DJ Masda is a seasoned selector renowned for his deep excursions in house and techno. Born and raised at the foot of Mount Fuji, his path has taken him out from the shadow of the sacred mountain, through Osaka, and placed him firmly in the nerve centre of European techno, Berlin. He made his first steps in the 90s, spinning expertly chosen vinyls and developing a keen ear for subtler details that quickly got him noticed. In the decades since, he’s been busy building a body of work that includes playing at some of the world’s most revered venues and running his very own label and club series Cabaret with So Inagawa. Under their imprint,  he’s primarily focused on giving a platform to friends, those with whom he shares a personal connection and whose music brings something fresh and fun to the label; this fraternity of musical souls are hard at work to bring the very best of the Cabaret sound to market. Here, Masda’s own signature mix is made manifest for Bassiani Podcast 199: a patiently crafted three-hour dive into eerie electro, bouncy house, even a peppering of Italo nostalgia, recorded live at Horoom’s season close last July. A perfect end to summer and a perfect start to a new year, an act that’ll be hard to follow.

@hauznated

Bassiani invites Dj Masda / Podcast #199

Of all the Berlin DJs who make a living spinning strange, I'm-not-sharing-the-tracklist kind of records, Sugar Free, originally hailing from Madrid, might be the most fun. She plays bold, colourful tracks with an air of sci-fi and sleaze, somewhere between Italo, hi-NRG, electro and house. (Her Dimensions Mix last year was one of our favourites of 2023.) She's the kind of DJ who messes with your perception of genres and tempos by how she blends tracks together, and also a DJ with a rare grasp of mixing melodies and moods—just check out the first transition of this RA Podcast for a spine-tingling example.

Sugar Free doesn't speak much publicly, and you won't find a lot about her on the internet. She prefers to let her DJing speak for itself. And her RA Podcast says a lot: proggy basslines, heart-in-mouth descents into reverb-heavy breakdowns, eerie vocals and a general feel of psychedelia and '80s decadence. It's difficult to tell what era these records are from, which is part of the charm. For a bonus point, try and pick out two just-completed Sugar Free originals, some of her first productions ever after her debut track came out on Limousine Dream in 2022.

@freesugarfree

Read more at https://ra.co/podcast/927

RA podcast

RA.927 Sugar Free

XDB @ Selectors Club @ Stilbrvch / Göttingen

Michelle emerged from the Uruguayan underground back in 2018. Since then, she's explored the sort of sounds that have made her homeland such a creative hotbed: stripped-back techno, electro and early tech house all collide in her tracks on the likes of My Own Jupiter, CABARET Recordings and, most recently, Element Of Impact. Though designed purely for dancing, they're rich with intriguing textural contrasts between steely metal surfaces, wonky acid lines and sultry synths.

Michelle only plays live, so this week’s mix is a raw, unfiltered one-hour transmission pulled straight from her machines. It’s a rugged ride that grinds through industrial tech, shadowy broken beats and deeper techno. The energy is relentless and the tension is palpable, as if intergalactic warfare lurks just out of sight. The pounding rhythms, strobe-lit grit and sweat-soaked intensity make this a masterclass in pressure and release that's alive, dangerous and keeps you right on the edge.

Dekmantel Mix 495 - Michelle (live)

Recording of Sugar Free's set at the Selectors stage during Dekmantel Festival 2025.

RA.927 Sugar Free

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