TuneLab
Donna Dada
Vancouver | Neptune7 x Drill Takeover
Nothing says a Vancouver takeover like the frantic shuffle of UK garage meets bassline swagger, and Donna Dada's live set for Neptune7 x Drill is a clinic in exactly that. We've all been that person trying to ID a bassline while dancing, and this full tracklist is a treasure trove. The vibe is pure club chaos: sticky floors, laser cuts, and a crowd that's here for the rush, not the romance. Technically, Donna Dada anchors this at a driving 136 BPM, with Camelot 12A as the harmonic home base.
The energy balance is textbook for the genre—low at 0.55, mid at 0.32, high at 0.13—creating a propulsive, rolling rhythm that never lets up. Mixing is sharp and functional, with quick cuts and loops keeping the momentum high, and the progression subtly modulates between keys to maintain interest without losing the groove. The crate digging here is both nostalgic and forward-thinking. Double 99's 'Ripgroove' is the undeniable anthem, its sped-up vocals a guaranteed floor-clearer in the best way.
HIGHTS's 'I Don't Dance' offers a modern, bass-heavy twist, while Bushbaby's 'Groundsman' sets the tone perfectly as the opening track. Josi Devil's 'Restless Sleep' brings a darker, techy edge, and the inclusion of Tomcraft's 'Loneliness' is a witty nod to trancey hard house. The journey starts with the skippy rhythms of 'Groundsman', builds to the peak-time frenzy of 'Ripgroove', and closes with the gloriously cheeky Vengaboys 'Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!', because sometimes you just need to end on a singalong.