There is something deliberately elusive about Slimy Ape‘s music. Born in Leeds and now based in Manchester, the producer and DJ has been steadily developing a sound that sits somewhere between dubstep, dub techno, techno and UK bass, with a particular fascination for weight, space and the physical qualities of sound. His productions are built around details that reveal themselves gradually: deep bass pressure, clipped percussion, echoes disappearing into the distance, and rhythms that seem to shift between techno’s forward momentum and dubstep’s heavier, more spacious language. His influences range from Jamie xx and SBTRKT to the deeper traditions of UK bass music, but rather than reproducing those references, Slimy Ape uses them as raw material for something increasingly personal. That evolution has been particularly visible over the past couple of years. LDS, released through Sudo Sound in 2024, established a foundation in dubstep and bass-heavy experimentation. His 2025 Onstera EP on Menace pushed further into dubwise territory, balancing dub techno chords, UK-influenced rhythms and unusual textures. Earlier this year, he released Ode to 0113, his first independent offering and a deeply personal tribute to Leeds. Built around heavy bass weight, delay-drenched chords, driving drums and voices from figures within the city’s dub scene, the release connected his current sound to the musical environment that shaped him.

Now comes Invasive Species, his latest EP for Menace. Where Onstera embraced a more unpredictable and exploratory energy, the new record feels more deliberate: four tracks built for the deeper end of the dancefloor, moving between tuff four-to-the-floor rhythms, eerie breakbeats, electro-inflected drums and meditative dub techno. Across Flow State, Invasive Species, Twisted Root and Rumination, space becomes almost as important as the rhythm itself.

For this edition of MIXED BY, Slimy Ape brings us a mix that offers another window into that world. We caught up with him to talk about the new EP, the relationship between Leeds and Manchester, his obsession with space and dubwise production, and the process of finding his own place within the UK’s constantly evolving bass landscape.

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INTERVIEW

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Invasive Species feels more focused and deliberate than Onstera, even though both records share a strong sense of experimentation. What changed in your approach between the two EPs?
Onstera was made at a time where I was chucking as many elements into a project as possible until it felt finished, with some of them serving little purpose.
After finishing Onstera, I listened to a podcast with Carrier where he spoke about how removing elements can help finish tracks. This helped me change my approach towards production and I decided to put more emphasis on the key elements I’d created for the track and create detail through continuous resampling and automation of these elements.

Flow State is built around a very direct 4/4 pulse, while tracks like Invasive Species and Twisted Root lean more heavily into broken rhythms. What determines the rhythmic framework of a track for you?
I start 50% of my tracks by finding a key piece of percussion to build a drum loop out of and then develop into a full idea. And I also actively try to make tracks with different drum patterns so I can experiment with different styles and approaches to tracks. I enjoy the challenge of trying something I’ve attempted before and building my own take of a track in that style.
I have other tracks which have been born out of resampling, creating a melodic loop, or sampling a vocal. I try not to focus my creation process around one route too much as this can limit you at times. My main focus when opening a new project is to experiment with as many potential ideas as possible and see what I like.

Your music seems to sit in an interesting space between dubstep, dub techno, techno and UK bass. Do you consciously think about genres when you’re producing, or are those boundaries becoming increasingly irrelevant to you?
As I’ve experimented more, I’ve found myself thinking about genre less and less. One of the reasons why I moved away from just strictly doing bass focused dubstep was getting bored of making music with a similar framework, and existing within this space has given me so much freedom to create.
I do however always try to keep elements of dub techno and dubstep in my tracks so they fit cohesively into my sound, but this can come in a variety of forms like dub automation, heavy use of reverb, sub heavy, etc.

You’ve described Ode to 0113 as a love letter to Leeds, with the city’s dub culture directly embedded into the record. How much does place influence your music?
I think I owe a lot to Leeds for my sound. I started producing when I went to university in Newcastle and back then I didn’t have a sound as such, I would just dart between whatever I was listening to at the time.
It wasn’t until I moved back to Leeds after finishing my degree, that I spent a lot more time going to dubstep nights (something which weren’t too common in Newcastle) as well as putting on my own nights. This is where I really settled on dubstep as a core sound, and gave me a base to work from.
Even just visiting a place can influence my music too. I recently got back from a trip travelling South Korea and that has really influenced my productions since. The first track in the mix ‘Cotton Bud’ was one of the first songs I made after getting back, and was inspired by the coastline I explored in my time in Busan.

