The best SoundCloud DJ mixes worth hearing

How these SoundCloud mixes were chosen.

Every player comes from DJ Mag or Dekmantel, the two commissioning publications represented here. That removes the provenance problem that follows anonymous reposts. The order follows a listening route: begin with house and techno, move into stranger rhythmic territory, then finish with mixes that accelerate.

Popularity did not decide the list. A useful mix has a point of view you can hear in the transitions, whether that means Ogazón holding a groove for longer than expected or Djrum changing tempo without turning the hour into a demonstration reel.

House, techno and the space between.

Wata Igarashi, Recognise 081

Igarashi's contribution to DJ Mag's Recognise series works through driving, psychedelic techno without relying on blunt peaks. The percussion stays in motion while small changes in texture keep redrawing the room around it.

It is the clearest first choice here for someone who already likes techno but wants more depth than a run of obvious festival records.

Ogazón, Recognise 096

Ogazón digs through house and techno with the patience of a resident DJ. The mix is hypnotic because the records share a physical swing, not because everything sits at one intensity.

Listen to how long she allows a groove to establish itself before the next record changes its colour. The pacing gives each transition somewhere to go.

Sedef Adasi, Recognise

Sedef Adasi brings house, acid, trance and electro into one set without flattening their differences. The records get brighter and rougher by turns. Rave references appear as part of the flow and never feel like novelty drops.

This is the broadest club mix in the first half of the list, and a good route for listeners who find single-style sets too closed.

Doudou MD, Recognise 078

Doudou MD keeps the drums loose. Swung house grooves sit beside punchier techno, and the change in weight comes through rhythm instead of a sudden jump in speed.

The mix makes sense of the overlap between house and techno that genre menus usually hide. It sounds like one record bag, with no hard division between categories.

Breaks, bass and leftfield routes.

Objekt, Dekmantel Podcast 116

Objekt's Dekmantel podcast is built around exact choices and sharp turns. Techno, electro and broken rhythm meet at unusual angles, yet the transitions remain clean enough that the oddness never feels random.

It rewards close listening. A record may arrive because of one drum sound or a shared patch of empty space, then pull the set somewhere the previous track did not announce.

Djrum, Dekmantel Podcast 267

Djrum moves between spacious electronics, broken beats and jungle with a pianist's attention to touch. Fast passages retain their detail. Quieter records reset the ear before the next rhythmic change.

Choose this when a fixed tempo feels too predictable. The mix changes pace while keeping a recognisable mood.

DJ Python, Dekmantel Podcast 208

DJ Python's music is often filed under deep reggaeton, but the useful description is in the drums: dembow patterns slowed until there is room for dub, ambient haze and long low-frequency tails.

The podcast is the calmest selection here. It works at low volume, although the bass and syncopation become more persuasive when played properly.

SHERELLE, Dekmantel Podcast 285

SHERELLE closes the route with footwork, jungle and fast broken rhythms. Her transitions keep the pressure high while changing the shape of the drums, so speed never becomes the only idea.

Anyone arriving from the site's jungle guide will recognise the breakbeat logic. The footwork selections push that logic into a different rhythmic grid.

One more mix, with disclosure.

thecatrave, I Like to Smoke in Silence After Raves

I made this mix, so I am not calling it one of the best or pretending it belongs to an independent list. I can say this without hedging: it is worth your time, 100%.

The set took about four months to arrange. Its 30 tracks move through breaks, garage, bass music, techno and rave as one long arc, which makes it a natural final stop after the faster, broken-rhythm mixes above.

Which SoundCloud DJ mix should you play first?

Wata Igarashi is the direct techno entry point. Ogazón and Doudou MD are better for rolling house and techno, while Sedef Adasi covers the widest stretch of a club night. Start with DJ Python for something slower, Objekt for detailed leftfield mixing, Djrum for tempo changes, or SHERELLE for the fastest hour.

The platform is only the container. Follow the commissioning series when a mix lands: Recognise and Dekmantel Podcast both publish selectors whose own pages may be hard to find through SoundCloud's charts. If the personal pick earns your trust, thecatrave's SoundCloud has the rest of the mixes.