Melbourne Deepcast

Shanghai tastemaker Yu Yang pulls us into her twilight zone, navigating deep hypnotic house, synthy techno and tracky minimal groovers for the after hours inclined.

@yuyang11

Q. As a music lover that has lived across multiple corners of the globe, bouncing between London, Shanghai and Bali and having spent time living in NYC, what sounds or feelings did you draw upon when gathering inspiration for this mix, and what listening environments could you imagine it being best enjoyed?

A. All the life experiences in different places exposed me to different sounds & communities and helped me discover the core element of sound that I am attracted to - synth, groove and flow; and myself as a person of what experiences I am looking for on the dancefloor, which is feeling emotions and being introspective on the dancefloor. Sometimes it’s fun, sometimes it’s overwhelming, sometimes it’s even unpleasant, but it’s all part of the journey.

This set goes a bit deep and trippy so I think it could be listened to at after parties, taking a walk or going for a run in the evening, or any time when you feel like being on a music journey.

Q. Are there any records in the mix that you were especially excited to share, and what is it about these songs that resonate with you so much?

So many but if I have to choose:

Bullet Proof by Hd Substance
Synth-driven. Smooth groove. Rolling waves that go deep.

Wata Igarashi & Polygonia - Cross Passage
The most techno track on the whole set. Love a rolling bassline pushing deeper and deeper.

Keplrr – 4DRK
Been playing a lot of Keplrr lately. This one drifts on the calmer side, while others dive deeper, more emotional. A constant balance of techno and breaks, weaving feelings into every layer.

Q. You’re spending more and more time playing in the UK and Europe these days, where do you feel your uniquely global sound has been well received of late?

A. Japan and the United Kingdom both really champion this sound—through festivals like Rural and Houghton, and artists such as Powder, DJ Nobu, Wata Igarashi, Craig Richards, Jane Fitz and many more. Feeling inspired—and lucky—to move between Asia and the UK within this scene.

With a new album freshly minted on @mistersaturdaynight earlier this month, Mister Sunday and Nowadays co-founder Eamon Harkin draws on his storied 25-year journey as a DJ and NYC dancefloor specialist to soundtrack the end of a particularly chilly New York winter.

Q. What sounds or feelings did you draw upon when gathering inspiration for this mix, and what listening environments could you imagine it being best enjoyed?

A. The mix was made as we were starting to emerge from one of the coldest and hardest winters in memory here in New York. I wanted to channel that vulnerable feeling of early spring as the evenings stretch a little and there’s the occasional hint of warmth emerging from the cold.

Q. Are there any records in the mix that you were especially excited to share, and what is it about these songs that resonate with you so much?

A. I’ve featured a lot of artists that have been with me most of my musical life. Producers who I’ve always looked to for inspiration like John Tejada, Donato Dozzy, Mike Huckaby and Bobby Konders. Overall it’s really about collecting a range of songs to fit a certain musical idea and feeling that I’m trying to convey in the mix.

Q. Your new album, The Place Where We Live, is described as feeling both physical and introspective and exploring themes such as belonging and transition, tell us more about the themes that inspired the music and how you found the right balance between club ready tension and quieter reflective moments.

A. I think for many of us electronic and dance music fans we enjoy the back and forth between club ready music and more introspective home listening. That spectrum of sounds is very much who I am musically and so it was a natural act to reflect this range in the album. At the same time as a long time immigrant in the US who has grappled with certain feelings of alienation from his origins since covid there were those emotions and feelings I wanted to bring to the record. I’ll let the listener determine if the right balance was struck!

Naarm's own Babycino steps up next mixing dubwise rollers and summery house digs. A budding DJ, producer and open-air dance specialist, his Reasons To Be Cheerful parties and Skylab shows blend classy jams with playful flair, meaning 100% good times for the groove inclined!

@babycinoofficial

Q. What sounds or feelings did you draw upon when gathering inspiration for this mix, and what listening environments could you imagine it being best enjoyed?

I wanted to try to keep it nice and hypnotic in parts, mostly through the first hour or so. So there’s some dub tinged house, deeper house cuts and then into some kind of psychedelic, percussive funk jams. All roads lead back to House music though, in some form or another.

If I can lock in, lose my train of thought and kind of forget where I am for a little bit while listening to a mix or music. That’s the best. Almost like entering another realm.

That being said, I do like flourishes of chaos being injected as well, so hopefully there are some well placed disruptions and switch ups.

For the listening environment. Perhaps a long car journey, or a long walk/ jog through a changing landscape

Q. Are there any records in the mix that you were especially excited to share, and what is it about these songs that resonate with you so much?

