If you want to show some love to DJs and radio stations you feel deserve more recognition, we’ve released a feature called Spotlights. It allows you to highlight the creators you follow and share them on your profile. You can select up to 10 profiles via your For You Page and even leave a personalised note about why you’re into them. Your ringing endorsement then reaches your followers, allowing them to discover new mixes and creators while helping your favourites gain more exposure. We’re excited to dig into your recommendations!
Based in London and of Martinican and Guadelopean descent, DJABLÉS is a DJ and radio host who delivers turbo energy sets. She blends traditional, modern and electronic sounds of the Caribbean, South America, and PALOP countries, where Portuguese is the official language. Her monthly Voices Radio show ‘Madivin’ – co-hosted with fellow DJ Yu Yu – is a home base for her musical curiosity. Meanwhile, her DJ sets expand on the worlds she continues to build through song. We asked DJABLÉS to share her top three Spotlights, read on for her selections.
Yu Yu
A genre-blender of global sounds, Yu Yu is a conduit for musical exploration. She co-hosts ‘Madivin’ alongside DJABLÈS and brings the heat of her Moroccan background into her sets, weaving in the sounds of her homeland at will. As a result, you get some truly unique takes on club music, redefining what happens when tradition meets modernity.
“Yu Yu mixes music from North Africa, Morocco and global electronic sounds, which I love,” DJABLÈS shares. It’s such a good mix of everything, and really fun to listen and dance to. I remember listening to one of her shows where she mixed Amapiano and Baile Funk with traditional Moroccan music. It sounds a bit wild saying it like that but when she does it, it just flows. It’s just really great to listen to, because it’s very unexpected.”
Drastic Shuffle
A radio presenter, record label boss and studio manager? Give Drastic Shuffle a hat and she’ll wear it! Broadcasting every fourth Thursday of the month on Netil Radio and every first Monday of the month on Voices Radio, Drastic Shuffle beams out an eclectic selection. Deep House, Pop, IDM, you name it, no stone is unturned in her world. Her aptly titled label, This Music Label, pushes out forward-thinking electronic music for all lanes and moods. Not to mention her role as Studio Manager for Mission London, a space for DJs to develop, play sets and grow in real time. A Swiss army knife if there ever was one.
“I like Drastic Shuffle’s range, because she can do dancey and fun stuff, but also more vibey and maybe a bit more darker as well,” DJABLÈS says. “She’s got a good range, and she used to be a music journalist as well. So she’s very, very knowledgeable about music.”
Voices Radio
One time for the home base. At this point, Voices Radio is one of London’s most important radio stations. On top of quality programming, its focus on uplifting the next generation of DJs and hosts is admirable. As a resident who seized an opportunity presented to her by the station, DJABLÈS’s story with Voices runs deep and is highly sentimental. “Voices are great at highlighting and putting underrepresented communities forward,” she says. “That’s actually how I got into DJing as well; I went to one of their workshops that was organized for underrepresented communities. Now I think they have a collaboration with Colour Factory where they get some DJs and play, and it’s free. So you should go!”
Who do you think more people should be listening to? Use Mixcloud’s Spotlights feature to recommend creators to your followers.