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Immersive audio is changing the way that we listen to music. But for audio engineer, lecturer, and PhD researcher Marcela Rada of The Immersive Lounge (TIL), it’s also changing the way we make music in the first place. For her, it’s a creative framework that alters songwriting, arrangement, recording techniques, and even how artists listen to their own work. In this interview, Marcela lays out a practical, artist‑first path into immersive production, why critical listening in a 7.1.4 room matters, and how to mix for translation across headphones, soundbars, cars, and multi‑speaker rooms. Jump to these sections Why immersive audio opens new creative opportunities in writing and arranging The reason Marcela believes critical listening...

The latest software generation of Native Instruments’ flagship beat making and music production platform has landed. It’s the first software version available to buy on its own without Maschine hardware. And thanks to new and improved features, it’s even easier to craft a track from start to finish while refining sounds to bring out your unique voice. All without extra gear. There are plenty of fresh features like a rebuilt Modulation Editor, Play Series standalone compatibility, a brand-new library, and free iZotope Ozone software included. Let’s dive in. Get Maschine 3 Community-requested features Maschine 3.4 was designed to bring in long-requested features from Maschine users. The online community played a big role in this. From...

Since its October 2 rollout, ‘Lose My Mind’ marks a fresh joint effort from Champion, Interplanetary Criminal, and Crookers, two Manchester-area vets who’ve synced up over years in the scene. Champion, a Bolton-raised force in UK dance, has held steady as an underground mainstay, riding through bassline evolutions and genre pivots at a young age that belies his output. He’s linked arms with heavyweights like Four Tet, Skrillex, and Sammy Virji on collabs, while dropping remixes for Jorja Smith, the Sub Focus/Katy B pairing, IN PARALLEL, and Caribou. His 2024 BBC Radio 1 Residency takeover was a highlight, underscoring his ear for what’s next in electronic. Interplanetary Criminal, also out of Bolton in Greater Manchester, climbed fast...

Kiki Botonaki has spent the last decade building a name as one of Greece’s most trusted voices in underground electronic music. Between her radio show and club presence, she’s created a steady platform for her distinct approach to Afro house and melodic deep house. Her latest release, “I Know What Love Is,” arrives on Fiona Kraft’s Non Merci Music and adds another strong entry to her catalog of hypnotic, soul-soaked grooves. In this interview, she walks us through how Massive remains central to her process. Her patch-building approach prioritizes warmth, subtle motion, and clarity, producing sounds that feel personal while still ready for the club. From oscillator habits to modulation chains, her workflow within Massive reflects...

These are DJcity’s most downloaded tracks of October 2025. Our monthly charts feature top downloads from around the world, plus regional charts for Latin, UK, Germany, Asia, and South Asia. Me & U – Sir Marcus & Kareem Remix – Cassie Move Ya Body – BlissFX Remix – Nina Sky Who’s That Girl? – Richastic Remix – Eve NOKIA – MarkCutz Halloween Ringtone Edit – Drake Bodega Baddie – Cardi B Gasolina – MFresh Jet2 Holiday Troll Edit – Daddy Yankee What Is Love – BVRNOUT Remix – Haddaway Baddie Baddie – Ice Spice ErrTime Remix – Cardi B (ft. Latto) The Addams Family – Halloween Remix – Richastic View the full list here. Sign up to preview the tracks for free. New users: Unlock full download access for just $10. The post 🏆 October...

Notable tracks that were added to DJcity this week. View them all here. Download the tracks below. (* indicates DJcity Exclusive) My Muse – Leon Thomas Hypersilent – Mochakk & J.J. Fad BRUK DOWN – Major Lazer, Parris Goebel, America Foster & SadBoi MONSTRUO – Tainy & Feid Mercy – Spryte RVN (Raven) Edit * – Kanye West (ft. Big Sean & 2 Chainz) Si Veo A Tu Mamá – MFresh Love Parade Remix * – Bad Bunny Domino – Joan Qveralt Remix * – Jessie J Shake It To The Max (FLY) – SpydaT.E.K You Don’t Love Me (No No No) Remix – Moliy & Silent Addy (ft. Skillibeng & Shenseea) Ma Tnsani (Yalla Habibi) – LLIAM Coolie Dance Rhythm Edit – Vanco (ft. AYA) Disturbia – K3ONI & CHALANT Remix – Rihanna DJcity’s weekly picks are selected by Sir Marcus...

