Three Decades, No Skips: DJ-Kicks at 30

CJ Bolland’s 1995 entry is the inaugural mix of the DJ-Kicks series. Still, it remains one of its most impressive. A punishing and unrelenting labyrinth, Bolland’s selections transport the listener to the darkest corners of the dankest European techno clubs of the ’90s.

Opening with Patrick Pulsinger’s distorted burner “Construction Tool”, before moving through acid house-tinged bangers like Magenta’s aptly named “Boost!,” Bolland’s DJ-Kicks explores the aggressive, visceral side of electronic music.

Perhaps more so than anyone, Austrian duo Kruder & Dorfmeister epitomized the laidback downtempo sound that would become ubiquitous throughout the mid-to-late 90s. Their DJ-Kicks mix and The K&D Sessions mix for K7! would go a long way towards establishing that reputation.

Full of chunky, pitched-down breakbeats, slow-motion turntablism, and gorgeously tripped-out samples, DJ Kicks: Kruder & Dorfmeister is a mix that sounds as heady as it did nearly thirty years ago.

A fast-paced and endlessly creative offering, legendary Detroit DJ and producer, Stacey Pullen’s DJ-Kicks mix is one of the best of the series. Effortlessly eradicating the lines between genres, Pullen’s selections highlight the soulfulness of techno and the inventiveness of the house.

The entire mix is full of top-tier cuts, but Kooky Scientist’s “Ram Bunctions” is a quirky electro-funk gem that stands out along with Kosmic Messenger’s complex techno masterpiece “Eye 2 Eye” and Roy Davis Jr.‘s lush deep tech-house jam “I’m Tha DJ.”

Kemistry (Valerie Olukemi A “Kemi” Olusanya) and Storm (Jayne Conneely) were pioneers in England’s early drum n’ bass scene. From their time spinning on pirate radio to rocking dancefloors at the Bluenote, the duo paved the way for women and non-women DJs alike. With their 1999 DJ-Kicks release, Kemistry & Storm cemented their names in dance music history with a powerful, expertly programmed. Packed with cutting-edge tracks from Goldie, Peshay, Lemon D, and more, Kemistry & Storm’s DJ Kicks is one for warped breakbeats lovers. Even today, their mix remains a high-water mark in drum & bass, a testament to the duo’s taste and mixing skills.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton’s work under Thievery Corporation ruled the record bins of listeners and DJs who wanted a chiller, more diverse alternative to big-room dance music. Their 1999 DJ-Kicks release brings the group’s multi-faceted sensibilities to the forefront with a mix that flows from dub reggae and R&B to jazz and Indian hip-hop.

A passing glance at the tracklist will reveal names like German future jazz collective Jazzanova, Rockers Hi-Fi, and composer and exotica pioneer Les Baxter. An eclectic and colorful ride, Thievery Copration’s DJ-Kicks is stuffed with goodies from around the world. 

George Evelyn’s production style as Nightmares On Wax is a smooth melding of electronic music, dub, and hip-hop. For his DJ-Kicks mix, Evelyn digs deep into the hip-hop side of his musical mind with a fresh, chunky mix of sample-based hip-hop cuts. Hip-hop luminaries like Kenny Dope, O.C., A Tribe Called Quest, and more show up alongside funky library cuts like John Cameron’s “Swamp Fever.” The result is a head-nodding journey through dusty grooves and laid-back rhythms, effortlessly balancing golden-era nostalgia with crate-digger sophistication.

With roots in Philadelphia’s vibrant 1980s rap scene, Vikter Duplaix plays dance music with the energy and range of a hip-hop DJ. With selections covering deep house, broken beat, bossa nova, Rap, R&B, and beyond, Duplaix’s 2002 mix is one of the most eclectic in the DJ-Kicks series. With cuts like Herbert’s woozy, experimental house sleeper “You Saw It All,” to Mr. Hermano’s uplifting jazz-soul epic “Free As The Morning Sun,” Duplaix’s mixing is novel and creative, and his taste is world-class. As if his DJ skills weren’t impressive enough, Duplaix throws a curveball by getting on the mic to deliver a key track on the mix with “Sensuality,” a sexy anthem still lighting up dance floors. 

Kieran Hebden’s 2006 mix for DJ-Kicks under the Four Tet alias has a range and playfulness nearly unrivaled in the series. At 21 tracks, Hebden’s selections touch on jazz fusion, hip-hop, 1970s soul, indie rock, IDM, techno, and beyond. Avant-garde composer and computer music pathfinder David Behrman’s “Leapday Night (Scene 1)” opens the mix, and from there, Four Tet introduces a delightfully colorful and creative mix that includes disparate acts ranging from Stereolab and Madvillian to Gong, Showbiz & A.G. and Autechre. Tet’s meticulously curated selection feels as much like a personal mixtape as it does a carefully constructed DJ set.

Released in 2015, Nina Kraviz’s DJ-Kicks mix gives a look into the sonically expansive and deep DJ sets that she was playing down at the time. While many tracks here retain techno’s unwavering, beating heart, the music isn’t banging as much as it is relentless and focused. Gorgeous cuts like Fred P’s “Higher Mentalism,” “Out of Control” by Population One, and Goldie’s “Truth” speak to Kraviz’s taste and ear for rich, atmospheric techno. Moving through shadowy rhythms and weightless spaces, Kraviz crafts a mix that feels like a transmission from the subconscious, pulling listeners deeper with every transition.

Steeped in the sounds of 1980s boogie, soul, and electro, L.A.-based DJ, producer, and keyboardist Dam-Funk showed off his virtually unrivaled knowledge of the record bins for his entry to the DJ-Kicks. With cuts like Vertical Lines’ lo-fi coastal oddity “Theme From Beach Boy” and Uncle Jamm’s Army’s minimal electro classic “Dial-A-Freak,” Dam-Funk digs deep into this particular corner of the pop cultural cosmos, pulling out a set that reflects the funky futuristic, cosmopolitan sound that has shaped L.A. for decades.

One of the more recent entries into the DJ Kicks series, Peggy Gou’s mix touches on a wide range of global electronic sounds. Opening with the dreamy ambiance of Spacetime Continuum’s “Fluorescence,” Gou immediately switches gears into her track “Hungboo,” a gorgeous take on Korean pansori-style narrative singing. Including expertly selected tracks from Detroit DJ Kyle Hall, IDM pioneer Aphex Twin, Hyberdub label head Kode9, and more, Gou’s mix showcases her broad tastes, letting it be known that her finger lays firmly on the pulse of progressive electronic music worldwide. 

The British DJ/producer duo Disclosure has had dance floors in a chokehold for 15 years. Not surprisingly, their DJ-Kicks mix is as catchy and dynamic as their original productions. Harry Wolfman’s pulsating track “LOTF” bridges the gap between soulful deep house and warm, glitchy IDM, while Simon Hinter’s “Wanna Make Love” is a slick sample-flipping house track. Like many of the best DJ-Kicks releases, the Disclosure mix allows the duo to highlight the DNA of their sound through the music of their influences and peers alike.

Theo Parrish’s DJ Kicks: Detroit Forward is a shining example of the kind of tasteful and thoughtful programming the DJ always brings to his sets. The mix opens beautifully with De’Sean Jones and Ideeyah‘s “Pressure,” a melancholic R&B jam flush with silky vocal harmonies and backward guitars. Meftah’s “When the Sun Falls” bridges the gap between jazz fusion and contemporary electronica, while Raybone Jones’ “Green Funk” is a standout mishmash of broken beat and deep house. At its core, Parrish’s entry is a meticulous love letter to the city that’s given him everything.