Skiddle Mix // Spring roundup 2021 ft. Noizu, Jess Bays, Kate Ozz...

Hot damn, have we been spoilt to some amazing mixes so far this year!

Over the first three months of Spring especially, our ears and souls have been fed a substantial and wholesome diet of amazing electronic music, all courtesy of some of the fastest rising names and outfits in the global dance music scene.

Together we've journeyed across the diverse sonic universe, experiencing world-class selections and mixes of some of the biggest records in house, techno, disco and more. Reopen the clubs already! But before we take our next step towards normality in the forthcoming summer season, whenever that might be, we wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the many quality Skiddle Mixes that we've been so thankfully spoilt to.

So without further ado, here's our Skiddle Mix Spring 2021 roundup, featuring selections from DJs and producers you're going to want to take note of...

 

(Click on the artist, event or venue names below for tickets and more)

 

Skiddle Mix #161 // Mona Vale

Electronica-duo Mona Vale, the brainchild of London based songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Jamie Hoddle, are one of the latest acts to join the CloseUp Booking Agency.

With support from Pete Tong and Danny Howard on BBC Radio 1, Mona Vale‘s debut ‘Not Given Up’ (Cherry House Records) has received widespread support and has garnered over half a million streams on Spotify alone.

With Caribou–esque production mixed in with Bon Iver inspired vocals, we predict some very exciting times ahead for the London based outfit.

 

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 Skiddle Mix #162 // Mollie Collins

Following her explosion onto the scene back in 2015, Mollie Collins quickly pricked the ears of the D'n'B circuit and went onto be awarded ‘Best Breakthrough DJ’ just 2 years later. Since then, Mollie has resided as a D'n'B presenter on one of the UK’s most popular radio stations, Kiss FM, where she presents her own show as part of KISS Nights on KISS FM at 1 am on Saturday and also the KISS D&B show on Kiss FRESH.

As well as being able to expertly orchestrate radio shows and live performances, Mollie has also established herself as a master in music production, releasing commercial bangers such as 'Lost & Found', 'Better On My Own', 'Wondering' and more. Following on from her debut album in August, Mollie Collins is back with her first single of 2021, 'Count On Me' ft. Leah Guest. If you like D'n'B then this exclusive mix for Skiddle won't disappoint. 

 

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Skiddle Mix #163 // Crazy Cousinz

With a career spanning over 15 years, Crazy Cousinz is a classically trained musician with over 55 million streams across his discography. He's the pioneer of the UK funky genre and producer for huge names the likes of Tinie Tempah, Katy B and Donaeo.

More recently, he's found himself on the receiving end of international acclaim, after American rap star Drake sampled ‘Do You Mind’, a track he produced for fellow UK artist Kyla in 2008, on his record-breaking global smash ‘One Dance’.

Since then, Crazy Cousinz has released tracks ‘Throwback’ with Unknown T, ‘Wifey (Feelings)’ with Yungen and M.O. and summer anthem ‘Blue Skies’ with Blinkie, stoking the fires of the Uk funky revival. Having just released ’Sweet Side’ featuring the angelic vocals of Caitlyn Scarlett, it marks an exciting start to 2021 for the London-based producer.

 

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Skiddle Mix #164 // Kate Ozz

Moscow underground scene's best-kept secret, Kate Ozz, has in the past 2 years found herself in the Miami club circuit surrounded by the likes of Dixon, Solomun, Black Coffee and more. The Russian producer has submerged herself in the sunny club circuit of Florida’s most buzzing town, where her fine musical skillset did not go unnoticed by some of the scenes most established players.

Most recently, Kate has produced a solid melodic house record with three originals and an Ivory remix, titled 'Venus Rising'.  

 

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Skiddle Mix #165 // Bon Entendeur

Bon Entendeur is a singular project born from the collective passion of three friends. Arnaud Bonet, Pierre Della Monica and Nicolas Boisseleau are united by musical obsession and love for French culture. The enthralling idea of hybrid formats is fuelled by their mutual passions.

Their adventure began with a rather classic approach, creating playlists out of the music they collectively love. Over time, they began adding what would soon become their trademark: updating the French sound of the ’60 and ’70s with a modern electro twist.

'I Love To Love' is the outfits latest single. Included within this mix, the track is a brilliant, reworked version of Tina Charles’ 1976 global smash, which charted in multiple countries around the world.

 

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Skiddle Mix #166 // DJ Joe Lobel

DJ Joe Lobel learnt his craft as a DJ in his teens whilst growing up in Leicester. Moving up north to Leeds, he began playing frequently in small clubs and bars, mainly to student audiences. As his notoriety increased, larger promotion companies and venues started to take notice of the energetic style in which he played and still plays to this day.

