Eris Drew has become so intrinsic to the electronic circuit, one could be forgiven for thinking she had been a full-time artist for decades. She enjoyed futuristic television scores in the 1970s, so her grandmother gifted her a synthesizer. In the third grade, she moved to the Windy City. "I grew up in that world of industrial and house and rave that was swirling around Chicago in the late '80s and early '90s," Drew remembers over Zoom. A PBS poster and crate of 12-inches are perched behind her. After attending her first club at the age of 14, she began to collect LPs and learn mixing.
It took a long time for Drew to commit entirely. "I tried to do other things with my life and none of it worked," she admits. "I had such intense experiences as a raver in the mid '90s. All I wanted to do was music, and I wanted a different kind of lifestyle. I wanted to have a special relationship with technology, creativity, and nature." She ground through office jobs, devoting her downtime to gigs at spaces including Smartbar and The Bunker NY. Around 40, she hired an agent and leapt into touring for a living.
Currently residing in New Hampshire, Drew shares a cabin with her romantic partner Maya Bouldry-Morrison (AKA Octo Octa). A forested corner of New England is a non-traditional place to operate as a globally renowned DJ. "As someone who gets really overstimulated, lived in the city a long time, and spends a lot of time in airports, it is such a decompression coming out here to our cabin in the woods," she says. The solitude fosters a push-pull between bustle and contemplation. This summer, the couple launched the serene, alcohol-free festival System Activate in Vermont. They also run the label T4T LUV NRG, uplifting the output of transgender artists through the lens of community.
Drew's contribution to !K7's revered DJ-Kicks is a letter to evolution in a scene. "Metaphysically, it is something I wanted to do for a long time," she says. "In private conversations, I would sometimes indicate to people close to me that I thought it would be really cool to do a Kicks." It coincides with her 50th birthday, which spurred an introspective mentality. She surfaced cuts from a range of eras, painting an adventurous self-portrait. The all-vinyl result centers on mid-tempo breaks and proggy leads, with standouts from Zen Experience, Direct 2 Disc, and Calisto. It smooths Drew's live spontaneity into a 20-track power play.
With its bittersweet tension, Drew's DJ-Kicks channels the Motherbeat — her belief that sonics connect to the frequencies of nature. "Getting on a soapbox, our society is in need of its own healing — of divine feminine energy," she muses. "The beautiful pulsations we hear in dance music are reminders that not everything around us is trying to kill us — that there is a nurturing component to culture." Drew makes a strong case for mystical qualities of the soundsystem.
PEAK TIME
DJ Tennis & Ashee - "I Wanna Know"
For a staple of the Coachella roster, Italy's Manfredi Romano (AKA DJ Tennis) keeps in touch with trends. He used to book punk bands in Europe, allowing the Life and Death boss to balance one foot in the big room and another in the basement. His fabric presents weaves originals with selections from Paurro and Djrum. Joining forces with London's Ashee, "I Wanna Know" is a dose of hedonism. Vocoders and insistent hi-hats are grippingly claustrophobic.
DJ Pitch & Quiet Light - "Bunyan Loop"
As the founder of TT and All Centre, London's Robert Venning (AKA DJ Pitch) is aligned with crunch. Recently, he has flirted with songwriting and slow motion beats. His record for Ian Kim Judd's OST, Short Glow, melds ambience and indietronica. Quiet Light partnership "Bunyan Loop" unfurls with melodic tablas, interspersed with verses that pair buzzing pads and seraphic singing. Indebted to Venning's roots as a classical pianist, it is blissful.
Larry Termite - "Trellice Mind"
Hank Jackson and Lazar Bozic (AKA Larry Termite) are on the ascent, thanks to associations with ethereal pop darling james K. The New York City DJs hold it down for the weirder corners of dance music on 400 Cents — a split between Bozic and Maniac Krypta, issued by Jackson's anno records. The 100 bpm "Trellice Mind" is an exercise in burbling bass and chugging drums — evoking a discarded science fiction theme.
Trickpony - "Angel"
Trickpony is a downtempo trio from Australians Michael Gunson (AKA Mike Midnight) and Katie Campbell (AKA Roza Terenzi), plus Finland's Maria Korkeila (AKA emkay). Their album for Campbell's trancey Step Ball Chain label, 24/7 Heaven, is spa-friendly magic. On "Angel," vocals hum over a candlelit shuffle. This trip-hop throwback is luxurious.
Luomo - "auringonpunainen"
Finnish curmudgeon Sasu Ripatti is most celebrated for Vladislav Delay — a noisy force impacted by the tundra. His sensual Luomo moniker is aging flawlessly. The one-off "auringonpunainen" contrasts uncanny timbres and sunburned dissonance. Luomo pieces rarely stray from the pocket, but this one goes wide — buoyed by thump.
Musicentrydelete - "eBase"
As Hashman Deejay, Tanner Matt's gnarled jams are fixtures of Mood Hut and Acting Press. The Vancouver recluse's full-length for Mood Hut, Selfless, arrives under the alias Musicentrydelete. It leans into crude dub, though kicks gesture towards the floor. The sprawling closer, "eBase," is carried by clacks and squelches. It concludes a misty journey.
K-Lone - "sslip"
Wisdom Teeth don Joe Gladwell (AKA K-Lone) is on a tear. The London-based producer's debut for Incienso, sorry i thought you were someone else, ruminates on the loss of his father. "sslip" finds muted voices dovetailing into electric piano. Though emotions run heavy, it is accessible and sugary.
irini - "untitled"
In a genre crammed with artists posturing as aloof, the figure known as Traumprinz, Prince Of Denmark, and DJ Healer is truly anonymous. Their release beneath the alias irini, lost in dreams, chases a three hour Soundcloud dump from 2021. It traverses deep techno and euphoric trance. "untitled" smears chintzy organs with nuanced aural design — suited for hermetic night drives.
Anthony Naples - "Dustos"
Anthony Naples' Scanners was an urgent turn from the Incienso co-owner. The New Yorker's surprise drop, In Studio Magic, returns to the melty kosmische he has favored since 2021's Chameleon. "Dustos" weighs twinkle and grain, reminiscent of Kevin Parker more than Kompakt. It is cinematic psychedelia.
Oneohtrix Point Never - "Lifeworld"
In the 2020s, Daniel Lopatin has embraced bombastic cheese on stage and screen. His full-length for Warp Records, Tranquilizer, is a latter-day peak for Oneohtrix Point Never. Constructed from a slippery archive of commercial sample packs, it harkens the corporate dystopia of Returnal and Replica. "Lifeworld" is a puddle of fractal voices, fried percussion, and discombobulating climaxes. Like Lopatin's best material, the composition is equally immersive and offputting.
THE AFTERS
This AI band I created is bringing in $300K a month.
— Michail aka Opium Hum (@opiumhum) January 12, 2026
Nearly reached 1 billion streams.
Though they have NO songs that go viral…
Nobody notices they’re AI.
If you want to learn how to create an AI band DM me. pic.twitter.com/d2eKfQ1m5n
