A fight is about who is left standing. Nothing else.

Enter the DALF tournament with ALL STARS. Fight!

Pre-order.

After appearing on Kulture Galerie Volume 4 alongise Uncanny Valley and fellow North Marcedonian Herzel, L.O.V.D joins the Digital Artefacts series with ‘Dive’.

L.O.V.D is a doctor by day, synth geek by night, set between North Macedonia and Berlin. The title track of this new EP on Kulture Galerie was being picked for a mixed comp by Voltage Lab and his sound is started to being recognised internationally with appearances at many music festivals with his live set as well as international hotspots like Kiosk Radio.

This brand new 4 tracker is a personal journey that Ljuben describes like this:

‘Dive is a collection of songs that embody my perception of the complex emotions experienced between two people in love. Sometimes beautiful, sometimes sad, always heavily emotionally charged, never perfect.’

Pre-order.

Down To Earth return with a second transmission from their label imprint: Orbit’s Ring EP from co-founder Bex, featuring a remix from fellow co-founder Remotif.

As DTE02, the release pushes the label’s identity further into orbit, channeling the inner depths of alien dance music. Drawing inspiration from the prog-laced soundscapes and textured hypnosis reflected in DTE’s bookings, the EP spans trance, techno, IDM and breakbeat – feeling both cosmic and firmly club-rooted.

Marking Bex’s first solo EP in four years, Orbit’s Ring signals a refined return. The title track opens the portal with glitch-laced vocal fragments, spacious drums and cosmic pad stabs shimmering over a weighty low-end foundation.

Drop shifts into full peak-time mode — a driving breaks heater built for maximum impact. It surges forward with relentless energy before tearing open into a siren-drenched breakdown, primed for sweat-soaked ceilings and hands-in-the-air release.

On Alieonic, the EP ventures into faster territory. A straight-down-the-line 140 BPM percussive hitter, it’s packed with extraterrestrial textures and alien sonics. Mechanical yet playful, it conjures the feeling of landing on a distant planet and encountering new lifeforms.

Slowing the tempo, Believe brings the journey inward. Deep, chuggy and hypnotic, it closes with a slower, atmospheric energy — made for smokey club moments when the lights are low.

Remotif rounds out the EP with a rework of Drop, reshaping the original through his trademark squelchy sonic palette.

Pre-order.

When machine consciousness fractures, the system doesn’t crash, it evolves. Surrender Discipline navigate the liminal space between coded protocol and organic impulse across five highly crafted devices.

From the glitched synapses of Error Mode to the neural drift of Synthetic Pulse, this is tech-somatic music for the post-human dancefloors. Where 404 errors become the responses and flesh entirely submits to the algorithm’s game. A debut dispatch that rewrites the operating system from within.

Pre-order.

---

Next Wave Acid Punx TROIS feels less like a compilation and more like the final chapter of a personal story. Looking back, did you always envision this series as a trilogy, or did its larger narrative reveal itself over time? The three compilations almost feel like a musical autobiography. We’re curious whether that structure existed from the beginning or emerged organically as you revisited different chapters of your musical life.
Everything started way smaller. Nadiem at Eskimo knew I was obsessed with Belgian New Beat, so I was invited to do a compilation of favorites. But it took on a life of its own and became more about my personal influences and musical journey out of the band world. With DEUX I wanted to showcase live electronic artists with that synth wave energy. When it resonated with so many people, I knew I had to do at least one more to close it out properly. TROIS comes full circle: before I was a producer or DJ, just a kid in punk and wave bands who fell into raving. The trilogy totally evolved into a musical autobiography. A personal totem.

Throughout the series, you’ve traced a lineage from post-punk and industrial music to rave culture and contemporary club sounds. What do you think connects all these seemingly different worlds at their core? Beyond genres, there seems to be a shared attitude running through the entire project.
There is always this root of DIY attitude in the electronic or guitar music I am drawn to. Break the rules. If you limit yourself you won’t discover anything new.

DIY attitude, always. Learning guitar by experimenting, learning to DJ by making a lot of mistakes: that’s punk to me. Money is never the motive when these scenes pop. It’s about community, energy, rebellion against whatever’s commercial and mundane. Corporations eventually catch on, but there’ll always be a new underground doing something exciting and fresh.

For TROIS, you return to the early rave experiences that first pulled you into electronic music. When revisiting that period, were there any memories or emotions that surprised you? Memory has a way of romanticising the past, but it can also reveal things we missed at the time.
I found myself going through old photos of me as a teenager. My mom kept so many: she taught me to sew and I’d make these massive 150cm wide jeans for the parties. I’d forgotten that my very first rave experiences were in the Hardcore rooms. Coming from punk, we were doing sweaty basement shows at Coney Island High and Don Hill’s, throwing fists in the pit. The Hardcore rooms at raves were doing exactly that: mosh pit and all, so it was an easy transition. Eventually I grew out of the angst and gravitated toward the more euphoric, driving techno and trance sounds that still stay with me today.

