Roundup: April 2026
Featuring the most ridiculous vinyl I now own
Whoops.
I didn’t get round to rounding March up, as I ended up being busy as hell. So I’ve decided to skip that month entirely and we’re getting stuck into April instead.
Let’s dive in.
Music Recs
So, I ended up picking up what must be the most outrageous vinyl I now own at a flea market here in Berlin the other week. Matterhorn Project’s hit single: MUH! An incredible mix of electronic music and those classic Swiss cowbell sounds, this is 5 euros I’m not getting back. The seller even included “bit of a monster” as on the sticky for the vinyl and boy did he have a point. And whilst you’re here, check out the 1994 re-edit for the club now in 4/4!
Blame The Mono’s Pace Refinery EP is a fast-paced hard groove stormer of an EP with an addictive energy. Stand out track: Skip The Line with its beat-switch halfway through.
I picked up the Tidy Trax TDV 25 compilation the other week with Tony De Vit’s greatest hits on it. AKA the father of hard house, the man’s signature sound is still influencing a lot of hard house tracks to this day. Stand out track: any of them, they’re all great.
Flevans’ Where I Hide is house with a touch of sultry jazz to it. Both one for the dinner date and the day party, I recently rediscovered this when assembling a playlist for a birthday party I DJ’d at a few weeks back.
Finally we have Hedchef and Tom Place’s Exosphere. It’s the one I kick off with in my latest mix and for good reason too, there’s a certain mystery and intrigue to the beginning of the track. You’re not quite sure where it wants to go and then it drops into the first beat and you’re immediately like okay here we go.
Out And About
Boiler Room’s 2026 AI Report
Boiler Room dropped their so-called “AI Report” a few weeks back to seemingly little fanfare. There’s a lot to dive in here and criticise but the most glaringly obvious is the irony of Boiler Room, a company whose success is founded almost entirely on social media and the filming of events, to come out and criticise “the algorithm” and phone addiction.
How Big Tech Co-opted DIY – and how to Fight Back
Darren Hemmings published an interesting thinkpiece on how the tech industry has actively worked to hamper the collectivism that fuels creative spaces and how they try to sell their products as “the only way to break into the music scene” in an attempt to get you addicted to them. There’s a certain importance to word and mouth communities and we should fight to protect them. He says 2026 is going to be a year of reckoning for the music and tech scenes and to be honest I have to agree with him.
Meet the Young Wikipedians Writing the Front Page of Music History
Kieran Press-Reynolds wrote an entertaining article on the world of music in Wikipedia and how even there, it’s not safe from the divisive politics of the real world. One of the big problems Wikipedia faces is the idea of being “too soon” to documenting the goings on of the music scene in that you run the risk of actually creating the genre you’re trying to document.
A (working) framework for bulding collective power in music
Finally, we have Brodie Conley and his idea for a framework to fight back against the growing power of big tech in the scene. Whilst I find some of his 12 points in the framework a little vague at points, it’s nice to see people speak out to try and build collective power into a scene that’s been victim to the aforementioned efforts of big tech to hamper such a motive.
Bonus Content
Moyn finally released the aftermovie to their 2025 edition of the festival. I’m heading there this year and can’t wait to see it in person. The setup reminds me of Sisyphos and Kater here in Berlin and they’re two of my favourite clubs in the city. It’s a shame that this will be the festival’s last year, but I’m glad I will get to see it before it goes.
Shai Space is one of Peckham’s latest spaces and they have been delivering the goods recently. Ruby Savage’s set is one of my favourites of theirs and I highly recommend giving it a listen. With Palais and Jumbi in the area as well, Peckham is really turning into a great place for a night out in the city.
Discogs has started a new video series highlighting collectors and their intriguing tastes in records. I love the new energy that’s being pumped into physical media and seeing more and more coverage of it is filling me with hope that people are starting to value music in a more deliberate way again. Discogs’ first episode is about an American who is really into the uniquely English northern soul sound.
Fantastic Man did a mix for Kalahari Oyster Cult’s Sizeable Mix series and it’s a pleasant housey ride from beginning to end. Lots of saucy IDs in this mix to desperately Shazam from my tinny laptop speakers.
Finally, it’s a self plug, and it’s my latest mix. I decided to up the pace with this and push 150bpm. After facing “heavy criticism” from fellow peers that my typical 120bpm pace is no match for their 140bpm USBs that they brought with them to the Pirate Studios session, I tried to see how I could go even faster.
Until Next Time
I’m still experimenting with what I want this blog to be so I appreciate any and all readers out there tagging along for the ride. One of the things I’m particularly enjoying at the moment is diving into more long form content in a bid to bring my screen time down on social media (looking at you, Instagram), so I’ll try to highlight more of the stuff I’m seeing out and about in the coming months.
Feel like there’s something I can improve on? Feel free to reach out! Comments are always open and socials will be linked below.
Until next time, you two-stepping champions.
oh hell yeah! Thanks for sharing my essay, friend! (more detailed ideas coming down the pipe as I write more essays -- gonna start filling in some blanks🤘