A member of the Feel My Bicep crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go on to form the duo Bicep), Rory Hamilton aka Hammer isn't just someone who has a sense for discovering interesting electronica works. After decades of hosting parties in Glasgow and later London, as well as spinning records the world over, the Belfast-born talent knows how to stitch together those records to create moments of passionate revelry.

India has bore witness to that skill multiple times at this point as Hamilton returned to the country earlier this year after half a decade, adding dates in Goa and Kolkata alongside Delhi and Mumbai before jetting off to Sri Lanka for further performances with Tropical Wax for an 8-show tour of India and Sri Lanka. He recorded a mix for Wild City in Sri Lanka at the end of his tour to look back at his time in the region, which also included signing on Kolkata's 8-bit culprit – the second artist from India to work with the label after New Delhi Anhad Khanna aka Sublime Sound.

"From the first ever gig I played in Auro in New Delhi, I learnt that the dance floor in India is special in that the sense of excitement is genuinely palpable. Taking risks pays off," says Hamilton. "I’ve also learnt that like every country, each city is different and you need to be ready to fit into it."

Consequently, while often operating close to house, disco and some techno, how Hammer uses a particular style can vary. Recorded at The Luna Terrace of Galle's Closenburg Hotel, the HQ of Tropical Wax, the Wild City mix goes from an unreleased remix of Syreeta Wright's chants on 'Shanti', to the disco-inspired Baldo Remix of Demi Riquísimo & Manami's 'Sugar Snap'. Testifying Hammer's abilities to create notable moments in his sets, the mix offers several instances – from the melody-led energy of Two Mamarrachos to the respite of the laidback chords of Madvilla's 'Galactic Banana'. The best, however, is the house-meets-pop euphoria that comes almost as a cinematic euphoric climax to the mix with an unreleased track featuring the voice of Lili Chan.

For more information and tracklisting: https://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/20609-wild-city-234-hammer

Wild City Mix

Wild City #234: Hammer

Since stepping behind the console after years as a familiar face in the fashion, beauty photography and live music events space, Anushka Menon has been steadily rising as a selector. The success of her pumping selections-filled Boiler Room set is the latest achievement in that ascent. 

Off the back of it, the Goa-based multi-faceted artist recorded a set at the freshly opened venue JUNA which she shares exclusively as her Wild City mix. 

For the Wild City mix, Anushka opts for the syncopated energy of breakbeats as she drops into the rhythms after an ambient welcome. She kicks things off with expansive introspective selections to immerse you before jet-setting onto more fun-focused grounds halfway through as Logic1000's 'Rush' rolls in.

Making use of her multi-faceted artistic expression, Anushka has also curated visuals to go with the mix.

To experience it and see more information and tracklist, head here: https://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/20702-wild-city-235-anushka

Wild City #235: Anushka

Delhi's Tech Panda and Kenzani are one of the frontrunners of the wave of electronica that has turned its focus towards India's rich folk sounds, recontextualising them for the urban dancefloor.

The latest iterations from the pair come through collaborations with Punjabi popstar Talwiinder and Akulu Records-released Punjabi-folk-meets-French-sermon track 'Kamli'. The duo celebrate their run of releases with a Wild City mix.

The sonic journey reflects Tech Panda x Kenzani's extensive experience as one of India's in-demand DJs, laying itself out like a live performance that starts and ends with grandiosity. In between, the selections feature mostly originals, works from collaborators and even a peppering of Harry Styles – a testament to how the full tapestry of folk sounds the pair utilises is tied together with the immersive rhythms and soundscapes of deep house and melodic techno alongside the sensibility of pop.

More info: https://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/20732-wild-city-236-tech-panda-x-kenzani

Wild City #236: Tech Panda X Kenzani

Trained under veteran DJ and producer Stalvart John and seasoned as the resident DJ of the Dynamite Disco Club parties, Bengaluru's Carissa D'Almeida can easily be expected to have a flair for the syncopated basslines and energetic vocal and instrumental runs that define disco, house and their adjacent genres. What elevates Carissa to one of Dynamite Disco Club's most recognised alumni is how the selections are tied together to form a narrative.

In the instance of her Wild City mix, with which she highlights 90s tracks that carry a no-frills-just-fun approach, things kick off in puristical joyous grounds of house as Carissa chooses gradual layering of records to create vibrant interplays between instrumental motifs, busy percussion jams and beckoning vocal calls. Each time using unhurried loops to provide a respite without dropping the incessant groove, the selector enters more sombre moods with Todd Terry's 'Jumpin'', stays in its psychedelic and immersive nature until a mix of DJ Pierre's 'Let The Music Take You Higher' before dialling up the pace onto more contemporary grounds for the final run of the mix. 

For more information & tracklisting: https://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/20762-wild-city-237-carissa

Wild City #237: Carissa

Bangalore's Rishii Rohra aka Peach Blok might choose laidback moods for his productions but for his Wild City mix, the DJ-producer goes to the heart of dance music.