Fast forward a few years and Joe has been featured on BBC Radio 1xtra, partnered with countless brands and is now playing regularly across the UAE, Europe, and the UK, across a combination of weekly/bi-weekly and monthly residencies, alongside one-off guest appearances, in venues ranging from small intimate spaces to larger capacity stages; among those being some of the top clubs in the world such as Ushuaia in Ibiza.

 

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Skiddle Mix #167 // SLEEPWALKRS

Real name Roberto Manfredi, SLEEPWALKRS made a big impression last year when he joined his old friend THRDL!FE for ‘Outta My Head’, a single that garnered BBC Radio 1 airplay from Scott Mills and has since amassed 7.5 million Spotify streams.

More recently, he linked up with French artist HUGEL on ‘Magnify’, an acclaimed single that made it onto the Kiss ‘Dance’ and BBC Radio 1 ‘Party Anthems’ playlists, as well as being remixed by Mike Mago and Sammy Porter. Continuing his ascent through the ranks, Sleepwalkrs’ music has received further heavyweight support from the likes of Oliver Heldens, Hardwell, Cassius and Don Diablo.

 

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Skiddle Mix #168 // Alex Mills

Leeds-born, London-based artist Alex Mills recently kicked off her 2021 with brand new single ‘Want You To Want Me’. A singer, songwriter, DJ and producer, Mills has collaborated with some of the biggest artists in dance music, including Basement Jaxx, Hot Since 82, Chris Lorenzo, Joey Negro, Sonny Fodera and countless others.

Amassing millions of streams across her back catalogue, Mills’ prolific output led to her being dubbed the ‘producers choice’ of vocalist by global tastemakers Mixmag. She's received UK radio plays and has been supported in key shows from Radio 1 Dance Anthems to Kiss FM’s Majestic and more, whilst remaining strong in the Kiss and Capital dance playlists for 11 weeks running.

 

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Skiddle Mix #169 // Bissett

Plying his trade in the Irish club scene since the tender age of 14, Bissett has since DJ’d across the country and beyond, performing at Mass Festival, The Grand Social, SIN and many others.

On the production front, he has and continues to release a steady stream of dancefloor heat over the course of the past few years, via labels such as Sinister Sounds, 13 Records and Let There Be House. More recently, he was handpicked to become the training camp DJ of UFC icon and fellow Dubliner Conor McGregor.

A star in the making, Bissett’s first release on the legendary Polydor imprint marks the start of a very exciting new chapter in the story of this Irish talent.

 

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Skiddle Mix #170 // Nalu

Manchester-born DJ, Nalu has far-reaching roots leading back to both Scotland and Ireland. Delving into music at a young age, he can still recall playing records with his family, from legends the likes of Stevie Wonder, Jamiroquai and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. But it wasn't until his late teens, on the dance floors of Manchester's most famous venues, that he really began to understand and admire electronic music.

Since then, he's played to huge crowds at venues and festivals across the UK, including many of his favourite hometown establishments and events, such as Parklife, Sankeys, South, Joshua Brooks, Eastern Bloc and more, and has also become a Love Dose label resident. His always unique live shows provide revellers with an incomparable party atmosphere, as he utilises his arsenal of club tracks to skillfully work any room or crowd.

 

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Skiddle Mix #171 // Jess Bays

A testament to her raw passion and dedication, Jess Bays has fast become one of the standout artists to breakthrough in the UK's dance scene over the past 12 months, gaining incredible momentum at a time when the world has been changing rapidly for all.

With releases on Stress Records, Armada and Good Company, Jess’ sound has given a fresh narrative to a whole new generation of deeper house music and gained her heavy support across platforms such as BBC Radio 1, Kiss & Capital Dance. As a broadcaster herself, Jess also hosts Clash Magazine’s monthly Rinse FM show.

Proudly becoming a resident for Defected, Jess has since performed right across the globe with shows in Ibiza, Croatia, Miami, Chicago and Brazil, alongside sets at Lakedance, Latitude, We Are FSTVL, Ministry Of Sound, Warehouse Project and her own monthly residency at London’s infamous XOYO.

There’s no stopping this powerhouse – a true artist in the making who’s always evolving, learning, crafting and creating.

 

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Skiddle Mix #172 // Maxi Meraki

Funky minimalist and tech-house expert, Belgian DJ Maxi Meraki made a name for himself back in 2018 with his first residency on the White Isles, performing an especially notable 4 hour set at the Pacha Destino resort in Ibiza.

Meraki has since appeared live at many other creditable venues, from Soho House in Barcelona and Bagatelle in Ibiza to Plage Casanis in Marbella, and Ibiza's most popular boat 'Pirata's Ibiza', alongside DC 10's resident DJ Nathan Barato.

