Mixes

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

Refuge WorldWide - 2025

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

Dan B Hood (He/They/She) is a Chicago based Artist, DJ, and smartbar’s Lighting Designer. Inspired by construction sites, bathhouses and ‘acid heads’, Dan navigates raw textures and atmospheres to create momentary sensory escapes. They have released mixes on Mutant Radio, Bleak Narrative, and previously hosted a show on My House, Your House. As a new resident of Research & Development they are eager to continue community building by making spaces for dancers and artists to experiment and expand our growing network of like-minded folks across the planet.

RND 117 - Dan B Hood

This mix is from a very special at night November 09 2024 at Smartbar with my dear friends Nikki Nair, Madeline and Pen Pals. I was tasked with closing out the evening and was an honor to do so. Thanks to everyone who came out and stayed till the lights came on.  Hope yall enjoy!

Live mix at Smartbar Nov 09 2024 - Dan B Hood

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

"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

🌐 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

The Breakfast Show - Kava - 11 Aug 2025

🌐 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: www.gofundme.com/f/help-refuge-wo…-community-radio

untitled 909 - basic chanel - 11 Aug 2025

Morning Drop - Myriam - 12 Aug 2025

Dark Side of the Moon Lift Off - Shah Rud - 12 Aug 2025

The Breakfast Show  - Stella Zekri & Dee Diggs - 13 Aug 2025

TWIRL! - Dan B. Hood - 01 Dec 2025

Beyond Repair returns this month with guest Dan Hood. Based in Chicago, Dan has self-released a few EPs this year that are available on his bandcamp and has dived into the terrible world of DJing with the rest of us. This mix showcases some recent purchases made at Gramaphone in Chicago.

Grey People takes over the first 1.5 hours with the usual shit - acid, jack, old crackly house records, forgotten b-sides, and some recent music as well.

Beyond Repair w.Grey People Guest Dan Hood

~ Refuge Worldwide is a community radio station based in Berlin, working in solidarity with grassroots and non-profit organisations.
~ Visit us at Weserstraße 166, 12045 Neukölln
~ refugeworldwide.com