Kicking off with some house cuts, the mix practically begins with the kind of tracks you'd imagine upon the words 'club music' as strong four-to-the-floor grooves are decorated with whirring psychedelic undertones of acid arpeggios. Keeping the beat firmly placed through the first half of the mix, Peach Blok curates the ebb and flow through the whirring psychedelic elements. He gives a break from it with selections like the classic house of Gome's 'Come On (Piani mix)' and the percussive breaks of 'Boogie Check' by Baka G before spending the second half treading through a range of styles all the while dialling up the grit without losing the fun.

For more information & tracklisting: https://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/20801-wild-city-238-peach-blok

Wild City #238: Peach Blok

Bangalore's Ishan Gaur aka I7HVN says he wants to play his Wild City mix "in an intimate, dark room". That is rather an apt aim for the abstract works he stitches together on the nearly hour-long mix as a soft pulse underpins a parade of elements that seem to appear out of nowhere, devoid of predictability for most parts. It's a mix that carries the qualities found in the whole of I7HVN's artistic voice – with his latest release, the 6-track EP 'Innate Needs', featuring similar unpredictability though with more hard-hitting grooves underscoring them. 

Not quite ambient, though it practices a similar restraint, as it rewards giving attention to its surprising minute details, the mix comes off as a seamless extended composition even as it moves from deep-cut artists from foreign shores to Indian contemporaries of I7HVN like Yidam, Innerworld and Mythopoet alongside the producer's own work.

For more information and tracklisting: https://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/20827-wild-city-239-i7hvn

Wild City #239: I7HVN

Warehouse Mix, the collective of DJs and other creatives, is one of the very few new faces in India's dance music space that is keeping the word "community" meaningful, building it with a sincere DIY ethos and love for house music. They've received some help from one of the genre's pillaring veterans in the country, Hamza Rahimtula and his Windhorse Records who has also paired with them to create the recurring event AQI. 

To give a taste of the event, Warehouse Mix's Tartaruga and Hamza have share their vinyl mix from their last AQI event exclusively via Wild City.

With an old-school mixing style, the selections play out in extended sections, getting enhanced and layered by two masters of the fundamentals of DJing. Usually a fun ride with the constant oomph of house's four-to-the-floor beats, selections like Louie Vega's 'Come Away' featuring Kerri Chandler takes an immersed listener to psychedelic places of respite. 

More information: https://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/20888-wild-city-241-tartaruga-b2b-hamza-rahimtula

Wild City #241: Hamza Rahimtula B2B Tartaruga

Anyone regular to the upbeat lighthearted dancefloors in New Delhi over the past couple of years has likely witnessed a set by Aditya Mehta aka DJ Pants as the multidisciplinary artist/live sound engineer become a frequent fixture to the capital city's nightlife. 

Recently, Aditya branched out as a producer, coinciding with the London and Bristol-based party-throwers PARADIA branching out into a label with a local-to-global V/A compilation that featured Aditya's debut single 'Extra Style'. Aditya marks the release for us with an exclusive Wild City mix.

In contrast to the more bass-heavy house of the single, the mix assembles tribal performances from around the world, infusing some Balearic influence to create a blend of new-age electronica. With tracks like 'Oki' by Sound of Mo and 'Mind Thieves' by Osamu Kitajima, the mix maintains a bright mood while the steady energy and lofty vocal parts create an introspective atmosphere over the energy of downtempo breakbeats and deep basslines.

More info: https://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/20911-wild-city-242-dj-pants

Wild City #242: DJ Pants

Born in Kashmir and operating between Goa and New Delhi, Zainab Wani aka Zequenx is in the midst of a transformation from the perspective of her listeners. The DJ and producer has added ambient live sets to her usual fare of four-to-the-floor dancefloor journeys. It's an addition to her musical being that is now reflected in her mixes – like the one she has made for Wild City. 

A nearly 2-hour-long affair, the sonic journey starts from ambient sound bath-like curation before the clouds of pad start giving way to percussive elements that settle to the rhythms of techno. With influences of laidback trance feeding into it, the mix presents a highly immersive state ripe for introspection while the body clings to the guttural chant of the kick drum's thump.

For more information: https://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/20928-wild-city-243-zequenx

Wild City #243: Zequenx

Bangalore's Vaibhav S Narayan aka SourFunk's Wild City mix is for the point where the dancers for the night embark on their journey on the dancefloor for the rest of the party. Functioning at the confluence of house and disco – something to be expected from a member of Stalvart John's Dynamite Disco Club – the mix is inviting, presenting edits and remixes from prominent house heads like Kerri Chandler, Honey Dijon and Mousse T. peppered with recognisable melodies like 'Ain't Nobody' to grasp onto for even casual listeners of the genre before SourFunk takes you deeper. By the time you are into the spoken word passages of ABANA's 'Sativa Jazz', you know the immersion has completely taken over to make you part of the love letter to house that this mix ultimately becomes.

For more information and tracklisting: https://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/20958-wild-city-244-sourfunk

Wild City #244: SourFunk

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