Wild City

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://w

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-ham

The first 3 minutes of Aashna Anand aka Nariki's Wild City mix itself are a good statement on simplicity. After a straightforward introduction of the rhythms and textures that one can expect, the music soon dials back pretty soon – like the stop before the first drop on a roller coaster ride that sets the energy for the rest of the journey. It's moments like this or the tasteful midpoint break of 'Athenia' by Derek Carr that keep pumping energy into the mix which is a short and subtle affair.  Operating at the point where house starts to look a lot like techno, Nariki's mix is completely led by its selection and its flow, which she lets play out. It allows her to be highly intentful in her choices, picking mostly deeper cuts with an evaluation and insight honed by her background in music journalism. For more information and tracklisting: https://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/20869-wild-city-240-nariki

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

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

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 Ta

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

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

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

For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's Talal Qureshi. Even as the Pakistan's electropop pioneer has transformed from a Coke Studio mainstay with esoteric productions on the side to someone who brings his worlds together and creates the collaborative woofer-friendly bangers, that characteristic zaniness remains. As evident by his 2023 debut album 'TURBO' and its recent re-release with a deluxe edition, it has married itself to the sound of South Asian hip-hop with sometimes a satirising presence of Pakistan's hyperlocal elements.  It is embodied in the announcement he makes at the start of his Wild City mix before launching into cuts from the 15-track release, unreleased demos, edits of his other work and even someone Skrillex to demonstrate how his work can boom alongside the globally prominent. Contrary to most mixes of nearly all-originals, Talal's quick-moving mix is a product bigger than the sum of its selections. Constant flow through hard cuts between collaborations that feat

Akshay Mathker aka Innerworld's Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most subtle forces. Starting with dark ambience, the mix is defined by its hypnotic atmospheric nature even when the languid textures clear to the thump of the techno's proprietary grooves.  Like an experienced DJ, the Goa-based artist layers his selections, elevating them from their standalone value. The ebb and flow between lulling ambient numbers and compelling rhythms begin to combine as distorted gritty kicks creep up from behind the aqueous pads and slow breaks of ULV's 'My Sofa Turns Into A Desert'. The influence of Goa's trance heritage is doesn't shy away as deep airy washes remain a near-constant part of the selections – before the mix slowly turns towards more zany and esoteric cuts for the final push for energy.  More info: https://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/20560-wild-city-232-innerworld

Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer Krithi reaches for rhythms and sounds from her native land and the like, they fit into the mould of dance music as if they've always been a natural part of it rather than (as it often is) a forced gimmick of limited yield. Her achievement seems to go further on her upcoming EP 'Coping Mechanism' as she finds the style a vessel of personal narratives, calling the release a "sonic exploration of how she communes with the shadows of depression". Both the released singles from the EP 'Suppress' and 'Medicate' demonstrate that within Krithi's Wild City mix which features a heavy dose of original unreleased work and glimpses of the record that drops on January 15. Introduced through 140BPM techno, the mix quickly shifts to and operates in and around bass and breaks. A peppy start moves into sombre moods as a slightly slowed down 'Heist Track' by MALFNKTION staggers into Krithi's own work before a jubilant return with the standout moment of Yourboykiran's Bollywood

With the Magnetic Fields Festival taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi producer, DJ and Qilla Records co-founder Madhav Shorey aka Kohra and Thailand's globe-trotting polymath Sunju Hargun are revisiting their B2B set from last year.  Performed at the Resident Advisor afterparty, a highlight for the dancefloor-dedicated with its music going from the late hours of the night to the earliest moments of the morning, the accumulated energy of the night and its transformation into the morning audible in the set. Acid's mind-bending textures give way to increasingly guttural techno, pulling heavily from its minimal repertoire. As the night sky begins to lighten, the emotions are guided by the wash of the pads for a more refreshing conclusion. For more: https://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/20488-wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun

Our Wild City Mix section is not just a reservoir of some sonic journeys from formidable selectors coming out of India and beyond but often also a place to familiarise oneself with some rising forces. Our latest edition comes in the latter category as it brings to the fore one of the country's meteorically rising acts: Kandy Kuri.  With not much more than a year to her name, Kandy Kuri has found herself supporting the likes of Yung Singh and Lady Shaka alongside featuring on lineups of Bass Camp and Magnetic Fields Festival off the back of authenticity-focused selections across styles that she weaves together with a gentle gradualness – as brandished on her Wild City mix. The mix puts focus on textures evoked by the percussion within shades of breaks, garage and house while touching upon techno. Even as vocals come to the limelight with 'Fundamentals' by Worldcolour, they only serve to augment the atmosphere as a textural element, playing to the purpose of creating a whirring hypnotic mood. For more informa