He released his first EP Always There, containing melodic club tracks 'Always There' and 'Basic Instinct', back in January 2020 and received huge support from dance music titans the likes of late great Erick Morillo, Mark Knight and Roger Sanchez. After just four weeks, Always There had clocked up more than 150,000 streams on Spotify alone.

Now focusing on making 2021 an even better year, Meraki is looking to expand on his ever-growing fanbase and already expansive sound. 

 

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Skiddle Mix #173 // Macious

Macious (pronounced “Mack-eus”) is the project of 24-year-old, Mark Crawford; a visual artist, DJ, and producer.

Originating from the hallowed turf of Berlin and now based in Manchester, the young producer has an academic diploma in Electronic Music that has led him on a path of stripped back and playful melodic house, disco and techno. After a short break from regularly playing the Berlin circuit, including the infamous Fritz club, Mark moved back to the UK and graced some of the UK’s most intimate music venues, supporting DJ heavyweights the likes of deep-house duo, Dusky.

His clever and unique live performances, using a variety of synths, display not only Mark’s catalogue of eclectic and well thought out tracks but also his deep understanding of creating moving, smiling, and educated dance floors. 

 

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Skiddle Mix #174 // Ms Selfie

What started as a hobby three years ago, has turned Zambian DJ Ms Selfie into a highly sought-after dancefloor firestarter in Lusaka and Southern Africa. Known for her versatility, Ms Selfie’s sets infuse new and nostalgic sounds, evoking the freedom of expression and joy Afro House is so famous for. 

 

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Skiddle Mix #175 // Noizu

First breaking onto the scene in 2017, Noizu made his mark with breakthrough debut ‘Lasers’ on Chris Lake’s HOWSLA LP, which received endless support from a slew of house music’s leaders including FISHER, Claude Von Stroke and Green Velvet. However, it was his own release ‘Rave Alarm’, a collaborative single with Dombresky on his own imprint Techne, which landed Annie Mac’s ‘Hottest Record’ on BBC Radio 1, that cemented the LA artist’s authority as a label head with undeniable production flair.

Most recently, Noizu had a string of releases in 2020, releasing ‘Elevate’ alongside ‘Summer 91’, issued again vis his own Techne label. He also linked up with veteran producers Martin Ikin and Fast Eddie on single ‘Hands Up’, on Chris Lakes' Black Book Records, before remixing the 220 Kid and JC Stewart collab ‘Too Many Nights’.

 

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Skiddle Mix #176 // VAVO

Billboard charting dance/pop duo, VAVO seamlessly blend the talents of Vancouver native Jesse Fischer and London born Alden Martin. Despite once being separated by over 3,000 miles, the duo found a way to work on music remotely and ultimately landed releases on major labels such as Sony Music Entertainment and Republic Records.

After being heavily supported by Tiesto, the pair were also invited to work on multiple remixes for Republic Records. VAVO was then regarded as an “artist to watch in 2017” by sources like EDM Sauce. Fast forward to today and VAVO has taken the electronic music scene by storm. 

 

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 Skiddle Mix #178 // Maur

Hailed as one of Tomorrowland’s artists to watch in 2021, Maur look set to bring their distinct melodic house grooves to the forefront of the scene. The formidable pairing, comprised of Dan Clare and Dylan May, has seen an exponential rise since forming back in 2015. Both established DJs before this, Dan and Dylan joined forces to create the vibrant sounds they were notorious for playing out.

With a string of high-energy, melodic hits in 2020 for labels such as ViVA, W&O Street Tracks, and CR2, their breakthrough track ‘Set You Free,’ released via Sola, propelled them to the number one spot on Beatport for four weeks. ‘Set You Free’ remained in the Top 10 for three months and has over one million Spotify streams. Heavy Radio 1 support from industry heavyweights such as Pete Tong, Annie Mac, and Danny Howard's shows, the duo continue to gather momentum at a booming pace and are primed for a huge 2021. 

 

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Skiddle Mix #179 // Larry Sosa

Larry Sosa AKA Chris Eckersall is head honcho of North West based party starters, Demented Disco. A seasoned selector and promoter, with over 20 years of experience, and a faithful lover of underground disco, soul and house, Sosa has been at the forefront of the recent disco revival here in the UK. He's shared the decks with Greg Wilson, Lenny Fontana, Joe Goddard, Delano Smith, Ralph Lawson and Danielle Moore, and performed live at the likes of Beat-Herder, Highest Point and Pikes Hotel.  

 

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To listen to the most recent Skiddle Mixes, head to www.mixcloud.com/skiddle