ADONIS (Grace Sands, SONIKKU, Shay Malt) | Lab London
Mixmag
The ADONIS collective—Grace Sands, SONIKKU, and Shay Malt—deliver a Mixmag Lab London session that feels like rifling through the coolest record collection you've ever seen. This is deep, atmospheric house with a side of classic garage and disco, a set for those who value mood over mere momentum. The vibe is immersive and slightly psychedelic, perfect for getting lost in the details. Operating at a fluid average BPM of 126, the set glides between deeper, slower passages and more driving sections, all while maintaining a cohesive, hazy atmosphere.
The harmonic bedrock is the expansive key of 12A, with tasteful excursions into 7A and 3B to add color and tension. The energy skews heavily towards a rich, detailed mid-range, which allows the intricate melodies of Aphrodisiac's 'Song of the Siren' or the lush pads of Nookie's 'Paradise' to shine, supported by a warm but never overpowering low-end. The mixing is smooth and narrative-driven, treating the 21-minute odyssey of PARAMIDA's 'Devil's Destination' not as an anomaly but as the centerpiece. The track selection is a history lesson.
Opening with Larry Heard's touch on Nookie's 'Paradise' is a masterstroke of deep house reverence. Armando's 'Confusion's Revenge' is a classic Chicago jack-track, while Gay Marvine's 'Banji Girl Realness' injects a dose of ballroom vitality. The Butch remix of 'Haven't You Heard' is a modern tech-house rework done right, and Omar S's 'Another Man' is a raw, Detroit-style finale. The journey is expansive: it starts in deep, soulful territory, builds through the epic, psychedelic stretch of 'Devil's Destination', and closes with the live, kosmische-inspired drift of Sethera's 'Space'.