To all my SoundCloud listeners, there's no better place for me to post this...
I wrote this yesterday, right after recording this mix. Without getting overly sentimental, I feel like I’m at a bit of a crossroads when it comes to techno. Of course, music is constantly evolving and shaped by influences—that's always been the case. But something’s been standing out to me. It started last summer, but with Anyma’s recent performances at The Sphere in Las Vegas, it all came together in a kind of fever dream.

The entire melodic techno genre is heading in a direction that no longer resonates with me. The label that once delivered deep, hypnotic productions—Afterlife (who doesn’t remember the upside-down figure floating above the dancefloor?)—is now putting out tracks with trancey vocals. That underground feeling? Completely gone. And those Anyma concerts feel like the peak of that shift. A visual spectacle, a playground for influencers, but let’s be real—this has nothing to do with the immersive club nights we love. Anyma at The Sphere, with Tiësto and Sebastian Ingrosso as supporting acts. Tiësto playing in the jungles of Tulum or recently at Club Space Miami, doing his own take on melodic techno... Yeah, I think I’m pretty much done with it.

Of course, everyone has their own taste and their own vibe, that's all good. And good luck with that, but I just had to get this off my chest. And where better than with my SoundCloud listeners? :)

But with moments like this, you start looking at other movements, and that’s where things get interesting. One thing I am excited about is the rise of Afro House over the past two years. Don’t get me wrong, not everything in that space is gold. But the freshness, the groove, the build-ups, the danceability—it’s bringing back something that was getting lost.
I still feel a bit torn, and you can hear that in my latest mix. I start off in the Afro House realm but with a melodic techno edge—deep, hypnotic melodies, not too many drums, that sweet spot between melodic techno and Afro House, with tracks from Andhim, Super Flu, Emanuel Satie, and Forrest. Around the halfway point, there’s a subtle shift into melodic techno—not with trancey vocals, but with hypnotic depth, like Gravity by Axel Niggemann in a rework. A classic from 2015, back when melodic techno was still in its beginning. Then, transitioning into a remix by the legendary Steve Bug, I close the mix with another classic—a track from Dutch techno icon Steve Rachmad, under his Ignacio alias. Originally released in 2001, reworked by Rachmad himself in 2010 as Virton Upgraded.

Can melodic techno please find its way back to this please?

That’s the thing—techno evolves, and that’s a good thing. It brings energy, opens up new paths, and that’s why I’ve loved it for so long. I hope you enjoy the mix, and maybe you’ll hear what I’m trying to express here.

And if you’ve got thoughts on all this… send me a DM or leave a comment in my mix!

Greets,
David (Mindbox)

Mindbox - February 2025

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