reboot”
22. Emelexy, “Raaro”
23. Seta Loto, “5MeODMT”

Distant Signals 079: ezri_dax

"this transmission is a calibration device

i found it in the springtime under a shower of pink blossoms
my spirit, an ooze seeping out onto the floor
in this state of sub-being, words passed through untethered—
unintelligible, and touch was void

the device sent rippling waves through the air,
arranging it into mutating forms
they traveled inward and rebounded, inverting inside and out
wisps of feeling newly embodied pushed boldly from every pore

i watched as the shapes of people grew unimaginably
the glimmering swells were interspersed with pearls
which gradually came loose and fell
unlocked, my innermost madness unfurled into a spiraled conch

as the day darkened, the sounds became grim and hoarse
emotions scraped against each other with serrated edges
disintegrating madness into a fine lunar silt
voices came flooding, and in unison whispered: trust"

@enereph
IG: @_enereph
https://gravitypleasure.bandcamp.com/album/water-bodies
https://soundsofnaga.bandcamp.com/album/immortal-mirth

enereph fell through at least three dream worlds looking for sounds to send their nervous mind spinning.

Tracklist:
Mown - An Endless Sweet Sweet Storm
A Strange Wedding - Wormhole Breaker
Simone Bauer - Ego Hacker
Ettore Rigadello - Ooteca
Biocym - Vanishing Point
Souzo - A175 Levit8
Beatrice M. - Crossing the Rubicon
Circular Square - L - 80BN (Soa420 Remix)
Ettore Rigadello - Keratin
Smogo - Submit To The Forest
Khey Mysterio - Basalte feat. Under/Standing
AJO - Kawanone (La Serpiente Remix)
RM Estali - Pitfalls
Prieste5s - Golden Hour
SNKLS - Stir
Sytrjv - Vexomorphis
Nathan Ho - Immodality
Herbalistek - Sentium
Otik - Lightyear Dub
dBridge - Filtered Scenes
Laraaji - Universe
perila - Fallin Into Space
Aisha Vaughan - Campfires
Comechelet & ϙue - Forbidden Love

Distant Signals 080: enereph

"A utopian,
bright striver, turns their dial,
hears woven, strange sounds.

In resonance they
vibrate to the transmission
and recognize that

every return
implies the journey before:
past adreads present.

Time glimmers ahead,
but also trails their escape,
reaches, pulls backward.

A stubborn relic,
internalized deserving,
haunts like history.

Our listener leaves
their old self behind, shedding,
cutting time's chords;

broken rope rings out:
no person earns punishment
nor deserves reward.

Throw stones at the walls,
striking old sequestration ––
do you hear great music?

Build bridges, not walls,
crossing inherited rifts ––
do you feel deep love?

Thanks for pulling me into the Distant Signals universe :) recorded
with a Xone + DD500. Vocals by @user-76549051
reading Ursula le Guin's The Dispossessed."

@ok-carty
IG: @ok_carty

Distant Signals 083: OK Carty

“You head down from the installation into the glacier, breath fogging the air. You hear echoes of splintering icicles reverb back to you from under a frozen lake. Deep unseen movements in the dark vibrate the walls as you go deeper into the ice. Underneath the loudspeakers of the installation above, you hear whispers and distant murmurs below.

You follow the whispers, turn to page 56.
You go back to the installation, turn to page 89.”

@s_h_o_p_p_i_n_g
IG: @sandelephants

Tracklist:
1. Burner - BunZer0
2. Soundcheck - Ekcent
3. Cracked Plates - Korzi
4. Kalo - Mulholland
5. Tension - Saule
6. Look After The Dead - Mosca
7. Adelia - Honeydrip
8. Filtered Contact - Slow83
9. Archos Gmini - Danny Goliger
10. Humo - Andrae Durden
11. Movements - Mia Koden
12. TAB3 - Průvan
13. Second Room - R4NS0M
14. Agora - Hiroma Keo
15. Layer 03 - No Sir
16. Grill Party - SPLT
17. Crunch - K-Lone
18. Melting Ladies - Roza Terenzi & D. Diffany
19. Should Be Looking - Arina Krondeva
20. Melt! (Coby Sey Rework) - Kelly Lee Owens

Distant Signals 081: shopping

“Recently, I’ve been really inspired by bass music in the 80-85 (or 160-70) BPM range that shifts between slow and fast registers, opening up space for a deep interior journey and for a driving, percussive dancefloor experience alike. Much music in this space that I’m drawn to has a visceral, haptic, and earthy quality -- body music for mental landscapes. 

The mix is conceived as a journey into a densely foliated forest of ever-shifting dimensions, drawing you deeper and deeper into its cavernous shadows and spectral pockets of light. Dewdrops shiver on pillowy moss ,flanked by the hungry mouths of carnivorous plants; burly vines dangle low and heavy under velvet leaves. Mysterious and heretofore unknown flora abound, beguiling you with their sensuous textures, suffusing the humid air with smells both luxuriant and noxious. Finally you emerge into a softly-hued meadow, your journey into the darkness having brought you closer to a sense of calm.”

