@sisterzo is a DJ, producer, and writer, newly based in Colombus, Ohio after establishing herself in the music scene of Kansas City, Missouri. She is a co-founder of @untuckcollective, a queer/trans/femme/nonbinary collective based in Kansas City. Her mix is unadulterated summer fun full of bouncy basslines and cheeky vocals - she described it best herself: "It’s giving sweat, sunsets, poppers and good clean ecstasy."

Read the full interview:
spontaneous.zone/037-sister-zo.html

"When I started to conceive of this mix, I had a very strong feeling—as I’m sure many of us did around this time (May-June)—of desperately wanting to return to the light of a good, cathartic club night.

The Pandemic had shifted my musical tastes away from house, techno, bass music etc. and sent me down this rabbit hole of slower (and faster) tempos and rhythms. This mix was sort of a self-directed return to upbeat, driving house and techno—a spell for manifesting eventual joy and collective movement on the dancefloor, or a field somewhere. It’s giving sweat, sunsets, poppers and good clean ecstasy. I recorded the mix at home on CDJ 2000s and a DJM900."

@sisterzo / @untuckcollective

Read Interview

Spontaneous Affinity #037: Sister Zo

Under both of his aliases—Widow for deep, atmospheric techno and Cicada for mostly longform ambient compositions—multimedia artist and writer @widowbeats specializes in telling stories and building complex, layered cinematic worlds. At Monument Magazine, and as a founder of Studio 72 & Provoke (a party series alongside A.M.D in NYC), he helps explore and elevate the stories of other artists, too. His mix for Spontaneous Affinity is musical world-building at its best, driven by subtle percussion, expansive textures, and a sense of mystery.

"This mix can be considered a direct representation of my artistry as a whole: Deep, Dark, Mysterious, Absolute.
All in all, it can be considered organized chaos.

Even though the main bulk of the recording is from mixing on a normal 2 channel Pioneer controller. You’ll hear a lot of atmospherics that was also mixed in via my audio workstation."

Read the full interview:
https://spontaneous.zone/040-widow.html

@widowbeats

Interview

Spontaneous Affinity #040: Widow

If someone asked us to name a "do-er" in the dance music community, @boo-lean is one of the first people who would come to mind. A recent transplant from her longtime base in Pittsburgh to NYC, she is a promoter and resident DJ at Pittsburgh scene nexus @hot-mass. As a curator and experiential producer, she co-founded VIA Festival in Pittsburgh, the @gfx-pgh collective, and has held curatorial positions with Public Records in NYC, New Forms Festival in Vancouver, and other clubs and museums.

"I asked myself, “what if I was 10 years old my whole life? What would a little Boo Lean DJ / dance to?” This is Boo Lean’s Regression Mix. Recorded with 2 CDJs, Pioneer mixer, Zoom recorder, brain, 2-8 hands."

Read the full interview and see a tracklist:
https://spontaneous.zone/041-boo-lean.html

@boo-lean

Interview + Tracklist

Spontaneous Affinity #041: Boo Lean

@hitfactoryrecs is @djwawabk, @claywilson, and their musical orbit of friends and collaborators. Their regular mixes and releases stand as a foil to perfectionism, commodification, and the music industry PR machine — two relative veterans of the music community reclaiming DJing and production on their own terms.

"This mix was recorded at the Hit Factory with nothing but vibes in mind. This ain’t a mix to prove that we’re good or know how to beat match or anything like that. Just years and years of listening to music with the hope of gaining a deeper understanding of it along with ourselves. Let the feelings take over when you hear the music not the thoughts."

Read the full interview:
https://spontaneous.zone/042-hit-factory.html

@hitfactoryrecs

Spontaneous Affinity #042: Hit Factory

XC-17 (@stephanie-alona-helen) is a DJ, producer, visual artist, and event organizer based in Pittsburgh. They are a founder of the Dyspheric (@dsypheric-leesss) series, which got started with livestreams during lockdown and has since evolved into a mix series and live events. Their DJing is as energetic and adventurous as their ethos: when it comes down to it, it's about being creative, having fun, and making space for everyone.

"This mix was about trying to showcase different music I love, in a way that I love to hear. I just really love so many genres. I felt like making something I will listen to any time of the day, and that I will like any time of the day, and I guess just feels close to me in a way. It gave me enough room to really just mess with things and have fun and be creative with it."

Read the full interview:
https://spontaneous.zone/043-xc-17.html

@stephanie-alona-helen @dsypheric-leesss

Spontaneous Affinity #043: XC-17

Nick Boyd (@nickboydnyc) is a dancefloor staple in NYC, and there's good reason for his omnipresence: everything he does, he explains, is centered around the dancefloor and the dancers who spend time there. Whether he's running @sorry-records, DJing at beloved local haunts like The Lot Radio, Bossa Nova Civic Club, and Nowadays (where this mix was recorded), or giving advice to friends, his ethos always comes back to the dancefloor. Grounded by an encyclopedic knowledge of dance music history and generous sharing of that knowledge, Nick and Sorry Records are beacons of integrity and openness in today's dance music community. 

This is part 1 of a 2 part mini-series with Sorry Records.

Read the interview + see a tracklist:
https://spontaneous.zone/047-nick-boyd

Mix mastered by @drvmmy.

"This mix is a recording of my first time playing at Nowadays, a club that has been incredibly influential and important to my life and my friends' lives. When I first started deejaying, my only goals really were to play on The Lot Radio and play Nowadays.

