MLE

MLE's set at Keep Hush's Rhythm Section Shouts Takeover in Berlin is the sonic equivalent of a curry-house menu—a bit of everything, all of it excellent, and you leave feeling both confused and deeply satisfied. The BPM swings from a lazy 100 to a frantic 143, averaging out at 131.7, which means we're never quite sure whether to shuffle, stomp, or just stand there gawping. The key centre is 12A, a versatile minor space that lets MLE flit between house, grime, and trance without sounding like a trainwreck.

The low end dominates at 0.67, but the mids carry the melodic weight—especially when we hit Mothers Pride's 'Learning to Fly (Trouser Enthusiasts Remix),' a euphoric house cut that feels like the soundtrack to a 90s rave flashback. The crate-digger moment is Wiley & Zomby's 'Step 2001,' a grime instrumental that sounds like a malfunctioning fax machine with a grudge, and it's followed by Trunk Boiz's 'Cupcake No Fillin'—a weirdo bass track that proves MLE has a sense of humour. Then there's the closing track: Future Sound of Egypt's 'Untitled 21,' a 30-minute trance odyssey that we only get the tail end of but which anchors the set in a completely unexpected way.

The journey is all over the place: we open with the grime-dubstep hybrid of Wiley & Zomby, peak with the pure euphoria of the Trouser Enthusiasts remix, and then descend into that endless FSOE trance drone. It's a mess in the best possible way—a masterclass in how to keep a crowd guessing without ever losing the thread.