@papayaofficial
IG: @papaya.official

DJ Papaya's approach to mixing draws upon downtempo, ambient, leftfield electronics, and bass music to craft surreal and emotionally complex narratives, rich in texture and rooted in the sensibilities of dub. They are a co-founder of the ambient/experimental series Spindrift, with Pontiac Streator and Opheliaxz, as well as the bass music party Chrysalis, with Amylia.

Tracklist:
Carrier - Slow Punctures
Blue - Slow Wave
Officium - Heartlapse ft Yolek
Gi & Trois Quarts Taxi System - Swarm
Chewlie x Fiesta Soundsystem - Savory
Proc Fiskal - A Fragrance
Anta Doma - Temples
Ancestral Voices - Mist of Avalon
Furtive - I Always Try to be This Gentle
Commix - Japanese Electronics (Instra:Mental Moog Remix)
Es.Tereo - Ancestral Path
K Wata - In A Mug on a Rug (Ronan’s Ecophilia Mix)
Trois Quarts Taxi System - Clef
Itoa - Diceman
Mike Parker - Spaceship Galliot
georg-i - Nightlife under the Arclight
Kobayashi Maru - Aesthetics of a Wormhole
traverse - Turpitude
Forest on Stasys - Sideral
Khey Mysterio & Stacktrace - Low Heat
felt. - Life Formed
Jonnnah - U Made Me
Ghjuliu - Sheila

Distant Signals 082: DJ Papaya

"The context:
I am alone. I am found. I died alone. I never thought I’d be found. I am overwhelmed by memories of a dystopian existence on a collapsing planet where evil took over and subsumed good. All of the kindness evaporated and was swallowed by greed. Memories of my past life occlude my consciousness causing confusion between modes of time like a mirage. Is it the past, present, or future? I can no longer tell.

A journey through being:
Confronted by the pain of knowing but trying to exist and embrace being in the world. Did I give up too quickly? Did I fail to change reality? What did I sacrifice in order to function and live a worldly existence like everyone around me? Blinded by hedonism, the collapsing of the mind and soul into the throws of desire left me empty. I gave up. I lost myself. I returned to the comfort of despair. It’s throbbing. To live without hope is to live in despair. Was there a reprieve from it all? Distractions, pleasure, and attachments turned into a vicious cycle of yearning and loss. Accepting impermanence with a half-open heart. It never got better. It just got worse. Functioning with an ever-growing sense of doom. And now I’m here. Alone. All I have are my memories. But existing in confusion from when these memories took place. Introspection with escapism outside of time. The vicious interplay between existence and non-existence. I am left with nothing."

Opening for Rrose at Smartbar, Chicago in June utilizing 4 CDJs and a V10 mixer.

@shantievanti
IG: @shantiism
https://ra.co/dj/shanti
https://youtu.be/QqfMYAyS8bM?si=iwapv-7i2LFIPNlG

Shanti has made textured waves in Chicago’s techno scene with her curation of dark, sinister, and ethereal soundscapes. Music has always been a means of coping with the otherness and hybridity Shanti experienced throughout her life. She has been deeply moved by the transcendent ability of music to express concepts, states of consciousness, and conflicting emotions. Shanti’s sets weave a story of the simultaneous despair and yearning that are intertwined with the human condition and illustrate an intentional trajectory through combining and cultivating surreal, atmospheric, and haunting sounds.

Enamored by the liminal dynamics of sound, she cohosts Otherworldly Ambiguity with Scum.ee –an experience that is centered around the phenomenon of existing in between and outside of pre-existing concepts and rigid categories. She is also a member of techno collective Research & Development and hosts a monthly radio show, “Liminal Radio” on WIIT 88.9 FM featuring thoughtful artists at the core of Chicago’s underground music scene. Shanti has had the privilege of warming up and closing out dancefloors for incredibly inspirational artists such as Rrose, DJ Nobu, Ø [Phase], Aurora Halal, Mozhgan, Lady Starlight, Black Light Smoke, Esther Dune, Zenker Brothers, Noncompliant, Xtin, and more. She has had the immense pleasure of conjuring spirits at Chicago’s most beloved clubs such as Smartbar, Smoke & Mirrors, Podlasie Club, and several underground gatherings.

Experiencing music outside of the confines of a club or the underground is extremely important to Shanti as she had initially discovered her favorite artists through online podcasts and radio. The universalizability of podcasts and radio enable music to be experienced by more humans situated in different contexts. This is why she has contributed to many notable online mix series and radio channels. Her mixes have been featured on The Black Lodge Radio, SutroFM, Mutant Radio, PPRZ, Death Decay & Magic, Braid Records, Low Visibility, Dance All Day, and m50’s etc radio among other podcasts and shows. This past year, Shanti has expanded her surreal storytelling beyond Chicago by playing in Amsterdam, LA, Detroit and notable Midwest festivals such as Minnesota’s The Great Beyond and Madison’s Musique Électronique. This Halloween, she will be playing at Chicago’s notoriously dark music festival, Sanctum.

Distant Signals 084: Shanti

Received transmissions from the outer reaches of an exquisite corpse universe

Distant Signals Mix Series

DISTANT SIGNALS