When they asked me, I was very surprised, legit like fall on my bathroom floor crying type situation 😂 😭. I’m a sappy nerd and had loads of nerves but I was lucky to be able to do it for the first time alongside my friend and collaborator Khadijah/DJ Delish and also have the time to just completely over-prepare for like three months ahead of time.

I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to do with the space, both extensively over the years keeping a running “Nowadays Wishlist” playlist and in the three months leading up to the party. I eventually came to the conclusion that I wanted to tell a story with what I played, in the tradition dictated by the New York dancefloor. A story about myself and my friends and the scene here as I’ve seen it both good and bad. A story about the Nowadays dancefloor itself and what that space means to me, but in turn also what dance music spaces and community mean period; how they function and the double-edged sword of trying to be good when it comes to those things.

I also wanted to play tracks by my friends that I knew were going to be there. The people I love who I dance alongside there frequently. I wanted to play tracks that were silly too! Tried to give a sense of levity to a pretty emotional thing. I mean, I got into dance music in large part because of the work that Justin (Carter) and Eamon (Harkin) had done through Mister Sunday into Nowadays, and I'd been going to the space since before it was open indoors. I’m there most every week and have put a lot on that floor…

In the weeks following, I finally got myself to listen to it. At first, I was like, there's so many bits in here where I remember not being able to hear myself or hear the cue. It's my first time playing in a big loud club besides like, Bossa. I considered making all these edits to it…

But then kinda just got to the point where I was like — look at the process of the mix, the ethos behind it… it's more about letting go and natural joy and glee than it is about anything else. So I decided to share it unedited, except for a little audio sample I added at the beginning that I didn't get on the recording. There’s a lot of other very concrete lyrical content included — always with purpose and intention but not always lyrics that I believe in personally."

@nickboydnyc / @sorry-records

Spontaneous Affinity #047: Nick Boyd

Unpredictable as both a DJ and an event organizer, Seattle's @grymnk brings a fresh, community-centered energy to the North American dance music scene and beyond. From throwing notorious raves in rented mansions and other unconventional spaces and bringing together international favorites and local heroes, to playing alongside artists like Ayesha, Object Blue, and Azu Tiwaline, grymnk is an energetic force. Their mix for Spontaneous Affinity is trippy, wonky, and devilishly fun.

Read the interview:
spontaneous.zone/046-grymnk

"When I made this mix, I had a couple weeks of being alone and to be honest things got a little weird. I think this will come through when you listen.

When I imagined people listening to this, my hope was that they would hear the struggle, the mental illness, but also the celebration of oneself and the wiggle of dancing in a room alone."

@grymnk

Spontaneous Affinity #046: grymnk

Perhaps best known for his association with beloved dance music blog Truants, @riccardovillella is also one of our favorite DJs—with a streak of mixes that always feel like instant classics—and a staple of the broader dance music scene in his own right. Villella's penchant for community began on early dance music forums and extends into today's social media networks and elevating others through mixes and in-depth interviews on @truants. His mix for us, inspired by timeless mix CDs like those of Fabric and a 'spiritual successor' to his mix for our friends at @sure_thing, is also a vivid memory of teenage bike rides along the beach in 2006.

Read the interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/051-villella

"For the last 11 years I’d been living in London and for a long time, I had no desire really to leave. People say you can call somewhere 'home' after living there for a duration of seven years, so I was well past and on my way. The last three years though, I had really burnt out quite hard creatively, and was kind of just trudging along. It took me a while to realize that I’d maybe needed a break away from London and the constant living for the weekend parties. Work had gone remote, so the option of moving back home to Brighton on the seafront for a temporary reset and to save some money seemed like the logical next step.

I was quite excited about moving back, as one of my friends Bobby had moved back home from London a year prior to also work remote, my friend Sean was still down there and had been making some really cool art recently so we’d been reconnecting, and my friend Sam who moved to Australia 10 years ago was going to be back for a short trip in Brighton this year for a couple weeks. This felt kind of important to me as, as we’d all be in the same city for the first time in a very long time, and these were people that made up my favourite summer ever - the year 10 one in 2006.

... We spent most of that summer going on these really long bike rides from Shoreham-by-Sea, past the cement factory before reaching Brighton beach, and just cycle as far as we could until the sun went down. Me and Bobby would pack our little MP3 players (think I had a Creative Zen Touch then) the night before with as much ‘feels’ music as we’d like to call it, anything that would make our cycles feel like an extended Michael Mann movie, or "LA Action" we’d say. There was just something quite life-affirming as a 16 year old, headphones in, cycling back as the sun sets after exploring some beach cave and you’ve got either of Fila Brazillia - "Subtle Body", Groove Armada - "Paris", or DJ Shadow - "Blood On The Motorway" playing in the background. It was all very Stand By Me in the most musically liberating way possible. I’ve caught myself thinking of those times a lot lately.

I’ve tried to channel a lot of those feelings quite subtly into my studio mixes over the years—hopeless nostalgia, bittersweetness, a sad euphoria—more so on ones where I’m trying to achieve something other than a club-mix. The Sure Thing mix comes to mind especially, but that was also very influenced by the techno aspect of the series and certain life events. Whilst this feels very much like a spiritual successor to that mix, I didn’t want to be so subtle with this one. It’s a straight ode to a single perfect 24 hours that summer, and all the tunes that I was listening to back then, plus some that capture that perfect world-at-your-feet, carefree, teen vibe for me. It covers many moods and feelings of a hot day down at the beach and the transition as the sun sets and you’re getting ready to dance the night away.

