K7 Vinilo y CD

Review: It's been a long time coming that we should reach the point where German minimal house megamind DJ Koze gets to indulge his own "influences mix", for none other than resident who's-who mix aggregator, DJ-Kicks. Koze's long-loved, minimal house spirituals sound is unmistakable, serving to fill out in widescreen technicolour the best sound achievable across dance spectra; a palatial pan-European palate of crisp, soul-driven sound, crossing into downtempo, bedroom pop and lo-hi-fi crusts. This landmark 50th edition in the 'Kicks series hears Koze blear through said sounds with ease, disparately uniting laid-back hip-hop flips of Madlib through to the raw racecourse force of Berghain techno, then incorporating indie-pop and melancholic outliers further afield, then closing on a fully edited piece of 'Hyuwee' by fellow titan Session Victim. Koze's goal was never to show off his deep knowledge but to craft a mix that anyone could enjoy: in his own words, he sought to recreate a radio show-like experience, emphasisng harmony, not beatmatching.

Review: In 2016, Peggy Gou debuted with her EP Art of War and allegedly sett ambitious career goals, including playing Berlin's iconic Berghain and contributing to !K7's DJ-Kicks series. She achieved both. This 69th edition of the legendary mix series seeks to reflect her musical journey across 18-tracks that blend disco, house, techno and electro-spanning tempos from 90 to 150 BPM. Highlights include her own exclusive track 'Hungboo' alongside works by Aphex Twin and Andrew Weatherall and shows she has wide tastes and the skills to knit those together into a fine, storytelling mix that rides up and down, covers plenty of emotion, and never forgets about the groove.