CICELY w/ MC DEADMAN [NRG CRU] | London

When the BPM creeps past 160, we enter a realm of pure cardiovascular commitment, and CICELY’s set for the Keep Hush Freeform Weekender in London, backed by MC Deadman’s NRG Cru chatter, is a full-throttle embrace of that reality. The vibe is sweatbox intensity, a crucible for breakbeat and hardcore where stamina is the only prerequisite. CICELY locks into a blistering 161.5 BPM average, using the dominant, energetic key of 12A to provide a harmonic through-line amidst the chaos, with detours into 4B and 3B adding darker, grittier shades. The energy profile is surprisingly rooted in the low-mid frequencies (0.66 low, 0.30 mid), creating a thick, punchy foundation that allows the rapid-fire breaks and rave stabs to cut through with surgical precision without ever feeling thin or harsh.

This is mixing as athleticism, with quick cuts, double-drops, and layerings that pile euphoria upon aggression. The tracklist is a riot of references. Dimitri Vegas & Darren Styles’ “Summer Dream Of Love” opens with a candy-colored hardcore synth melt, a nod to the genre’s cheesier, heart-on-sleeve heritage. SHERELLE’s “SPEED (ENDURANCE)” is a contemporary breakbeat manifesto, all distorted amens and seismic bass.

Spacey’s “Milkshake” edit is a playful, bootleg-style rework that gets a huge reaction, while Napes’ “Tokyo Drifting” is a long, evolving journey through junglist atmospherics. The closing track, Jensen Interceptor & DJ F*****f’s “Boy U Nasty,” is a brutalist, electro-tinged finale. The journey is a relentless ascent: from the nostalgic rush of “Summer Dream Of Love,” accelerating into the modern breakbeat fury of “SPEED,” and finally slamming on the brakes with the industrial electro of “Boy U Nasty.”.