One of the most striking themes in your notes is how fluid those early rave environments felt. Techno, breakbeats, hardcore, trance, ambient and EBM could all coexist under one roof. Do you think today’s club culture is rediscovering that openness? Many contemporary scenes still operate through genre identities, but there seems to be a growing appetite for crossing boundaries again.
Absolutely. Crowds are getting tired of aggressive TikTok terror trance and techno. People want emotion, stories, something honest. If a DJ makes themselves vulnerable with their selection, a real trust builds with the crowd and that makes for a crazy and memorable night.

You’ve often spoken about coming from a punk background before discovering electronic music. Looking back now, what elements of punk culture continue to shape how you approach music? Not necessarily sonically, but philosophically.
The DIY attitude is something that I always carry from my punk youth. You might not have the best financial means, studio or equipment, but you find a way to make it work. When you believe in something that hard, that’s dedication and that’s punk. I still make all my own merch, artwork and video clips (with a lot of help from my wife) so the vision stays uncompromised, same honest craft from day one.

The compilation brings together historical records alongside contemporary artists like Zaatar, Leona Jacewska and Italo Deviance. What were you looking for when selecting newer productions for the project? Was it about finding direct descendants of those earlier sounds, or artists carrying the same spirit in new forms?
Most of them are people I consider friends, not just artists I admire. I’m drawn to people I click with beyond music. We might all be influenced by the same obscure 80s Italo or 90s Valencia proto-techno track, but we each pull different things from it and take it somewhere original.

You’ve lived between different cultural worlds — growing up in New York and later building a life in Berlin. How have those cities shaped your relationship with electronic music? New York’s rave culture and Berlin’s club culture often feel connected yet fundamentally different in their philosophies. We’re curious how moving between them has influenced your perspective as both a DJ and producer.
Over a decade ago I was creatively stuck. NYC nightlife had been taken over by bottle service culture and it brought a different crowd. Eventually I started DJing afterhours and felt that breath of fresh air again: parties like Beef Cuts and Resolute were channeling Berlin energy back to New York. But I still wanted something new. I’d lived in Berlin in 2005 and stayed close with friends from then, so in the summer of 2015 I went back. I immediately met like-minded artists mixing wave and Italo with chuggy club tracks and felt at home again. There is a lot of new energy in Berlin. New underground parties, artists, feels like a new burst is coming.

Across all three compilations, there’s a recurring tension between darkness and euphoria. Why do you think that combination remains so powerful on the dance floor? Many of the records you champion feel simultaneously melancholic, uplifting and liberating.
People want emotion when they’re escaping the tough shit of everyday life. Melancholy is cinematic, bitter and sweet at the same time, and the tension in music always eventually brings a release.

Your work often explores darker moods, yet it rarely feels pessimistic. In fact, many listeners describe your music as strangely uplifting. What is it about darkness that you find inspiring rather than limiting? Some of the most euphoric moments in your sets and productions seem to emerge from tension, melancholy or introspection rather than pure positivity.
I always try to evoke hope, whether it’s a slow ballad or a hard-hitting EBM banger. I approach songwriting like a film: something unknown that slowly becomes a feeling so familiar you can’t explain how it happened.

As a DJ, producer and curator, do you approach digging for music differently today than you did ten years ago? Has your relationship with discovery changed as the internet has made almost everything accessible?
Totally. Back in the early 2000s it was crates at flea markets, hunting for obscure gems on vinyl. Now I spend hours on Bandcamp and Discogs. There’s too much music, that can’t be denied, but if you put in the effort you discover amazing things that 20 years ago wouldn’t have had any chance of reaching the world without the exposure of the internet.

Romance has always felt like an understated but important part of the Curses universe — from the post-punk influences to the cinematic atmosphere that runs through your productions. Do you think dance music has lost some of that romanticism over the years? Many contemporary club environments prioritize functionality and impact, whereas some of the music you champion feels driven by emotion, mystery and desire.
Let’s circle back to the damn TikTok terror trance and techno, haha. I get it. I started raving in the gabber and Hardcore rooms, it’s fun but it’s not timeless to me. Romance in music is timeless. It’s easy today to get distracted by trends and shift your style to keep up, but the romance is gone the second you do that. The artistic innocence and naivety of making what you love and really believing in it becomes contagious. Like a slow love spell. Over time, people start to trust.