I’ve wanted to record something like this for a long time, something that kind of felt like a timeless mix CD, and think you gave me the best opportunity and timing in wanting to put it together, especially as I’ve been doing that same cycle route every other weekend whilst down here."

@riccardovillella / @truants

Spontaneous Affinity

Spontaneous Affinity #051: Villella

Not every DJ/producer can create airy ambient as readily as heavy, percussive dancefloor stompers; Chicago's Millia (@milliamusic) ranks among those who can seemingly do it all. With solo releases on @sweat-equity, @naivetrax, and Shuga Records, Millia also produces and DJs as part of the much-loved Purelink as well as DJing under @dasani_boys with his twin brother. It all seems to be driven by a map of connections on the dancefloor and beyond, and grounded in Chicago's deep dance music history while creating something fresh: playing, producing, and releasing alongside longtime heroes and new collaborators alike.

Read the interview:
https://spontaneous.zone/049-millia

"Whenever I’m asked to do a mix, I try my best to do something outside of my comfort zone and include elements that will make every mix a new experience for me. There’s always different ways to do this, including using only vinyl / CDs for track selection, only including artists from a certain region etc., but this time around I chose to do a Jungle inspired mix - a genre I’ve always loved listening to but have never been able to properly mix.

Earlier this year I went to Detroit for Movement Weekend and was fortunate enough to see my favorite DJ / producer Forest Drive West for the first time ever. He did a 3 hour b2b with Patrick Russell and played a lot of Jungle music that really blew me away. Ever since then I’ve been diving even deeper into the genre and now felt like it was time to give it a shot for Spontaneous Affinity. Added a little bit of my own flair with some half-time bass tracks and heavy percussion sprinkled in as well - I hope you enjoy it!"

@milliamusic

Spontaneous Affinity #049: Millia

With roots in Pittsburgh and a recent stint in Denver, Paul Fleetwood @fleet412 is both a beacon and a connector within the North American dance music community. A co-founder of Hot Mass with hands in events such as Honcho Campout, Lot Mass, VIA Festival, the Great American Techno Festival, and Humanaut, his DJ sets and productions blend a classic, grounded Midwest techno sensibility with a modern edge, always infused with emotion and sincerity. In 2021, Fleetwood launched his own label, Perimeter Junk, which has already cemented itself as a forerunner in predicting the next wave of dancefloor heaters for kind-hearted weirdos.

Read the interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/050-paul-fleetwood

"I knew I wanted a mix that featured mostly four-on-the-floor music, upbeat but smooth and not too aggressive. I imagined a much deeper and more emotive mix than what I originally intended but that didn’t make me any less happy with how it turned out.

This was recorded Saturday, October 8th, 2022 at my apartment in Denver, CO. I used two XDJ-700s and a A&H Xone:92 rotary mixer. I compiled a playlist of roughly nine hours of music from which to choose. Experimenting from that list, it took around seven takes to nail a flow that felt right.

The interview questions brought Molly Nilsson’s 'Never Coming Home' to mind so I decided to include it. I couldn't come up with a smarter way other than to place it as an encore so there ya go, my creative apex at work."

@fleet412

Spontaneous Affinity #050: Paul Fleetwood

Tony G (@t_o_n_y_g) produces, DJs, co-runs @sorry-records, and enthusiastically supports a broad range of music on NYC's dancefloors. In addition to his own DJing and releasing tracks on Sorry, Eto Ano, Toucan Sounds, and more, he has organized ambient, experimental, and leftfield parties as Giambrone & Co at Brooklyn venues like Jupiter Disco and Mansions. Like his close collaborator, Sorry Records' @nickboydnyc, Tony brings an expansive knowledge of the context of dance music and an energetic attitude to each release and dancefloor. This is part 2 of a 2 part mini-series with Sorry Records.

This is part 2 of a 2 part mini-series with Sorry Records.

Read the interview + see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/048-tony-g

"This mix was a re-creation of a set I did at the Stream Informer Glen Falls House party this past June. I recorded the live set and was hoping to release that, but I was redlining a little too hard, and the recording came out hopelessly distorted. I was really proud of the mix and put a lot of work into it, so 3 months after the fact I decided to revisit it.

In preparing the set initially I decided to pretend I was playing to the sunrise even though the set ended at 4AM. Sunrise for me means… trance, I guess. It was a really cute party and lots of friends (Alyce included!) were there providing tons of warm and wiggly energy. I remember looking out and seeing someone twerking on the subwoofer at one point. My summer was kind of up and down after that, so it was a really positive memory to revisit.

I did this incarnation of the mix in my living room with 2 old CDJ 2000s, one XDJ 700 that I borrowed from my friend Danny, and my Mastersound 4 rotary mixer. I spent one day practicing, then did two full takes over the next two evenings. The take you’re hearing right now was the last one that I recorded. Looking back at the tracklist, one thing that stands out is how much new music I played, which is pretty rare for me. You’re not usually gonna see this much music from 2020 and beyond in a Tony G tracklist."

@t_o_n_y_g / @sorry-records

Spontaneous Affinity #048: Tony G

aka-Sol (@acaciabaila) is an Ecuadorian DJ, producer, and multidisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn. Through their Acacia Baila label, they're also a connector: they've released their own tracks and collaborations alongside releases from their friends and community, as well as thrown events at spaces like Mansions and their involvement in the Dripping event series and festival. As a DJ, their sets are genre-defying and psychedelic, bridging the gap between heady, trippy sounds and groove and percussion that go straight to the body. Their mix for us is deftly controlled chaos — a fresh, freaky take on 'fast' that's as floating and expansive as it is frenetic.

