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

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

A. What’s that line? “We’ve been coming to the same party for 12 years now, and in no way is that depressing.” I think we’re nearing 10 now. In any case, the party feels like it’s in a really good place. After doing it more or less solo for a minute, I brought 5 residents on board who I love dearly–Alien D, KFeelz, Nigelthreetimes, No Sir, and Yibing. Everyone has so much range and energy, it’s been special getting the group together.
I’m really excited for our Glen Falls House weekender upstate in July (14-16). We get to take over this little hotel in the woods for a weekend and stretch out. It’s a dream. Big shoutout Josh Houtkin at Good Room for all his work making that a reality.
Past that, we’ve got some shows at our usual spots, Le Bain and Good Room, as well as a couple of day parties at Public Records’ new Nursery and a July 4 BBQ at Mansions. Would really like to bring the group of us to some other cities soon. I dream about heading back to New Orleans, doing Level Miami, Level Mexico City, Ibiza, etc…Anyone reading this wants to get in touch, let’s build ;)
Personally, I run a small sound company here in NYC, so I’m trying to grow that business and maintain my sanity. I’d like to get back into making music soon, even just a few cheeky edits. Start a podcast (I know, I know). And eventually open up a venue. A pub of sorts with good food and music. 

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

There is, in fact, a pretty specific one. This mix is dedicated to the pool at the Standard in Miami. I went in January for the first time and recorded this when I got home. The vibe there is so strong. You’re sitting outside, eating the best caprese salad of your life, there’s a 2’ iguana crawling on a palm tree, you’ve got a green juice or a margarita in one hand. Everyone is having a good time and partying in this really respectful way. They’re just sipping on a cocktail or walking to the hot tub or making out in the pool. 
I thought a lot of that had to do with the soundsystem and the music programming–there are speakers everywhere (including underwater) playing at like 6/10 volume. The music is on a sort of soulful r&b/ balearic tip. I was on Shazam all weekend. So this mix is a dedication to that–if someone gave me 80 minutes to DJ the Standard Miami pool, this is what I would play.

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

A. Definitely. To run through a couple… ”Wall Street” I discovered reading Dub by Michael Veal. Great book for anyone interested in DJ’ing, soundsystems, production, etc. I got really into Jackie Mittoo reading that, and have been playing that track since. 
The Lauryn Hill track, “Sweetest Thing” I heard in a coffee shop in Amsterdam in 2009, forgot about completely, then recently re-discovered.
“Don’t Break my Heart” is a big song for my wife and me. We both stumbled on it when we started dating at the beginning of 2020. We almost chose it as our first dance at the wedding, but thought the lyrics were a little dark. Anyway, big tune at the house. 
And the last track, the Mike Huckaby remix, is close to my heart. I was lucky enough to meet Mike a few years ago and gave him a ride to his hotel after a gig. He had just played for 3 hours and all he wanted to talk about was my Volkswagen Jetta. He was really such a sweet, warm guy, and this track always makes me think of him. R.I.P. 
Thanks so much for having me on this! Been a huge fan of MDC for a long time, and the radio shows and mix specials got me through lockdown over here. Means a lot to be a part of it. Much love.

MDC.284 Andrew Devlin

Captured live at Club Digital @ OHM
6.07.2024 
excuse the dust

Closing Club Digital @OHM 6.07.2024

Command D summons the gods of the deep to have us completely submerged in a world of interdimensional dub techno, traversing us through an hour and a half of infinitely looped reflections and subaquatic soundscapes. 

@commandd

Q. This certainly feels like one of your most immersive mixes to date, deeply contemplative and full of dreamy dub techno atmospherics. What inspiration did you draw upon, and what type of setting or situation could you imagine it being enjoyed in? 

A. I started to get into this sound when I was putting together my mix for the Moonshoe mix series. I didn’t know what to call it at the time but I found all of those tunes and tied them together with a certain feeling that was really inspiring me then, it was very organic and that is still one of my favourite mixes. You can hear dub elements scattered throughout that whole mix.

As I started incorporating more dub elements into my productions I discovered artists like Stephen Hitchell and Rhythm & Sound that had created a kind of music that was really extremely satisfying for me to listen to, especially considering my developing love for hi-fi and larger sound systems. I incorporated those artists into my FHUO mix which was a much more considered exploration of the style. Looking back on the process of making the mixes and how much I enjoyed them really assures me that the deep and contemplative sound is a big part of who I am.

