“Energy, flow, eternal.” So intones the first track of SonarMix 034. The second edition of SónarMix from Sónar Lisboa comes direct from the Williamsburg, New York studio where German artist Perel has been based for the past few years.
JL’s ‘Energy, Flow, Eternal’ acts as a perfect description for the mix. From the get-off, you can feel the cosmic sound that made Perel a stand-out in the Berlin scene, thanks to hybrid sets that mixed her voice with electroclash snares and 80s synths.
“I didn’t have any specific style in mind but eventually went with the music that I like to dj at the moment and that inspires me,” she adds. Between deep melodies, hints of trance synthesisers and acid tonalities, Perel combines cosmic disco and seductive dark italo with electroclash and even snatches of EBM, without forgetting classic house. SonarMix 034 features emerging producers such as Indonesia’s Cyda - ‘Fortunella’ - and established names like Mr. G. She’s so captivated by the latter’s ‘Cosmic One’, produced together with Duncan Forbes, that she plays it twice. “It kind of sets the vibe for the entire mix, so I teased it again at the end of the recording”.
While tracks like REES' ‘Reptile’ and Patrick Prins' "The French Lawyer" play, Perel tells us that she’s preparing "a hybrid DJ set" for Sónar Lisboa 2024, "which means it will contain lots of my own productions (both old and new), with some vocals here and there".
Perel performs on Saturday 23rd March in Lisboa’s Parque Eduardo VII as part of Sónar by Day, and she promises her set will be "a journey".
"But I don't want to reveal too much, obviously.”
Tracklist:
JL - Energy Flow Eternal
Superski - Espace Supertemporel
My Boy Roy - Numbers
Mr. G & Duncan Forbes - Cosmic One
REES - Reptile
Cyda - Fortunella
Marma - We Used To Be Together
Di After & Dean - Wicked Dreams
Patrick Prins - The French Lawyer
Virus Inc. - Scene Of Passion
Chris Zippel - Eternum
Mr. G & Duncan Forbes - Cosmic One
Dendron - Sun God