Factor Eight builds everything from his voice. Drums, pads, bass lines, and atmospheres all come from vocal recordings that are digitally manipulated into finished songs. His new single, “Waiting for the End,” was written during the final stages of a long-term relationship and channels that moment through carefully layered textures that evolve with the emotional arc of the piece. This method defines his process across both personal projects and his work in visual media. He handles the entire chain himself, including vocal tracking, editing, mixing, and, in some cases, mastering. Jump to these sections: Balancing processing across a fully vocal-based production process Defining vocal clarity without sacrificing emotional nuance...

Berlin duo twocolors have always balanced precision with emotion, but their latest release, “Head Above Water,” pushes that balance further. Reuniting with Danish percussion pioneers Safri Duo and vocalist Chris de Sarandy, the track swaps obvious peaks for careful detail, threading vulnerability into a festival-ready arrangement. While the production hits with impact, it’s the subtle shifts and atmospheric motion that give it lasting weight. In this interview, twocolors walk through how they used Native Instruments tools like Reaktor to build momentum without cluttering the mix. From vocal-based granular pads to quiet movement hiding beneath the chorus, they reveal how controlled unpredictability shaped the emotional tone of the...

Kontakt is a household name in the world of software instruments. The legendary sampler is known for its massive range of immaculately curated instruments, immense flexibility, and diverse range of applications for producers and beatmakers. But the world of Kontakt is vast, and if you’re uninitiated, it might be intimidating to enter. This article will serve as a crash course in Kontakt to equip you with everything you need to know about our flagship software instrument. Discover Kontakt What is a software sampler? A software sampler is a digital instrument that plays back pre-recorded audio files – or what we call “samples” – which can be triggered from a keyboard, MIDI controller, or DAW. Unlike a synthesizer that generates sound...

This week on @RoadPodcast, the crew chops it up with Kansas City’s @djnickdavis. They reflect on meeting Nick early in his journey and stress how crucial it was to travel and experience other DJ scenes at a young age (00:55). The conversation shifts to the Midwest nightlife explosion, with cities like Wichita and Salt Lake City hosting incredible parties (06:50), and Nick breaks down how he’s built his out-of-town bookings through word-of-mouth and collaborations with Salt Lake City’s finest @bangarangthedj (10:04). He shares the origin story of his party Goodies and how it became a way to bring major DJs to KC who otherwise wouldn’t have come. Nick also reveals how he approaches travel gigs, opens up about wild KC “bottle wars,” and...

Groundbreaking social music platform PLAYY. Music has just launched a game-changing competition for independent artists all over the world. The recently launched platform is offering a $25,000 record deal that includes full recording costs, studio production, and a comprehensive international PR and marketing campaign for an entire year. This opportunity is open to all artists who sign up and upload music to PLAYY. Music before 20 February 2026. The winner will receive professional recording and production support, as well as a full-scale global press and radio campaign. This includes blogs, webzines, broadsheets, national and regional radio and press, YouTube channels, and Spotify playlisting across 10 countries: United States...

It’s often said that nothing is more intimidating than a blank project when you’re starting a new song. That’s only true if you approach it expecting the one idea in this one blank project could, will, become your next big hit. In reality, the blank project can be one of the most exciting parts of the process when you treat it like a sketchpad for fast experimentation. This article explores how to get ideas out of your head and into your DAW as quickly as possible, and how the tools inside the new NKS Kontakt library, Dopamine, help make that happen. We’ll walk through five practical ways to use Dopamine to capture, refine, and expand ideas rapidly so you can produce more music and improve the quality of what you release. Jump to...

RE\MIND’s latest single with JK is built around a rare Os Tincoãs sample, but the track doesn’t rely on nostalgia to carry its weight. “Choro” is textured and contemporary, balancing stripped-down groove with just the right amount of emotion. As the second release on JK’s new imprint Titanic’s End, it captures a community-driven energy that’s both local and global, shaped by the legacy of Black Rock City and a desire to create timeless music with intention. What makes the track unique is how RE\MIND weaves in cinematic tools like Pharlight and Noire without pulling focus from the source material. The Os Tincoãs sample remains embedded in the soul of the production, but everything around it is sculpted to add subtle emotional weight...