A. There are a few favourites in the mix but I have to say that the closing track, the Janeret remix of Flash And The Pan’s Walking in the Rain, is on heavy rotation at the moment. I absolutely love the original, it’s so moody and ethereal while also being raw and kinda edgy. This particular remix reworks it for a dancefloor, while keeping that vibe sooooo well.

Q. Your Reasons To Be Cheerful parties have become a much-loved part of the annual party calendar, featuring a smorgasbord of house and disco legends the likes of Jex Opolis, DJ Lloyd and Chee Shimizu to name a few! Tell us about your plans for the party going forward, and what you’ve most enjoyed about the experience thus far?

A. Aw, bless! Thank you so much! Going forward, I just want to work on maintaining a consistent quality with the curation and to ensure it’s a free and open space, musically and spiritually. Quite simply, I really want to focus on improving with each event, adding more visual art elements/installations, not to reinvent the wheel but just to add my own personal weirdness to the space.

Things I’ve enjoyed so far.. I’d say meeting people and inviting artists who I really respect, whether it’s an OG like Chee or connecting with some of the local peeps that I deeply admire.

A specific top experience so far is going b2b with Chee Shimizu at Angel. He really is one of the best! Chee and Weatherall are the guiding stars for me, so it was such an honour to go beat for beat with a master!

Carving out a special place within Taipei's harder-edged sonic landscape, the Mango Season party founder and infinitely groovy DJ Pocari Sweaty has been at the forefront of Taipei's house scene for the past few years, offering Mango Seasoners extended dubs, deep euphoric house and obscure disco journeys from guests like Telephones, Benedek and Mayurashka to name a few.

Currently in Australia for the first time, we're lucky enough to have him in the mix with a wonderfully spaced out selection of floated techy groovers and deep house music in its finest form.

@pocari_sweaty

Q. What sounds or feelings did you draw upon when gathering inspiration for this mix, and what listening environments could you imagine it being best enjoyed

A. To be honest I didn’t put too much thought into this mix, and didn’t go into it with any plans to release a mix. I just hooked up a recorder and started playing from a loose selection of deep and techy records I’d recently bought, and I liked how it turned out! Thank you guys for digging it too, and for putting it out!

Q. Are there any records in the mix that you were especially excited to share, and what is it about these songs that resonate with you so much?

A. I would say I’m especially stoked to share this Terry Francis track Rock Hopper. I bought this record from a discogs seller in Taipei called bigbadjimmy. It turns out he was a DJ in Taipei in the late 90s / early 00s and even opened for Terry Francis in Seoul on his first Asia tour back then. I think it’s really special to have a direct lineage to this record’s original context!

Q. Your Mango Season parties have become a regular fixture of the Taipei underground scene over the last few years with a host of deep digging guests covering all kinds of house and disco leaning sounds, tell us about your idea behind the night and what have been some of your favourite memories thus far?

A. Taipei is definitely a city that likes heavy music, so I started Mango Season to create the kind of warm and sweet party that I really want to go to.

Damn there are really too many good memories, all of the guests have been amazing. Dea’s closing track last August, 多情沒有問題 by 馬玉芬 was really fun, the entirety of Telephones’ set last October was incredible, and last month MLiR and I played b2b all night for the second anniversary of the party. We didn’t plan a thing and played one track each for the whole night. Perfectly in sync, it was awesome.

MDC's @myles-mac back once again with a trip friendly scuba dive through the best bits of 2025.

Tracklist:

T.E.C. - Hi Set & Low Set // Serenity Now
Puli - C.S.B. // Open Space
Milou Moon - Circles (Guy Contact Remix) // ORiGiN Recordings
Guy Contact & Solar Suite - Perfect Harmony ft. Sa+ga // Wax’o Paradiso
Musicentrydelete - Sub AM // Mood Hut
Alex Kassian X Spooky - Orange Coloured Liquid (Part II) // Test Pressing
Greville - Electric Push CPU Mix // Mad Habitat Recordings
Anthony Naples - Scanners // ANS Recordings

Retza & DJ Activities Man - Play (Round 1) // All Kinds of Music
Pancratio - A Never Ending Story // Love On The Rocks
RAMZi - flufi // FATi Records
Pool Sharks - Orange Crickets // Pepper Recs
Aldonna - Pink Beluga // Semi Delicious
Pancratio - Groove Throtter # 2 // Faith Beat
DAWS - Feel So (3am Mix) // Correspondant
Deetron presents Soulmate - The Visitor // Ilian Tape 

T.E.C. - 7001 On Plastic // Serenity Now
Tornado Wallace - Bitter Suite // Test Pressing
Command D - Fever // Self Released

Other Joe Feat. CTP - Ice in my Veins // Best Effort