Read the interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/052-aka-sol

"I wanted to create a mix exploring the 150-160 bpm pocket. I feel like I have only landed in playing around these tempos a few times while DJing live, and had definitely not recorded a mix up there before. I was itching to submerge into it after a crucial year in my DJ career, where I have widely expanded the limitations of the things I feel comfortable playing.

It’s been refreshing to understand more and more that I am not an artist/DJ that could be defined by a music genre, but rather by the sensibility in which I lace the different styles and sounds I use to create narratives when constructing my sets. Another important challenge I presented to myself for recording this mix was the curiosity of understanding what kind of tunes I would select and blend for this as a non DnB nor hard techno DJ. I feel like by going through this challenge, I have opened a world of possibilities that I can’t wait to incorporate when playing out there.

In terms of feelings explored, I would say that expansiveness of the body and the mind are a recurrent element in my practice and it was very present in this mix too. I wanted to build something that could feel both complex yet fluid. Entering into deeper introspections while feeling your body being pulled in all possible directions at once until the point of surrendering into a floating state of slow movements is the only possible solution to cope with the amount of information being received.

In terms of gear, I used 2 Pioneer XDJ-700s and a Pioneer DJM 450 mixer. For the recording I use a Zoom H6 recorder."

@acaciabaila

Spontaneous Affinity #052: aka-Sol

Vancouver's @djhockey brings a sense of playfulness, groove, and emotion to a realm of psychedelic, twisted techno that can often take itself too seriously. He regularly appears at Vancouver venues like Dolly and recently played at the inaugural Osmosis in the Trees festival in Oregon. In addition to DJing, he co-runs record label and mix series @pprzrecords alongside Adam 2, uplifting emerging artists from across the underground and most recently releasing his own latest EP, Celestial Pursuit.

Read the interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/053-dj-hockey

"This mix combined parts of various gigs I was working on that fell through. The gigs had quite differing musical lineups and set times, which I combined with some tracks that had been sitting in my wishlist on Bandcamp but never seen a fit for a particular project as of yet. It quickly turned into my favourite mix I’ve created thus far, as I feel it closely represents my favourite aspects of dance music all in one.

I have been working on trying to incorporate a wider range of my style into my podcasts so that each one doesn’t get tunnel vision, while still telling a slow burning story. I’ve also been pushing myself to make each individual blend something unique. Lots of tracks work well together, but is it something special and new? These are questions I have been asking myself more lately. I like the playfulness of this mix, but it also has moments where you may question what emotion you’re feeling."

@djhockey @pprzrecords

Spontaneous Affinity #053: DJ Hockey

As Seunghee @seungheeworks prepares to make a move back to Europe and Seoul after a stint based in Brooklyn, we feel lucky to have connected with her range of creative output. She has hosted events under the banner of Yulheim Electronics alongside DJ Snail at intimate, audiophile venues like Jupiter Disco and Mansions, showcasing artists with a taste for dance music that builds layered, dreamy soundscapes, a descriptor that could also apply to her own DJing. With a patient, colorful, emotional approach and a penchant for abstracted kicks and polyrhythms, Seunghee's sound somehow feels as evocative of an urban landscape as a forest ecosystem, organic and full of life, even when that life may be struggling.

Read the interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/054-seunghee

"Every time I make a mix, I just put in all the tracks I really like and play them by the BPM, and sort out the ones that mix well. After finishing the mix, I hear it and realize what thoughts and intentions were being made.

This time, it sounded like I was trying to build a conviction. There’s a virtual character and she is trying to say something without losing her tone or deviating from her angle. There are a lot of forces trying to convince her out of her own narrative but somehow she maintains it. At least it shows the struggle.

I am currently making a lot of difficult and big choices in life. These choices will determine my survival. It helps to remember where I come from and which direction I am going. It’s not just about my own wants. I think everyone has a name, background, and roots that connect them to their own destiny. I feel I am in a stage of life where I understand myself better. (I am in my thirties) and the mix is about moving forward without compromising. Hopefully it relates to others who are going through changes.

I used a pair of CDJs and Xone92 mixer with a pair of KRKs & Audio-Technica headphones."

@seungheeworks / @polyrhythm_portal

Spontaneous Affinity #054: Seunghee

Before Detroit DJ and producer Ali Berger found his way to Motor City, he was making his musical mark in Boston and learning the ropes in New Jersey. With releases on Firm Tracks, The Nite Owl Diner, and Sweat Equity, his own label Trackland Acid Dealerships of Skillman, New Jersey, and a residency at Detroit's Takoi, this thoughtful and dedicated musician is also a strong supporter of the local and national dance music scene.

Read the full interview and see a tracklist:
http://spontaneous.zone/008-aliberger.html

"Since the weather just changed I decided to do a big summer mix. I also gave it sort of an afternoon/sunset/nighttime arc. I paid a lot of attention to the messaging/story in the vocals and went for a balance between contemporary tracks and older ones—in the age of reissues I think it’s important to keep pushing artists who are currently active.

I recorded on my home setup, which right now is a pair of 1200s, a pair of Denon DN-S1200 CDJs, a Bozure ISO-201 isolator, and an Optimus SSM-1250 mixer. The SSM-1250 has three channels, NO gain knobs and only a master EQ—it’s just volume faders and a crossfader. I got it when I started playing records in 2013 cause I wanted to learn how to play like the guys from Dope Jams. It’s still my favorite mixer, it makes me focus on the tracks and the party.

