Dekmantel Mix 498 - DJ Frog

skyra is one of the local artists who has put Georgia's underground scene firmly on the map. His regular appearances at Tbilisi's cult Bassiani club have been key to that, and in August, he will showcase exactly what he's all about when he plays live for us at Selectors with Hamatsuki: deep but driving house music that's bathed in lush melodics but never short on low-end power. Next year, he has plenty of music coming up, including a release on Unforeseen with Hamatsuki. To get you in the mood for all that is to come, he has laid down a one-hour live showcase that layers up smooth, supple, seductive drums with dreamy pads and neon melodies. The whole set glows with a late-night warmth and finds a perfect balance between beauty and beat-driven hypnosis.

Our next mix comes from Montreal’s enigmatic DJ Frog. Dusty loops and crushed grooves are the highlight of this Doo Records mainstay. Her selections and productions flutter between the minimalist zones of house and dubby techno. It takes in a whole host of unreleased material from Cheeks, Hashman DJ and sometime studio collaborator SnP 500 and stays resolutely buried in swampy sonics and swirling dub undercurrents. Subtlety is key to how moods are built up, then fade away. There are no big moments, just a slow teasing of tension that grows ever more irresistible.

Proud champions of community and inclusivity, Lakuti and Tama Sumo are long-time Dekmantel favourites and true underground bastions. Deep diggers and lifelong collectors, the iconic Panorama Bar dup built a reputation for sets where pretty much anything goes, as long as it has soul. And the way they mix it, with a rare instinct that pull their crowds in deep is what makes them one of the most revered back-to-back duos in the scene. This week’s mix is yet more evidence of that: over 80 minutes, they blend old and new. Rooted in house but shaped by global travels, it moves through soul-soaked broken beat, classic US depths and Afro rhythms – always carried by an emotional rawness that resonates. A masterclass in both selection and flow from two of the best.

South Africa's DJ Lag is to gqom what Frankie Knuckles is to house. An early pioneer of the raw, minimal and bass-heavy electronic style since the 2010s, he has gone on to popularise it around the world with a wealth of solo EPs and high-profile collabs. Last year, he dropped his second album, The Rebellion, which ushered in a new era that embraced Afro tech, amapiano, drill and hip-hop, all having previously worked with the likes of Beyoncé and Tyla. He played Dekmantel Festival back in 2022 and now makes an overdue entry into our mix series with a widescreen showcase of his musical world, including some unreleased tracks from himself. It's Afro-centric but roams from silky smooth and deep jams to crisp metallic steppers via warped dub, always with an empowering energy that makes you puff your chest and put your best foot forward.

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.

London-based Oblig's (@djoblig) sound is closely intertwined with the rich DNA of UK club culture. Bass, garage, grime and techno all influence his robust rhythms, whether he's going dark at 140 bpm or hypnotising with sleek techno. His label Obligated Records and regular shows on Rinse FM are extensions of that, as are his razor-sharp DJ sets across the world. Hot on the heels of Volume 2 of his label's latest compilation, he's put together an hour mix that smudges the lines between his go-to genres. The selections are punchy and uptempo while twisting through mysterious late-night grime, kinetic club cuts and pneumatic bass workouts, all with a constant low-end pressure that keeps lips curled and heads nodding.

@philippapacho is like a musical Swiss knife: she has exactly the right tool for every occasion, from warm-ups to peak time to wonky afters. It was a long residency at Under Bron in her native Stockholm that equipped her with those skills, and since moving to Berlin, she's gone on to make her mark across Europe playing all forms of techno. Late last year, Pacho launched her own label Phorum Records as a further extension of her sound, and she also curates tracks and parties under the Positive Source banner. This August, Pacho joins us at Amsterdamse Bos for Dekmantel 2025 but first serves up this deeply cerebral trip into Millsian techno. It's a high-speed selection of sleek and synth-laced sounds rich in narrative, be that mind-melting urgency, more dark and moody undercurrents or a sense of cosmic unknown. Utterly timeless and effortless classic, this is techno in its most futuristic form.

Brooklyn's evilgiane (@aloevine) is one of alt-rap's most respected figures. The sometime beatmaker for stars like Kendrick Lamar and ASAP Rocky is also the founder of the Surf Gang label and party collective whose experimental style collides drill, footwork, trance and trap into something new. He is a master collaborator whose lauded 2024 mixtape #HEAVENSGATE VOL. 1 saw him work with a range of next-gen talents while serving up an array of the sounds that have influenced him in recent years. Whether happy, sad, or something in between, evilgiane always knows how to best express himself in sound. And he proves that once more with an hour selection for our series that lands just ahead of him playing a rare DJ set for us at Dekmantel '25. The mix taps into every nuance of his style, with swirling r&b vocals floating over crisp beats, psychedelic melodies smudged into ice-cold rhythms and distorted low ends landing heavy under mumble rap musings. It's a kaleidoscopic window into evilgiane's mercurial musical world, which is a place you will want to keep on returning to all summer long.

@fadimohem is right at the heart of contemporary techno. He brings his own twist on the classic sound - deep, rhythmic and atmospheric. He's a Berghain resident whose first contact with the genre came at the hallowed club, and since then, he has blazed his own trail on the most influential labels in the scene, including his own Mohem imprint. This year, he plays twice at Dekmantel Festival, once as part of WSNWG Live and once on the Radar stage. Ahead of that, he has put together an exclusive one-hour live set comprised only of unreleased music. It's a masterclass in control that embodies just what you get from Fadi in the club: deep techno planted firmly on the floor but always going somewhere. As dubbed out low ends, glitchy textures and more tripped out melodies come and go, the tension ramps up while both body and mind stay locked.

NIKS (@niksbad) is as dedicated as anyone to furthering dance music culture. Hailing from south-east London via Bath, NIKS has long proven her curatorial skills with radio shows on BBC Radio 1, Rinse, and NTS. Her idiosyncratic blends of ‘90s groovy, rhythmic sounds and forward-thinking, underground-leaning soundscapes have brought her to some of the world’s most revered clubs. After contributing music to various compilations, last year she explored bass-heavy sounds with her first solo EP on Or:la’s Céad label. Beyond her work as a musician, NIKS also co-founded the Black Artist Database, a crowd-sourced list of Black-owned labels, artists, and producers designed to amplify and uplift talent. Ahead of her debut at the Dekmantel Festival this year, NIKS serves up a 90-minute window into her current musical world, including her own forthcoming productions in a deep, dub-infused journey into hypnotic techno and house rhythms that intertwine to create a warm, supple soundscape. Its seamless flow takes in sounds from the past, present, and future, and they all encourage you to move and meditate in equal measure."