You’re now based in Manchester, another city with an enormous musical identity. Has moving from Leeds to Manchester changed your relationship with UK club culture?
Manchester has definitely introduced me to a lot of different sounds over the years, especially through going to nights at Soup and White Hotel. I think this has definitely translated over into my music, and widened the sounds I’m interested in and take inspiration from. It’s a really exciting city to live in music-wise, with great events happening on a consistent basis.
As much as I love Leeds as a city, the club scene there has taken a heavy hit with spaces like Old Red Bus Station and Wire closing within recent years. There’s currently a lack of events there outside the mainstream stream of artists that consistently tour, and the city is greatly missing the previously mentioned spaces which would be spaces for tons of grassroots nights and artists coming up.
That being said, Subdub is still consistently putting on great nights for many years and their recent events have been some of my favourites I’ve been to. And Mesh Radio which started last year has created a platform to help grow Leeds based DJs, there’s definitely still loads of positives to be offered by the Leeds scene.

There’s a certain tension in your music between something very physical — heavy bass, weight and pressure — and something much more atmospheric and introspective. Where does that balance come from?
I try to balance making music for the club and making music that can be listened to in everyday life whether that’s at home, at the gym, on a hike, etc. As most listeners of dance music spend more time listening to music outside of the club than in it, I think it’s important to strike a balance between the two environments.
I always love building atmosphere in a tune too, it’s an area where you can create really interesting details which can make a track stand out, both in a club and outside in life. It’s something I heavily explored in my last EP on Osmura ‘This Space has a Warm Hold’ and something I’m sure will remain a part of my productions in the future.

Your recent releases suggest you’re becoming increasingly interested in restraint. Rather than constantly adding elements, you seem to let a small number of sounds carry a lot of weight. Has your approach to “less is more” changed over the years?
When I first started producing the style of music I make, I used to have so much going on at times when it wasn’t really needed. It was when I was going back to these tracks to mix them down for releases months later that I realised that I could strip these down and be more purposeful with the layers that I choose.
Whilst I do still have a lot of layers in my tracks, I really try to take into account giving elements room to have their intended impact and not just have them disappear into a wall of sound.

Rumination, the closing track on Invasive Species, feels particularly inward-looking — almost meditative despite being designed for the dancefloor. Do you see introspection and club music as naturally connected?
I find more introspective tracks in the middle of a set can help provide a moment of calmness, which helps make the set more of a journey. A lot of times these can be really standout moments for me in a set too. One that always sticks with me is Coki dropping ‘Cay’s Crays Digital Mystikz Version’ after 30 minutes of drop heavy dubstep. It was a real moment of calm amongst the storm.
Rumination was born out of those moments in a heavily smoked out dancefloor, something which I’ve experienced a lot at White Hotel (to the point where you can’t even see your mates next to you). Those moments almost give you a moment to process and reflect on what’s happened so far musically.

For this MIXED BY feature, how did you approach building the mix?
With Invasive Species being more focused on the dubbier side of my sound, I wanted to build a mix around this and build up into faster paced, bass heavier cuts as the mix went on.
As with all my mixes or sets that I play, I always make sure to include tracks from friends as well as recent bits I’ve found through bandcamp, searching soundcloud, or from listening to other mixes myself.

Is there a particular idea or journey behind the tracks you’ve selected for the mix?
I spend a lot of time walking and cycling around Manchester city centre, and I wanted to create a mix that would fit into everyday life yet still have a club focus.
This mix is also how I envision I’d open up for a night currently, lots of nice spaced dubbed cuts and slowly picking up the pace throughout the mix. There’s a lot of really interesting music that fits into this type of mix right now.

Looking at the progression from LDS to Onstera, Ode to 0113 and now Invasive Species, it feels like you’re gradually developing a very distinctive language around bass, rhythm and space. Do you feel you’ve found the sound you’re looking for, or does finding it mean constantly moving away from it?
Looking back on releases like LDS, I remember feeling a slight lack of connection to the tracks in them. I was happy with the music at the time, but it didn’t truly feel like what I wanted to make.
As soon as I started experimenting more, I think I really found the sound I was wanting to make all along and that resonated more with my introduction to electronic music through Post Dubstep. Part of this sound is constant experimentation so in a way it’s a consistent exploration of thinking what other elements I can add to it, how can I introduce new elements and techniques.
As for my future productions, I’ve been using a lot more distortion and texture in my music as well as changing up the BPM quite a lot. I’ve been making lots of new music this year using these techniques that I’m excited to get out over the course of 2027 and beyond.