I also had an iPad plugged into the mixer for some extras: the “ones and the twos” drop (out to my friend Ciara for that one) and the two explosion fx towards the end."

@aliberger

Spontaneous Affinity #008: Ali Berger

Based in Naarm (Melbourne, Australia), Anuraag is a DJ and one of the organizers behind Cool Room, a monthly party and online TV show with recent guests including Lena Willikens, Wata Igarashi, Laurel Halo, and Courtesy.

Read the full interview and see a tracklist:
http://spontaneous.zone/010-anuraag.html

"This was the first mix I’ve been asked to record that I actually followed through with! I wanted to explore the idea of Spontaneous Affinity in a non-club context.

There’s a particular headspace that particular songs sometimes pull me into - it’s a distinct feeling, a hint of walking through a dreamworld where everything is moving in slow motion. It’s wonderful in overcrowded public spaces, on aimless walks, on cold mornings, after a bad day at work…

I’ve tried to pick songs that pull that feeling out in me, and recreate it in a mix, while drawing a narrative through my influences and favourites that can’t be showcased on a dancefloor. I’ve been feeling pretty tender lately, and this mix is informed by me exploring these feelings of fragility.

I recorded the mix at home, on two XDJ700s, two 1200s and a Xone:23 mixer."

@anuraag69

Spontaneous Affinity #010: Anuraag

@djbeyun is a DJ and producer based in Atlanta. She was a founder and resident at Boston's monthly party Vault, bringing a consistent space for deeper, darker dance music to the city. From there, she moved to Atlanta to manage operations and direct A&R for DJ Pierre's Afro Acid label. With DJ sets that feel gritty, soulful, and timeless, she's plotted recent and upcoming dates in New York, Amsterdam, and Berlin.

Read the full interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/012-beyun.html

"I make two kinds of mixes in the studio: the fun, feel-good, soulful, jacking kind and the therapy session. Sometimes the two collide, but it depends on how eager the subconscious is to take over and work out any unresolved issues. If there are unpleasant emotions or thoughts crowding my headspace, I confront them through the music I play.

Think of a particularly bad knot in your shoulder: to find relief, you jam your finger into it and increase the pressure to the point the pain subsides and there is a release. A mix is a psychedelic massage. Apply pressure—abrasive sounds, fast, gritty percussion, dissonance—and release—soulful n deep cuts, vocals—then repeat and increase the intensity of the cycle each time.

Through this process a narrative (or several) generally forms. While I’m not fully aware of what this narrative is while making the mix, as the listener afterward I always hear a message. Sometimes it’s not one I can put into words. I do approach mixes with the intention of uplifting and empowering the listener/dancer at the end, regardless of how difficult the journey is to get there.

I recorded this with Pioneer CDJs (2000 NXS) and an Allen & Heath Xone:92 mixer. I recently switched my at-home mixer to the Xone because I always dread playing on it at gigs. I’m used to the three band EQ mixers, so having four is challenging to get the levels perfect since I never have much time to practice on it—the EQ is also way more responsive. If something challenges me, I prefer to confront it and embrace it rather than run away from it—that’s the only way growth can happen. Since my other mixer was on the outs, I decided to get this beast.

My dream is to have a custom built rotary mixer with an isolator built in, but that has to come later. I love my standalone Bozure isolator, but due to the audio routing it’s still a bit awkward to use it with the Xone, unfortunately. Twisting the EQ knobs quickly for effect just doesn’t feel the same, but with practice I’ll eventually find a method with the external effects."

@djbeyun / @afroacid / @vaultdeepndark

Spontaneous Affinity #012: Beyun

San Francisco's @kudeki does it all: she co-runs @noctuarysf alongside Alex McGeagh to bring women and nonbinary artists to the forefront in the Bay Area and beyond, works and DJs at Public Works, and has her own monthly at Bar Fluxus. In addition, she maintains a busy DJ schedule, adapting to everything from Burning Man's Berghain analogue to daytime bliss at San Francisco Pride.

Read the full interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/014-kudeki.html

"I’ve been playing a lot lately so my podcast process has been to take some thread from across a couple of gigs and synthesize that into an hour long narrative. This one comes out of shows I did in December in the italo / electro / new wave direction. I tried to stick to the 80s vibe throughout but vary the moods involved. There’s some structural symmetry in that the beginning and end are fast and kind of sad, and the middle has more energy but is slower.

I did this mix entirely in Ableton, mostly while staying at my friend’s house in dark & rainy Seattle right around the new year. Speaking to the vision behind Spontaneous Affinity, I tried to include a few tracks that had personal history / music community moments attached to them as well. "X Marks the Pedwalk" was shazamed at the High & Tight NYE party we were both at, the Shinra track and "Autophobia" were specifically shown to me by music friends, The Hacker played one of the top sets I saw in 2018, and "Not In Love" is one of the tracks that takes me back to two different specific moments in my life, six years apart.

Emotionally, whatever music I make in December / January takes on the winter vibe quite naturally. I’ve never had a lot of holiday traditions/obligations so I usually enjoy a lot of alone time and the time to reflect. I had a very crazy year, mostly in a good way, I was very free but also a chaotic mess a lot of the time so while I was working on the mix I was thinking back on all of that being appreciative and also like wtf.

