These are mixes made by the current members of Research & Development, Makeen, Shanti, Zona Cinco, Dan B Hood and JS Alvarez

Mixes by R&D members

UNFOLD LVI

For mix number 18 in the PPRZ Podcast series, we have a mix from Chicago's @makeensound

Chicago based producer and DJ Makeen is focused on groovy textural techno
with a dark edge. He co-organizes the party series Research & Development
with J.S. Alvarez and founded the parties Spent and Near Dark.

His electronic music obsession began when he started performing live sets
on tables full of gear. With an interest in sound design and synthesis, Makeen
spent the early part of his artistic life composing and performing
experimental music more focused on acoustic instruments. The latest leg of
his journey has brought him back to electronic music with an elevated
passion for dance floor-focused beats.

Mix Description:
I decided to take a playful approach to this mix— playing some lighter and
groovier tracks with an emphasis on trippy sounds and atmospheres. This
mix was recorded with 3 x CDJs and an Allen & Heath Xone 92 mixer. The
focus was on long continuous blends, while shifting between new and
unexpected sonic worlds.

Tracklist:
Oktobr - Sleepdancer
Dj Hyperactive & Jason Patrick - Harrier Env (Original Mix)
BLANKA - Howl
Atonism - Back And Forth
Temudo - P is For Paula
Karo - Uväll
Vladw - Aou Mallku
Augusto Taito - High Trip
Ohm - ASKE
CRAVO - Innerversion
Tsibo - M25
Takt - Groove Chaser
Orbe - Post-Cycle
Toru Ikemoto, bw - Don’t Play 050r
Amotik - Saat
Zisko - State of Rhythm
Seigg - Secondary Options
Planetary Assault Systems - Raww
Speedy & Steve - Rotor
Temudo - Susto
Gaetano Parisio - Klytia

PPRZ Podcast 18 - Makeen

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

@djjsaliva
live from BYYB, Shanghai 2024

funisstilltransgressive.com
instagram.com/funisstilltransgressive
facebook.com/funisstilltransgressive

FIST Radio Playlist on Spotify: bit.ly/FISTME

FIST MIX 82 - DJ Saliva

ZONA CINCO - MICTLAN - VOL 4

We are thrilled to present this mix by Chicago based JS Alvarez for our 39th entry in the series. Both Adam and I admire what Jeremy contributes to the music scene with their podcast and event series Research & Development.

JS Alvarez is a shape shifting lizard that has learned human behavior from living in cities such as Chicago and Miami. He succumbs to no one genre and can be found exploring the depths of mutant techno and unruly bass music alike.

He is the founding member of Research & Development which ignited in the iconic Chicago mainstay of Smartbar. The event series has moved on to host community focused events centered on a wide variety of often cutting edge electronic sounds at venues like Podlasie Club, The Whistler and various DIY spaces. R&D also hosts a biweekly podcast 100+ episodes deep ranging from rising talents, hometown heroes and well established DJs and producers from North America and around the world.

He's shared the booth with artists such as DVS1, Veronika Vasicka, D.Dan, Hodge and others. His mixes have been featured on NTS Radio, Mutant Radio and SutroFM among others. Catch him at The Great Beyond this July! 

I was trying to find a very textured sound within the first quarter of the mix. My attempt at some sort of atmospheric sci-fi horror score followed by something a bit more hypnotic. By the end of the mix I wanted those vibes to explode into something highly rhythmic. Something to shatter what came before and get the sweat dripping off the walls. 

If you enjoyed this mix, please consider donating to JS Alvarez' organization of choice:
https://www.organizedcommunities.org/ 
https://www.organizedcommunities.org/donate

PPRZ Podcast 39 - JS Alvarez

Opening set at TORAX (ÀTIC Room). Human Club, Razzmatazz. July 20th 2025, Barcelona.

Photo by @2071_____

TORAX / ÀTIC | 20.07.25

"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

Tracklist: https://www.originssound.com/os-tapes/ceili-mix

Joining us for Tapes #163 is Céilí, a DJ hailing from the boglands of Ireland.  His sets fuse raw energy with precision, uniting hidden classics and cutting-edge tracks. Time spent in London’s record scene and releases on top labels have helped shape his physical, dynamic sound.Through his label Mála Ádh, Céilí champions bold ideas and collaborates with visionary artists.

Origins Tapes 163 - Céilí

On PMx 37 @anastasiakristensen digs in to the recent waves of off grid electronics and dazzling dubs from years past.

Tracklist:

Muslimgauze – Devour
Peder Mannerfelt – Patient Boy
Hodge – Haunt 
Esgeem – The Arcadian
Sebaas – No Plastic
 Imaginary Number – Pocket
Souzo – A175 Levit8 
Kohra & Monophonik – Uyire
Gamma Intel – Lever
Command D & Zara – 2Pulse
Igneous Sauria – Previous 
Tarker – Scorpion 
The Knife – Networking
Cardioactive – Ein Herz Ein Leben
Endrew – Seamless Eyes
Joe Milli – Keep That Wire
Jean Redondo – Atoms 
Scuba – Plate 
Damna – Layer 8 
Chris Guillotine – Break(age)

PMx 37 - Anastasia Kristensen

For the 30th (!) edition no other than icon softchaos is contributing a mix <3 

"This set is a blend of straightforward techno that leads with groove, gets a little glitchy + hypnotic with jacking tracks for the swing. It's sensual on purpose, and as per usual, it's very much percussive. There's even an electro moment if you listen for it. 

More specifically, it's a select blend of punchy early 90's sound, some more contemporary 909-heavy tracks I've been sitting on, and a few leftfield tracks for good measure. It lends itself to permission to ride the rhythm and deeper listening if you're into that. No fast cuts, just sustained heat for wherever you like that sort of vibe."

SC: @softchaosssss
IG: @softchaosssss

mastered by hustlebrooklyn

TILT.cast 30 softchaos

Rewired

🌐 Refuge Worldwide is a radio station and community space based in Berlin-Neukölln.
➡️ More info, more music: www.refugeworldwide.com

Help us stay on air by donating to our fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-refuge-worldwide-community-radio

TWIRL! - Dan B. Hood - 01 Dec 2025

Watching You

PREMIERE: MR0106 - AngelGround (Col), Paul Render - Tribalism (Oscar Sanchez Remix).

CHICAGOS UNDERGROUND TECHNO RESOURCE 
BANGING FERAL MUSIC

Based in Chicago, R&D is a music event/mix series focused on nurturing new sounds, experiences and atmospheres while exploring the music and culture it was born or mutated from. Techno, electro, EBM, bass, breaks, club and beyond.
Current personnel
Jeremy Alvarez - JS Alvarez
Eric Fernandez - Makeen
Shanti Chu - Shanti
Dan Hood - Dan B Hood
Kona Mazariegos - Zona Cinco

ZONA CINCO - MICTLAN - VOL 4

MICTLĀN

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