Pre-order “Invasive Species” on Bandcamp.

“Dont wanna aint Gonna” is an unruly, bass-heavy rave workout from Acidic Juice’s debut EP Disasterpiece, out on Ovelha Trax.

Rolling breakbeats, warped subs and chopped vocal fragments lock into psychedelic tension, twisting old-school breaks, jungle, electro and dub pressure through a raw, playful and deliberately unpolished lens – built for a proper dancefloor rinse.

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Damski x Rounds join forces, moving through plush, expansive sounds, emotive breaks and rave-tinted piano chords charged with wide-eyed euphoria.

Ecstatic and piano-driven on the A-side, the record turns more inward across the flip, with its title track bringing a moodier finish.

Both artists are based in Glasgow, with the release marking Rounds’ first EP after a string of appearances across Neptune Discs VAs. The ep adds a vivid new entry to the vibrant world of Pyramid Fields, while Rounds joins the label in Edinburgh and Belgrade as part of its 7 Rotations celebrations.

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Few artists embody the idea of movement quite like Georgia Bird. Born in Naarm/Melbourne and now based in Berlin, her musical journey has unfolded across continents, scenes and aliases, shaped as much by intimate club floors as sprawling festival stages. Whether performing solo or as one half of IN2STELLAR, she’s developed a reputation for fluid, deeply considered sets that move effortlessly between minimal house, dub techno, breaks, IDM and rave-infused rhythms, always prioritising feeling over formula.

Beyond the DJ booth, Georgia has become an important figure within Australia’s underground electronic community, co-founding the Neurotiq Erotiq party series and Phenomena Records, both driven by a desire to create spaces where adventurous music and genuine community can flourish. That same philosophy carries through her productions: subtle rather than excessive, hypnotic rather than explosive, always inviting listeners to settle into the groove rather than chase the drop.

Following the introspective landscapes of Bird On The Wire, her new EP Move Like That marks a confident return to the dancefloor. Written between Australia and Europe, the record revisits the minimal and psychedelic house music that first sparked her love for electronic music while revealing the confidence and restraint that only years behind the decks can bring. Rather than chasing nostalgia, it feels like an artist reconnecting with her foundations through a more mature lens.

For this edition of Mixed By, Georgia Bird shares an exclusive mix that extends that journey. We caught up with her to discuss returning to her roots, the relationship between DJing and production, and why sometimes the simplest grooves leave the deepest impression.

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INTERVIEW

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Move Like That feels like both a return and a progression. After exploring the more ambient and introspective world of Bird On The Wire, what made you feel it was the right moment to step back towards the dancefloor?
I think it happened quite naturally. Bird On The Wire came from a period where I was really interested in making music that existed away from the dancefloor. I wanted to explore atmosphere, emotion and texture without necessarily thinking about how a track would function in a club. Club/dance music can stick within a formula or certain constraints and I wanted to see what happened if I tried something different.
But I’ve always had this strong relationship with dance music and DJing, and after spending that time in a more introspective space, I found myself naturally gravitating back towards the energy and physicality of the dancefloor. Move Like That feels like a return to some of the music that first made me fall in love with electronic music, but I think I’m bringing everything I learnt through making Bird On The Wire with me.
So it wasn’t really a conscious decision to abandon one thing and go back to another. It felt more like reconnecting the two sides of my practice.

You describe this EP as “a return to where it all started.” Looking back, what was it about minimal and psychedelic house music that first captivated you?
Coming from Naarm/Melbourne, these organic and psychedelic sounds are everywhere. I think we’re naturally drawn to and inspired by them because of our bush doof culture, as well as the diversity of the landscapes around us – from lush rainforests to arid deserts and everything in between. That connection to nature, combined with the hypnotic and progressive nature of the music itself, is something that has always really inspired me.
My relationship with these sounds has definitely changed over time, especially as technology and the wider musical landscape have evolved. We’re in the Tamba era of music, and I think sound design has become more important than ever. It’s something I really consider when I’m writing – not just the melody or rhythm of a track, but the world and atmosphere that the sounds themselves can create.

