Inside the Latest Curator's Crates Radio Mix

Air Date: 18 October 2026
Genres: Electronic / Breakbeat / Dubstep / House / UK Garage

Listen first, then come back for the commentary. Or keep reading while the mix plays.

Since October is my birthday month, I thought it would be the perfect time to make the ultimate “me” mix. I made too many playlists and two recorded versions. The more I tried to turn the mix into a definitive statement about my tastes, the more frustrated I became. Eventually, I realized I was overthinking it.

What you’ll hear instead is a mix that was inspired by a weekend at Book Club Radio and sets by Machinedrum and Hiroko Yamamura. Their influence can be felt throughout the mix, which leans into breaks and the darker energy of the season ahead. I approached it as the sound of summer ending, with plenty of reasons to keep dancing.

In this post, I'll break down some of my favorite tracks and transitions. Rather than walk through all 54 songs, I want to focus on a few sections that define the mix and show how it evolved over the course of two hours.

1. Never Come Back (Koreless Remix) - Caribou
2. Subby - DJ Sprinter
3. BUSS IT - RAPRAVE, Fullbodydurag

This mix was mostly unplanned, pulling 54 tracks from an 80-song playlist to fill a two-hour radio slot. The opening, however, was intentional.

I've wanted to start a set with Koreless' remix of Caribou's "Never Come Back" for a while, but it's not really a dancefloor opener. Its introspective mood and deconstructed soundscape make it better suited to causal listening than peak-time club play. For a radio show, though, it's perfect. It gives listeners a chance to settle in and leave behind whatever they were listening to before.

I brought in "Subby" because it carries some of the same darkness while introducing more bass into the mix. That pairing ended up setting the tone for a lot of what followed. After the emotional reset of "Never Come Back," "Subby" is the moment the mix finds its footing.

Once that foundation is in place, I bring in "BUSS IT" to raise the energy. The ghetto tech track provides the first real burst of intensity in the mix.

I wasn't trying to slowly ease listeners into the set. These three tracks establish the mood right away. "Never Come Back" sets a dark, reflective tone, "Subby" brings in the bass, and "BUSS IT" injects some chaos. From there, the mix just keeps moving.

27. Gabapentin (Montee Remix) - projektbau
28. Belonging - LUXE
29. Verbatim - Cameo Blush
30. Motions - Keenan Mathias
31. Make Me - Elkka

This stretch comes after some of the biggest bass in the mix. By this point, we're about an hour in, and I felt like it was time to come up for air.

Montee's remix of "Gabapentin" starts that shift. The drums still have weight behind them, but the track feels more spacious than what came before. It creates a little breathing room without stopping the momentum.

From there, the mix becomes more melodic. Even though it's a breaks track, "Belonging" is warm and nostalgic. "Verbatim" keeps that sentimental thread going while adding a four-on-the-floor drum pattern. The looping vocal allowed me create the transition as a build, gradually increasing the tension. It's one of my favorite tracks because it balances emotion and dance floor functionality so well.

"Make Me" is where things start turning upward again. It's a simple but incredibly effective Jersey club track. After spending several songs focused on melody and atmosphere, its bounce helps listeners return to movement.

While the bass never fully disappears, this five-track run is centered on melody. After an hour of darker sounds and heavier rhythms, it offers a moment of reflection before the mix starts building again.

36. Mothertime - Call Super
37. Damn Frogs - Kosh
38. CPU - Yugi Boi
39. Raging - Effy
40. Brainstorm - Shimon & Nixon

"Mothertime" is one of my cooler finds for this mix. Call Super combines elements of house, breakbeat, ambient music, and downtempo electronics without fully settling into any one style. The result is hard to pin down. In the mix, its job is to prime listeners for a more techy, hyperpop-adjacent stretch without making the transition feel abrupt.

"Damn Frogs" is more than an eye-catching name. Frog sounds, rubbery basslines, and quirky synth work give it a playful personality, but the track is strong enough that the joke never overwhelms the music. It's weird, catchy, and difficult to forget once you've heard it.

After "Mothertime," it sounds like a build is coming. Instead, "Damn Frogs" pumps the brakes a bit. It's still energetic, but in a more playful way. By holding back the payoff, it makes the jump into "CPU" feel more rewarding.

"CPU," is a beautiful mix of hyperpop and UKG. The bright synths and digital textures feel futuristic and compelling. From there, "Raging" and "Brainstorm" bring us back toward harder breakbeats, pushing the intensity higher again.

Looking back, I'm glad this mix didn't become the definitive statement on my tastes that I originally set out to make. The tracks that ended up making the cut reflect where my head was at that weekend: inspired by great DJs, excited about new discoveries, and ready to embrace the shift from summer into something a little darker. In that sense, it probably ended up being a better "me" mix than the versions I spent so much time trying to perfect.