A common, shared music library across different DJ apps has been a dream of many DJs for a long time. Today, we come one step closer to that with the launch of One Library, a collaboration between AlphaTheta, Native Instruments and Algoriddim. It means that tracks in their three DJ apps – Rekordbox, Traktor and djay, all now share the same format for cues, loops and beatgrids, and that data can be easily transferred between them. Mojaxx takes a first look at this industry-changing story on the new episode of Beatsource Tech. Check out Mojaxx’s rundown of OneLibrary on DJcity TV. Sign up to DJcity for free. New users: Unlock full download access for just $10. The post OneLibrary Will Change The DJ Tech Industry – For Good! appeared...

London-based DJ/producer Skepsis is celebrating a decade in the scene with the announcement of his most personal tour to date: 10 Years of Skepsis. The tour offers fans a chance to experience a special extended set that dives into the decorated producer’s bassline roots – all while previewing the drum & bass direction shaping his next chapter. As you’ll see below, phase 1 kicks off this fall with ten intimate dates across North America, hitting notable cities such as Las Vegas, Vancouver, Denver, Toronto, New York, Montreal, and more. Since breaking out with “Goes Like” in 2017, Skepsis has cemented his place as a major voice in UK dance music. With releases on EMI, Warner, Universal, Spinnin’ Records, and now signed to Ministry of...

Dubai-based duo Jenn Getz & Alfie are kicking off a new chapter with “All I Really Want,” a slick and soulful house heater built for late nights and sunrise dance floors alike. Rooted in a classic Mary J. Blige vocal and infused with infectious UKG and house influences, the new record strikes that rare balance between nostalgic and forward-thinking. As you’ll hear below, it’s the kind of tune that hits just as hard in a sweaty club as it does on a festival mainstage – and we’re loving every second of it. Since breaking onto the Dubai scene in 2020, Jenn Getz & Alfie have been steadily building global momentum. Their unique, high-energy sets and consistent run of releases on labels like Arielle Free’s Free Your Mind, Sam Divine’s DVINE...

Los Angeles-based artist and sound designer James Laurent is kicking off the rollout for his debut album Degen Z with the euphoric new single “Midnight Speeding.” Produced by DutchRevz, the captivating track is a cinematic late-night anthem built on Laurent’s signature layered vocals and sharp melodic instincts. Written, recorded, and mixed in a single 3 a.m. session, the song captures a raw creative spark that still pulses through the final cut. The rising artist also hand-crafted the single’s artwork, spending over 200 hours building cel-shaded 3D visuals from scratch. Set to arrive December 12th, Degen Z features collaborations with Moxas, Global Dan, and Dusty, and marks the arrival of an artist thriving at the intersection of...

After more than ten years, Modestep has officially returned with his highly anticipated sophomore album Give Up The Ghost. The project marks a new chapter for frontman Josh Friend, who now leads the Modestep project solo and brings with him a sound that is darker, more experimental, and more urgent than ever. Give Up The Ghost is a bass heavy concept album that confronts a not so distant future where AI and automation begin to eclipse human creativity. Across 12 tracks, the record blends aggressive drum and bass, cinematic dubstep, and haunting electronic rock with moments of emotional intensity and post apocalyptic vision. Whether it is the dystopian breakdowns of “Bugatti,” the distorted energy of “Feed,” or the introspective tension...

With her fearless vision and genre-blurring sound, Shitty Princess has never been one to follow convention. On her latest single “Same Stars,” the enigmatic DJ and producer channels the euphoric, sing-at-the-top-of-your-lungs energy of dance pop’s 2015 golden age while pushing the sound forward with heavy bass, shimmering synths, and festival-ready hooks. As you’ll hear below, the new record also sets the stage for her forthcoming EP, arriving October 3rd: the same day Taylor Swift’s new album drops. “I don’t need her spotlight, I just need the algorithm glow,” Shitty Princess explains. “If she’s the headline, I’m the afterparty.” It’s a fitting statement from an artist reviving the spirit of EDM’s peak era while carving out a lane...

Naya Rockers, in association with Floki Studios, have just unleashed Higher Education, an 11-track benefit LP uniting reggae, ska, dub, and New Orleans R&B heavyweights to support Kingston’s historic Alpha School of Music. Recorded across 15 studios in five countries, the project features Grammy-winning artists, engineers, and musicians, anchored by the 10-piece Naya Rockers band with legends like Earl “Chinna” Smith, members of The Skatalites, John Brown’s Body, and Slightly Stoopid. From Clinton Fearon’s opener “Come With Us” to Mad Professor’s closing dub, as you’ll hear below Higher Education delivers a global journey through roots and rhythm. Standouts include Ivan Neville’s title track, Sister Nancy’s “Teach The Youths,” Stephen...