Versatile but always uptempo, Farhan Rehman treads the joyous sound of house music on his Wild City mix.  The DJ-producer from Mumbai is able to tread a wide scope of genres with his reputation as one of the city's most experienced selectors. But on his hour-long mix, he keeps to the constant thump of four-to-the-floor kick drums as rousing vocals and instrumental runs take flight on top of it. Selecting tracks that are undercuts to the casual listener and classics to the house aficionados, Farhan's mix educates the listener of the infectiously celebratory essence of house music, fulfilling that classic, often-forgotten, and pivotal role of the DJ to be the informer of public taste.  For tracklisting and more information: https://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/20391-wild-city-228-farhan-rehman

One wouldn't usually place Indian artist's resurgent 80s hit 'Aaj Shanibaar' right next to works by British hip-hop group The Streets – but that is exactly what happens on Mumbai DJ-producer Himay's Wild City mix. The connecting thread is a no-frill embrace of house music in all its shade.  To present that, Himay kicks things off with his usual fare of acid house with an unreleased original work that testifies to a level of simplicity and focus that mostly only a seasoned artist can achieve. The mix builds upon the classic analogue sounds gradually till we are dealing with some modern masters like Eris Drew and Omar Souleyman before ending upon two of 2022's biggest dance music hits like Eliza Rose and Interplanetary Criminal's 'B.O.T.A.'  and Mella Dee's 'Love It Or Not' (ft. Infinite Coles). For more information and tracklisting: https://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/20339-wild-city-227-himay

With Amapiano, Gqom, house, techno, hip-hop, sprinkles of R&B and ending on some drum 'n' bass, DJ MoCity and Nash demonstrate what many DJs claim to feature but few achieve: bending genres to the point the definitions of styles cease to matter.  Remixes of Ice Spice and Jorja Smith are sandwiched between works by popular dance music names like Breaka, Nick Leon, Flowdan and Skrillex and several underdogs alike. Works by Indian forces SUCHI and Oceantied also make an appearance while the languidity of Batu's 'Marius' and the deviation from the western moulds with Mostafa Omar's 'Eleila Doob on Steroids' serve as examples of elements that add an ebb and flow to the fast-moving mix. boxout.fm co-founder DJ MoCity and close dancefloor compatriot Nash find threads between varying works that only such seasoned selectors can – stitching them together and elevating them with their art to provide a masterclass on mixing.  For more information and tracklisting: https://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/20278-wild-city-226-

Vedant Chandra aka Alboe recently released his new album 'Love Languages', which he marks for us with our latest Wild City mix.  Made of 7 original numbers, the mix highlights the underlying theme behind the New Delhi electronica producer's music, which he has introduced over the years and expounded upon with this new album. Pristine sonics borrowed from genres like future bass, melodic house and italo-disco are used uniquely with an Indian sense of melody before giving those duties to vocals spanning across languages. The result creates a dense melange of influences concurrent with his moniker which is an abbreviation of: "A Little Bit Of Everything". "My personal taste in music is more melodic and story-like and I try to imbibe the same in the music I compose," says Vedant about the inspiration behind his music. "I have taken a lot of inspiration from artists like Jungle, Daft Punk and even A. R. Rahman in the manner with which they approach compositions. To me, their songs seem like one cohesive unit whe

A mainstay of the dance music in India, Pramod Sippy aka Sindhi Curry is one of the most seasoned commanders of the dancefloor in the country. For our latest mix, the DJ marks signing up with the agency Maushi by running through the several stylistic excursions he has tried over the years to engage with a musical atmosphere he hasn't explicitly offered to the public ear before. With the special mix entitled 'Garage & House Origins', Sindhi Curry steps away from his usual genre-unrestricted fare of circling the moodier grounds of disco and techno. He dives into his vaults for a sense of old-school house and garage without necessarily choosing classic cuts – but rather, picking up selections that serve as either example of that era or a love letter to its no-nonsense fun. Taking off from the black music flavours of Korda's 'Move Your Body(To The Sound)' that reminds of the early vocal-based house music, you don't notice when Sindhi Curry transforms the atmosphere completely by the time Krautrock-reminiscent '

Our latest Wild City mix comes from Durban's quintessential Gqom icon DJ Lag who uses it to commemorate his first tour across India in February as part of Ultra SoulFlyp. Born in Clermont, Lwazi Asanda Gwala aka DJ Lag is regarded as one of the earliest artists to popularise the thumping visceral sound of Gqom, a genre born out of South African variations of house music, across the peninsula and then to the world. With early works uniquely released over WhatsApp to get youth across the nation to dance to them, Lag counts collaborations with the likes of Beyonce among his career highlights besides being a genre pioneer and a flagbearer of the sounds coming out of South Africa.  His Wild City carries the same qualities that define him as a producer: hard-hitting with an impeccable sense of building tension before a gratifying release all through an intricate control of the low-end. With tracks ranging from his own collaborations and his contemporaries, the mix highlights an emergent version of gqom which subt