TuneLab
Manami
Mixmag Lab London
Manami in the Mixmag Lab London starts with 'Techno Disco Tool', and the title is a perfect thesis: this is a set built on utilitarian grooves that somehow become utterly transcendental. We're here for the genre-agnostic ride, where a breakbeat, a trance anthem, and a UK garage roller can exist in the same breath, and it makes perfect sense to us degenerates. The vibe is ecstatic, unpredictable, a joyful raid on electronic music's history where every switch is a delightful surprise. Technically, it's a breakbeat and hardcore-influenced journey with a wide BPM range averaging 142, and key movements between 3B and 12A providing a dynamic push-pull between darkness and light.
The energy profile is remarkably balanced—low at 0.51, mid at 0.45, high at 0.04—meaning powerful low-end drive is met with equally present mid-range melodies and rhythms, creating a full, immersive sound. Mixing is bold and creative, using drastic BPM shifts and genre leaps that somehow cohere into a narrative, like dropping 'Rank 1 - Airwave' into a breakbeat framework. For crate highlights, 'Drua - Larp' is a hypnotic, tribal techno cut, 'Kotn - Highlife' brings African-inspired rhythms, and 'Spray - Ratenplan' is a jacking, minimal house weapon. 'The Shapeshifters - Lola's Theme' is a classic disco house moment, and 'Chase & Status - 5am' injects a dose of drum & bass energy.
The journey takes off with the raw loop of Mella Dee, peaks with the 11-minute breakbeat epic 'Sully - Werk', and closes on the pure, hands-in-the-air nostalgia of Sash!'s 'Stay'. A masterclass in eclectic dancefloor storytelling.