Alongside this interview, you’ve put together a playlist for Times & Tunes. What was your starting point when assembling it? Did you approach it as a companion piece to TROIS, a snapshot of your current listening habits, or something else entirely?
There are so many hidden gems from early 90’s Valencia sound and Netherlands and Italy that I couldn’t find the ownerships to license or don’t fit the cut. Too much music to share! So, this playlist is a collection of some tracks that share the same energy and aura of what TROIS is about with an ending of bliss and calm.

Is there a particular thread connecting the tracks in the playlist? Whether it’s an emotional quality, a historical connection, or simply a feeling that’s difficult to put into words.
Raw, uncensored sex wave energy

Looking back at the entire Next Wave Acid Punx trilogy, has researching and curating these compilations changed your understanding of your own musical identity? After spending years tracing your influences, do you hear your own work differently today?
It deepened my appreciation for praising the pioneers while shining a light on younger artists coming up now. I hope these compilations inspire new artists and show them there’s a ton of incredible stuff from the 80s and 90s underground they might not have known existed.

One idea that runs throughout TROIS is the notion of freedom — freedom from genre boundaries, expectations and limitations. In 2025, what does “being free” in music mean to you? And where do you think the next generation of artists might find that sense of freedom?
Be true, be patient, don’t get distracted by what’s trending, and never sacrifice your artistic message.

One of the most rewarding aspects of music is its ability to create meaningful connections across borders and cultures. Through that shared language, we connected with rush2theUnknown, a Japan- and New Zealand-based duo with roots in the foundation New Zealand jungle / drum & bass scene, and it’s a true privilege to now be releasing their music.

Ancient / Future is a journey through time, influence, and emotion. Drawing from the duo’s diverse musical backgrounds and inspirations, the EP bridges ancient echoes with futuristic sound design, balancing antediluvian nostalgia and far-future energy in equal measure.

Pre-order.

Growing up just across the water from Italy, Clint Spiteri and Madeleine Baldacchino absorbed the shimmer of Italo disco long before Deadisko took shape. Their analogue pop celebrates the past while embracing the future. “1987” melts an addictive piano house groove with clean rhythms, a sleek and smooth sound with just a hint of romance. Cat-like, “La Costa” stretches before finding its funk-filled footing. Synth stabs are ruffled, teasing rhythm patterns opening avenues for melodies to bend, curve and race.

The flip is introduced with the pop opulence of “This World.” Blue undercurrents are bolstered by Sean Kamati’s emboldening vocals, his smouldering voice accompanied by daring keyboard play. Brassy tones are veiled in smoke for “Ssunrise Drive.” Mechanical reverb is offered a human touch, organic warmth breaking through to an incandescent shine. Echoes of Italy that pulsate with the rhythm of Malta.

Pre-order.

This is G.ear‘s second EP on Matière and it’s bringing out various forms of Bass music through a solid 4 tracker. Channeling a lot of influences, into a deep dubstep, footwork and jungle infused EP.

Going from dark to light, it’s meant to touch your soul with layers of dreamy synths, clubby structures and complex drum patterns.

Pre-order.

Span presents a new VA compilation exploring the outer edges of contemporary club music; immersive, understated, and deeply textured.

Moving through shadowy rhythms, submerged low-end pressure, and finely detailed atmospheres, the release brings together a selection of artists operating in the spaces between dancefloor functionality and introspective listening. Dub-soaked structures dissolve into weightless ambient passages; hypnotic minimalism gives way to fractured electronics and quietly emotional moments that linger long after the final track fades.

Rather than chasing intensity, the compilation unfolds with patience and precision. Focused on depth, movement, and subtle evolution. Each contribution reveals a distinct perspective while remaining connected through a shared sensibility: spacious production, tactile sound design, and an instinct for tension through restraint.

The result is a collection equally suited to late-night systems, solitary listening, and the moments in between. Music that drifts fluidly across boundaries while remaining grounded in atmosphere and rhythm.

Span Selections Vol.1 will be released on SPAN on June 26/2026.

Danish producer Kasper Bjørke returns on Tropical Animals with the “Veri/Gliss” EP, blending cinematic depth and forward-thinking electronic sound.

“Veri” is a layered, immersive track driven by pulsating synths and evolving textures, delivering a hypnotic, club-ready journey.

Label head Ricardo Baez adds a sharper, more direct electro remix focused on peak-time energy.

On the flip side, “Gliss” offers a more intimate vibe an emotive electronic piece with sensual rhythms and delicate melodies, balancing warmth and mystery.

With this EP, Bjørke and Tropical Animals merge atmospheric storytelling with dancefloor precision.

Pre-order.