RW022

Recycling Wax is remixing.

Robin Tasi
November 27, 2025

Hey there,

How are you? Today I’m a bit slow, somehow I’m distracted by all the offers on the internet! Hahaha, speaking of being distracted, have you already seen the first Recycling Wax Radio Show at mono in Dortmund? Every first Thursday of the month I stream on YouTube for two hours, do interviews with guests, give song titles, and talk a bit. I’ll link it for you here.

Today we’ll begin with the following order:

Recent Cuts - Fresh vinyl and digital releases worth checking out.
Essential Oldschool - Records from the 90s and early 2000s that still matter today.
Behind the Booth - Personal stories, lessons, and perspectives from life as a DJ.
Top 5 User Songs - A handpicked selection, carefully curated each week by DJs.
Community Pick of the Week by Daniel - One favorite from the community.

1. Recent Cuts - Fresh vinyl and digital releases worth checking out.

#1 Nathan Alexander - Profetia EP: I’ve been wanting to write about this release for quite a while. Kuje, which translates to “joke,” “fun,” or “prank,” is the new label from my dear colleague Lotta aka Carmen Electro. She gifted us both the record when she last played in Dortmund, and I’ll be honest: I still haven’t actually played the vinyl. That made it even more important for me to remind myself to finally listen to it. Now I’ve done so online, and I have to say: Leeds-based producer Nathan Alexander is honestly the perfect way to kick off a new label. It pushes, it bangs, it slaps, and most importantly: it’s wonderfully uncompromising. “Tracer” is definitely my pick. And the artwork is beautiful too. The stamping on the back must’ve taken ages, right, Lotta? Lots and lots of love for the launch of your label!!

#2 DVS1 - Flight To Nowhere: To be honest, I’m a bit torn when it comes to DVS1. A very good DJ, an even better producer, and with Mistress, he created a damn great label. Even the repress of release “Flight To Nowhere” from 2009 is really good. I love “Arrival” with its beautiful pad and that great bassline. There’s no other way to put it: DVS1 is an important part of the techno scene. Even though I understand 90% of his videos and statements about how the current techno scene is, I don’t agree with the remaining 10%. Zak Khutoretsky does present some interesting perspectives, but in the end, they’re a bit too harsh, in my opinion, almost arrogant and talking down to others. For example, there’s a short clip where he says that hard techno is the new EDM and that he comes from the realm of “pure underground, true techno.” As you all know, for me, there is no “true techno.” There are simply different tastes. Calling yourself an underground DJ while at the same time giving interviews and talking about how you fly under the radar, how underground you are, for Instagram and TikTok clips and also YouTube interviews, that’s a bit too close to the surface for making those kinds of statements, in my opinion. To me, truly wealthy people are modest, don’t show off everything they own, and don’t need to prove anything to anyone. If you’ve really got it, you’re usually quiet and let your skills speak. If someone feels the need to tell others what they are and what others are not, that’s a contradiction to me. That’s why I look at the art of DVS1, but not his statements. There’s a musician in Germany who once said, “I simply don’t want to know what the person behind the artistic persona I admire so much is really like.” And honestly, in this case, I totally get it.

BANDCAMP
DECKS
DEEJAY

#3 Osunlade - Envision Remixes: Now, a track from my early 2010s days. Back then, Deep House was big. Really big. In my last post, I already described how huge the scene was, and how Deep House lost its appeal once public figures discovered it as “cool” and started exploiting this deeply emotional genre and all the heart behind it for marketing purposes. Osunlade – Envision is simply one of the most beautiful songs of that Deep House era. Especially the Âme remix, absolutely insane. I don’t even know how many times we played it, and always the full length. Why? Because the track just gets under your skin. And it puts all other songs in the shade. Still, it’s a timeless classic that absolutely belongs in every record collection. I think it’s kind of awesome that this music is making a comeback. We’ve been anticipating for a while what would return after the whole high-BPM wave, and we already suspected it might be House. The fact that it’s Deep House right away makes it even better! Hopefully, it stays a niche and doesn’t become another product to be exploited.

#4 Session Restore, Bernhard Hudalla - Pathfinder EP: One thing that has already returned in the middle of electronic music’s popularity is music with dub influences. I’ll admit it: I also have plenty of Serum presets on my computer that include dub chords. Those warm sounds, that’s the stuff. Cellar sound and home-improvement-store aesthetics, fetish wear without fetish, and NAKT fashion are slowly becoming things of the past. Man, I’m really quite the hater in my texts today. Rough workday, hahaha! I was super annoyed, so I was also annoyed while checking the new releases. But Session Restore and Bernhard Hudalla gave me a really warm feeling, enough that my annoyance faded a bit, though not completely, hahaha! Beautiful 4-track record. It’s a 2024 repress. Definitely worth buying!

BANDCAMP
DECKS
HHV

#5 Flits - Asteroid EP: Lastly, we get to an EP I thought I had already written about. Flits is, as far as I know, from Amsterdam and sometimes works with Isaiah and co. And I have to say: the young folks have really given Amsterdam fresh new energy. Sure, Amsterdam has always been an important part of techno, no doubt. But people like Flits, Isaiah, Beau Didier, Rosati, Alex Ranzino, Vromo, or Comrade Winston (sorry to anyone I forgot) are showing everyone how it’s done right now. Brilliant 5-track EP, I like it a lot! Bleepy, uncompromising, techno! Thanks, guys, keep going!

BANDCAMP
DECKS
HHV

2. Essential Oldschool - Records from the 90s and early 2000s that still matter today.

#1 Bryan Zentz - Watch The Sun: Now it’s getting funky! Bryan Zentz is known for his tribal-style tracks from the early 2000s. Watch The Sun is the banger on this record. A timeless classic. I don’t even want to say more than that.