Another part of my general music making process is that everything I make is about Something, but I usually have to listen to it a few times after it’s done to figure out what that is. So I don’t know what this one is about quite yet, but if I had to take a stab at it, it feels like it has something to do with the internal struggle against one’s own mind."

@kudeki / @noctuarysf

Spontaneous Affinity #014: Kudeki

It only takes one listen to a mix from Cleveland's @adab to sense that there's something special brimming beneath the surface. That something is embedded right in the moniker, a promise of sorts to focus on generating collective positivity: "adab by its definition is highlighted by using individual expression to enrich the infrastructure of community." As a co-founder of Cleveland's Heaven Is In You party, a resident of In Training, and a traveler gracing the decks of many of our favorite U.S. underground queer parties, ADAB strives to embody just that.

Read the full interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/016-adab.html

"The idea for this mix started with me wanting to focus on filtering some of the current societal/existential anxiety I feel as a black non binary amab individual into an ecstatic, drummy set of tracks. I start with a clip from the film “12 Years a Slave” of a spiritual being sung called “Roll, Jordan, Roll”. In this scene the main character, enslaved after being born free, is focused on in the cinematography as he clearly accepts the reality of possibly never escaping while singing this song. This spiritual was historically adopted by enslaved African Americans as a coded message for escape. This is the guide post of the mix and I hope it aligns the orbits of the tracks that follow to display a sincerely black sonic narrative.

As far as Gear, I recorded with a pair of CDJ 900’s and a DJM 850 Mixer in my basement between two monitors and a sub."

@adab / @heavenisinyou / @in-training

Spontaneous Affinity #016: ADAB

@aosseattle is a DJ, producer, event organizer, and staple of the Seattle dance music community, in her own right and as part of the secondnature and TUF collectives. Her last EP, Violent Light, was released through secondnature and included a track featured in Laurel Halo's DJ-Kicks MIX. Throughout her DJing and production, you can pretty much count on something slippery and ethereal that speaks perfectly to the moment—especially if that moment is an emotionally-charged sunrise.

Read the full interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/019-aos.html

"This mix was recorded live during a DJ set from 6am – 8am in a small, comfy sun-lit venue in Seattle called TIMBRE ROOM. I felt like this mix series, which invokes so many questions about the context of dance music and the ways we share it with our community, should receive a live recording. It was recorded on CDJ2000s and a Xone92 – I usually play on a Xone92, but have the CDJ900s at home where I practice.

This set was the first time I DJ’d in Seattle in many months and therefore includes a nice mix of some of my all-time favorite tracks as well as ones I had saved over those months. I also chose this recording because playing a sunrise set is where I feel truly at home musically (it’s also where my moniker comes from, but I’ll get back to that). I enjoy playing at sunrise because an all-night party evokes a particular kind of comradery and openness on a dance floor and I see a unique receptivity to both the emotional energy of the DJ and the track selection when the physical space is changing from dark to light.

This psychological aspect of DJing is endlessly fascinating to me. Both opening and closing sets present a unique challenge – one is an invitation into the musical journey of the night and the other should be a gentle release from that experience. In both, the most difficult aspect of DJing becomes heightened – that is the role of the DJ in creating a world that is informed not only by the music you love, but by the unique dialogue that happens between the DJ and the dance floor. In my opinion, being a truly great DJ requires a deep passion for music and interesting track selection, but more so the ability to create that dialogue with the dancers.

I also wanted to share this mix because it is not perfect, but it is the creation of that dance floor dialogue I was speaking to (or my attempt at it, anyway). I’m trying to get over perfection. The best art doesn’t fit in that box imo."

@aosseattle / @secondnatureseattle / @tufseattle

Spontaneous Affinity #019: Aos

Even before they found their passion for DJing and production, @lunamariposa was an enthusiastic supporter and unmissable presence on the underground dancefloors of Boston, where they moved from Miami in 2015. Since then, they've taken a regular position behind the decks, bringing a sound that's irresistably danceable, politically provocative, and unafraid (from the beginning) to take risks and infuse their art with a strong and distinctive voice. A constant contributor to the queer and DIY community, they are affiliated with the Saskias, Houseboi, and Demo Radio crews, where they help run things behind the scenes in addition to DJing.

Read the full interview:
spontaneous.zone/020-lunamariposa.html

"This is actually the last mix I get to record in the house I lived in when I first started to be more musically inclined. It's bittersweet leaving my first home away from my family but I feel like it's time for a change of scenery. I’m definitely far from where I started and feel like I’ve grown tremendously with my mixing and selections ~~ this mix is essentially my final loud hurrah in the home I left.

I wanted to go in on this mix with more techno and acid but still keeping the striking drums and percussion I love. With this mix I wanted to invoke the feeling of understanding that the world is falling apart more and more each day, so we should aim to be doing better within ourselves, within our communities & beyond. I still hold faith in restoration, but of our own souls and well being."

@lunamariposa

Spontaneous Affinity #020: Lunamariposa

Senegal-born, New York-based DJ A.M.D (@amdtechnofist) is a master of energy. An affiliate of EXILE Brooklyn and TechnoFist, anyone who's seem him at the helm of his home base at Bossa Nova Civic Club (or anywhere else) knows him for his precise, narrative-driven mixing, whether he's building up from an ambient dreamscape or hammering it out at peak time. Within the hypnotic strain of techno that too often risks feeling monotonous, A.M.D's ear for unique melodies and textures stands out.

