The first Patterns of Perception mix of 2023 comes from a luminous presence and dear friend of our collective - label head, mix series curator, promoter and esteemed selector Aaron J (@arn_j).

Over the years, a combination of passion, openness and tireless energy has seen Aaron become a trusted voice for experimental, boundary-pushing electronic music across both the US and the wider scene. 

Founded over eight years ago, Aaron’s much-loved platform @sure_thing is the embodiment of his forward-thinking curation and clarity of vision. Now based in Brooklyn, Sure Thing started as a series of parties in San Francisco before growing outward, later blossoming into a renowned mix series and record label. 

As a DJ, Aaron’s level of empathy and attention-to-detail are unmistakeable, allowing him to deeply connect with the dance floor no matter the context - layering, building and driving emotions ever onwards.

Aaron J's Patterns of Perception 106 is both radiant and personal - an idyllic snapshot of the perfect dance floor, glowing with wide-eyed energy. Pensive darkness simmers into hedonistic psychedelia. Intensity turns reflective. Endless rhythms vibrate and flare into nurturing light. 

Links:
@arn_j
https://www.instagram.com/arn_j/
@sure_thing
https://surethingrec.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/surethingevents

Patterns of Perception 106 - Aaron J

A lesson in rhythm from a former De School resident.

When it comes to minimalist dance music, Ruben Üvez, AKA Konduku, is one of the best in the game right now. With a masterful and ever-shapeshifting understanding of rhythm, the Berlin-based artist crafts sublime dance music with a staunchly leftfield bent. Don't just take our word for it: how many DJs, after all, can claim to have moved De School to a puddle of tears?

Musically, Üvez is hard to pin down. He's often billed as a techno artist, but actually you'll find his sound sits outside of the genre's many conventions. With an outsider's curiosity, he leans into diverse moods, tempos and genres, though one throughline is always how he arranges his drums. Whether it be deep, Nobu-core techno such as 2023's Hayal EP or UK beat science á la Peverelist on 2019's  Gegek, he leads with rhythm across his DJing and production. The end product is a hypnotic, one-of-a-kind sound that hits the body before the brain has time to catch up. In short, it slaps.

As Üvez's RA Podcast demonstrates, he's got a serious knack for crafting and selecting tunes that can  deeply captivate a dance floor. Clocking in at just over 90 minutes, RA.967 is an excursion through a timeless sound, packed with long, layered blends, flick-of-the-wrist transitions, locked grooves and spine-tingling atmospherics. In 2020, we called Ruben Üvez one of techno's brightest new talents. This mix sees him ascending to a seat at the top table.

@kondukukonduku

Read more at ra.co/podcast/967

RA.967 Konduku

Honored to welcome Morocco-based Karim to our series, dear friend and founder of the beloved Tikita label, who I finally met at Monument Festival in 2022 after watching him open the weekend in beautiful fashion. The path Karim charts through this set mirrors that of his label’s truly inspirational and decade-spanning journey, one of prophetic timelessness and stalwart vision revealing a curatorial prowess like no other. Enter a valley of orphic rhythm and embrace this tonic for the body and mind, a rare and long-awaited mix from the artist to cast light upon a new year. Thank you Karim!  

@karimtikita
@tikitarec  

Artwork by Artwork by Mei Oele - Boser Tritt.

Sure Thing Mix 134: Karim

Dolby surround - timeless - on clouds - cumulus - dub - special mix for journeys - surround (classic vinyl and new tracks) for magnificent Discos Movimiento from Mexico.

A special timeless warm lighter Dubmix into dark days for e.g.travelling with newer tracks and older classic Dub records.

Track - Artist - Label
Static - Optic - Rendered Thoughts
Apollo is a Division R&S - Ole J Mjøs&Torbjørn - Brundtland
OFF - Cio D´Or - Telrae
Longing - Joachim Spieth - Affin
Static - Optic - Rendered Thoughts
Forgotten Gods - MonO - Silent Season
Recall - Joachim Spieth - Affin
Version Of Spend Some Time - Rhytm&Sounds (Burial Mix)
yocta - Cio D´Or - Semantica
Version of Why - Rhythm&Sound with Paul Hilaire (Burial Mix) -?
Roll Off - Rhythm&Sound -?
Luminescent - Mohlao -?
Endless - Optic -?
Ruff - Rhytm&Sound (Burial Mix) - ?
UK74R1514140 - Aleksi Perala - The Colundi Sequence Level 12
Minos Pour Main Basse (Sur La Ville) - Mooloodjee - ?
Mash UP (Reshape) - Freund Der Familie - Freund Der Familie
Faith (No Vox Mix) - Paul St.Hilaire & René Löwe - Kynant Records
Definitely Lunar - Eshu - Eshu
Resonance Scionversions - Substance&Vanceur - ?
BC09 - Basic Channel
While the lights stays - Mosaic - The Memory Foundation
Untitled - EQD - Equalized
? - Varley - ?
Subway7 - Richard Bartz - Cocoon
The Journey (Qui Niu) - Sons Of The Dragon - Motor City Matrix
Subway - Richard Bartz - Kanzleramt
Static - Optic - Rendered Thoughts
Apollo is a Division R&S - Ole J Mjøs&Torbjørn - Brundtland

Cio D'Or - Cumulus 33 / Mixtape Discos Movimiento #28

🌐 Refuge Worldwide is a radio station and community space based in Berlin-Neukölln.