For this mix I’ve taken inspiration from the MDC series itself which I’ve been listening to for years. I wanted to add little hints of deep house sounds as a nod to the mixes of the past. I personally think mixes like this are the best to listen to when you’re travelling and looking out a window, otherwise maybe sitting at a desk on a rainy day doing some work. I’d like people to listen to this in a time where they won't be distracted by something else or feel the need to skip forward, I’d want people to just throw it on and let it play, drifting in and out of the tracks and their own thoughts.

Q. Are there any songs in the mix that are especially close to your heart, and what is it about these tracks that resonate with you so much?

A. My favourite tracks in the mix are Saftig Komposition by Rasmus Hedlund and Sedlec Ossuary by Persuasion. At a base level I love these tracks because they take a more modern approach to a dub techno track with tight production. Going deeper, the thing that really resonates with me is hard to put into words and best left unsaid. I think this kind of music (along with many other kinds) allows the listener to feel emotions that aren't able to be put into words, part of why I love it so much. I find that dub techno specifically can feel sad and happy at the same time like lots of jazz ballads. That to me is a really beautiful sound that kind of encapsulates life in general.

Q. Tell us about the development of your live set, and where things are currently at with it? Do you feel like you’re able to explore different shades of your sound when playing in a live setting?

A. Putting together my first live set was an awesome experience. I got to play it all around Australia from clubs to rainforests. I’ve put the current live set to bed for now and am starting to work on a new one with a slightly different setup. Although it was a challenging experience, I loved making a live set because often when I would dig for tunes to play out I’d think ‘I wish I had a song like this’ and writing a live set meant that I could bring those ideas to life and curate a set exactly how I wanted. I think I’m really starting to settle into ‘my sound’ in production and DJing, but there are creative limitations in both like finding new music or learning new skills. Overcoming technical barriers in production allows me to get closer to my most true form of expression when it comes to what’s coming out the speakers so I’ve been really working on that recently. Hoping the next live set will be bigger and better : )

MDC.302 Command D

I met Meg through a mix she did for Trushmix, where I enjoyed her sound as well as her selection of records. So after that I started listening to her shows for Balamii Radio where I found a lot of music that made me feel a lot <3.

So I decided to invite her to the mix series and here she is with a new mix for Esencia with some of her favorite 90's and 00's records she found in her favorite stores in London and Brighton.

@megpaine

www.discoesencia.com

Esencia 096 - Meg Paine

For this episode of Melodic Odds, Rosie Ama plays some of the music from hers', and fellow resident Tia Cousins, late night crooners set at Watching Trees Festival.

Melodic Odds: 16th June '25

Two hours of leftfield electronics. Music for wandering minds and curious ears.

STELLA Z - 19 JUL 25

G String  - Wonders Of Wishing (from Tape)

Kiosk Radio is an online community radio and streaming platform broadcasting 24/7 from a wooden kiosk in the heart of Brussels’ historic 'Parc Royal'.

AliA invites Nico @ Kiosk Radio 14.08.2025

For our next instalment we draw from our own fertile waters. This time with a two hour recording from Bakk Heia resident and label partner schuttle. 

Schuttle has been a resident DJ and sporadic guest of the Bakk Heia parties since their inception. In fact he played our very first party in TWH nearly 10 years ago, at a time when the sky lights were yet to be covered and day light would filter unashamedly over the dancers as the sun rose. It came to our attention that since that set, schuttle hadn’t set forth on a solo flight, so it seemed high time for him to spread his tentacles over the closing hours. 

Through this mix schuttle channels the seething energy that is only possible during those final hours. The part timers have left, the room is totally locked in and the allure of chaos is strong. As such, it invites the dancer to delve a little deeper, perfectly navigating the dark into light. Often hypnotic and tunnelling, sometimes euphoric, sometimes explosive, but always directly from the heart. It was a truly beautiful experience to witness such a concise and coherent artistic expression from someone who understands, on a fundamental level, the power these hours can have, and what they mean to us. 

As the lights came on at 7am, there was palpable outpouring of love. The closing moments evoke that beautiful feeling of returning somewhere familiar. Wrapped together in euphoric joy.

Bakk Heia Podcast 005 - schuttle (Live from Bakk Heia @ TWH)

Deceit @ Fiesta x Fiesta 09.05.25

Un viaggio musicale pieno di sorprese : downtempo, bass music, techno in uno dei back to back più belli di sempre. 
 
Incantati, 24 maggio 2025 Cascina Cappuccina

G String - Wonders Of Wishing (from Tape)

G String

Related tracks