Anetha

We clicked on this Anetha Mixmag Cover Mix knowing full well we'd be subjected to a deliciously brutal fusion of trance's soaring sentiment and techno's industrial grind. It's the audio equivalent of finding a glitter-covered hammer in a dark alley—absurd, but you can't look away. The vibe is pure afterhours catharsis, where the only light comes from the DJ booth's laptop screen and the occasional flash of a phone trying in vain to Shazam the opener. Technically, this is a masterclass in controlled fury. Averaging 147 BPM and rooted firmly in the key of 12A for much of its runtime, the set builds pressure through a dominant low-end energy profile of 65%.

Strategic modulations into 3B introduce a haunting, minor-key melancholy, while the tight BPM range between 146 and 158 ensures a relentless, forward-driving pulse. The mixing is long-form and textural, allowing percussive elements and atmospheric pads to layer and evolve over minutes at a time, with high frequencies kept sparse at just 5.6% to make every sizzle count. For crate diggers, the treasures are plentiful. The journey begins with the surreal, sampledelic twist of Ruki Vverkh's 'Крошка моя', instantly disorienting the dancefloor. Southstar's 'Miss You' provides the set's emotional gut-punch, its vocal hook stretched and warped over a pounding four-four.

Centeno's 'Intra Carrus' is a percussive monster, likely from the Prisma Traxx stable, all skittering hats and sub-bass weight. Anetha's own 'Terraphoria' showcases her skill for hypnotic, looping techno, while the inclusion of Trance Mums' 'Juicy' is a brilliantly ironic nod to the genre's more euphoric past. Prime Mover's 'Perfect Organism' adds a layer of sci-fi dread, and Boris S.G's 'Closed Orbit II' offers a brief, atmospheric respite. The arc is clear: from the cryptic pop opener, we're driven to the peak-time frenzy of KHYA & Mirasia's 'OUR GIRL MIRI J' at 160 BPM, before being deposited into the cosmic ambient drift of A Strange Wedding's 'Entering Hoag's Object' for a closing track that leaves us in contemplative silence.