➡️ More info, more music: www.refugeworldwide.com

Support us by becoming a member on Patreon for just 3€ a month: www.patreon.com/refugeworldwide

Deepartment - Claudio PRC - 11 Feb 2015

DSS 105 comes from the mind of enigmatic producer, DJ and liveact Aa Sudd.

Based in Germany, he primarily explores the psychotropic and hypnotic realms of sound. Delving into irregular rhythms, immersive atmospheres and kaleidoscopic patterns. With a focus on the captivating and the otherworldly, Aa Sudd delivers enveloping sets and productions, fusing elements of techno and experimental drum and bass to create a psychedelic listening experience, spreading his sound via labels such as Midgar or Mirror Zone.

@aasudd

DSS 105 | Aa Sudd

Jo Johnson’s explorations in sound have ranged from free-form punk with Huggy Bear in the 90s, to underground techno in the 00s, and, for the last decade, deeply expressive electronic minimalism that pays tribute to the many women who pioneered this genre. She has released with respected labels including Further Records and Mysteries of the Deep in the US and Frequency Domain and Castles in Space in the UK. Her latest project, Alterations, is a 'slow' album that she is recording and self-releasing track-by-track throughout 2025. 

For the fourth edition of Waves, Jo Johnson presents a mix of absolute celestial beauty, building delicately with deep and lush ambiance into a trip of interstellar melodies, this is the perfect way to start your week off right. 

Follow:
https://soundcloud.com/werkhouse
https://jojohnson.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/jojohnson.tinysilences/

Monument Waves 004 : Jo Johnson

Fresh off the release of her excellent debut album ‘Percussive reverie’, we welcome Aerae for MNMT 462. Aerae's music is shaped by the organic and unpredictable forces of the natural world. In the hands of the rising French artist, techno, downtempo and drum & bass are molded into unrecognizable forms, where evolving textures lock into enveloping and ritualistic grooves. 

Tune in now for a deep trip diving into the psychedelic pulse of Aerae's sound. As the mix descends into the abyss of sonic sorcery and tribalistic hypnotism, you just might lose yourself, or your grip on reality - but for a mix this good it’s a price worth paying. 

Follow:

https://soundcloud.com/aeraemusic
https://www.instagram.com/_aerae__

Monument x Carbon

Carbon is a new music platform designed by and for fans of electronic music. Carbon's goal is to provide a more convenient platform to discover new and relevant content while improving revenues artists and labels can earn from streaming. Visit: https://urlr.me/mNtbwu


MNMT 462 : Aerae

The next Dekmantel mix is a wild melting pot of dark, murky techno grooves by @mattikk. A pillar of the Amsterdam underground, the Garage Noord resident has a long history of DJing in the city and is closely connected to your favorite techno labels. He’s the mind behind Delsin Records' Mantis series, collaborating with artists like Forest Drive West, Konduku, Lemna, and Dino Sabatini.

Drawing on UK sound system culture, his selections always carry an experimental edge, whether diving into deep Italian techno or ambient. Usually, he crafts mixes for immersive listening pleasure, but here he makes a rare turn to the dance floor, inspired by his closing set on the UFO2 stage at last year's Dekmantel Festival. Over an hour of powerful, driving grooves and subtle details, sprinkled with new tunes and some personal favorites that span low-end-heavy electro and broken beats.

Tracklist/
Dasha Rush - 100 Hearts
O.utlier - Evoparation 
Tammo Hesselink - Harbour Launch
R-010 - Exhaust Pipes (Absis Remix)
Amotik - Iktalis
Kon Janson - Unbound Perspective 
Saku Niamh - Unreleased 
Roseen - Separation
Stenny - Hazy Grove
CAIV - Shimmer 
Broken English Club - Ghost
Konduku - Unreleased Remix
Agonis - Unreleased
James Ruskin - Lahaine (O/V/R Remix)  
Konduku - Unreleased
Firn - Rakaposhi
Vand - Futureshock
Gez Varley - Purgę
DJ Slip - Spice
VC-118A -  Unreleased
Carrier - 2 Slow
Kellen303 - Pinehearse
Fret - Stuck