Our first mix of the New Year is an otherworldly back-to-back between DJ Nobu & Aurora Halal that was recorded live at Dekmantel Festival 2023. Japan's Nobu is a renowned selector with a singular but fluid approach to techno and experimental electronic music. He’s the cult figure behind the long‑running Future Terror party series and Bitta label, both of which showcase truly adventurous sounds. Halal, meanwhile, is the Brooklyn‑based favourite who runs the respected Mutual Dreaming series and has a shadowy, psychedelic style that melts genres together with experimental textures.

The pair represent two distinct but complementary strands of underground music culture, as heard in this special two-hour recording. There's a rawness to it that keeps you on edge as the duo weave mind-melting techno tales, spin out into cosmic electro and strip everything away to reveal pulsing, hypnotic rhythmic cores. It's an utterly immersive musical dialogue between two modern titans.