One thing that stands out in your productions is restraint. Nothing feels overcrowded, yet there’s always a sense of movement and tension. How do you know when a track has enough?
I think knowing when a track has enough is often just a feeling. Usually, if I’m adding something simply because I feel like the track should have another element, rather than because it actually needs it, that’s probably a sign to take a step back.
I’m really interested in giving each sound its own space and allowing the small details to do more of the work. With more minimal music, I think the movement and tension can come from subtle changes in texture, sound design and arrangement rather than constantly introducing new elements. Sometimes removing something can completely change the energy of a track or make the elements that are already there feel much stronger.

You’ve spent years behind the decks before releasing your own music. How has DJing influenced the way you write tracks?
I think DJing has probably influenced my production more than anything else. Spending so many years behind the decks has made me really aware of how music feels in a room – how to build tension, also what sounds really hit in different spaces whether it’s a club or festival stage.
I definitely imagine the dance floor or where I imagine the track would be heard/ played when I’m producing. It definitely helps when trying to create the energy you’re trying to achieve.
I’ll rarely play my own music out though, I’m far too critical haha. Maybe after a year when I start to like it again.

Your career has unfolded between Naarm/Melbourne and Berlin—two cities with rich but very different electronic music cultures. What has living between those worlds taught you?
The scene I exist in in Naarm/Melbourne has always felt very community-driven to me. There’s a strong DIY culture and a real openness to different sounds, and I think the bush doof, festivals and outdoor party culture has had a huge influence on me and the wider community.
Berlin obviously has a deep history of club culture here, and there’s a real focus on the club as a space in itself. Living here has made me more aware of the importance of atmosphere, sound systems and the physicality of a room, but also of how much freedom there is to experiment and exist outside of expectations. I really do love the focus on parties as well as longer DJ sets here.
I think even though they’re different there’s a lot of similarities within the community side of the scene.

Alongside your solo work, you’re also one half of IN2STELLAR. Does working within a duo satisfy a different creative instinct than producing under your own name?
Definitely. I think they satisfy very different creative instincts for me. IN2STELLAR is inherently collaborative, so there’s something really exciting about not being completely in control of the direction a track or idea takes. The project has always been very connected to the dancefloor and to our shared experience of DJing.
With my solo project, I have a lot more space to follow an idea wherever it wants to go. I can be more introspective, experiment with different textures and tempos, and make something without necessarily thinking about whether it fits within the world of IN2STELLAR.
I don’t really decide consciously whether an idea belongs to one project or the other. Usually the music tells me. If something feels more immediate, energetic or built around the chemistry of playing together, it naturally finds its way towards IN2STELLAR. If it feels more personal, atmospheric or like something I want to explore on my own, it usually becomes a Georgia Bird track.
We (IN2STELLAR) haven’t written a track together since 2024, with the exception of one track forthcoming, so these days I’m solely focused on developing my personal project, which has slowly been brewing over the years.

Through Neurotiq Erotiq and Phenomena Records, you’ve also helped build spaces for artists and audiences beyond your own music. Has curating events and running a label changed the way you think about your role within electronic music?
Definitely, with Neurotiq Erotiq and Phenomena, I’ve really enjoyed being able to create spaces where other artists can experiment and where people can discover music they might not otherwise come across. Or with the label work with artists on sometimes their debut release which is so exciting. There’s something really rewarding about seeing an artist you believe in play to a room, or watching a community form around an event or a release.
I think community has always been a big part of electronic music for me, especially coming from Naarm/Melbourne which is such a tight scene. Some of my earliest experiences with dance music were really tied to the people around it, not just the music itself. Moving to Berlin has only reinforced that for me.

The title Move Like That suggests movement, but not necessarily intensity. What kind of movement were you hoping these tracks would inspire?
I think it’s a bit of physical movement and emotional movement. I don’t necessarily think about creating big, intense moments. I’m more interested in creating a groove or sound that people maybe haven’t heard or makes them think.

For this Mixed By feature, you’ve put together a mix that sits alongside the EP. How did you approach building it?
This mix is a little different from the record. I think I was more inspired by summer when I was putting it together, so it’s a bit more uplifting and energetic while still keeping that hypnotic quality that runs through the EP.
I wanted it to reflect what I’ve been enjoying playing and listening to recently, rather than trying to make it a direct extension of the record. There are still some of the same influences in there – minimal and progressive – but I think the mix has a lighter feeling to it.
For me, it’s more of a snapshot of where I’m at as a DJ right now and what I’ve been enjoying playing over summer.

