The gifted London DJ and curator goes big on bass futurism.

"To pull a thread." This old English adage means to follow a small detail that might unravel into something larger and more significant. It's also the inspiration behind London artist mi-el's NTS Radio show, and a neat way of understanding her approach as a DJ. 

Take mi-el's rich archive of mixes. From NTS to The Trilogy Tapes, they show her to be a deeply personal selector and curator, pushing past functionality into something more expressive, narrative and often political. A show about Refugee Week? Afrofuturist world-making? Interlocking systems of domination? All material is putty in her hands. 

Now based in Berlin, mi-el is simply a wicked club DJ. In just a few years she's played Panorama Bar, De School and FOLD, as well as festivals including Waking Life, Terraforma and Field Maneuvers. 

Alongside peers and predecessors like Josey Rebelle, she represents a new generation of Black British artists reinventing the wheel, and as we mark the beginning of UK Black History Month, no other candidate felt more fitting. 
 
RA.1007 shows why. The 55-minute session is a deft balancing act of depth and playfulness, humour and heaviness, rooted in club intensity and the futurism of the UK hardcore continuum. It's firm confirmation that, in mi-el's hands, the art of the DJ mix is alive and well.

@miellllllll
Find the tracklist and interview at ra.co/podcast/1026

RA.1007 mi-el

There are few names as widely loved in clubland as Bristol-based producer Omar McCutcheon, AKA Batu.

His label Timedance, currently celebrating its ten-year anniversary, has been instrumental in shaping a certain corner of contemporary electronic music. It champions a mutant, rhythmic, UK-flavoured sound that escapes any obvious genre touchstones, as well as spotlighting the careers of artists like Verraco, Ploy and Hodge who push musical and cultural boundaries.

In this Exchange, McCutcheon sat down with Resident Advisor's editor, Gabriel Szatan, in London to reflect on the label's Afrofuturist philosophy, its journey over the past decade and the sense of purpose and direction that have developed over time. He spoke about the impact that scenes beyond the UK—such as China, South Africa, Brazil and Mexico—have had on his productions and label curation, and how they offer fresh perspectives that contrast with Europe's sometimes overly nostalgic take on dance music. He also discussed finding positivity in a dark time, and music's enduring potential to inspire and connect.

EX.778 Batu

"I've come here to really fuck up the vibe for a bit. So, let's have it!" aya wasn't lying when she took to the stage at this year's Field Maneuvers. Strap in for a bonkers two-hour joyride. 

@fieldmaneuvers
@aya_yco

RA Live - aya - Field Maneuvers 2025, UK

Alicia - 07 November 2025

Tracklist + Q&A: https://mixmag.net/feature/the-mix-083-object-blue-dj-interview-what-resembles-the-grave-but-isnt-tt

@objectblue celebrates the release of her long-awaited debut album, 'what resembles the grave but isn't' on TT (@tobago-tracks), with a mix of dark, heady beats.

"This mix focuses on tracks or styles that influenced me during the making of the album. It's not bangers, but it's not calm either — think dark, heady beats filling up a small Room 2, slowly climbing up the BPM. I can't live with myself if something is pure nostalgia, however, so I've thrown in a few new/unreleased demos I've listened to recently."

Tracklist + Q&A

The Mix 083: object blue

Ahead of the release of his tender new EP “In the Afterglow”, Baltra brings an hour of dreamy house textures to this week's TANK Mix.

Tracklist: 
Basic Soul Unit - Luvwithin
Chasing Kurt - From The Inside (Henrik Schwarz Remix)
Braga Circuit - Break It Down
Camille Doe - Bounce Back (Main Phase Remix)
Baltra - Another Baby
Stereo Translation - Take Me Away
Bodhi - Get That
Baltra - Gentle Tone
Baltra - Lost
Pablo Bozzi & Lexi L'acqua - Real Life
Mall Grab - You Thought
Kassian - Locked
Skin On Skin - Ooo
b0n - Psycholectric
Baltra - Just Me & U
J. Albert - envio_6

TANK Mix: Baltra

Erika's mid-morning set from 6 - 7:30 at No Way Back, May 25, 2025, Day 2 of Return to the Source at Tangent, Detroit. Directly after BMG and right before Derek Plaslaiko.

