Favorite Mixes from February 2026

Until teleportation becomes a thing, music’s the closest hack we’ve got. February in Brooklyn has been a long reminder that winter is basically an endurance sport, but the mixes we kept returning to had range: some pulled us back into last year’s best memories, others dropped us into rooms we never made it to. Most of this list is live recordings, which matters. You can hear the temperature of a space, the length of a pause, the way a DJ takes a risk when there’s an actual crowd in front of them.

Vicki Siolos and Paduan both take us back to Springkell Castle, each in their own way. These are ambient journeys that land with the rare quality of leaving you feeling reset rather than drained. Camu brings the taste of Temple nights at Espacio Perpendicular, working his signature drone language into something smooth and quietly strange. Lynne goes even further inward, using minimalism and silence as active materials, letting the gaps do as much work as the tones. Klaus drops us into an Unknown Species night, and the reason those parties get talked about starts to make sense within minutes.

On the rhythm side, Carrier b2b Forest Drive West from the FOMO Stage at Date Festival is a proper gift for anyone who likes breaks with personality. Leftfield, physical, never fussy, and always moving forward. Aaron J’s New Year’s Day set for Ratherlost in Amsterdam is another reminder of why so many people rate him so highly. It’s energy with discipline, a set that keeps the pressure up without cheap escalations.

We also couldn’t pretend the studio podcasts didn’t belong here. Kim Kenis delivers a deep melodic journey with a tight sense of proportion, threading old favorites and new cuts without relying on either as a crutch. 5RVZ goes deep and weird in the best way, driven by polyrhythmic logic that keeps unfolding. Reeko ends the month with a techno set that’s pure function and fire, a tour de force without any unnecessary flourishes.