Read the full interview and see a tracklist:
https://spontaneous.zone/021-amd.html

"As soon as I was asked to do this mix, I knew I was gonna take my time to build to carve some sort of direction with some pit stops if you will. In terms of vibes I picked out the headier and more emotional tracks I’ve collected over the past few months. I usually start off with 20+ minute ambient openings, but I decided to scratch that and kick things off with some kicks. Also happy to say that I was able to support a few friends with their labels/productions, so it makes doing this set that much more meaningful.

I’m mixing this set on 2 Pioneer CDJs and a Xone 92 which, for me, is the best mixer I could use to really have control of the elements I want to blend in. The smooth filters on the Xone also make it a pleasure to transition from track to track."

@amdtechnofist

Spontaneous Affinity #021: A.M.D

"SPNT001 - For The Rave / When The Rave Is Not Enough" features producers who’ve created mixes for Spontaneous Affinity in the past as well as our extended family around the globe, and is available on its own or included with every purchase of our year two zine.

https://spontaneousaffinity.bandcamp.com/album/spnt001-for-the-rave-when-the-rave-is-not-enough

Part 1, "For The Rave", features 9 tracks ready for an emotional and cathartic dancefloor. Part II, "When The Rave Is Not Enough", is for the reflective moments at home and on the sidelines. This compilation can be consumed as two mini albums in sequence, though the tracks can stand alone, too.

Thanks so much to the artists for being part of this.

All proceeds will be donated to Critical Resistance.
criticalresistance.org

released February 1, 2020

Artwork + design by Alyce Currier
Mastered by Trackland Studios
"Lateral Fold Embrace" mastered by Marco Spaventi
"Less Restlessness" mixed by Dominic Clare at Declared Sound

Bandcamp

Final Object - Spittlebug

Selim X - Deep Blue (Tape Ghost Remix)

Now based in the Bay Area, @sisgirlpgh has become a staple of the US queer underground via the close-knit and musically multifaceted Pittsburgh dance music community and through unforgettable sets at festivals like Gays Hate Techno and Honcho Campout. A co-founder of Pittsburgh's MESH, alongside ChadKid and newly minted resident Calin, and a resident of Kosmetik in San Francisco, their sets traverse many tempos within a dreamy, bassy, and effervescent palette. Their mix is a perfect backdrop as we lament the absence of those queer summer moments in the woods due to the COVID-19 pandemic, bouncing between melancholic reflection and joyful reminiscence.

Read the full interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/027-sis-girl.html

"The tracks I put into this mix have been some I have been sitting on for a while and wanted to put together. When quarantine because of COVID started I wanted to create something with energy but still something on a tempo that wouldn’t necessarily be played on a dance floor.

The mix is recorded all around 100 BPM but still brings energy so it’s great for a mellow time or something different. The tracks are new plus some that I’ve had tucked away for a time like this. It’s one of my favorite things I’ve put together and I hope it brings people a lot of comfort and happiness during this time."

Sis Girl's fee for this mix was donated to SisTers PGH, a transgender centered drop-in space, resource provider, and shelter transitioning program based in Pittsburgh, PA.  https://www.sisterspgh.org

@sisgirlpgh / @meshparty

Spontaneous Affinity #027: Sis Girl

Our month with the co-founders of MESH continues with lifetime Pittsburgh resident @chadkid. With ChadKid, Sis Girl, and newly minted resident Calin, MESH has booked a broad range of up-and-coming queer underground talent to play to an open-minded, intimate dancefloor. Individually, ChadKid has played both queer party staples like Honcho's annual campout and Gays Hate Techno, and intimate local events like In Training (Cleveland/PGH), Kosmetik (San Francisco), and Only Friends (Boston). Their mix strikes a perfect balance between dancefloor nostalgia and home-listenability, and will brush across you like a fresh summer breeze wherever you take it in.

Read the full interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/028-chadkid.html

"For this mix I wanted to create something both uplifting and refreshing while keeping an easygoing palatable sound. Given the state of the world and the lack of nightlife in all of our lives, I  have found that listening to dance music aimed more for club use has not been my vibe lately. I still wanted the mix to be danceable though, so I ended up going with a breezy but still groovy sound in the tracks I pulled. I wanted this to feel like being at an outdoor dance floor when a refreshing gust of wind hits perfectly in time with the music."

ChadKid's fee for this mix was donated to SisTers PGH, a transgender centered drop-in space, resource provider, and shelter transitioning program based in Pittsburgh, PA. www.sisterspgh.org

@chadkid / @meshparty

Spontaneous Affinity #028: ChadKid

@sheepshead-music is a DJ and the mind behind the Newtype Rhythms mix series on Inverted Audio, which doubles as a party series at Jupiter Disco and other NYC venues. He's also one of the curators of Unsound Festival, occuring annually in Krakow, Poland as well as organizing one-off events in other cities worldwide. A versatile DJ, his mix for us covers all the bases: from dreamy dub chords to downright rude bass.

Read the full interview and see a tracklist:
https://spontaneous.zone/036-sheepshead.html

"The mix was recorded at home on my Pioneer XDJ-RX; it was made during a period of meandering energies - as I had just gotten my first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine and anxiously awaiting the slow-but-steady incline towards more of my friends, family and community getting access to it as well.

The coalescence of tracks came together through periods of anxiety, but ultimately I wanted the mix to represent a cautious re-emergence towards the collective consciousness looking forward to the future of losing our communal shit on a dancefloor."

