TuneLab
MULTI CULTI SOUNDSYSTEM in The Lab SYD
When the booking email simply reads 'global sounds' and the rider requests 'incense, lots of it,' we know we're in for a session where Shazam will work overtime on obscure edits. Multi Culti Soundsystem in The Lab SYD is less a DJ set and more a curated hallucination, the kind where you find yourself nodding to a track you swear you heard in a Goa beach shack in 1998. The vibe is that of a sweat-drenched, intimate bunker miraculously infused with coastal breezes, all warm lighting and bodies moving in loose, unbothered arcs. Technically, this is a masterclass in balearic and psychedelic disco flow, clocking an average BPM of 116.3 and predominantly living in the sun-drenched, open harmonic field of 12A.
The energy balance—with lows and mids both hovering around 0.41—creates a dense, groovy bedrock, while the restrained highs at 0.18 ensure nothing punctures the humid atmosphere. The mixing is fluid and patient, using the 94-120 BPM range to ebb and flow, with key shifts to 3B and 7A introducing subtle melodic tension without ever breaking the spell. For crate diggers, Ponty Mython's 'Slippin' Into Darkness' is the perfect hazy, dub-inflected opener, all echoing chords and slow-motion funk. Benjamin Ball's 'Flash a Flashlight,' particularly the Gerd Janson Vocal Edit, is a shot of pure disco-house adrenaline, while 'Afrikali - Out of the Jungle (Parate's Raw Mix)' is a deep, tribal percussion workout that showcases serious digging.
Red Axes' 'Sun My Sweet Sun' in its alternate version is the undeniable balearic anthem, a sunrise moment built on soaring guitars, and Ajukaja's 'Benga Benga' adds a layer of fuzzy, analog psychedelia. The journey begins in the murky depths of 'Slippin' Into Darkness,' ascends to the euphoric, guitar-led peak of 'Sun My Sweet Sun,' and closes on a reprise of that same sun-kissed high, leaving us adrift in the best possible way.