Is there a story running through the mix?
I wouldn’t say there’s a really specific story running through it. I think it’s more about the feeling and the progression of the mix. I can imagine listening to this with my friends having a drink in the sun or in the car driving along the beach.

Dance music often celebrates bigger, louder moments, yet your work finds power in subtlety and patience. Do you think audiences are becoming more receptive to that kind of slower-burning energy?
I think people are definitely receptive to it, but I do think the environment plays a big part. I think with social media and these viral moments people are constantly trying to create and this record feels like the antithesis of that. I think audiences are becoming more open to different forms of dance music. As life moves so fast these days people are becoming open to slower, deeper, more hypnotic grooves.

Looking ahead, where do you feel your sound is heading?
I’m really interested in pushing the sound design further and experimenting with how minimal, psychedelic and progressive ideas can be taken somewhere a bit stranger. I’ve also been listening to a lot of dubby techno, tech house so I think some of those influences will naturally start coming through as well.

17 producers across Aotearoa come together on Kanikani Therapy; a compilation spanning dub tech, prog, trance, house, techno, acid, ambient hiko, bass and jungle.

ALL PROFITS WILL BE DONATED TO THE CHARITIES ‘TREES THAT COUNT’ AND ‘FOREST & BIRD’ (the only costs being Bandcamp fees and CD manufacturing), to support the conservation of our te taiao that weathers the festivals, doofs and partys we love and that this music is built for.

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Prague-based talent atch22 makes his debut on Harmony with Equal Transients, an EP shaped by a winter spent locked away in a Neukölln studio while temperatures outside dropped to nearly –14°C. Running on all gas and no brakes, the record fuses classic progressive influences with atch22’s contemporary perspective. High-velocity rhythms, driving basslines, and explosive breakdowns define a release built for late-night dancefloors and long open-air mornings.

A1, ‘Dr Midge’, opens the EP with a deeper dive into progressive trance. Liquid, otherworldly, and mind-bending, it balances hypnotic atmospheres with sharp percussion and a relentless groove. A2, ‘Switchback’, shifts gears into a more techno-driven framework, delivering a powerful, floor-focused builder that steadily raises the pressure.

The B-side centers on the title track, ‘Equal Transients’, fast-paced, rolling, and propelled by heavyweight kicks. Its techno foundation gradually unfolds into a progressive powerhouse as layered percussion and sweeping basslines take control.

Closing the EP is a remix from Kohra, who transforms the original into a psychedelic moment of euphoria. Infused with his unmistakable Goan sensibility, the remix reinterprets atch22’s vision through dreamy textures, progressive momentum, and hypnotic sequencing. As the arrangement unfolds, pitched-down vocal fragments add another layer of tension, lifting the track toward an immersive finale.

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Phase Shift is the debut release from Magenta, bringing together female and non-binary producers based in the Netherlands. Rooted in breaks-driven rhythms, playful textures, and experimental sound, this 5-track compilation showcases voices already making noise in the local electronic scene.

“FM Groove” marks the first studio collaboration between Lena Rigel and Masha WordPress — longtime friends who share love for electronic music — bringing crispy textures, punchy breaks, and a bouncy pulse to the compilation.

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Inspired by the parallels between holotropic breathing and the ritual of dancing, Treasure Island’s ‘Holotropic Dancefloor Dreams’ album explores how rhythm can shift consciousness on physical, spiritual, and collective levels. The LP opens on the sun-soaked coast with ‘Seaside Memories’, channelling the waves and breeze through lush chords and intricate organic rhythm. It’s the sound of the shores of Abruzzo, where he is based alongside good friend and Future Island collaborator Oltrefuturo. He joins Treasure Island for ‘Feelin’ That Thing’, where soft, glitchy tones and keys glide over chopped-up samples for a light, summer-ready vibe.

From there, the album moves effortlessly from beachside Balearica to strobe-lit club rituals. Tracks like ‘Sacred Dance’ and ‘First Time’ see Treasure Island combine his signature analogue synth work with playful spoken-word vocals before firmly heading into Trance territory for the remainder of the LP, shifting from percussive workouts like ‘Strutturalismo E Interpretazione’ to wonky acid tools such as ‘Cosmic Rolling’, as well as mind-melting trips like the windy mix of ‘Mark Il Patzo’. The full-length closes on ‘Astrocilum’, bringing the record full circle with hushed whispers, subtle grooves, and irresistible after-hours psychedelia.

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