@sheepshead-music

Spontaneous Affinity #036: Sheepshead

@p_areidolia has been posted up by your favorite front left speaker for years. Despite a deep catalogue and knowledge of music and a well-loved stint of parties in San Francisco as @noctuarysf (alongside @kudeki), she held off on DJing herself, keeping her focus on elevating the gender-marginalized artists around her. Over the last year, she's started investing more of her energy into ambient sets with an immersive, underwater quality reminiscent of our favorite ambient rooms.

Read the full interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/032-pareidolia.html

"This was recorded on a Pioneer XDJ RR at an annual gathering of a small group of friends, where we hike approximately 10 miles and bring sound to the 5,000’ summit of a mountain above Los Angeles overnight.

I had never used this controller before - I have a much simpler one at home, but it went fairly well after one practice session beforehand. The small group involved with this fully commits to pitching in to make it happen, leaving no trace (with some added extra precautions this year given the circumstances), and really being fully invested in the experience.

I had not socialized IRL with more than a couple of people since the beginning of March outside of protesting and wanted to create a gently joyful and psychedelic experience under the stars, as well as play music in a way that made sense between the friends who played before and after me. Nearly everyone in the group is a DJ, producer, or at least a self-confessed music nerd, so it’s both thrilling and terrifying to play for them in such a small and deeply intentional group.

It is easily one of the most physically taxing things I’ve ever been involved in, but also one of the most rewarding. I say every time, “I’m not sure I can do this again” and keep coming back for a little suffering with my ambient music....seeing the endless glittering lights of the city below, near-complete silence in high desert nature, and the sun rise through a colorful layer of smog, smoke particles, and thin air makes it thoroughly worthwhile."

@p_areidolia / @noctuarysf

Spontaneous Affinity #032: Pareidolia

Currently based in Boston with roots in DC, @1woofer is one of the organizers (alongside Adam Unknown and Bricklayer) behind Only Friends, an intimate underground queer party. As a remedy to the isolation of COVID-19, he continued building community through frequent stream happy hours with guests from across the musical spectrum. As a DJ, woofer's sets jump effortlessly between ethereal dub, hammering club, groovy house, and gritty bass. His sets at times feel reminiscent of the heyday of bass-heavy genres like dubstep, with a fresh energy and queer twist.

Read the full interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/034-woofer.html

"I originally recorded this mix for the Spontaneous Affinity x Currents event in October 2020. I was going through a lot of personal stress at the time, and I knew I wanted the mix to reflect or react to how I felt.

I initially thought about going super dark and murky, but when I sat down and started pulling tracks, I kept thinking about one of our parties from 2019, where you (Alyce), Mike Swells, and Jamie O’ Sullivan were all surprise guests. It was one of those special moments. I tried to tap into my memories from that night and my dreams of the first parties post-COVID.

I recorded this in my bedroom, on a Pioneer DDJ-SB controller."

@1woofer

Spontaneous Affinity #034: woofer

Seattle-based @sharlese's sets combine the contemporary and the nostalgic in a way that feels timeless. A busy contributor to her local music community, she's a resident and Producer of the Afternoon Show and Programming Education Manager at Seattle's KEXP radio station, and currently serves as Vice-Chair on the Seattle Music Commission, as well as organizing events under the banner of coldwave, industrial, EBM, and synth crew False Prophet and underground techno collective Depth. Sharlese's dark, gritty, ravey sets are perfectly suited to the dancefloor, while still feeling informed by the deep digging collector mentality that comes with a long background in radio.

Read the full interview and see a tracklist:
spontaneous.zone/033-sharlese.html

"I think my entire career was founded on community and it definitely intersects with my individual expression. Without my community there would be no Sharlese. I thrive on the creativity of my friends. I love seeing what they’re doing, watching them, supporting them and I feel honored when they do the same for me.

Seattle is full of talent, bursting at the seams and when I see everyone expressing themselves, it causes me to do what I want to do! I’m pretty lucky to have a radio show where I can play my friends and people I admire on a platform that will hopefully bring more awareness to their work. It’s all connected, without one, there can’t be the other!"

@sharlese

Spontaneous Affinity #033: Sharlese

www.spontaneous.zone
monthly mix + interview series
annual zine
sometimes events

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newsletter:
https://mailchi.mp/9865c8be5d69/spontaneous

year two zine + comp:
https://spontaneousaffinity.bandcamp.com/merch/spontaneous-affinity-year-2-zine-plus-compilation

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by @lycheefrut

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SPONTANEOUS AFFINITY is about the communal nature of the dancefloor. It's about communication and feedback. Spontaneous Affinity isn't for the isolated bedroom producer, although we love them, too—it is for those of us who understand music and dance as one of the most powerful sources of personal growth and interpersonal empathy, who are driven by the need to support and elevate one another, and as a result experience the evolution of our creative and connective selves.

Spontaneous Affinity isn't about ego, knowledge, paraphernalia, or exclusivity of any kind. It's about PURE SENSATION. It's about losing track of yourself and merging with a moment. It's about temporary autonomous zones and ephemeral connections. It's about forgetting to Shazam that track or fix your hair. It's about the hours far past dawn when everyone left on the dancefloor has laid their soul bare but still looks beautiful under the harshness of sunlight.

Spontaneous Affinity is NOT A UTOPIAN VISION. It's about understanding how to let go. How to let go of a person. How to let go of a place. How to break a routine even if it hurts. How to appreciate a feeling that can't last forever as if it were eternal, and how to appreciate challenging moments—and challenging sounds—as catalysts for growth.

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