#2 South Operations - Draining Faces EP: South Operations, more precisely Henrik Larsson, Niklas Ehrlin, Patrik Skoog, and Staffan Ehrlin (wait, are Niklas and Staffan actually brothers???), created a truly magical EP back in 1999. Four unbelievably good tracks, each one strong enough to stand on its own. It’s gotten a bit pricey over the years, but definitely worth it!

DISCOGS

#3 Various - Tsunami Aid Volume 1: Two of the protagonists mentioned above even appear on this Various Artists EP. Though I have to say, Bryan Zentz is also really strong here, and with Dogs, he crafted an absolute weapon. Floors that play this track are already warmed up, and it slowly brings the whole dance floor to a boil. Banger!

DISCOGS

3. Behind the Booth - Personal stories, lessons, and perspectives from life as a DJ.

I had two weeks off and even went out partying again this weekend after a long time. But being on the other side, just dancing, isn’t as great as it used to be for me. I don’t know, maybe I’m getting old. We headed out to see Woody McBride in Bochum. Oliver Bondzio played before him. Woody McBride was pretty good; the second track was “Birdman” right away. It wasn’t really a live set, though; it felt more like the stems were being played back in Ableton. That was a bit of a letdown; a Woody McBride tweaking a 303 live would’ve been sick. Woody was one of the last ten DJs on my list that I wanted to hear once in my life. But we actually left during his set.

Even though the club asked people not to take videos/photos, several people ignored the rules. A woman stood right in front of the booth with a flashlight, shining it directly into Woody’s face. He even posed for her until she screamed, surrounded by a well-tuned sound system and loud monitors, “IT’S A VIDEO.” Yeah, great, and he’s not a mannequin in a store window, he’s a human being. Another guy had a record with him, which looked like a wooden plate with a signature, which he placed on the booth where people usually put their drinks. Then he filmed the record and panned over to Woody McBride. Other people were filming from the side without flash, which still violated the rules, but somehow felt less uncomfortable than those standing directly in front of him. Honestly, I felt pretty uneasy because of the crowd, and neither Woody McBride nor the club could do anything about it. Some people simply don’t know how to behave.

Another topic I’ve been thinking about for two days: I was asked if I want to produce a remix. I always love that question. A beautiful EP by a great artist that matters to me. I don’t do remixes for money, no matter what the original is like; I want the challenge of remixing a good track. But I asked myself: “How many original stems do I actually have to use?” So I asked ChatGPT, and it said: “You don’t need a specific amount. A remix is still a remix as long as a musically recognisable element of the original remains, even if you replay or alter it.” So that answers that. I’m curious what the original producer will think of the final product. It could very well be that my taste doesn’t resonate with them, or the other way around. Anything can happen! Honestly, I’d rather keep working on the track right now than writing. But honestly, writing is inspiring me at the moment, and you should never produce when you’re annoyed; better to blow off steam first.

But one question remains important to me: Do you think the defining synthesiser from the original track actually has to be recognisable in some form in the remix?

4. Top 5 User Songs - A handpicked selection, carefully curated each week.

Oh yes, User is simply a myth. Dean Cole is supposed to be User, but apparently, he didn’t produce the tracks himself. On a post on the Recycling Wax Instagram page, someone asked a question: Who exactly is behind the User Productions? More specifically, it was about Abuser 02. I replied, “Dean Cole.” Then, Function aka Dave Sumner commented under the post and replied to my comment: “Hahaha… no it’s not!”

Why does Function know that? Was he maybe the one who produced the tracks? Another friend told me that Regis is behind User. I honestly have no idea anymore.

What I do know for sure: User records are addictive. I almost own all of them now, so today I’m showing you my favorite uncharted User tracks.

#1 User - 16 B1

#2 User - 02 B1

DISCOGS
YOUTUBE

#3 User - 006A C1

#4 User - 08.2 A

DISCOGS
YOUTUBE

#5 USER - 003A A

DISCOGS
YOUTUBE

5. Community Pick of the Week by Daniel - One favorite from the community.

Robin Tasi - Nerdy Destiny: I thought for quite a while about whether I should choose this suggestion for the Community Pick of the Week. It’s really kind of you, Daniel, to pick exactly this EP. But somehow it feels strange to include my own music in the newsletter.

In the end, though, I decided to go for it, because honestly, I’m happy that there are people who appreciate my music and want to make me smile. So I’m trying to accept it with humility, but also with joy. Daniel didn’t write anything about it, he just sent the link.

Thank you so much for your appreciation and your support. I’ll keep working on an EP; I hope I can finish one before the end of the year. I really want to step things up in 2026 and produce and release more. Let’s see if it works out.

BANDCAMP
DECKS
DEEJAY
JUNO

Alright, guys, I really vented in this newsletter. But honestly: if you’re looking for a squeaky-clean, emotionless newsletter, then you’re in the wrong place. This newsletter bursts with subjectivity; it’s entirely my taste. But that taste is exactly what made you subscribe in the first place. So I think this is the way to go.

Still, it really helped me blow off steam and calm down a bit. I hope you enjoyed the newsletter once again and maybe discovered an EP or a track you didn’t know before. See you next Thursday. And please don’t forget to send me your favourite track. I genuinely want to feature a Community Pick every week, which means I need content. Thank you! <3

Simply reply to this email or comment here with a link to your favourite E.P.

Catch you next week! Be ready to drop the needle on my next picks.

Keep it spinning,
Robin Tasi @ Recycling Wax

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