Features

This month, DJ Mag catches up with Dundee’s Henry Sampson, who combined his love of sports with streetwear to found Sakura Sport, a brand that’s supporting local creatives and businesses first

Italy-based, Australia-born DJ and producer Nite Fleit has made her name with tough-as-nails electro, but her recently-released debut album reveals a more emotional side. Alongside a storming mix for the Recognise series, she speaks to Claire Francis about her formative years in Melbourne, her natural flair for DJing, and how making music helps with her ADHD

Post-pandemic, as UK clubs have attempted to regroup, they’ve been impacted by soaring energy bills, rising costs and hesitant ticket buyers. Jack Ramage talks to club owners and promoters about how they’re weathering the storm, and asks what can be done to ameliorate the situation?

Blending hip-hop, house and influences from New York’s ballroom scene, Cakes Da Killa has been opening up the conversation around LGBTQ+ artists in rap. He speaks to Nathan Evans about developing his style, the appropriation of queer and ballroom culture, and finding inspiration in the Harlem Renaissance for his new album ‘Svengali’

Motor City Magic

DJ Mag has chosen as the Future Star for this year’s awards presentations. After a hectic 2022, her star looks set to shine even brighter next year and in many more years to come

Manchester-based DJ Paulette — pivotal in several of the most significant moments in European electronic music history — has won this year’s Lifetime Achievement award

Lifting the vocals from Jah Screechy’s reggae standard 'Walk & Skank’, SL2’s‘On A Ragga Tip’ surfed the hardcore rave wave at the turn of the 1990s before crossing over to bring breakbeats and bass into the pop charts. The track has transcended genres and styles to stand alone as an enduring dance classic. Joe Roberts calls up Slipmatt, aka Matt Nelson — the ’S’ in SL2 — to learn its story

SUCHI records a "deep, percussive, bassy and hypnotic selection with touches of euphoria” for the Fresh Kicks mix series, and chats to Tara Joshi about growing up in Norway, the Daytimers collective, and the varied cultural influences that have guided her sound

Spiral Tribe were ‘90s Britain’s hardest hardcore techno crew –  a travelling party troupe of anti-authoritarian acid-adventurers, and a scourge of the establishment. With co-founder Mark Harrison in the midst of writing a book on their story, and PRSPCT Recordings recently releasing a collection of classic cuts from live Tribe duo R-Zac, Harold Heath dives into their history, legacy and vow to 'Never Stop'

Though never afraid to show vulnerability before, Loyle Carner opens himself up more than ever on new album ‘hugo’, shedding the image of UK hip-hop’s perfect ‘nice guy’ to explore his reconnection with his estranged father and his Black heritage, and what it means to become a dad himself

Amsterdam Dance Event returned for its annual industry takeover earlier this month, showcasing more than 1,000 events at over 200 venues. With ADE back in full force post-pandemic, DJ Mag's Amy Fielding, Ben Hindle, Carl Loben, Ria Hylton and Rob Mccallum head out to the Dutch capital to sample the plethora of panels, parties and workshops on offer

A key name in the new wave of bassline MCs taking the UK by storm, Bradford’s S Dog speaks to DJ Mag about finding the balance between serious rap and bassline fun, and his plans to uplift his fellow Yorkshire artists

In this series, Selections, we invite DJs, producers and label heads to dig into their digital crates and share the contents of their collections. This week, KMRU spotlights blissful synths, tactile guitars, streetscape sound design, indie rock and more

The prolific Dallas, Texas electro producer builds a futurist cosmology that straddles sci-fi obsession and quiet storm roots, with unexpected brightness. Marke Bieschke catches up with the artist about his process, and his stunning recent LP 'LASER Mode'   

Sound systems have driven the development of music in the UK, powered by hard work, passion and innovation. But preserving UK sound system culture, its knowledge and history, while also pushing it forward, is no easy task today. Ria Hylton traces its path through ska and reggae at blues dances in West Indian households, to soul, boogie, hip-hop and house in ’80s warehouses and at the Notting Hill Carnival, to nationwide tours and global popularity, and finds out how initiatives like the Sound System Futures Programme are seeking to secure its future 

We look at some of the best records shops and clothing and book stores to check out during the industry’s annual Amsterdam Dance Event

Brandon Wisniski has refused to let anyone stifle their “batshit crazy dream” of becoming a pop culture icon. Now, as Megan Venzin discovers, the queer rapper and producer known as Wreckno is breaking boundaries and fostering inclusive spaces so others like them can reach the stars

Get acquainted with Regularfantasy, the Montreal-based artist producing addictive house music with a pop sparkle

In this series, Selections, we invite DJs, producers and label heads to dig into their digital crates and share the contents of their collections. This week, Lucrecia Dalt spotlights ‘70s salsa, early 20th century Armenian folk music, abstract dembow, pioneering electronic minimalism and more