"It’s a whirlwind experience throwing a party *and* performing at it. At No Way Back, the only thing that works for me is to use the energy of the crowd to find my sonic direction. The room was incredibly dialed in, and the focus on the floor was immense, this is unlike any experience on any other floor around the world."
 – Erika @erikadotnet

1. EMIT - Prodromal Phase
2. AgainstMe - Into The Dome
3. Surgeon - Infinite Eye
4. DJ Plant Texture - WTT (Dub Mix)
5. RV820 - Bleep Thing
6. Privacy - Sword , NYC
7. Reeko - Verdugo Del Rey
8. Space Drum Meditation - Yacu
9. Oscar Mulero - The Reddish Glow
10. Darkduction - Wounds of Time
11. Binary Algorithms / UFO95 - Register #01 (UFO95 Remix)
12. Jamie Bissmire - The Fundamentals of Time
13. Tenebre - Nightshift
14. Seph - Renew
15. Beaabea - Constants
16. Naco - Snakey
17. Raissa Febriani - Transiver
18. EMIT - Mother Runner
19. Dagga x Manao - Suave
20. Noodles142 - Burnt
21. Doctor Jeep - Raiva
22. Shai FM - Heatsink
23. Cimm - Circuit Jam
24. Anthony Rother - Slit-Scan
25. Mani Festo - Leviathan
26. Berwick - Where Are You?
27. Gesture - WHAT
28. Sabola - Isolate
29. Erik Luebs - Irradiated Body

IT Podcast

IT.podcast.s14e09: Erika at No Way Back 2025

Originally aired on BBC Radio One 25th October 2025

My third Essential Mix. Designed as a companion piece for my album Tremor, exploring its influences from both inside and after the club.

Ruthlss - Flourishes [White Label]
Deftones - Teenager [Maverick]
Maria Somerville - Projections [4AD]
Daniel Avery ft Cecile Believe - Rapture in Blue [Domino]
Daniel Avery - A Memory Wrapped in Paper and Smoke (Midnight Version) [Domino]
Von Haze - Golden Symmetry [Pendu Sound Recordings]
Nine Inch Nails - Find My Way [The Null Corporation] 
MPU101 - WTFJH [Ilian Tape]
Hagop Tchaparian - Raining [Text]
Om Unit - Altitude (Daniel Avery Remix) [Om Unit]
Daniel Avery - Trip [Phantasy]
julie - feminine adornments [Atlantic]
Glixen - sick silent [Glixen]
Daniel Avery - In Keeping (Midnight Version) [Domino]
Wisp - Latvia [Music Soup] 
Skee Mask - Van99 [White Label] 
Hesaitix - Geflatnet [PAN]
Blawan - No Rabbit No Life [XL]
Daniel Avery ft bdrmm - A Silent Shadow (Midnight Version) [Domino] 
POD & Edward Richards - Flux Growth [Kinetic Vision]
Valentino Mora - IIIII1IIIIIIII3IIIIIIIII [Spazio Disponibile]
Daniel Avery - Until the Moon Starts Shaking (Midnight Version) [Domino]
IMOGEN & Ben Pest - Captain Crunch [Wigs]
Nørbak - Navalha [NRBK]
Müzmin - Yai [Planet Rhythm]
Peryl - 555 (Rødhåd Remix) [The Third Room]
Atonism - At the End of the Corridor [Vault Records]
Yan Cook - Eyes Adjust to the Dark [ARTS]
Daniel Avery ft Julie Dawson - The Ghost of Her Smile (Midnight Version) [Domino]
Nastia Reigel - End Up Here [Infrastructure]
The Advent & Zein Ferreira - Space Surfer [Cultivated Electronics]
Gal Tsadok-Hai - Mirror [Raising Pulses]
Death In Vegas - Death Mask [Drone]
Daniel Avery - mkf [Domino]

Daniel Avery - Essential Mix (October 2025)

PHNTMZN - silent horizons (prod. phntmzn bR)

PYRAMIDAL SYSTEME - LRCT

Aurea joins us for our 16th release after we featured his track "Dream Hard, Brother" earlier in the year. We are super happy to be able to work with Aurea and thankful we managed to make a release with these tracks.

A side - The Story - is a dreamy and mystical tribute to the origins of the atmospheric style and put simply, it’s a journey tune. Super interesting take with an array of different feelings and emotions embedded in it, one of our favourites from this year for sure.

B side - Falling to Earth - is a nice and spacey track with lots of twists and turns in the break work and atmospheres. It features vocal cuts from Amy Helen and has an almost ghostly feel to it as it rises and falls with waves of nostalgia and times gone by.

A few words from the artist: This debut release marks the culmination of Aureas first year of production and is a homage to the early atmospheric jungle sound over 2 tracks, but with a modern take on composition. A huge thanks to Amy Helen, for her vocals on Falling To Earth and the team at Dream Schemes for their work on the label and release.

Composed by Dylan Rakhra
Mastered by Hue Jah Fink
Released by Dream Schemes
Catalog No. SCHEMES016

The Mix 083: object blue

Mixmag